The Mountain West baseball scene saw significant action this week, with New Mexico impressively defeating San Diego State and UNLV winning against the Lopes. The updated power rankings reflect these developments, including a new top team.
(Credit: New Mexico Athletics)
The Mountain West went crazy this week in baseball, with many surprises along the way. New Mexico stepped up and used their series against San Diego State to show how good they can be. Nevada and San Jose State had a great back-and-forth in Reno that showcases how both programs can do well down the line. UNLV took down the Lopes on the road, while Air Force flew over the Bulldogs at home.
With so much going on, our rankings are definitely due for an update, with a new number one on our books again. Here are our power rankings after week nine.
1.New Mexico (prev. 4)
Itās always a good week when you dethrone the previous No. 1-ranked team, and thatās exactly what New Mexico did. After a five-run loss to a good Texas Tech program, the Lobos welcomed the Aztecs into town and completed a three-game sweep. New Mexico turned in 28 total runs and owns the third-best batting average in the conference at .313.
New Mexico held San Diego State to three runs each in the first two games, with the series finale ending in a 12-8 Lobos victory. The sweep helped New Mexico improve to 22-12-1 overall and 8-3-1 in the MW, good for first place. New Mexico will play rival New Mexico State this week before a heated series against Nevada, which is right behind in the conference standings.
2.San Diego State (prev. 1)
The beginning and end of the week for San Diego State were complete opposites. To begin, the Aztecs used five pitchers to throw a combined no-hitter against UC Riverside in a tight 1-0 victory. The staff threw a combined 11 strikeouts in the no-no, which was the first for the program since 2024.
The week capped off in a tough three-game series against New Mexico, where the Aztecs were swept. In the final game, SDSU hit three home runs but couldnāt keep up with New Mexicoās high-scoring offense. The losses dropped San Diego State to 7-5 in the conference, tied for fourth with Washington State. San Diego State will play just two games this week, both non-conference games against UC San Diego and Long Beach State.
3.Washington State (prev. 3)
Winning four out of five games in a week is impressive, especially when one of those wins comes against a highly ranked opponent. Washington State took a brutal 18-0 beating from Oregon State in the first of a two-game series, but the Cougars got their revenge in the final game. Washington State collected 12 hits and jumped out to an early 3-0 lead to take down the Beavers 7-6.
Wazzu then played a three-game set against Gardner-Webb, making quick work by winning 3-2, 7-4 and 5-3. The Cougars are winners in six of their last seven games and have improved to 18-17 overall. Despite not playing any conference games, Washington State is tied for fourth place in the MW. Dates with Portland, Utah Tech and UNLV are lined up this week for Washington State.
4.UNLV (prev. 6)
The Rebels added to the list of Mountain West schools that took down ranked opponents last week. It started with a 7-5 victory over No. 20 Arizona State, a team they faced earlier in the year and lost 12-11. It was the first win by UNLV over a nationally ranked squad since 2025 over then-No. 25 Indiana twice and No. 25 Cincinnati. It was also the highest over a top-20 club since 2019ās 2-1 upset of then-No. 5 Stanford.
UNLV then scored 28 total runs to take down GCU in a three-game series. In the four total games played, infielder Jayden Hertel went 9-for-17 with six RBI, one home run, one double, batted .529, slugged .765 and had an on-base percentage of .556.
The Rebels will face Utah Tech on Tuesday before returning home to host a hot Washington State squad for three games.
5.Nevada (prev. 2)
Nevada welcomed a familiar non-conference foe in UC Davis to start the week, engaging in an offensive hot potato game but ultimately falling 11-9. Seven of those nine runs came in the final two innings, but the comeback couldnāt be complete. To add insult to injury, Noah Blythe came in to pinch hit in the ninth, roping a two-out single to right-center, but he suffered an injury rounding the base and was tagged out as a result, ending the game.
