Pac-12 Baseball Weekly Rundown – May 9, 2024

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Schedule // Standings // Pac-12 Stats // Pac-12 Stats (PDF) // NCAA Statistics 

LEADING OFF: With 2 weekends left in the regular season, 2 teams have already punched their tickets to the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale and they meet this weekend in Salt Lake City.  #19 ARIZONA has won 20 of their last 24 games overall and owns the toughest non-conference schedule in the country.  Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week Clark Candiotti, coming off the Wildcats first complete game shutout since 2021, has allowed 3 earned runs or less in 9 straight starts and 11 of 12 appearances.  UTAH has won 6 of their 8 conference weekend series and have 30+ wins for the first time since 2002.  Kai Roberts has multiple hits in 7 of his last 13 games for the Utes, hitting .367 (22-60) with 17 runs scored in that span.  

Four more teams could clinch their spot in the Pac-12 Tournament as soon as Friday.  OREGON STATE, OREGON and ARIZONA STATE need either a win OR a WASHINGTON STATE loss to USC to officially book their travel.  CALIFORNIA, who hosts San Jose State this weekend, would get in with a WASHINGTON STATE loss

#8 OREGON STATE hosts UCLA this weekend where the Beavers are 21-2 this season.  All-American Travis Bazzana is 6-9 with 5 HR over the last 2 games, giving him the school single-season record for homers with 26.  Bruins 2B Duce Gourson owns a 9-game hitting streak, the longest by a Bruin this season.

#24 OREGON heads North for a weekend series in Seattle.  The Ducks have won 4 of their last 5 games and have been victorious in 6 of their 8 conference weekend series.  Jacob Walsh, already Oregon’s career HR leader, needs 1 more home run to tie the school’s single season record of 18 by Sabin Ceballos last season.  Washington has won 3 of its 4 home conference weekend series this season.  After missing most of the first 2 months of the season with a broken hamate bone, Huskies OF Braeden Terry has an 11-game hitting streak.

Arizona State has won 9 of their last 12 games, scoring 10+ runs in 7 of the last 10.  Nick McLain took home a ton of national hardware last week, hitting a home run in 5 straight games after only hitting 4 in his first 34 games.  Stanford has won their last 3 home weekend conference series.  Owen Cobb is the owner of the team’s season-high 12-game hitting streak, going 24-55 (.436) with 13 runs scored in that span.

USC can also book their travel to Scottsdale with 2 wins in Pullman this weekend.   Since the start of April, Ryan Jackson has had a hot bat for the Trojans, hitting .352 with 19 runs scored in 22 games.  Grant Taylor has back-to-back starts with 10 strikeouts and has fanned 9 or more batters in 4 of his last 6 starts for the Cougars.

Cal is the only Pac-12 team in non-conference play this weekend after winning 3 of their last 4 conference weekend series.  Freshman Trey Newmann is 4-0 in his last 4 appearances, the last 2 a starter.

Rankings

RPI:  Through games of Wednesday, May 7, the Pac-12 has 7 teams in the Top 90 making them 1 of 6 conferences to have at least 7 teams in the Top 90.  Oregon State continues to lead the way at #15 with a 17-7 record against the Top 100 (1 of 5 DI teams that have 17+ Top 100 wins with less than 10 losses).  Arizona checks in at #34 and have a Pac-12 high 14 wins between Quad 1 & 2 with 12 Quad 2 wins tied for the most in DI.  Oregon has an RPI of 46, their best this season.

NATIONAL AWARDS

NBCWA Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Month

  • March – INF Travis Bazzana, Oregon State

D1Baseball National Pitcher of the Week

  • April 15 – LHP Bryson Van Sickle, Utah
  • April 29 – RHP Aiden May, Oregon State

D1Baseball National Player of the Week

  • May 7 – OF Sean McLain, Arizona State

NBCWA Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week

  • April 2 – RHP Grant Taylor, Washington State
  • April 29 – RHP Aiden May, Oregon State

NBCWA Dick Howser Trophy National Hitter of the Week

  • April 23 – 1B/OF Jacob Walsh, Oregon (co-winner)
  • May 7 – OF Sean McLain, Arizona State (co-winner)

Perfect Game National Player of the Week

  • Feb. 20 – INF Travis Bazzana, Oregon State (co-winner)
  • March 26 – INF Travis Bazzana, Oregon State (co-winner)

Perfect Game National Pitcher of the Week

  • April 2 – RHP Grant Taylor, Washington State (co-winner)
  • April 29 – RHP Aiden May, Oregon State

FIELD OF 64 PROJECTIONS:

Baseball America (May 1):  Oregon State (#1 seed, 9 overall), Arizona (#2 seed), Oregon (#2 seed),  Utah (First Four Out), California (First Four Out)

D1Baseball (May 8):  Oregon State (#2 seed), Arizona (#2 seed), Oregon (#2 seed), Utah (#3 seed), California (First Four Out)

MIDSEASON WATCH LIST

NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award

  • Micah Ashman, Utah
  • Bridger Holmes, Oregon State
  • Logan Mercado, Oregon
  • Bradley Mullan, Oregon
  • Rashad Ruff, UCLA

Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award

  • Bennett Thompson, Oregon
  • Jacob Morrow, Washington State
  • Malcolm Moore, Stanford
  • Ryan Campos, Arizona State
  • Tanner Smith, Oregon State
  • Will Cresswell, Washington State

Golden Spikes Award

  • 2B Travis Bazzana, Oregon State
  • Caleb Lomavita, California

BEAVERS EARLY FAVORITES:  Oregon State, who has finished 2nd in the regular season standings each of the last 2 seasons, was picked by the Pac-12 coaches as the favorite to win the conference.  The Beavers received 8 of the 11 first place votes and are looking for its first Pac-12 title since 2017.  Stanford, who’s won the last 2 regular season titles, was 2nd and had 2 first place votes while UCLA was picked 3rd and received the other first place vote.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM:  For the 2nd straight year, the conference released a Preseason All-Conference team as voted on by the league’s 11 coaches.  Oregon State, Arizona State and California all led the league with 5 selections each. The 33-person team featured 18 players that earned Pac-12 honors last spring including 8 all-conference selections highlighted by preseason All-Americans Travis Bazzana (Oregon State), Malcolm Moore (Stanford), Austin Overn (USC), Duce Gourson (UCLA) and Micah Ashman (Utah).

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS

D1 Baseball

  • 1st Team – 2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
  • 3rd Team – OF Austin Overn (USC)

Baseball America

  • 1st Team – C Malcolm Moore (Stanford)
  • 2nd Team – C Caleb Lomavita (California), 2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
  • 3rd Team – 2B Duce Gourson (UCLA), SP Matt Scott (Stanford)

NCBWA

  • 1st Team – 2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
  • 2nd Team – RP Austin Anderson (Oregon)
  • 3rd Team – RP Micah Ashman (Utah)

Perfect Game

  • 1st Team – INF Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
  • 2nd Team – 2B Duce Gourson (UCLA), DH Malcolm Moore (Stanford)

PRESEASON AWARD WATCH LISTS

Golden Spikes Award

  • INF Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
  • OF Rodney Green Jr. (California)
  • Caleb Lomavita (California)
  • Malcolm Moore (Stanford)

Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger

  • Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
  • Emilio Corona (Arizona)
  • Elijah Hainline (Oregon State)
  • Malcolm Moore (Stanford)
  • Bennett Thompson (Oregon)
  • Jacob Walsh (Oregon)
  • Mason White (Arizona)

NCBWA Stopper of the Year

  • Austin Anderson (Oregon)
  • Micah Ashman (Utah)
  • Josh Emanuels (Washington)
  • Chase Grillo (Washington State)
  • Rashad Ruff (UCLA)

D1BASEBALL PRESEASON POSITIONAL PLAYER RANKINGS

Catchers (Top 50)

  • #6 Malcolm Moore (Stanford)
  • #7 Caleb Lomavita (California)
  • #10 Ryan Campos (Arizona State)
  • #49 Bennett Thompson (Oregon)

First Basemen (Top 50)

  • #15 Mason Guerra (Oregon State)
  • #44 Jacob Tobias (Arizona State)
  • #50 Jacob Walsh (Oregon)

Second Basemen (Top 50)

  • #1 Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
  • #4 Duce Gourson (UCLA)
  • #45 Owen Cobb (Stanford)

Shortstops (Top 50)

  • #8 Cam Clayton (Washington)
  • #12 Cody Schrier (UCLA)
  • #16 Elijah Hainline (Oregon State)
  • #17 Mason White (Arizona)
  • #50 Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek (USC)

Third Baseman (Top 50)

  • #15 Trent Caraway (Oregon State)
  • #18 Drew Smith (Oregon)
  • #46 Nu’u Contrades (Arizona State)

Outfielders (Top 100)

  • #8 Austin Overn (USC)
  • #19 Rodney Green Jr. (California)
  • #20 Gavin Turley (Oregon State)
  • #22 TJ Clarkson (Utah)
  • #29 AJ Guerrero (Washington)
  • #32 Justin Cassella (Oregon)
  • #78 Micah McDowell (Oregon State)
  • #86 Brady Kasper (Oregon)
  • #88 Harris Williams (Arizona State)

Starting Pitchers (Top 150)

  • #36 Aiden May (Oregon State)
  • #39 Matt Scott (Stanford)
  • #47 Caden Aoki (USC)
  • #79 Ian May (California)
  • #91 Luke Jewett (UCLA)
  • #106 Jacob Kmatz (Oregon State)
  • #128 Jackson Kent (Arizona)
  • #133 Nick Dugan (Stanford)
  • #144 Grant Taylor (Washington State)
  • #145 Tyler Stromsborg (USC)

Relief Pitchers (Top 50)

  • #41 Micah Ashman (Utah)
  • #45 Cody Delvecchio (UCLA)
  • #48 Josh Blum (USC)

Impact Transfers (Top 130)

