Mountain West Connection Baseball Power Rankings: Week 10

• Won 9-1 vs UC San Diego
• Won 7-5 at Long Beach State in 12 innings

The Aztecs didn’t have any conference games last week, and in fact, only played two games total. The first was a dominant 9-1 over UC San Diego, a game that included 14 hits for the Aztecs compared to just two for the Tritons. That win matched San Diego State’s win total from last year, with 17 games left in the regular season.

The next game was a bit longer, battling for 12 innings until SDSU pulled away with a 7-5 win over Long Beach State. Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, San Diego State was down to its final strike, but second baseman Max Farrell hit a single to score a run and ultimately sent the game to extras. The Aztecs scored three in the 12th and fought off an attempted comeback for the Dirtbags to seal the win.

SDSU will continue to play non-conference games to start the week, starting with a matchup against Seattle and CSUN. The Aztecs will return to conference play with a weekend matchup against Fresno State on the road.

3.Washington State (prev 3)

• Lost 18-8 at Utah Tech in 7 innings
• Won series 2-1 at UNLV (13-2 W, 3-12 L, 9-8 W)

The Cougars took a brutal beating in just seven innings to Utah Tech and looked to bounce back on a three-game road trip over UNLV. Game one started off just as the Cougars had hoped, winning 13-2 in 8 innings. Game two was a turntable game, as the Rebels won by the same score as the night before at 13-2. Wazzu took the rubbermatch however, scoring the go ahead run in the ninth inning and holding UNLV in the bottom half to win a tightly contested 9-8 ballgame.

Washington State’s pitching has been one of the best against conference opponents as the Cougars are tied for third in the conference at 9-6. They’ve won seven of their last nine games and will have momentum on their side entering a tough week. It’ll start with a one game matchup over Gonzaga before hosting New Mexico for three games.

4.New Mexico (prev 1)

• Lost 6-1 at New Mexico State
• Lost series 1-2 vs Nevada (2-3 L, 2-15 L, 9-7 W)

You always want to beat an in-state rival, no matter the sport. New Mexico wasn’t able to live up to those hopes last week, starting with a 6-1 loss over New Mexico State. The Lobos then hosted the Wolf Pack in a battle for the first place spot in the conference, with Nevada taking that title after winning the series 2-1. New Mexico’s six-run fourth inning helped the Lobos avoid the sweep, but the team fell to 9-5-1 in the MW and are currently in second place.

The Lobos have the third best offense in the conference and was coming off a series sweep over SDSU the week prior, so this was a small setback.

New Mexico will host CSU Pueblo for a game before traveling to face a hot Washington State team for three games.

5.San Jose State (prev. 6)

• Won 10-7 at Cal
• Swept Fresno State on the road (6-3, 10-2)

It was a short week for the Spartans, but it was one filled with W’s. San Jose State didn’t travel too far to take on Cal, winning 10-7 on 11 hits. The Spartans then went down to the Valley for a quick two-game series against Fresno State, sweeping the Bulldogs 2-0. Game one was a close 6-3 victory, a game that included the Spartans’ pitching staff striking out 11 Bulldog players. Game two was an offensive masterclass, taking the game 10-2 to bring out the brooms.

The Spartans have ground to make up, but they are now 5-7 in conference play and 17-21 overall. They’ll get a solo matchup over Pacific before a conference series matchup over Air Force on the road.

6.GCU (prev 8)

• Won series vs Air Force 2-1 (8-1 W, 4-5 L, 16-12 W)

Yet another week for GCU where they are only playing a conference series, with this time netting positive results. Hosting the Falcons over the weekend, the Lopes pulled off the upset in convincing fashion. After taking the first game 8-1 and losing the next day 4-5, Grand Canyon kept up with Air Force’s electric bats in the rubber match, taking the win 16-12

Even though it is a bit late, GCU is waking up at the right time. Although it is not as consistent as they most likely would prefer, the Lopes currently boast the best team ERA in the conference at 6.06 and are tied for seventh in standings (6-9) with UNLV. San Jose State is also three games behind on their schedule, with one loss putting them behind, so GCU is in prime position to undercut both programs if they continue their trend, which will continue in two weeks as they only play Kansas State at home this week.

7.Air Force (prev 7)

• Swept two game set vs Utah Valley (17-7, 5-4)
• Lost series at GCU 2-1 (1-8 L, 5-4 W, 12-16 L)

The Falcons got off to a great start, but fell apart over the weekend, keeping them in the bottom three in our rankings. After dealing with Utah Valley at home, Air Force went to Arizona for a three game set against GCU. It was a close series, as they lost the first game 1-8 then won in a close 5-4 second game, the Falcons ultimately met their match in the rubber game, losing 12-16 on Sunday.

Despite the inconsistent conference performances as of late, Air Force is still in the running for a top seed in the conference tournament, sitting tied for third place with Washington State at 9-6 (one game from the top seed). Their bats have been what has saved them, and it’s a bit too late in the season to change up the formula, so the Falcons will need to be more consistent for the final month of the season so they can continue to stay atop the conference or risk dropping further than they have already. They will have a chance to do that this week against Texas on the road and San Jose State at home in a three game series.

8.UNLV (prev 4)

• Won 8-6 at Utah Tech
• Lost series vs Washington State 1-2 (2-13 L in seven, 12-3 W, 8-9 L)

UNLV continued their winning ways in the middle of the week, but then fell apart over the weekend. The Runnin’ Rebels went to Saint George, Utah on Tuesday, walking out with a win over Utah Tech 8-6. However, their fortunes ran out when they hosted Washington State. The first game was the beginning of the problems, as UNLV lost 2-13 in seven innings. After rebounding with a comfortable 12-3 win to force a rubber match, the Rebels gave up a two run lead late to lose 8-9.

There have been weeks where everything falls in place for teams to either rise or fall a lot. This week was the latter for UNLV, which bounced around the rankings and conference standings all season long. Some weeks have been great for the program, earning great wins and boosting their resume both in and out of conference play, while others have been destructive. This week was in the middle, which is equally as dangerous considering UNLV is vying for one of the bottom two spots in conference play. It might be more of a struggle though, as the Rebels play top-seeded Nevada on the road next weekend.

9.Fresno State (prev 9)

• Won 10-6 vs CSU Bakersfield
• Swept by San Jose State at home (3-6, 2-10)

It is sad to say this every week, but Fresno State has taken complete control over the bottom spot of our power rankings, with almost no hope of going up without a complete turnaround of the program. The Diamond Dogs did catch a win with a 10-6 victory against CSU Bakersfield, building up their non-conference resume further. However, they were not able to capitalize on the newfound momentum, as they lost their next two games against San Jose State in what is listed in non-conference games by a combined score 5-16. The Bulldogs are nearly out of the running for the conference tournament, as they would need to win basically every conference game they have left with some losses from UNLV, San Jose State and GCU. While unlikely, they can start their campaign with a game against UC Davis today and a three-game home stand versus San Diego State.