Good afternoon, Coug fans!

This is a big weekend for your favorite baseball team as Washington State hosts No. 4 Oregon State University.

Oregon State will head to Pullman with a 9-1 record, having just lost to UC Irvine in an intense 3 game series. The first two games were won with ease by the Beavs, 7-2 and 9-5, but the last matchup ultimately handed them their first loss, a 2-3 game that went 10 innings.

Cooper Hjerpe is a more likely candidate to start for the Beavs, he leads the team’s ERA this season with a 1.65. Last season, Hjerpe finished things off with a 4.21 ERA and 3-6 wins per losses. However, this season he usually pitches at least 5 innings a game, and had a 0.82 ERA for their game against Xavier University. Hjerpe was also named Pac 12 Pitcher of the Week in May of 2021, was a Second-Team Preseason All-American, and reached his season high of 10 strikeouts against UC Irvine.

Jacob Melton leads the team at bat, with .404 average so far. Melton ran up two home runs against Xavier, along with having 6 RBI- his season high, and scored 3 runs against New Mexico.

If you would like to watch or follow along with this game, it begins at 3:05 PT on the WSU Livestream: https://pac-12.com/live/washington-state-university ! Saturday’s game starts at 2:05 PT, and Sunday follows at 1:05.

The last time the Beavs were in Pullman in 2018, WSU lost the first two games, and Oregon State won the National Championship. Quite a note to end on.

I’m looking forward to this series! I think it will be a good indicator of how the Cougs handle a difficult opponent, especially after two losses to Wichita State and Iowa this past weekend.

I hope everyone is staying healthy and drinking water! Go Cougs!

Links

Cougars Open Pac-12 Play Hosting No. 4 Oregon State - Washington State University Athletics
First pitch is set for Friday at 3:05 p.m.

Washington State baseball team starts home season with a bang | Sports | dnews.com
Like an up-and-coming boxer thrown into a title bout against a seasoned pro, the Washington State baseball team isn’t wasting time facing scrubs early this season.

Cougs to face Beavs in first homestand of the season – The Daily Evergreen
WSU baseball (7-5) is set to take on No. 4 Oregon State (9-1) for a three-game series in Pullman. This will be the first home series for the Cougs of the season. The Cougs are 23-50 all-time against the Beavers. The last matchup was in March 2021, when the Beavers took 2 of 3 games...

Cougs Pac-12 Tournament ends with a 75-65 loss to UCLA - Washington State University Athletics
LAS VEGAS (AP) UCLA sputtered through the start of its Pac-12 quarterfinal game, shots clanging, passes off the mark.

UCLA Men's Basketball Cruises to Win Over Washington State in Pac-12 Tournament - Sports Illustrated UCLA Bruins News, Analysis and More
Jaime Jaquez Jr. helped the Bruins turn on the jets in the second half, breaking 20 points for the third game in a row to carry his team to the Pac-12 semifinals.

No. 13 UCLA beats Washington State 75-65 in Pac-12 quarters | KOMO
Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 23 points, Jules Bernard added 19 and No. 13 UCLA knocked off Washington State 75-65 on Thursday night in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. The second-seeded Bruins (24-6) got off to a slow start offensively, but shut down the Cougars until they could find a rhythm. Once UCLA did, it went on a 19-2 run to build a 12-point halftime lead and didn't let up. UCLA moves into Friday's semifinals, where they'll play either Washington or No. 21 USC.

Washington State can't keep pace with veteran UCLA Bruins, eliminated in Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals | Washington State University | khq.com
LAS VEGAS – In a playoff game pitting an established Pac-12 Conference power against an up-and-coming program, experience won out.