Welcome to the conference that the NCAA committee must refer to as “The Runts of the Litter” because they rarely get much of a look. But the neighboring programs know all about these guys and can give testament to the fact that they’ll knock your block off, given the chance. Let me re-establish that last line… given the chance.

2009 in a Paragraph:
Coming off a season where one of its members won the national title, the WAC didn’t play up last year as much as was hoped. The WAC was still only the 12th best conference in the country, according to the RPI (although Boyd Nation’s ISR ratings had the WAC 9th, but I digress). San Jose State won the conference race by three games and had 40+ wins, but no post-season play in the NCAAs to show for it. And I’ve talked to some of the coaches they played against, each one of them assured me they were as good a team as they faced last season. They’ve beefed up the non-conference schedule a bit in hopes of alleviating that problem. Once again, Fresno seemed to get hot at just the right time and made its fourth straight trip to the Big Dance, but was still the only WAC representative there. Louisiana Tech made the biggest strides, going from 7-23 and last place in ‘08 to a second place finish last season, taking Wade Simoneaux off the hot seat.

Conference RPI: 12

2009 Results:
1- San Jose State, 15-7
2- Louisiana Tech, 13-11
3- New Mexico State, 12-12
4- Fresno State, 12-12
5- Hawaii, 11-12
6- Nevada, 10-13
7- Sacramento State, 8-14

2010 in a Paragraph:
With wholesale changes coming to just about every pitching staff in the WAC, that means a couple of things. 1- Look for this to be a heavy-offense league for 2010 (I see you smiling down there New Mexico State) and 2- This means that Fresno will return to the catbird seat of the WAC. Unlike any other teams in the loop, the Bulldogs will return all but one pitcher to their stable of arms and that usually spells trouble for everybody else. Beyond them, Hawaii could be making big strides under Mike Trapasso and could get back into the post-season picture with the right bounces. NMSU, with its wind-tunnel home field and light schedule, could be looking at 40+ wins again, but will fall short when it matters against good pitching. San Jose has a whole mess of pitchers to replace and that will keep them from repeating. For the first time in recent memory, the WAC tournament is going to be held at a neutral site, Mesa, Arizona’s Hohokam Park, the spring home of the Chicago Cubs. We’ll see how that’s received, but the general consensus among the coaches is that this is a long-needed move. Still, with a conference stretched out between six times zones, maybe just having the regular season champion go to the NCAA tournament might be the best solution.

CWS hero Steve Detwiler is still in uniform at Fresno and is a huge key to the 'Dogs season.

Favorite: Fresno State

Contenders: Hawaii, New Mexico State

Darkhorse: San Jose State.

Can’t-Miss Series of the Year: San Jose State at Fresno State, May 14-16

Best Non-Conference Series: Fresno State at SDSU Tournament, Mar. 11-14
(San Diego State, San Diego, UAB, San Francisco)

Hot Coach: Mike Batesole, Fresno State

Hot Seat Coach: None

The “You Gotta See” Player: OF Devon Dageford, LaTech

Three Non-Conference Series WAC Opponents Better Take Seriously:
1- Oregon State at Hawaii, Feb. 19-22
2- Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech, March 19-21
3- San Jose State at Wichita State, April 23-25.

Three Bold Predictions:
1- The WAC gets two teams into the NCAA tournament. There, I said it.
2- New Mexico State will hit like mad, of course, but nothing close to the .353 of last year.
3- Fresno won’t lose 30 or more games again.

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- FRESNO STATE (32-30, 12-12)
2009 RPI: 153
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 3
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 5

All Conference Candidates:
SS Danny Muno (.375, 14SBs)
OF Dusty Robinson (.325-14-44)
RHP Derek Benny (4-3, 5.02)
OF Brennan Gowens (.286-5-27)

The Good News:
Don’t ever count out these resilient Bulldogs, because once again they got hot at the right time in 2009, just inching their way into the NCAA tournament after coming out of the loser’s bracket in the WAC tournament. Last year’s well-lauded frosh class should come into its own this season with Robinson, Benny and Gowens continuing to pull through and LHP Josh Poytress (2-2, 4.29), RHP Cody Kendall (2-1, 9.21) and LHP Tom Harlan (2-0, 7.02) expected to post better numbers. The power supply should still be potent with Robinson, part-timer Kenny Wise (.295-6-27) and Gowens still providing some pop. Look for C Trent Garrison to make a big impact, as he goes to full-time duty in 2010. Another solid recruiting class will contribute as well.

The Bad News:
With the loss of seniors Gavin Hedstrom, Holden Sprague and Danny Grubb and also seeing 3B Tom Mendonca say goodbye after being drafted in the 2nd round, the Dogs say goodbye to four of the most successful players in Fresno history, considering the four straight NCAA tournament appearances. The Dogs hope not to underachieve mightily again, as witnessed by the .963 defense and the opponents hitting .312 off the staff. Ouch. And throw in there that Steven Detwiler needs to hit better than .222, like last year. Want an even odder stat? For all their success lately, the Bulldogs have still lost 30 or more games each of the last two seasons.

