31-28. That's the Record. And WSU's Mountain West Champs Proved Everyone Wrong.
Cougar Nation, are you still buzzing from that Mountain West Championship? Because I sure am! This WSU baseball team just dropped a bomb on everyone, winning their first outright conference title since the 1970s and making their first NCAA Regional since 2010. And get this: they did it all with a 31-28 record. Yeah, you read that right. A lot of folks might have looked at that final tally and thought, "Cute. Regional, whatever." But if you thought that, my friend, you totally missed the biggest story of the season!
We're talking about a squad that Coach Nathan Choate, now extended through 2031, called "the toughest team I've ever coached." Senior righty Luke Meyers echoed that, pointing to their "resiliency and toughness" as the backbone. Mountain West Tournament MVP Gavin Roy even called it one of his favorite moments, saying it showed them that with adversity, a plan, and trust, you can accomplish anything. And trust me, adversity? They had it in spades.
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The Road Trip From Hell That Made Them Champions
So, about that 31-28 record. It looks deceptively average, right? But here's the kicker: WSU kicked off their season with a brutal 19-game road trip against nothing but NCAA Tournament-caliber teams. These weren't cupcakes, folks. They opened with an 8-4 win at Alabama, who hosted a Regional and then went to Omaha! After that, they hit San Luis Obispo to face Cal Poly, a team that went on to a Super Regional against West Virginia and even advanced out of No. 1 overall seed UCLA's Regional without even playing the Bruins. WSU earned a split in that four-game set in February, even dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker in 10 innings.
Think about that for a second: through two series, WSU was 3-4, but every single loss was to a Super Regional participant. They were bleeding, but they were learning. They then headed to Long Beach to play BYU and Long Beach State. They handled a weak Long Beach squad easily. But against BYU, a team that finished 77th in the NCAA RPI, they faced pure agony. Luke Meyers tossed seven innings of one-run ball, holding a 4-1 lead in the eighth, only for the bullpen to melt down, surrendering two in the eighth and a three-run homer in the ninth, losing 6-4. The next day, tied in the ninth as the road team, a walk-off double stole the win. This was when Coach Choate knew they needed to "learn how to win." Still on the road, with a 5-6 record, all losses to top-100 teams, they went to San Marcos to face future Pac-12 rival Texas State (43rd in RPI, earned an at-large bid to a Regional). Pitching struggled, dropping three of four, though they scraped out a 9-7 win. Another one-run loss in the rubber match, with Trevor Smith just missing a go-ahead grand slam. The grit, the grind, it was all there.
What This Championship Means for the Future
This isn't just about a trophy, Seattle. This is about a team, WSU, that got punched in the mouth, got back up, and kept swinging. That brutal schedule, those agonizing one-run losses, they forged the "toughest team" Coach Choate has ever seen. They faced down adversity and walked away with a championship and an NCAA Regional appearance. It's a testament to sticking to the plan and trusting your teammates, just like Gavin Roy said. With Coach Choate locked in through 2031, the Cougs are building something special, proving that the record sometimes just doesn't tell the whole story. What a season, what a team!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.