After 19 games on the road, the Cougs finally came home. In their home opening series against Grand Canyon University, the Coug faithful were treated to the best baseball they have seen all year and snatched three conference matchups from the new member of the Mountain West Conference.
Following their 1-3 weekend against San Diego State, the bar was pretty low for the Cougs in their home opener. However, sweeping the Lopes was more than many Coug fans could ask for.
Whether it was starting pitching getting back on track, a freshman missing in action, or a senior leading the offense from the middle infield, this conference series unearthed some hopeful truths about this squad.
So, let’s peel back the onion on this three-game sweep of the Antelopes at home…
Kickstart my heart
The WSU starting trio must have read my last edition of Top-Takeaways because they proved me dead wrong this week. Griffin Smith, Nick Lewis and Luke Meyers each spun stellar starts against GCU, helping allow only 10 runs.
All three starting arms went six or more innings in their starts, easing the strain on the relief staff. The starting three racked up 10 total strikeouts, two walks, four earned runs and 15 hits.
Granted, GCU is not a high powered offense. The Lopes rank dead last in the conference for average (.237), dead last for doubles (42), dead last for RBIs (99) second to last in hits (190) and second for strikeouts (209).
However, a quality start is still a quality start. While the Cougs will take on better offenses moving forward, this GCU series should be a good kickstart to get the pitching staff on track.
Smithless in Seattle… or Pullman I guess
For all three of the GCU games, Trevor Smith was not in the lineup. The freshman center fielder won the leadoff spot earlier in the year and has proved why game after game.
He ranks first for OPS (1.015), second for average (.342), second for doubles (6), third for hits (28) and fourth for RBIs (11). Essentially, Smith has been the bulk of the offense series in and series out.
However, with him absent from the order, WSU still managed to tally 19 runs and 34 hits. What exactly does that mean? It is hard to tell. Again, GCU is a weaker opponent compared to what WSU will face in the MWC.
But, six runs and 11 hits per game show what this team is capable of, even without their star center fielder. If WSU can maintain the consistency at the plate, and add Smith back into the lineup, then they may blossom into one of the better hitting teams in the conference.
Gavin Roy has earned the leadoff spot
With Smith hogging the leadoff spot all year, Gavin Roy has found himself stuffed at the bottom of the order. However, that may have changed… permanently.
In his last four games, Roy has seven hits, four RBIs and three doubles. He led off all three GCU games, and came around to score three times on the weekend.
The senior from Sudbury currently leads the Cougs for average (.375), hits (30), doubles (7) and RBIs (17). His recent hot streak has definitely spiked his stats, but I get the feeling that this is not a fad.
The 5-foot-9 shortstop was deadly at the dish last year and is on pace to do it again in 2026. With Roy reclaiming his place at the top of the order, it will be interesting to see where Smith wedges in.
But, with a hot bat in his hand, it is hard to argue for anyone but Roy at the tip of the spear for WSU. If he stays hot and continues to lead this offense, then there is no one the Cougs can’t beat in conference play.
