No. 3 Oregon State (30-8, 10-2 Pacific 10 Conference)
After taking two of three from Washington State last weekend, the Beavers are winners of 10 of their last 11 Pacific 10 Conference games. OSU’s pitching is good enough to keep the Beavers in games — it hasn’t allowed more than six runs since an 18-0 shellacking against Arizona — and the offense is making the most of its opportunities.
No. 8 ASU (29-9, 11-4 Pac-10)
The Sun Devils have been on a mission throughout Pac-10 play. They have won six straight conference games (seven if you include Tuesday’s non-conference win over Arizona) since being swept by Oregon State, and if the sanction appeals are successful and ASU is allowed to compete in postseason play, it could also be Omaha-bound.
No. 24 UCLA (22-14, 10-5 Pac-10)
The Friday and Saturday combination of Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer has been nearly unhittable in Pac-10 play. The Bruins have lost only two non-Sunday games in conference play, and UCLA is also a squad that can make some noise in the postseason. The Bruin bats can be shut down by strong pitching, but having two pitchers that will be taken in the top-10 of June’s MLB Draft is something that no other team can lay claim to.
No. 20 California (24-13, 9-6 Pac-10)
The Golden Bears were swept by ASU last weekend, but Cal had won three of four conference series before that. Cal will be tested in the coming weeks though, having already played the weaker part of the conference standings. The Bears play Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA in their next three conference matchups.
Southern California (18-22, 8-7 Pac-10)
USC snapped a five-game winning streak against Washington on Saturday, but the Trojans have won their last three conference series. USC plays Arizona and ASU in the next two weeks, and going 3-3 over that stretch would be a big step toward advancing to postseason play.
No. 21 Stanford (20-14, 5-7 Pac-10)
The Cardinal took two of three from UCLA last weekend but was swept by Oregon State and lost two of three to USC in its previous two series. Stanford has played a pretty balanced schedule so far, so don’t expect the Cardinal to make much of a move — up or down — in the standings before the end of May.
Oregon (21-17, 4-8 Pac-10)
Fresh off of its only Pac-10 Conference series win of the season, the Ducks are winners of five of their last six. That streak will likely be broken this weekend against UCLA, but the Ducks have proven themselves to at least be a threat down the stretch.
Arizona (24-16, 6-9 Pac-10)
Losers of two of their five Pac-10 series, Arizona is looking for answers — starting with figuring out who wants to throw strikes out of the bullpen. Along with the bullpen struggles, Arizona’s bats have been inconsistent with run support, scoring only seven runs in the series loss to Oregon.
Washington (12-25, 3-9 Pac-10)
The Huskies have been swept in half of their conference series but managed to win two of three at Oregon. UW took a Sunday game from USC but won’t be making much noise in conference play. Washington will have a shot to play spoiler, but that’s all the Huskies are playing for at this point.
Washington State (17-19, 3-12 Pac-10)
The Cougars have lost five of their last six conference games and have only managed three scattered wins in Pac-10 play. The closest thing to a guaranteed win in the Pac-10, WSU will be in the cellar for the foreseeable future.