MWC Baseball Tournament Begins Today
Today being Thursday the 24th. Two games today San Diego State’s home field which puts them at a bit of an advantage. However, that doesn’t count for much in this conference. First game pits UNLV against Nevada with Nevada the home team being it’s the number one seed and will be the home team in all games, I suspect. That will be at 1:30 PM PT and you can watch it on the Mountain West Network and I think all games will be telecast. San Jose State will play San Diego State at 6:00 PM PT with the Spartans the visiting team. So there you have the lineup.
UNLV at Nevada
Sounds pretty easy; #1 seed against the #4 seed. BUT, both teams are pretty fierce rivals so I always feel that all bets are off when rivals face each other and this is one of those. The two teams split the season series both taking two of three at home. Here they are on a “neutral” field. The Rebels were the best hitting team in the MWC at .313 and Nevada also hit pretty well at .279. The rebels also led in the long ball with 67 versus 43 for Nevada. What does that say? Beats me. The two teams were just about equal in pitching at 4.99 for UNLV and 5.08 for the Wolf Pack. So, that’s a draw and hitting with pop goes to UNLV. This game could go either way.
San Jose State at San Diego State
These are two programs that eastern writers and announcers feel are one and the same. What an insult. Try Googling Wolf Pack and see what you get. Damn little Nevada, that’s what. Anyway. This game is a bit one-sided as the Aztecs are possibly the strongest team in the Mountain West. BUT, the Spartans have been on a roll as of late and finished the season strong just to make the tournament. Never underestimate a team that is under rated and hot. I’ll bet on the hot team every time. Then again, this is basically a home game for the Aztecs. San Diego State is the better hitting team at .306 versus .289 and, more importantly, they boast the best pitching in the conference by a run at 3.98 which is outstanding. San Jose State is at 5.37 and under 6.00 for the first time in a few years I believe. Everything points to the Aztecs but the hot teams is to be respected.