Nathan Choate, WSU baseball’s head coach, will continue to serve through the 2031 season.

In 2026, Choate led the Cougars to their first conference championship since 1976 and the first NCAA regional since 2010. Choate has been at the helm for the Cougars since the 2024 season and in that time has gone 70-96.

This season it all culminated in winning six consecutive series for the first time since 1995 and won the Mountain West Conference. The Cougars won game one of the Eugene regional against Oregon State, but were eventually eliminated. This was the furthest the Cougars had gone in over a decade.

“Coach Choate makes everyone around him better and I’m thrilled for him to lead us in the new Pac-12,” Athletic Director Jon Haarlow said in a press release.

At the end of the season, the Cougars were ranked No. 2 in the MWC in ERA and opponent batting average. Next season, the Cougars will play in the new iteration of the Pac-12 conference, headlined in baseball by Oregon State and newcomers Dallas Baptist University.

“We look forward to the launch of the Pac-12 and building on this season’s success,” Choate said in a press release.