2026 Mountain West Softball Power Rankings: Week 10

While Nevada’s offense is more than fantastic, their pitching core is far from it. Nevada now ranks fourth in the conference in ERA (3.63) after a rough week in the circle. Specifically, Nevada’s pitching staff fully cost the Pack Game 1 against New Mexico, giving up a four-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, surrendering 10 unanswered runs to turn an easy 6-2 Pack win into a 12-8 loss. Even in Game 2 against the Lobos, Nevada surrendered six runs in one inning, turning what felt like a run-rule victory into a less-than comfortable 12-7 triumph. Keep in mind, this was against a Lobo squad that still ranks last in the conference in batting average. Nevada’s offense can compete with anybody, they’ve proved that time and time again. However, the Wolf Pack’s pitching staff will keep them from reaching their true potential unless they fix their inconsistency—fast.

Nevada has a four-game week ahead of them, in what will likely be their last trip to Colorado for the foreseeable future. First, a three-game series at the pesky Rams, then their final midweek game of the year against Northern Colorado. With Nevada’s struggles in sweeping their opponents this season, I think a 3-1 week is very likely. If that outcome does occur, another perfect week from the Lopes will result in a late-season leaderboard swap.

2. #19/24 GCU Lopes (41-5, 14-2 MW)

Last Week: #2

NCAA RPI: #30

This Week’s Games:

at San Diego State (21-20) – April 17, 6:00 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network

at San Diego State (21-20) – April 18, 4:00 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network

at San Diego State (21-20) – April 19, 12:00 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network

GCU went 4-1 this week, the same record as the Wolf Pack had. However, GCU’s loss to Arizona State was more damaging than the Wolf Pack’s loss to New Mexico, in my opinion. GCU needed to go out and prove that they can compete with the best of the best, and the Sun Devils had been proven vulnerable in recent weeks, losing their last two Big 12 series to Kansas and UCF. Despite this, GCU had by far their worst performance of the season, with an Addison Shifflett moonshot serving as the Lopes’ only hit in an embarrassing 5-1 defeat. There is no way around it, Grand Canyon has absolutely nothing on their resume. That will likely not matter given their run of form in the Mountain West, but the Lopes have not looked like anything close to the team that their 41-5 record would indicate.

GCU slipped down to third in the conference in batting average (.320), ranking just ahead of the Wolf Pack atop the OPS leaderboard (.977). Jada Cooper now leads the team in batting average (.377), OPS (1.266), home runs (12, tied with Trinity Martin) and RBIs (44). Defensively, the Lopes actually rose back to fifth in the nation in ERA (1.85), ranking just behind Texas Tech and Alabama. Reigning MW Pitcher of the Week Natalie Fritz has turned into yet another ace in the rotation, now leading all eligible MW pitchers with an ERA of 1.14 in her 49.1 innings. Oakley Vickers still leads all primary starters in ERA (1.66, 84.1 IP), likely to take home MW Pitcher of the Year honors. This is a fantastic team, do not get me wrong. However, the Lopes are a team that screams “elimination-game exit,” as while the Lopes will take down any mediocre teams they face, they have shown no potential to knock out the host of whatever regional they are in.

GCU travels to San Diego this weekend for a matchup with the Aztecs. SDSU is the greatest interpretation of the Titanic since Cameron’s, so I have little doubt that the Lopes will sweep their western foes. Even one win will be enough to clinch a berth in the conference tournament, but a sweep will likely give the Lopes the opportunity to lock up the regular season title next week.

3. UNLV Lady Rebels (24-18, 11-5 MW)

Last Week: #3

NCAA RPI: #127

This Week’s Games:

at Boise State (20-26) – April 17, 5:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

at Boise State (20-26) – April 18, 1:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

at Boise State (20-26) – April 19, 11:00 a.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

UNLV had a perfect 4-0 record this week, moving themselves into a tie with Nevada for second in the MW standings. The Rebels have a very tough close to the season, so I don’t believe a regular season title is really in the cards, but the conference tournament is all but a certainty at this point—a fantastic development for a team most expected to be awful.