  • #15 RHP Aiden May (Oregon State via Arizona)
  • #24 INF Elijah Hainline (Oregon State via Washington State)
  • #60 OF Justin Cassella (Oregon via Elon)
  • #99 RHP Kassius Thomas (Stanford via Duke)
  • #117 RHP Xavier Martinez (USC via Cal State Northridge)
  • #119 OF Jeffery Heard (Oregon via Sacramento State)

BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON LISTS

  • Best Pure Hitter – #2 Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
  • Fastest Runner –  #2 Austin Overn (USC)
  • Best Defensive Outfielder – #3 Austin Overn (USC)
  • Best Outfield Arm – #3 Nick McLain (Arizona State)
  • Closest to the Majors – #3 Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)

FIELD OF 64 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS:

Baseball AmericaOregon State (1 seed), Stanford (2 seed), UCLA (2 seed), Oregon (3 seed), USC (3 seed), Arizona State (First Four Out)

D1Baseball:  Oregon State (1 seed), Stanford (2 seed), Arizona State (3 seed), Oregon (3 seed), UCLA (3 seed), USC (3 seed)

MADE IN AMERICA:  3 current Pac-12 players made the 2023 Collegiate National Team Roster that went 7-3 this summer, sweeping 5 games with Taiwan and going 3-2 against Japan. The Pac-12 was represented by INF Duce Gourson (UCLA), OF Rodney Green Jr. (Cal), and C Malcolm Moore (Stanford).  Former Stanford OF/P Braden Montgomery was also on the team prior to his transfer in August.

2024 PAC-12 BASEBALL TOURNAMENT: Once again, the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament returns to Scottsdale Stadium May 21-25, 2024 for year 3 at the Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants. The tournament will once again feature pool play, with the top 9 teams in the Conference standings will earn berths to the tournament. The teams will be split into three pools based on their regular season finish with the top team from each pool advancing to the semifinals. The fourth semifinal spot will be determined by the top record of the non-advancing teams, with any tiebreakers going to the higher seed.  

The champion will receive the Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.


ON DECK (Full Schedule

Friday, May 10  
#19 Arizona at UtahPac-12 Networks10:00 a.m PT/11:00 a.m. MT
USC at Washington StatePac-12 Los Angeles6:00 p.m. PT
Arizona State at StanfordStanford Live Stream6:05 p.m. PT
San Jose State at CaliforniaPac-12 Bay Area6:05 p.m. PT
UCLA at #8 Oregon StatePac-12 Networks7:00 p.m. PT
#24 Oregon at WashingtonPac-12 Washington7:05 p.m. PT
Saturday, May 11  
#19 Arizona at UtahPac-12 Networks10:00 a.m PT/11:00 a.m. MT
USC at Washington StatePac-12 Networks2:00 p.m. PT
Arizona State at StanfordStanford Live Stream2:05 p.m. PT
San Jose State at CaliforniaPac-12 Bay Area2:05 p.m. PT
UCLA at #8 Oregon StatePac-12 Networks5:00 p.m. PT
#24 Oregon at WashingtonPac-12 Networks5:05 p.m. PT
Sunday, May 12  
UCLA at #8 Oregon StatePac-12 Oregon12:00 p.m. PT
USC at Washington StatePac-12 Los Angeles12:00 p.m. PT
#24 Oregon at WashingtonPac-12 Washington12:05 p.m. PT
Arizona State at StanfordStanford Live Stream1:05 p.m. PT
San Jose State at CaliforniaPac-12 Bay Area1:05 p.m. PT
#19 Arizona at UtahPac-12 Networks6:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. MT
Monday, May 13  
Stanford at CaliforniaPac-12 Networks6:05 p.m. PT
Tuesday, May 14  
Utah Tech at UtahPac-12 Networks3:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. MT
Washington at PortlandESPN+4:00 p.m. PT
USC at GonzagaESPN+6:00 p.m. PT

2024 CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded Standings

TeamsPac-12 RecordOverall Record
#19 Arizona17-730-17
Utah14-730-16
#8 Oregon State14-936-12
#24 Oregon14-1032-15
USC12-1122-26
California14-1328-17
Arizona State14-1326-24
Stanford11-1320-25
Washington9-1518-23-1
Washington State8-1620-27
UCLA6-1816-30

2024 PAC-12 WEEKLY AWARDS

 PlayerPitcher
Feb. 19Travis Bazzana, Oregon StateJackson Kent, Arizona
Feb. 26Mason Guerra, Oregon StateJacob Kmatz, Oregon State
March 4Travis Bazzana, Oregon StateChristian Lim, Stanford
March 11Jacob Walsh, OregonMatt Scott, Stanford
March 18Jeter Ybarra, WashingtonConnor Markl, Arizona State
March 25Travis Bazzana, Oregon StateChristian Lim, Stanford
April 1Ryan Campos, Arizona StateGrant Taylor, Washington State
April 8Gavin Turley, Oregon StateJacob Kmatz, Oregon State
April 15TJ Clarkson, UtahBryson Van Sickle, Utah
April 22Seth Gwynn, CaliforniaTrey Newmann, California
April 29Ryan Campos, Arizona StateAiden May, Oregon State
May 6Nick McLain, Arizona StateClark Candiotti, Arizona

– Pac-12.com –