The 15-17 Washington State Cougars welcome the 16-17 Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs into Pullman for a three-game series.
The Cougs are coming off a spectacular upset win over No. 7 ranked Oregon State. Before this win, WSU won two out of three against San Jose State. The Cougs look to continue their momentum in this three-game set against the Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb is coming off a series win against UNC Asheville and a 14-11 win over Elon.
Both of these teams are coming into this series hot. Here’s a rundown of what to look out for in this three-game set.
Washington State
After sweeping GCU in their opening weekend, WSU dropped back-to-back series against Gonzaga and Nevada. But, the Cougs quickly got out of this slump, going 5-3 in their next eight games, with one of those being an upset win over Oregon State.
One player to highlight for the Cougs over that stretch is first baseman, Ryan Skjonsby. In his last six games, the California native is batting .350 with five RBIs.
One player that has started to heat up at the plate is outfielder, Dustin Robinson. The redshirt sophomore hit his first collegiate home run in game three against San Jose State. Two days later, Robinson tallied a two-hit performance against Oregon State where both of his hits were doubles.
Head coach Nathan Choate spoke on the team’s reaction to Robinson’s home run against San Jose State.
“When he got that home run, you could see how excited the guys were for him in the dugout.” Choate said on the Cougar Baseball Podcast.
If the middle of the lineup can start to heat up, this WSU offense will be a tough one to pitch against as we head into the home stretch of the season.
As for pitching, senior right-handed pitcher Luke Meyers is coming off a strong showing versus San Jose State, where he only allowed two runs over six innings pitched. This showing should give Meyers some much needed confidence after a rocky performance against Nevada.
If Meyers can get back to the dominant performances he has had this season, he and Nick Lewis will be a nasty one-two punch for opposing offenses.
Gardner-Webb
The Runnin’ Bulldogs have been statistically one of the best offenses in the Big South this season, ranking second in team average and fourth in runs. They are led by outfielder Kelvin Agosto who has had an incredible 2026 campaign, slashing 47 hits, 31 RBIs and an average of .388.
One other hitter that has been phenomenal this season is Matt Ilgenfritz. The redshirt junior from New Cumberland, Pennsylvania leads the team in home runs with nine and slugging-percentage of .600.
One part of their team identity is stealing bases. This season they have outstolen their opponents 62-43. Gardner-Webb is a pesky offense in the batters box and on the base paths.
Pitching has been sub-par for Gardner-Webb this season, totalling a team ERA of 7.68 which ranks seventh out of the nine teams in the Big South.
The ace of the starting rotation Oliver Ellison has had a solid season so far, recording an ERA of 4.79 with 42 strikeouts on the season. In his most recent start against UNC Asheville, Ellison pitched eight innings and only allowed four runs.
One solid pitcher out of the bullpen is freshman Colby Putnam, who has posted an ERA of 3.94 and recorded 27 strikeouts in 2026.
Overall this is a very solid Gardner-Webb roster that is heating up right when the Cougs are.
Gardner-Webb takes on WSU at 4:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 9 at Bailey-Brayton Field for game one of this series. Game two starts at 4:05 p.m. on Friday, April 10, and finally the series concludes at 12:05 p.m. on Saturday, April 11.
Next up for the Cougs is a matchup against the Portland Pilots on Monday, April 13 at Bailey-Brayton Field.