The Rebs have fully distanced themselves from the rest of the midpack, now ranking just behind GCU in batting average (.312, fourth). Most of this is thanks to Keyannah Chavez, who ranks third in the MW in average (.427), leading the conference with 16 doubles. UNLV has eight players with at least 16 RBIs, Charelle Aki holding the lead with 38 RBIs, as well as a team-leading nine homers. Defensively, the Rebels have risen to sixth in the conference in ERA (4.36), led by Lauren Fettic’s continued rise through the ranks (3.38, 12th in MW). Fettic will become a true star pitcher in the future, regardless of whether she is a Rebel or not, mark my words.

UNLV heads to Boise State this weekend for the start of a two-week road trip. Boise State is coming off of three straight losses, and are currently on the wrong side of the tournament cut line. The Broncos are desperate for wins, so I could see a world with UNLV being upset in this series, but the Rebels are just too strong offensively for me to believe that fully. A 2-1 series win for the Rebels is my prediction.

4. Fresno State Bulldogs (19-18, 8-8 MW)

Last Week: #6

NCAA RPI: #93

This Week’s Games:

at New Mexico (19-22) – April 17, 5:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

at New Mexico (19-22) – April 18, 1:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

at New Mexico (19-22) – April 19, 1:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

The Bulldogs went 2-3 this week, losing three games at home to ranked teams by a combined score of 21-2. I don’t really think Fresno State deserves to be this high, but they did sweep the Rams, so putting them below CSU would be ridiculous. Honestly, the teams from fourth down to seventh are so similar, they have each been placed entirely based off of their records against each other.

The Bulldogs are fifth in the conference in batting average (.285), led by Jamie Hicks’ .357 average, .933 OPS, four home runs, and 25 RBIs. The ‘Dogs have struggled to score this season, with their average of 3.69 RBI per game ranking in a tie with the Rams for seventh in the conference. They have been kept in games mostly due to their pitching staff, which ranks third in the MW in ERA (3.57), led by Lauryn Carranco. Carranco leads the conference in both strikeouts (95) and innings pitched (135.0), sitting eighth in the conference in ERA (2.64). Fresno State, much like they did last year under Serayah Neiss, are reaching any and all success by way of excellent pitching. It’s working for now, but against the lethal offenses of Nevada, GCU, and UNLV in the conference tournament, that strategy is likely to be far less effective.

The Bulldogs will head to Albuquerque this week for a crucial matchup against the Lobos. UNM is coming off of a 1-3 week where they split with Nevada in Reno, but also were swept at home by UNLV. Both teams desperately need to win this series in order to solidify their chances of making the conference tournament. I currently lean more in the direction of a Fresno State series win, but even if the Bulldogs do end up taking this one, the Lobos will not let them have it easily. If you can, tune in to this series. It should be a fun one.

5. Colorado State Rams (20-21, 8-8 MW)

Last Week: #4

NCAA RPI: #175

This Week’s Games:

vs. Nevada (30-14) – April 17, 6:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. Nevada (30-14) – April 18, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. Nevada (30-14) – April 19, 11:00 a.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

Colorado State went 2-2 last week, easily sweeping San Jose State before suffering a slightly major setback in a road sweep at Fresno State. With that sweep, the Rams went from holding a three-game lead on the conference cut line to a slightly less comfortable two. Certainly not the end of the world, but man, would it be nice for the Rams to have this one back.

Colorado State’s offense is now tied with Utah State for sixth in the conference in batting average (.272), sitting down in eighth in OPS (.759). The Rams have produced across the lineup, with their leaders in batting average, OPS, home runs, and RBIs each being different players. The problem is that consistency has simply not existed with this lineup, as the Rams only have three players with a batting average of .300 or better. This lineup has largely been the beneficiary of the second-best pitching staff in the conference (3.44 ERA), led by the ever-reliable Reagan Wick and Giselle Bentley. Wick leads the team with an ERA of 2.63 and 76 strikeouts in 120.0 innings, but Bentley is currently right behind her with an ERA of 3.17 in 84.0 innings. These two can mostly shut down every lineup they face for seven innings each and every game, the problem will forever be whether or not they can get enough run support for that to matter at all.

