WSU baseball is a week away from their first game of the 2023 campaign. Their first game will be Feb. 17 as they head to Peoria, Arizona for two games against both Villanova and UC Riverside. 

The Cougs are coming off a 27-26 season with a conference record of 12-18. 2022 was their third-straight winning season, all under head coach Brian Green. 

“I was extremely proud of how we finished,” Green said. “We had some injuries early on but hit our stride in the middle of the season.”

This season the Cougs start with eight straight road games. Their first home series of 2023 will be March 3 as they host Southern Indiana for a three-game series.

“We come home in week 3,” Green said. “I’m excited to see what this teams gonna be about.”

Conference play starts March 10 when WSU travels south to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers for three games. There is good PAC-12 baseball this season, with loads of talent on most schools.

“Stanford,” Green said. “They bring back a bulk of their offense. They have the preseason pitcher, batter and player of the year. UCLA plays a ton of freshmen who are everyday players. Arizona State has upgraded their roster substantially.” 

WSU has some new additions and transfers that are sure to make an immediate impact both offensively and defensively.

“Sam Brown and Jacob Harvey bring the speed element. Shane Spencer is a national champion, he will move right into the starting rotation,” Green said.

Spencer won the Junior College National Championship with Central Arizona College in 2022. He went 6.1 innings with two earned runs and five strikeouts in the game. 

The end of March and beginning of April looks like one of the tougher stretches the Cougs will face this season. They host UCLA on March 31 with the last game of the series taking place April 2. The Cougs then host BYU April 3 for one game before traveling to Phoenix to take on the Sun Devils for three games to end the week. 

WSU will play two games against the Gonzaga Bulldogs this season. The first matchup is set for March 21 and the second game will take place April 18. Both games will be played in Spokane at the Steve Hertz Field at Patterson Baseball Complex. 

There are many upperclassmen this year on the Cougs roster that will have a leadership role within the clubhouse. These players, such as Jacob McKeon, are there to be leaders.

“We have a lot of guys that do things right,” Green said. “We need to hold everybody to the same standard we have as a program.”

“Be the best version of you that you can be,” Green said.

WSU will end their season in the middle of May as they host Stanford for three games starting May 18. The last game will be the 20 and the first round of the second-ever Pac-12 Baseball Tournament will be the 23 should WSU make it that far. The Cougs’ last road series of 2023 will be against the Cal Golden Bears starting May 12.