PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots will host the Washington State Cougars in a crucial non-conference baseball game on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at Joe Etzel Field. The Pilots are 31-12 on the year, while the Cougars enter the game at 25-17 and are fresh off a home sweep of 18th-ranked Cal.
Portland dropped three straight West Coast Conference games at home last weekend to San Diego. The Pilots are still 11-4 in the WCC and are still enjoying one of the finest seasons in program history.
Should the Pilots make the NCAA post-season for the first time since 1991, it will most likely come as an at-large team. The first-place Toreros have opened a four-game lead over the second-place Pilots with only six conference games remaining. The WCC champion receives the league's automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs.
That makes Tuesday’s game with Washington State critical, as the Cougars check in at No. 43 in the latest unofficial RPI rankings, released daily by BoydsWorld.com. Portland is No. 77 with nine games left to play.
The Cougars have spent time in the rankings this season and enter Tuesday carrying some momentum after the sweep of Cal. Wazzu is batting .297 as a team and is led by freshman infielder Brett Jacobs and junior SS Cody Bartlett, who are batting .376 and .328, respectively. Sophomore OF Derek Jones has provided the power with a team-high eight home runs, while junior 3B Matt Argyropoulos leads the team with 32 RBI’s.
Washington State’s staff earned run average is 4.65 and opposing hitters are batting .287.
Head coach Donnie Marbut is in his sixth season at the helm of the Cougars. Washington State was 32-25 last season, finished second in the Pac-10 with a 19-8 league mark and advanced to an NCAA Regional.
