Eugene Regional Preview: Meet The Washington State Cougars
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Only a short drive away from Corvallis in Eugene, Oregon, the Oregon State Beavers will begin their NCAA Tournament run against another club that has made a visit or two to PK Park over the years: the Washington State Cougars.
Oregon State and Washington State face off at Noon PT on Friday (May 29) on ESPNU. It's been a winding road for the Cougars back to this matchup, but it's a welcome sight for people who yearn for simpler times of the old Pac-12 configuration.
A Long Time Coming
Washington State find themselves in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. After two underachieving seasons with head coach Nathan Choate at the helm, Choate and the Cougs seemed to find their footing playing in the Mountain West Conference...just as the Cougs are packing up to rejoin the Pac-12 for next season. Last week, WSU won three out of their four games at the Mountain West tournament in Arizona to secure the league's automatic bid, pushing their overall record to 30-26 for the year.
It's the first time that the Cougars have won 30 games since that 2010 campaign and the first time that they can claim a league title since 1995 (Pac-10 North).
Pitching Strength
Throughout his career, Choate has prided himself on his ability to coach and develop pitchers. This season, redshirt sophomore lefty Nick Lewis was named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year. He finished with a 9-2 record, 65 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.07 across 91 innings.
As a unit, the Cougars allowed the second-lowest opponent batting average in the Mountain West this season at .290.
Hitters To Watch
WSU infielder Gavin Roy, the MWC Tournament MVP, leads the team with a .372 batting average. Ryan Skjonsby has also been a prominent offensive force with eight homers and 57 RBI. Cam Macleod has also shown flashes of brilliance, including a six-RBI performance against Fresno State on May 2.
A Mixed Series With OSU This Season
When the Beavers and Cougars meet on Friday, it will be the third game between the two sides in the 2026 season. The two earlier meetings, both in Pullman, were exceptionally different from one another.
On April 6, Oregon State obliterated the Cougars for an 18-0 victory. Eric Segura, AJ Hutcheson, and Tanner Douglas combined for a one-hitter on the mound, while the Beavers found their groove at the plate with a nine-run third inning.
The next day, Washington State picked up a 7-6 win. WSU picked up 12 hits to overcome three errors, while holding off three-run rally in the ninth by OSU to get the win.
About State of the Beavs
Each week, veteran sports broadcaster and writer Matt Bagley examines the news and storylines at play for Oregon State University Athletics. Occasionally joined by contributors for On SI's coverage of the Beavers, as well as the occasional guest spot from Beavers past, present, and future. Get caught up with the playlist below. New episodes are typically released on Tuesday mornings.
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Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.
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