Pac-12 Baseball Weekly Rundown - April 5, 2024

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LEADING OFF:  As the season hits the midway point, #5 OREGON STATE remains the highest ranked team in the conference but currently sits half a game out of 1st place in the Pac-12.  The Beavers bounced back from dropping 2 games in Southern California by outscoring Gonzaga 27-5 in a 2-game sweep.  Travis Bazzana has 10 home runs in his last 9 games and this week was named to D1Baseball’s Midseason 1st team All-America and the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List..  ARIZONA STATE is riding a season-high 5-game win streak into this series in Corvallis with their most recent win coming courtesy a Harris Williams walk-off 2-run double to beat crosstown rival Grand Canyon on Tuesday.  The Sun Devils have now won 4 games this season when trailing or tied after 8 innings.

OREGON heads into this weekend atop the Pac-12 standings and ranked #20 by Baseball America.  Winners of 5 in a row, the Ducks jump back into conference play with a trip to UCLA this weekend.  Oregon freshman Maddox Moloney had 3 straight games with 3 hits over the weekend.  The Bruins bounced back from getting swept in Tucson with a home win over Loyola Marymount on Tuesday.  Preseason All-Pac-12 pick Duce Gourson is starting to heat up over the last 8 games, going 10-30 (.333) with 8 runs scored.

ARIZONA is another team entering the weekend on fire, with a season-high 4-game win streak including 3 straight walk-off wins over UCLA.  Wildcats sophomore shortstop Mason White is 2nd in the league with 11 home runs, already surpassing his season total from last year.  After getting swept by ASU over the weekend, CALIFORNIA took out their frustrations on Pacific, pounding the Tigers 17-1 in just 7 innings.  Catcher Caleb Lomavita, a member of the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, continues to pace the Golden Bears offense going 11-23 (.478) with 8 runs scored and 10 RBI over the last 5 games.  Lomavita is now tied with Bazzana and White for the conference lead with 39 RBI on the season.

USC is playing their best baseball of late, winning 4 of their last 5 including winning the first 2 games against Oregon State last weekend before rain washed out the 3rd game.  In those last 5 games, Carson Wells has gone 9-18 with 5 RBI and 5 runs scored.  The Trojans will host WASHINGTON this weekend for a 3-game set in Irvine.  The Huskies have won 7 straight games against USC including last year’s Pac-12 Tournament.  Aiva Arquette has gone 6-13 with 3 HR and 7 RBI in the last 3 games, all 3 were Washington wins.

On the Farm this weekend, WASHINGTON STATE will be looking to take a series from STANFORD for the first time since 2010.  Grant Taylor put up one of the top pitching performances in all of D-I this season when he threw a 1-hit shutout with 17 K’s in a win over rival Washington last Thursday, earning him multiple national Pitcher of the Week awards.  Trevor Haskins hit for the cycle on Tuesday at Texas Tech, the first cycle by a Cardinal player since Bryan Ragira in 2011.

UTAH will be playing CSUN in non-conference action this weekend.  The Utes have 9 of their last 11 games and have reached 20 wins faster than any team in Utah history since at least 1973.  Kai Roberts needs just one stolen base to tie the school career record of 52, held by Kody Davis (2012-16) and Corey Shimada (2006-09).  Bryson Van Sickle is still looking for his first win of the season despite having a stellar 1.98 ERA through 7 starts.

Rankings

• USA Today Coaches:  #5 Oregon State   RV:  Oregon
• Baseball America:  #9 Oregon State, #20 Oregon
• D1Baseball:  #5 Oregon State
• NCBWA:  #5 Oregon State   RV: Oregon, Utah
• Perfect Game:  #4 Oregon State  Also Considered:  Utah

RPI:  Through games of Wednesday, April 3, Oregon State remains the highest rated Pac-12 team at #11.  The conference has 6 teams in the Top 100 and 9 teams in the Top 110. Utah is the 2nd highest rated Pac-12 team at 38 while Arizona State (12) and Oregon (11) are the only teams in the conference with double digit wins against the Top 100. 

NATIONAL AWARDS:

• NBCWA Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week
  
  • April 2 - RHP Grant Taylor, Washington State
• Perfect Game National Players of the Week
  
  • Feb. 20 - INF Travis Bazzana, Oregon State (co-winner)
  • March 26 - INF Travis Bazzana, Oregon State (co-winner)
• Perfect Game National Pitcher of the Week
  
  • April 2 - RHP Grant Taylor, Washington State

FIELD OF 64 PROJECTIONS:

Baseball America (April 2):  Oregon State (#1 seed, 6 overall), Oregon (#2 seed),  Utah (#3 seed), Arizona (#3 seed, Last 4 In), Arizona State (First 4 Out)

D1Baseball (April 3):  Oregon State (#1 seed, 5 overall), Oregon (#3 seed), Utah (#3 seed), Arizona #3 seed, Last 4 In)

MIDSEASON WATCH LIST

Golden Spikes Award

• 2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• C Caleb Lomavita (California)

BEAVERS EARLY FAVORITES:  Oregon State, who has finished 2nd in the regular season standings each of the last 2 seasons, was picked by the Pac-12 coaches as the favorite to win the conference.  The Beavers received 8 of the 11 first place votes and are looking for its first Pac-12 title since 2017.  Stanford, who’s won the last 2 regular season titles, was 2nd and had 2 first place votes while UCLA was picked 3rd and received the other first place vote.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM:  For the 2nd straight year, the conference released a Preseason All-Conference team as voted on by the league’s 11 coaches.  Oregon State, Arizona State and California all led the league with 5 selections each. The 33-person team featured 18 players that earned Pac-12 honors last spring including 8 all-conference selections highlighted by preseason All-Americans Travis Bazzana (Oregon State), Malcolm Moore (Stanford), Austin Overn (USC), Duce Gourson (UCLA) and Micah Ashman (Utah).

