The No. 13 Trojans had themselves quite a weekend, knocking then-No. 1 Vanderbilt off its perch, and edging No. 2 TCU (a team many considered to be just a step below the Commodores). They were both close and controversial, requiring walk-offs, and in TCU's case, 12 innings. Finally, they topped crosstown rival UCLA at Dodger Stadium 8-4 Sunday, making them the team to beat in the Pac-12.
The defending conference champions were written off at the beginning of the year, but the departure of ace Ben Wetzler to the Miami Marlins shouldn't discourage Oregon State fans. Opening conference play in Phoenix against ASU will be a test for a Beavers lineup that hit a respectable .274 in 2014 and are at a markedly better .317 pace through 16 games. That said, they likely won't fare well in slugfests against better offensive teams.
In 14 games, we’ve seen both the best and the worst of the Sun Devils. Having Seth Martinez starting on Friday nights, Brett Lilek on Sundays, and Andrew Shaps platooning with Coltin Gerhart and Jake Peevyhouse in left field is an indication of the depth head coach Tracy Smith intends to use to cope with the injured Dalton DiNatale and Ryan Lillard on the bench.
Oregon will be in the thick of an increasingly-crowded Pac-12 race, buoyed by a potent lineup and plenty of speed on the basepaths. In other words, prototypical Oregon. The Ducks had 76 steals in 2014 (which led the conference) and at an average of 1.2 per game are slightly behind that pace. That comes out to 72, which still is 15 bases better than the next highest team total of last season. As exhibited in a 1-0 Sunday loss to UC Santa Barbara, Oregon's focus in tight games will be the factor that determines how far they can go.
It’s hard not be surprised by the Golden Bears and their fast start. While beating teams they should beat, they also handily defeated teams they’ve had no business competing with – following up an impressive 11-1 win at Stanford on Feb. 16 with a series sweep of UC Irvine. If they play well this weekend against Oregon, they’ll go from being a sleeper to one of the hunted, real quick.
The Cardinal are a prime example of why records in the early part of a season can't properly identify a team. Just noting that Stanford went 9-8 through 17 games doesn't tell you that it won a series against No. 23 Cal State Fullerton and split back-to-back series against No. 10 Rice and No. 18 Texas. With just three seniors on its 2015 roster, Stanford is one of many Pac-12 teams built to be a top contender in the next few years. But as long as Cal Quantrill and John Hochstatter continue to deal on the mound, the Cardinal will be competitive.
The Bruins had one of the top recruiting classes in the country, and yet, an 11-4 record still looks underwhelming for a UCLA team ranked as high as fourth in some polls. First, looking at the positives: Traveling to Orlando, Florida, and taking two of three from North Carolina, and a 1-0 win over Long Beach State that looks even better after ASU beat the Dirtbags twice this past weekend. But the Bruins made the exact opposite statement that their archrival did, losing 6-0 to Vanderbilt and 3-1 to TCU at the Dodgertown Classic.
Like their Pacific Northwest neighbor Oregon State, the Huskies won't sneak up on anyone after an impressive run last season. Replacing eight players who entered the MLB draft won't be easy, but a series victory over Pepperdine showcased freshman standout Noah Bremer, who has flirted with a no-hitter in 13 of his last 14 innings pitched over two starts.
In November, the Cougars took a trip to the Dominican Republic to play the Kansas City Royals, Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners, winning all three games. If only those counted toward Washington State’s RPI. A rather soft nonconference schedule has them sitting six games above .500, but with its first Pac-12 test coming against red-hot USC in Los Angeles, it won’t take long to figure out which side of the fence Washington State belongs on.
Led by preseason All-Americans Kevin Newman and Scott Kingery, the Wildcats have the potential to be in the middle of the mix. A lack of solid starting pitching will be an issue down the road, but opening up its Pac-12 schedule against Utah will put help Arizona put its best foot forward in the initial conference standings.
It’s not a particularly good time to be a fan of Utah baseball. After beating Sacramento State to 4-3 open its season, Utah rattled off nine straight losses, before rebounding to take a series from Kansas, the team with the worst record in the Big 12.
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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