Despite the snow falling outside, spring has arrived for WSU Athletics. From tournaments for basketball to the NFL combine for Cougar football’s finest and the arrival of baseball at Bailey-Brayton field, spring has sprung for the Cougs. WSU athletic director Bill Moos spoke about all of these topics on his weekly radio show, Cougar Calls.

Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas

Moos commented on the upcoming Pac-12 Tournaments and how this season’s energy could be a predictor for the outcomes.

“The season does have more excitement to it,” Moos said.

Derek Deis, KXLY 4 News morning anchor and WSU alumnus, filled in for usual KXLY radio host Bud Nameck on Cougar Calls yesterday, and spoke about the fan turnout at the Huskies game in Pullman.

“It was as loud as I could remember Beasley being this season at all,” Deis said.

With only three regular season games left, the Cougars will not only set out to end the season on a winning note, they will gear up to prepare for the Pac-12 Tournament as well.

“We’ve proven we can win on the road in hostile environments,” Moos said.

The 2015 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held in Las Vegas. The first round will be on Wednesday, March 11.

“Now we go to a tournament site, a neutral site,” Moos said. “I think we’re going to have a nice showing of fans down there.”

The team’s next game will be against Utah in Beasley Coliseum on Thursday at 8 p.m.

“We’ve got some talent, and if we can get a little momentum, it’s going to be a tough call against Utah,” Moos said.

Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament in Seattle

While the Pac-12 Men’s Tournament is still a week away, the women’s team will soon be heading west to Seattle.

“Seattle is a super sports town,” Moos said. “We have a ton of alums in that Greater Seattle Area.”

The Cougar women are seeded No. 7 in the conference and will kick off the Pac-12 Tournament against the 10^th seed Oregon Ducks this Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and all tournament games will be played in Key Arena.

WSU’s record with Oregon this season resulted in a split, leaving fans to wonder who will come out on top in Game 1.

“This year we beat them at their house and they beat us at ours,” Moos said. “We’ve got to prepare and be ready for that.”

WSU has reached the semi-finals two out of the past three years.

Building a collegiate athletic program

Last season’s attendance at Martin Stadium averaged approximately 93 percent capacity at home football games, including three total sellouts. Beasley Coliseum is working its way up to those numbers, Moos said, recording approximately 6,000 at the men’s Cougars-Huskies game on Feb. 22.

“I want our fans to hopefully be patient, but be entertained as we build these programs,” Moos said. “We’ve got to build them on a solid foundation, so they’re not a house of cards.”

The roar of excitement at Bailey-Brayton Field

WSU baseball’s Head Coach Donnie Marbut stopped by Cougar Calls to talk about the start of the baseball season.

“The neat part about this team is that they love to practice, you don’t always get that with your team,” Marbut said.

WSU baseball’s next series is against Sacred Heart March 5-8 at Bailey-Brayton Field.

This season’s Cougar baseball team is comprised of more than a few young faces, something that doesn’t particularly inconvenience the head coach.

“It doesn’t matter what sport it is,” Marbut said. “You play the best players.”

Every Friday night beginning two hours before the game, there will be tailgating activities for the fans. Cougar baseball tailgating features South Fork food and a beer garden for baseball fans to enjoy.

With clear skies and plenty of sun, Bailey-Brayton Field recorded approximately 1,500 attendees on Friday, he said, and 3,500 on the weekend against UC Riverside.

NFL Combine featuring WSU Cougars

Three Cougars were invited to this year’s NFL Combine: wide receiver Vince Mayle, defensive lineman Xavier Cooper, and quarterback Connor Halliday.

“Vince (Mayle) and ‘X’ (Xavier Cooper) really did a nice job and really opened some eyes,” Moos said.

Halliday is recovering wonderfully, he said, and people will be impressed from what they’ve seen of him. Halliday is still recuperating from his injury, but was able to go through the interview process.

“I personally think Connor will be drafted because he really can bring something to the table,” Moos said.