This upcoming weekend, the Arizona baseball team, who sits at 17-13 (5-10 in Pac-12 play), will travel to Pullman, Washington, to face off against Washington State University, who sits at 19-12 (5-9 in Pac-12 play). The first game of the three-game series starts on Friday, April 14, at 7 p.m.
Over their last eight games, Washington State has gone 5-3, including two wins over No. 12 UCLA two weeks ago. However, Washington State was swept last weekend when they faced off against No. 16 ASU. On the other hand, Arizona is playing some of their best baseball of the season as they enter the matchup on a three-game win streak.
Washington State has four players batting over .300 this season: Sam Brown (.371), Jonah Advincula (.333), Jacob McKeon (.319) and Cam Magee (.315). Brown leads the Cougar offense in several categories, including home runs (8), RBIs (33), slugging (.714), walks (18) and OPS (1.207). Advincula is close behind Brown in several categories, including RBIs (26), slugging (.550) and OPS (.964) while leading the team in hits (40), stolen bases (12) and triples (2). McKeon has also been efficient this season in multiple offensive categories including home runs (4), RBIs (26), slugging (.513), walks (18), hits (38), and OPS (.942). Jake Harvey (.327 BA) has also been impactful for the Cougar offense but has played in fewer games than Brown, Advincula, McKeon and Magee.
The Washington State pitching rotation is highlighted by Caden Kaelber, Grant Taylor and Dakota Hawkins. Kaelber has started seven of the nine games he has appeared in this season, holding a record of 3-2 with an ERA of 4.17 and a WHIP of 1.32. Taylor and Hawkins have each started all eight games they have appeared in this season. Taylor holds a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 4.38 and a WHIP of 1.46, while Hawkins has a record of 3-3 with an ERA of 5.08 and a WHIP of 1.56. The Cougar bullpen has some strong arms highlighted by Andrew Baughn (4.62 ERA), Connor Wilford (4.78 ERA), Ryan Orr (2.92 ERA) and McKabe Cottrell (3.09 ERA). All four of these pitchers have WHIPs at or below 1.30 and lead the team in relief appearances.
Both Arizona and Washington State have many commonalities in a potent offense and a deep pitching staff, which should make for an exciting matchup this weekend.
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