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS

D1 Baseball

• 1st Team - 2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• 3rd Team - OF Austin Overn (USC)

Baseball America

• 1st Team - C Malcolm Moore (Stanford)
• 2nd Team - C Caleb Lomavita (California), 2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• 3rd Team - 2B Duce Gourson (UCLA), SP Matt Scott (Stanford)

NCBWA

• 1st Team - 2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• 2nd Team - RP Austin Anderson (Oregon)
• 3rd Team - RP Micah Ashman (Utah)

Perfect Game

• 1st Team - INF Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• 2nd Team - 2B Duce Gourson (UCLA), DH Malcolm Moore (Stanford)

PRESEASON AWARD WATCH LISTS

Golden Spikes Award

• INF Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• OF Rodney Green Jr. (California)
• C Caleb Lomavita (California)
• C Malcolm Moore (Stanford)

Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger

• Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• Emilio Corona (Arizona)
• Elijah Hainline (Oregon State)
• Malcolm Moore (Stanford)
• Bennett Thompson (Oregon)
• Jacob Walsh (Oregon)
• Mason White (Arizona)

NCBWA Stopper of the Year

• Austin Anderson (Oregon)
• Micah Ashman (Utah)
• Josh Emanuels (Washington)
• Chase Grillo (Washington State)
• Rashad Ruff (UCLA)

D1BASEBALL PRESEASON POSITIONAL PLAYER RANKINGS

Catchers (Top 50)

• #6 Malcolm Moore (Stanford)
• #7 Caleb Lomavita (California)
• #10 Ryan Campos (Arizona State)
• #49 Bennett Thompson (Oregon)

First Basemen (Top 50)

• #15 Mason Guerra (Oregon State)
• #44 Jacob Tobias (Arizona State)
• #50 Jacob Walsh (Oregon)

Second Basemen (Top 50)

• #1 Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• #4 Duce Gourson (UCLA)
• #45 Owen Cobb (Stanford)

Shortstops (Top 50)

• #8 Cam Clayton (Washington)
• #12 Cody Schrier (UCLA)
• #16 Elijah Hainline (Oregon State)
• #17 Mason White (Arizona)
• #50 Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek (USC)

Third Baseman (Top 50)

• #15 Trent Caraway (Oregon State)
• #18 Drew Smith (Oregon)
• #46 Nu’u Contrades (Arizona State)

Outfielders (Top 100)

• #8 Austin Overn (USC)
• #19 Rodney Green Jr. (California)
• #20 Gavin Turley (Oregon State)
• #22 TJ Clarkson (Utah)
• #29 AJ Guerrero (Washington)
• #32 Justin Cassella (Oregon)
• #78 Micah McDowell (Oregon State)
• #86 Brady Kasper (Oregon)
• #88 Harris Williams (Arizona State)

Starting Pitchers (Top 150)

• #36 Aiden May (Oregon State)
• #39 Matt Scott (Stanford)
• #47 Caden Aoki (USC)
• #79 Ian May (California)
• #91 Luke Jewett (UCLA)
• #106 Jacob Kmatz (Oregon State)
• #128 Jackson Kent (Arizona)
• #133 Nick Dugan (Stanford)
• #144 Grant Taylor (Washington State)
• #145 Tyler Stromsborg (USC)

Relief Pitchers (Top 50)

• #41 Micah Ashman (Utah)
• #45 Cody Delvecchio (UCLA)
• #48 Josh Blum (USC)

Impact Transfers (Top 130)

• #15 RHP Aiden May (Oregon State via Arizona)
• #24 INF Elijah Hainline (Oregon State via Washington State)
• #60 OF Justin Cassella (Oregon via Elon)
• #99 RHP Kassius Thomas (Stanford via Duke)
• #117 RHP Xavier Martinez (USC via Cal State Northridge)
• #119 OF Jeffery Heard (Oregon via Sacramento State)

BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON LISTS

• Best Pure Hitter - #2 Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
• Fastest Runner -  #2 Austin Overn (USC)
• Best Defensive Outfielder - #3 Austin Overn (USC)
• Best Outfield Arm - #3 Nick McLain (Arizona State)
• Closest to the Majors - #3 Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)

FIELD OF 64 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS:

Baseball America:  Oregon State (1 seed), Stanford (2 seed), UCLA (2 seed), Oregon (3 seed), USC (3 seed), Arizona State (First Four Out)

D1Baseball:  Oregon State (1 seed), Stanford (2 seed), Arizona State (3 seed), Oregon (3 seed), UCLA (3 seed), USC (3 seed)

MADE IN AMERICA:  3 current Pac-12 players made the 2023 Collegiate National Team Roster that went 7-3 this summer, sweeping 5 games with Taiwan and going 3-2 against Japan. The Pac-12 was represented by INF Duce Gourson (UCLA), OF Rodney Green Jr. (Cal), and C Malcolm Moore (Stanford).  Former Stanford OF/P Braden Montgomery was also on the team prior to his transfer in August.

2024 PAC-12 BASEBALL TOURNAMENT: Once again, the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament returns to Scottsdale Stadium May 21-25, 2024 for year 3 at the Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants. The tournament will once again feature pool play, with the top 9 teams in the Conference standings will earn berths to the tournament. The teams will be split into three pools based on their regular season finish with the top team from each pool advancing to the semifinals. The fourth semifinal spot will be determined by the top record of the non-advancing teams, with any tiebreakers going to the higher seed.  

The champion will receive the Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

ON DECK (Full Schedule) 

2024 CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded Standings) 

2024 PAC-12 WEEKLY AWARDS