Nevada then hosted San Jose State for three games, and started the series with an 11-1 walk-off victory in eight innings. The Spartans evened the series in game two with a six-run second inning that led to a 12-6 SJSU victory. The rubber match included another comeback, and this time, the Wolf Pack were able to complete it. Down 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Jayce Dobie came up to bat with two on and smacked a ball over the left field fence, ending the game 5-4 with a walk-off three-run homer. Dobie capped off the weekend batting .833 with a four-hit performance in the final two games.
Nevada will face Saint Maryās for one game before taking on the first-place New Mexico Lobos on the road in a three-game series. Nevada sits at 19-13 overall and 8-4 in conference play.
6.San Jose State (prev. 5)
Looking to rebound from a bad series loss against Wazzu, San Jose State fell a bit further than they wanted to. After losing to Cal Poly in their mid-week matchup, the Spartans then traveled to Reno to take on the Wolf Pack. San Jose State opened with a bad , 1-11 loss, but then got back a win in the second game 12-6. Then, with a two-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth, the Spartans gave up a three-run home run to end their time against Nevada and put themselves even further down the conference standings.
San Jose State has been middle of the pack for a decent amount of time, now sporting the fifth best team ERA (7.18) in conference games. Despite the presence on the mound, the Spartans have been off at the plate, sporting a mid-tier .282 team batting average, the second worst in the conference only ahead of Washington State. They will need to sharpen up their bats this week, as they take on the Cal Golden Bears on Wednesday and Fresno State in a non-conference, two game split before the weekend.
7.Air Force (prev. 7)
The Falcons needed a pick-up week, and they got it. Starting off the week with a clean 10-4 win, Air Force then hosted Fresno State, sweeping the Bulldogs with two clean wins and a fireworks showing in between. Air Force showcased the strength of their bats once again, averaging over 10 runs a game across their four games this past week. Thanks to trending in the right direction again, the Falcons sit in the top-three in team batting average in conference games (.338).
On top of reviving their bats, Air Force also kept things relatively calm on the mound, only giving up an average of 6.75 runs a game. But, that is still not a great number by any means, and is the main reason why the program has not moved this week. The needle can be moved again, which could happen as the Falcons are set to take on Utah Valley early in the week and GCU over the weekend.
8.GCU (prev. 8)
GCU had some spark after last weekās win against Fresno State, but ultimately got shut down. Taking on then No. 20 ranked Arizona State was not great for the Lopes, losing 8-12 while keeping things relatively close in the end. Looking to bounce back while hosting the Runninā Rebels, GCU once again fought but could not close the deal, losing the first and last games by very similar scores with a solid win in between them.
The Lopes have a similar issue that Air Force has had a couple times this year: consistent pitching. UNLV has had great bats all throughout the season, which did wind up being GCUās demise last weekend. That was while GCUās bats were also doing great, but you canāt expect almost any team to be able to win games consistently when giving up over 12 runs a game on average. Grand Canyon will not have an easy time getting its pitching back in order, as it will face Air Force in a three-game set next weekend.
9.Fresno State (prev. 9)
Fresno State did start off the week on the right foot, taking down Sac State on Tuesday in a tight contest. However, having to play one of the hottest teams in the box in Air Force on the road is a tough contest that the Bulldogs could not deliver on. They did fight deep into the second game before losing 13-15, but being outscored 10-18 in the first and third games did not help the programās outlook for the rest of the season.
The Diamond Dogs have been average at best with their hitting overall, which is reflected in their fifth-best team batting average. But, you can work around having a middle of the pack lineup if you have great pitching. Thatās not the case with Fresno State, who now boast the third worst team ERA (8.65) and the second-most runs allowed (114) in conference play. The programās pitching problems mirror what has bogged down Air Forceās and UNLVās performances, which is not the company you want for your team. Fresno State can potentially make a comeback versus CSU Bakersfield at home on Tuesday and against San Jose State in a non-conference matchup before the weekend.
New Mexico defeated San Diego State, UNLV won against the Lopes, and Air Force triumphed over the Bulldogs.
The updated power rankings feature a new number one team, though the specific team name is not provided in the excerpt.
Nevada and San Jose State had a competitive series in Reno, showcasing the potential of both programs.
New Mexico's strong performance against San Diego State contributed to their rise in the updated power rankings.
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