No. 1 ASU (23-0, 3-0 Pacific 10 Conference)

The Sun Devils return a legitimate championship contender after appearing in Omaha last year. They remain the unquestioned No. 1 team atop a rejuvenated Pac-10, even after losing head coach Pat Murphy.

No. 2 UCLA (21-0, 0-0)

Last year, a weak offense slowed the Bruins in spite of a stellar pitching staff. UCLA returns a pitching staff every bit as good as last year, and now they have the bats to back it up.

No. 10 Oregon State (16-5, 0-0)

The Beavers are an established threat in the Pac-10 after their last few seasons. They currently have the lowest batting average in the conference (.273), which might be a red flag, but until they face other teams in the Pac-10, it’s hard to take them out of this spot.

No. 18 Arizona (20-5, 2-1)

The Wildcats are the real deal. They can tear the cover off the ball, and if the pitching stays consistent they can challenge anyone within the conference. It’s hard to see where teams match up this early in the season, but Arizona’s first road trip this weekend will be a good test for Andy Lopez’s young team.

No. 28 Stanford (12-7, 2-1)

The record doesn’t jump out, but the Cardinal is talented enough to challenge for a top-5 spot in the

Pac-10 all year. Stanford has dropped some questionable games to lower opponents, and will have to prove to be a postseason candidate during conference play.

Oregon (18-8, 1-2)

Oregon stole a game from Arizona on Sunday, but the Ducks will challenge anyone with a solid 1-2 punch in their starting rotation.

California (13-10, 0-3)

The Golden Bears led ASU 1-0 in the eighth inning last weekend, but fell in the ninth. But they can hit and might surprise a few teams down the road.

Washington State (14-7, 0-0)

Not much to say about Wazzou, but they are off to a nice start despite the high of 39 degrees and showers in April.

USC (13-12, 1-2)

Will the school with the most baseball titles in Division I ever return to that level? Probably not this year.

Washington (12-10, 0-0)

This is a tough team to play. The Huskies beat teams like Long Beach State and Fresno State this year, but the conference is deep and someone has to occupy this spot.

— Michael Fitzsimmons