Entering the weekend, the Cougs had a chance at making the Pac-12 Tournament
Heading into this past weekends games against Stanford, Washington State baseball had a chance to make the Pac-12 Tournament. That didn’t last long however as the Cougs dropped all three of their games against the Cardinal and finished their season on a three game skid and at 29-23 on the season.
Thursday’s game gave fans hope that there would be post-season baseball for the Cougs but a 3-run homerun by Tommy Troy in the 7th inning brought the Cardinal back into the game and forced extra innings with the game tied at 5. In the top of the 10th inning it was Troy again with a 2-run blast to center. The Cougs tried to make a comeback in the bottom half of the inning and had the tying run on third but a double play ended the game and a few of the hopes of post-season baseball went out the window along with it.
On Friday, they found themselves in a 6-1 hole heading into the bottom of the 6th inning. They got three back in the bottom half of the inning but were unable to get any more across. They finished with 4 runs on 7 hits, while allowing the Cardinal 7 runs on 14 hits.
The season finale on Saturday meant a special night for the 11 seniors as they prepare to move on to their next phase in their careers. Those 11 seniors include pitchers Connor Barison, Chase Grillo, Dakota Hawkins, McKabe Cottrell, Cam Liss, and Caden Kaelber. Outfielders Greg Fuchs, Jake Harvey and infielder Jacob McKeon. Undergraduate assistant coach Michael Newstrom and student manager Grady Benton also received recognition on Saturday.
As for the game, it was not a special night for anyone. The Cardinal plated a run in every inning except the 2nd in a 15-5 loss. It seemed like it would be a tight game heading into the 3rd inning as it was tied up at 3 but the Cougs could not get another run until the 8th inning.
As for the season as a whole, the Cougs had the most wins this past year since 2015 surpassing last years 27 wins and set the record, again, for most strikeouts in a season as a team. Things may have ended rough with being swept by the Cardinal and a 2-1 series loss to Washington but the Cougs have showed promise season over season and this year was nothing different.
*****
Baseball:
Thank you Cougar Seniors!#GoCougs | #WAZZU | #T124 pic.twitter.com/2gLofo54CJ
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) May 21, 2023
Soccer:
Incoming Freshman Liya Brooks Named to Jamaican U20 Roster
Incoming 2023 freshman Liya Brooks was named to the Jamaican national team roster for the upcoming Concacaf Women’s U20 Championship, the Jamaica Football Federation announced May 18. Brooks, who is signed to play soccer for WSU next fall, will travel with the Reggae Girlz to the Dominican Republic for the continental championship, which runs May 24 through June 3.
Football:
Gardner Minshew spent some quality time with his rookie teammate this offseason. Former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson trained at the same facility in Jacksonville, Florida, as Minshew, and the veteran liked what he saw from the 20-year-old.
Track and Field:
Cougars Head to Sacramento for NCAA First Round
Washington State men’s and women’s track and field teams open the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this week in the West Preliminary Round. This season’s opening round of the championships, which will be streamed live on ESPN+, will see the West region compete this Wednesday through Saturday at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif.