With a slender six-foot-six-inch frame, long brown hair extending past his ears and a pencil-thin mustache dusting his upper lip, Cody Anderson stands out on the baseball field.

The junior left-hander is one of 18 newcomers on a WSU baseball team searching to regain relevancy on the West Coast.

Few players on the Cougars’ roster have had a bigger impact on the team’s success this season than Anderson.

Anderson leads the Cougars’ pitching staff with a 2.37 ERA, good enough for the eighth best mark in the Pac-12, and also has a team-leading 33 strikeouts. Anderson’s strikeout tally ranks ninth in the conference.

But Anderson did not start out as one of the best pitchers in a Power Five conference.

Despite earning first-team All-State honors as a pitcher his senior year at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, Anderson did not receive many offers from big schools.

“I saw him when he was young,” WSU Pitching Coach Dan Spencer said. “Skinny kid, didn’t throw hard enough, not physically ready. But he had a lot of skill.”

Anderson said he decided to attend Bellevue Community College to play for Coach Mark Yoshino, prioritizing playing time over the allure of a larger college. Staying close to home on the West Side, Anderson never lost sight of where he wanted to end up.

“I felt that was the best opportunity to get to my ultimatum, a big, really good, Power-Five school,” Anderson said. “I just needed to develop physically a lot and continue to develop my pitching.”

After two years of dominating the Northwest Athletic Conference, Spencer decided to give Anderson a second look. Spencer said Anderson’s skills from high school had improved, and he noticed he added weight to his thin frame, making him an important target for rebuilding WSU’s pitching staff.

Anderson transferred to WSU this fall, intrigued by the school’s proximity to home and the high level of interest shown by the coaching staff.

On a new team and competing at the division-one level, the left-hander said he was unsure what his role at WSU would be. Anderson said he noticed a team-wide increase in talent, and pitching to metal bats instead of wood was a big change for him.

But Anderson continued to compete and fought for a spot in the starting rotation.

“If you’re giving and you’re working hard, and you’re wanting to have success for this team, I’m all in,” Head Coach Marty Lees said.

Lees named Anderson as his Sunday starter in February to begin the season. After accomplishing his goal, Anderson said he just continued to work hard and be himself.

“It’s the same game I’ve been playing since I was a little kid, you know, just do what I’m capable of and let the rest take care of itself,” Anderson said.

The value Anderson brings to the Cougars (14-12, 1-5) does not come from the box score alone.

Spencer said Anderson is a great teammate who cares about other players and motivates others to be better.

“[Anderson] brings a great personality to our dugout, to our team,” Lees said. “His energy is catching to others. He’s very excited when people around him do something good and he celebrates that like he’s a team member.”

When coming off the field after a big inning, Anderson is often noticeably excited, often yelling and pumping his fists.

Anderson said he likes to show emotion because it helps fire up the team, and they can feed off one another’s energy.

“I just go out there and compete,” Anderson said. “I’m really intense out there, just bring the fire. I hate losing.”

Anderson’s personality is unique, exemplified by his long hair and moustache, features that have made him a staple among teammates.

“It’s a bizarre deal but I love it,” Lees said of Anderson’s personality features. “He’s got the dugout going the whole time and believing.”

Spencer said if Anderson continues getting batters out, he does not care what the junior pitcher does with his hair.

If Anderson continues pitching at a high level, the long hair and moustache may be around for the foreseeable future.

“[My hair] makes everything fun, it fits my personality,” Anderson said. “It’s an unwritten rule that the uglier you look, the better you’re doing. As long as I’m doing good and having success on the field, it’s going to stay.”