After four games against a future Pac-12 opponent, the WSU baseball team came out of last weekend with a 1-3 series loss to Texas State University. Despite 36 total hits, eight home runs, 14 walks and 27 runs scored, the Cougs were still edged out in three of the four photo-finish matchups with the Bobcats.
Whether it was one Coug winning Freshman of the Week, the pitching staff giving up 33 earned runs, or the Cougs averaging nearly 11 strikeouts a game, there are a number of things to take away from this four-game series.
So, let’s break down what happened with the Cougs down in Texas…
Alexandre Giguère has earned a starting spot
There is a reason that the freshman catcher from Quebec won Freshman of the Week for the Mountain West Conference. Three home runs, five RBI’s, a .363 average and 1.182 OPS paints a pretty clear picture of how dangerous Giguère was against the Bobcats.
The catching position has been a carousel of three faces all season. But, after this past weekend, I would argue that Giguère has earned the spot.
The freshman now leads the Cougs for home runs (3) and OPS (1.375). He also is second for average (.333), fifth for runs scored (5), fifth for RBI’s (6) and eighth for hits (5).
While fellow catcher Cam Macleod did post two home runs against the Bobcats in game three, his overall production pales in comparison to Giguère’s. For that reason, it may be time to give him the starting spot as the Cougs kick off their first conference series against San Diego State.
Trevor Smith dodged a bucket of cold water… Mason Pirello did not
Trevor Smith just continues to hit the ball. While he does have at least one quiet game per series, the switch hitting freshman still consistently stands out every weekend.
This past week it was game three where he went 0-for-4 and was only able to draw a walk. However, he still managed six hits, four RBI’s and three runs scored on the weekend.
Mason Pirello, however, has cooled down significantly. After a six-hit and five-RBI performance against BYU and Long Beach State, the freshman from Sammamish only tallied one hit against the Bobcats.
On top of that, he struck out six times while only coming around to score twice on the weekend. Despite this, his past performances have helped cushion his overall stats, maintaining a .321 average, .357 slugging, with nine hits and six RBI’s.
While his season overall has been impressive, this weekend was a reality check for the freshman designated hitter. If the Cougs want to dominate in the MWC, they will need Pirello to match the consistency that Smith has been bringing to the table day after day.
The Cougs are getting beat in almost every single way
If you take a peak at the statsheet, you will be hard pressed to find an area that the Cougs excel at.
Opponents are getting more hits (139-119), launching more home runs (14-10), driving in more runs (88-74) and striking out significantly less (144-101). Then, you stack the Cougs up with their upcoming MWC opponents and the song remains the same.
Seventh for average (.243), eighth for hits (119), sixth for slugging (.376), eighth for fielding percentage (.964) and sixth for doubles (27).
WSU is on the podium for just four stats in the conference. They are first for hit by pitches (32), first for sacrifice bunts (13), third for errors (19) and third for strike outs (144).
Essentially, the Cougs are struggling both at the plate and in the field. While they do take advantage of opponent mistakes and play selfless baseball, that will not be enough to compete in the MWC.
Teams like New Mexico, Nevada and UNLV will chew up the Cougs and spit them out if the offense and defense continue to struggle.