CSU hosts a crucial late-season series against Nevada this weekend. With the Wolf Pack’s lethal offense, along with the Ram staff’s vulnerability against fellow hard-hitting teams New Mexico and UNLV, it is hard to see how the Rams can win this series. I think they can definitely take a game off of the Wolf Pack, which would still put the Rams in a touchy spot heading into the final two weeks of the season. It would be better than a sweep, though.

6. New Mexico Lobos (19-22, 7-9 MW)

Last Week: #5

NCAA RPI: #121

This Week’s Games:

vs. Fresno State (19-18) – April 17, 6:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. Fresno State (19-18) – April 18, 2:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. Fresno State (19-18) – April 19, 12:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. New Mexico State (21-20) – April 21, 5:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

New Mexico went 1-3 last week, getting swept by UNLV at home before securing a series split with the Wolf Pack in Reno. The Lobos currently sit in the final conference tournament spot heading into a crucial series against the Bulldogs. UNM also has a relatively easy schedule to end the season, so their path to the tournament is clearer than most.

The Lobos had arguably their best offensive series of the season against Nevada, racking up 21 hits and 19 runs across the two games. This included a massive four-run comeback against the Wolf Pack in Game 1, eventually scoring 10 unanswered runs to secure a huge upset. New Mexico still ranks last in the conference in batting average (.266, tied with SJSU), but are still seventh in OPS (.774), led by Miracle McKenzie’s .354 batting average, 1.260 OPS, 14 home runs and 38 RBIs. This uptick was needed, as Lobo pitching took a noticable step back this week, the team’s ERA dropping from 3.88 to 4.23, still ranking fifth in the conference overall.

The Lobos now host a four-game week, facing fellow cut-line contender Fresno State, along with a Rio Grande Rivalry matchup against New Mexico State. Because the Aggies run-ruled the Lobos in Las Cruces earlier this year, along with the fact that this matchup has been postponed over a month due to high wind delays, New Mexico will be more motivated than ever for that midweek clash. I think this may result in a series loss to the Bulldogs, which would be far from the end of the world, with the two worst teams in the conference coming up next.

7. Boise State Broncos (20-26, 6-10 MW)

Last Week: #8

NCAA RPI: #99

This Week’s Games:

vs. UNLV (24-18) – April 17, 6:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. UNLV (24-18) – April 18, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. UNLV (24-18) – April 19, 11:00 a.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

Boise State went 2-3 last week, sweeping Utah State on the road before being swept in a three-game road stint at GCU and Idaho State. Boise State is on the outside looking in for the conference tournament, and with a difficult stretch of games coming up, it’s looking more and more like the Broncos are running out of time.

Despite falling to eighth in the conference in batting average (.266), the Broncos jumped all the way up to fifth in OPS (.780) thanks to 10 of their 36 hits this week being home runs. Defensively, the Bronocs saw another massive dip in pitching performance, now down in eighth in the conference in ERA (4.45). Outside of Loula-Rae McNamara’s 3.12 ERA in her team-high 92.0 innings, there is just not a lot of excitement to go around for the Broncos’ once-elite rotation, with the next-best ERA being Julianne Rose’s 4.72.

The Broncos host UNLV for a crucial late-season home series between teams with reversed roles from what most predicted before the season. I think the Rebels will take this series, but given UNLV’s struggles in the circle this season, I would not be all too surprised to see Boise State snag the upset, which the Broncos desperately need to keep their season hopes alive.

8. Utah State Aggies (17-26, 5-11 MW)

Last Week: #9

NCAA RPI: #124

This Week’s Games:

vs. San Jose State (12-27) – April 17, 4:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. San Jose State (12-27) – April 18, 2:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

vs. San Jose State (12-27) – April 19, 11:00 a.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

Utah State finished the week with a 1-5 record, being swept by Boise State and UNLV, losing a nonconference home game to top-ranked Texas Tech, then finally getting back in the win column with a victory over rival Weber State in Ogden. While their season may be completely on life support, Utah State has looked better offensively over the last few games than they had since their series against Nevada.

The Aggies rose from a tie for last to a tie for sixth in the conference in batting average (.272), also ranking sixth in OPS (.775). USU is a decent team offensively, but that hardly matters when stacked up against their absolutely horrific pitching staff, whose ERA fell all the way to 7.24 this week, ranking 284th out of 304 D1 teams. Tuesday’s Weber State game marked the end of a 14-game stretch where the Aggies gave up an average of nearly 10 runs per game, and only allowed less than six runs twice (thank you, San Diego State). Even if this team somehow flukes their way into the conference tournament, it will result in an inevitable run-rule loss in the opening round.

