Three games down and 21 left to go. The Cougs kicked off conference play this weekend and fell short in two of the three matchups against San Diego State University. After game one of the series, head coach Nathan Choate summed it up pretty well.
“At the end of the day, I’m in charge of our program and we weren’t ready to go and it pains me to say that,” he said.
That came after a 14-4 mercy-rule loss to the Aztecs. While the Cougs did manage to swipe game two, they still dropped the series after giving up 31 runs, 42 hits and striking out almost nine times per game.
So, with the Cougs officially 1-2 in conference play, what exactly did we learn from this opening series in San Diego…
Max Hartman just continues to impress
Series after series there is a silent hero who may not be getting the praise he deserves: Max Hartman.
The senior from Alberta, Canada is far and away the best hitter in the Coug lineup. He leads the squad for doubles (5), triples (3), RBI’s (14), OPS (1.040), slugging (.582), runs scored (18) and stolen bases (8).
In this past series against the Aztecs, Hartman smacked six hits, five RBI’s, two triples, one double and batted .500 on the dot. Essentially, he made up a bulk of the Cougs’ 21 runs of offense this weekend.
The Canadian with a hot bat will undoubtedly find his way to a big league roster after this year. But, while he is still on the Palouse, the Cougs need to make the most of his production at the plate.
If the Cougs can capitalize on Hartman’s talent, then they could snag a top spot in the MWC. But, if they continue how they did against the Aztecs, then it may be for nothing.
Scott Rienguette and Kaden Wickersham need a pat on the back
With a relief staff that has struggled all year, Scott Rienguette and Kaden Wickersham have truly shined out of the bullpen. Rienguette is posting a 3.37 ERA through six appearances. But, Wickersham has one-upped that with an impeccable 0.00 ERA through seven appearances.
In the series against SDSU, both Wickersham and Rienguette combined for 2 ⅓ innings of scoreless baseball, allowing the Cougs to snatch their only win of the weekend. They also allowed only one hit combined in that span.
So far this season, they have been equally effective on the bump. Combined, they have allowed just 17 hits, four earned runs, only one double and one home run.
Their ability to limit quality contact, work out of jams and shut down high powered offenses make the two right-handed relievers a dynamic duo that can single handedly clinch wins.
With Wickersham being a redshirt-senior and Rienguette a redshirt-junior, the Cougs will not have the two arms for very much longer. They can only milk so many quality outings out of the pair before they move on from the Palouse.
So, similar to Hartman at the plate, the Cougs need to take advantage of the two relievers if they want to be competitive in a Mountain West Conference that punched them in the mouth last season.
No starting fluid in the engine
While Wickersham and Rienguette have been impressive, the Cougar starters have been… underwhelming.
Yes, Nick Lewis had a phenomenal outing against SDSU, pitching 6 ⅔ innings and allowing just two runs. But, Luke Meyers and Griffin Smith were not so lucky. The pair combined for 13 earned runs off 6 ⅔ innings pitched in total on the weekend.
Last season, starting pitching was where the Cougs excelled. This year however, the song is not the same.
54 earned runs, 89 hits, 31 walks, and nine home runs is the current damage report for the WSU starters. Narrow the lens to last weekend and you see 15 earned runs, 25 hits, four walks and two home runs.
The Aztecs are ranked sixth in the conference for average (.275) and slugging percentage (.414), meaning they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the kinds of bats that the Cougs will face.
As a kickoff to conference play, it was more of a stubbed toe for the Cougar bullpen. Against MWC hitters, the Cougs can not afford to have their starters stumble out of the gate… not anymore.
