WSU baseball split their four-game series with Cal Poly this Monday, and they capped it off with a flourish. A 5-4 nail-biting win on Monday was the perfect way to capitalize the second series of the year.
While the series got off to a rocky start in game one, the Cougs managed to show their grit and sneak out the two wins. With an action packed weekend, the Cougs have a lot of lessons to take back home with them.
So, let’s take a peak at what can be taken away from the California road trip…
What a relief!… pitching
The Cougar relief men were unrecognizable against Cal Poly. In four games, relief pitching only allowed six earned runs. Additionally, they allowed no earned runs in the eighth inning or later in any game. After giving up 23 runs to Alabama the week before, the Cougs really tightened the mast and brought their team ERA down to 5.12 after seven games.
The game plan for WSU was obvious: death by a thousand paper cuts. Cal Poly averaged around three pitchers a game whereas WSU averaged five. This was evident in the last game of the series where WSU leaned on eight separate pitchers to limp their way to the 5-4 win. The bullpen depth for the Cougs allowed them to outlast Cal Poly and grind them into the ground over the four days.
Scott Rienguette, August Richie, Trevor Stowe, Kaden Wickersham and even Luke Meyers had phenomenal weekends out of the pen. If these faces, and the other supporting cast members, can continue to build on the momentum they built up against Cal Poly, then the Cougs are in a good spot for conference play.
Punch drunk love
The Cougs are getting punched out a lot. Just seven games into the year and they have struck out 79 times as a team. That gives them an average of 11 strikeouts per game.
This achilles heel was revealed in game one of the Mustang series where the Cougs were fanned 17 times in the 9-0 blowout. 14 of those were from starting pitcher Griffin Naess and the remaining three were from the Cal Poly closer Troy Cooper.
Who on the team is making up the bulk of these punch outs? Luke Thiele, Ryan Skjonsby and Cam Macleod.
With nine strikeouts this year, Thiele leads the team while repping a 0.136 batting average. Skjonsby is hot on his trail with eight but has made up for it with his six RBIs. Then there is Macleod with eight strikeouts, one hit, no RBI’s and five games played.
These performances from players who start regularly should make head coach Nathan Choate consider realigning the lineup. While Skjonsby is obviously your go-to first baseman, both Thiele and Macleod have suitors chomping at the bit to take their spot. A position shakeup may be on the horizon for the Cougs’ next series.
Luke Meyers is a swiss army knife
There is no member of the Cougar pitching staff more exciting than Meyers. He started game one of the series but was chased out after 3 ⅔ innings and six earned runs.
However, flash forward to game four and he was back on the bump. Meyers pitched one inning late in the game and allowed no runs, helping the Cougs snag the 5-4 win.
This is not a new feat for Meyers, who was versatile last season for the Cougs as well. His ability to tackle both sides of the bullpen makes him invaluable to the team.
His numbers so far this year are not the most encouraging, posting a 7.56 ERA on seven earned runs through three appearances. However, his versatility makes his sub-par production worth it.
If the Cougar pitching staff gets into trouble, they can always take a Mulligan and put in Meyers to bail them out. You saw that in the Cal Poly series, and it will not be the last time they lean on him this year.
The Cougs stay on the road to take on BYU and Long Beach State on Feb. 26 – March 1 in California.