This week marks the seasons biggest duel of the cupcakes, with the Aggies hosting lowly San Jose State. These teams both have decent offenses at times, paired with the worst pitching staffs the Mountain West has to offer. This matchup could honestly go either way, so I’ll give the nod to Utah State for a series win, mainly be virtue of playing at home.

9. San Jose State Spartans (12-27, 4-12 MW)

Last Week: #10

NCAA RPI: #164

This Week’s Games:

at Utah State (17-26) – April 17, 3:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

at Utah State (17-26) – April 18, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

at Utah State (17-26) – April 19, 10:00 a.m. MDT, Mountain West Network

SJSU finally gets a break from the bottom spot after a week where they went 1-3, run-ruling SDSU to snap a seven-game losing streak. The Spartans sit at the bottom of the conference standings, but are just three games back of the cut line with nine games to play. Anything can happen, and it seems like the Spartans finally have some momentum going.

San Jose State ranks tied for last in the conference in batting average (.266), being far and away in last in OPS (.713). Ahmiya Noriega rose her batting average to a team-leading .358 this week, while Reina Zermeno homered and drove in three runs in the Spartans’ 8-0 victory over the Aztecs. The Spartans lowered their team ERA for the second week in a row, but still rank a distant ninth in the stat (5.09). SJSU seems to be attempting to inject more arms into their rotation, with little-used junior transfer Jordan Fray getting the start, along with her first complete game, with her new team in said run-rule shelling. It’s been a largely two-arm rotation this season, so it’s nice to see the Spartans trying to still find solutions, even if this season has not gone the way that they had hoped.

The Spartans travel to Utah for a bottom-feeder clash against the Aggies this weekend. Utah State’s pitching is so atrocious that I could see the Spartans’ inconsistent offense finding enough runs for a series win, but with the series being played in Logan, I think the Ags will have just enough power for the win here. It should be a fun series, all things considered.

10. San Diego State Aztecs (21-20, 6-10 MW)

Last Week: #7

NCAA RPI: #102

This Week’s Games:

vs. #19/24 GCU (41-5) – April 17, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

vs. #19/24 GCU (41-5) – April 18, 4:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

vs. #19/24 GCU (41-5) – April 19, 12:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network

What, you want to talk about SDSU being in last place in my power rankings? I’ll tell you what, the Aztecs can leave this spot the second they prove themselves to not be a complete waste of everybody’s time. Sure, they have a better record than most of the teams above them in the rankings, but the Aztecs also lost series to each of the two teams now above them in the rankings (the two worst teams in the league, by the way), and have lost each of their last five conference series. This is a Kansas City Chiefs-level implosion, going from an unstoppable dynasty to an unstoppable trainwreck in the span of one year. The worst part is that SDSU has officially run out of easy conference series, so if they want to stop this skid, they will have to do it based solely on their own merit, which is something I’m not sure they even know they have.

Rather laughably, the Aztecs jumped up a spot in the conference in batting average (.321, second), still ranking fourth in the league in OPS (.852). Unfortunately, none of this has mattered for SDSU thanks to their pitching core, which seems to think that their job is to serve meatballs right over the plate no matter what. SDSU’s ERA is now a ridiculous 4.40, barely beating Boise State for seventh place in the conference. Faith Jordan now leads the team in ERA (3.56), but that is only because every other pitcher on the team now has an ERA of 4.13 or worse, just a week after they had three in the 3.00 bracket. These pitching woes came to a head in Game 2 against San Jose State, where SDSU’s pitching allowed five runs in the bottom of the 5th, ending up getting run-ruled by the lowly Spartans.

There really isn’t much else to say about this team. They have an insane amount of talent, and even a great deal of production in certain areas. The problem is that they lack production in most ways that contribute to actual wins, especially in the pitching department. That fact bodes especially well going into a home series against powerhouse GCU this weekend. Good luck avoiding another home sweep, Aztecs. You’re gonna need it.