Schedule Note:
Down cycling opponents.
The Bulldogs have potential for a tough schedule. But use “potential” in quotes because non-conference teams like Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, UC Davis, LMU and Dallas Baptist are in down-cycles right now. But all have potential to become RPI-building opponents. FSU will also play 11 of their final 15 games at home, including the rivalry series with San Jose State that could decide the WAC title.

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- HAWAI’I (32-26, 11-12)
2009 RPI: 68
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 5

All Conference Candidates:
OF Kolton Wong (.341-11-52, 13SBs, Freshman All Am.)
1B Kevin McDonald (.271-14-60)
LHP Sam Spangler (5-3, 4.17, 4svs)
RHP Matt Sisto (5-4, 4.37)

The Good News:
UofH got back to their winning ways last season after a rare losing mark in 2008. Coach Trapasso has his team playing with more confidence, especially after wins over the likes of Irvine, Minnesota, Fresno State and series wins over Mississippi State and Coastal Carolina. Nice, huh. The Warriors had the 2nd-best defense in the WAC and returns infield bellcow SS Greg Garcia (.265) and Wong may do some dirtbagging duty as well as his post in the outfield. The pitching arms are experienced and have some moxie to them. Beyond relief ace Spangler (who returns despite getting drafted by Pittsburgh last June) and the crafty Sisto, also watch for rising sophs Jesse Moore (0-1, 4.88, 20apps) and Connor Little (3-0, 6.49). The incoming class is pretty impressive, including J.C. All Americans in RHP Zach Gallagher (went 11-1, 1.08 at Cosumnes River), his battery mate David Freitas and SS/2B Kalani Brackenridge, a Tampa Bay draftee last summer.

The Bad News:
You don’t have to look far to find the biggest burr in the Warrior saddle last season since the offense hit a bony .278 and wasn’t the usual aggressive UofH style, stealing only 38 bases. This team started slow (3-6) and also ran out of gas at the end, going 5-11 down the stretch in the regular season. Staff ace Jayson Kramer (3.47ERA) was leaned on heavily as the only pitcher below 4.00. They’ll also move on without Sunday starter Jared Alexander. Oh and of course, losing team leader Vinnie Catricala is a huge hole to fill as well.

Schedule Note:
Not very central to them.
As you would expect, the Warriors play a home-heavy schedule with a lot of eclectic opponents from far and wide. They will play teams from three of the four mainland time zones, including a visit from The Citadel in weekend No. 3. Interestingly, they’ll open the season by hosting Oregon State and Oregon in back-to-back weekends. They’ll visit the mainland four times, including a rare non-conference weekend roadie at Fullerton and WAC trips to Sac State, LaTech and Jose State.

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- LOUISIANA TECH (29-22, 13-11)
2009 RPI: 111
Starters Returning: 1
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
OF Devon Dageford (.385-23-68)
RHP John Anderson (7-3, 5.86)

The Good News:
From last place in ‘08 to second place in ‘09, the Techsters had quite a revival last season. Keep it going guys. If the offense has anything to do with it, the ‘Dogs will be in good circles after hitting a blistering .323 with 92 yard calls. Dageford is obviously the ringleader in the fence-bashing department as he exploded on the scene last year and is a pre-season All American entering 2010. Power hitting part-time C Clint Ewing (.289-8-29) should help out on a full-time basis this season. Some well-used hurlers come back to Ruston, including the versatile LHP Mike Jefferson (3-3, 6.27) and capable sophs Jeb Stefan (4-5, 6.39) and Graham Meyers (1-2, 5.19), both hard-throwing righties. The infield gets a real kick with the addition of SS Tayler Terrasas, who was a 39th round pick of St. Louis, but chose to come to campus.

The Bad News:
Tech went 10-2 in the last three weekends of WAC play, but then went belly-up in quick fashion at the conference tournament, souring their ending. Somehow, the Techsters managed a 2nd place finish, but it’s unclear how, especially with the league-worst 7.24 team ERA and the worst defense at .962. Boy howdy, that’s not good. Lots of losses, including four .315+ hitters, most of which were significant power sources. None of the returning guys toeing the rubber had an ERA below 5.00. The lack of a lock-down closer was a particular problem last season. Someone needs to emerge in that role.

Schedule Note:
Lots and lots of warm-up games.
It will take a while for Tech to actually start to play games against teams with much of a pulse as they’ll open the first three weekends going up against Alcorn State, McNeese State and UT-Pan American. But in weekend No. 4, it’s time to strap it on tight guys, as they’ll travel to New Mexico, followed by a visit from Southern Miss and then a trip to Minnesota. Eleven of the final 16 games are going to be roadies, including treks to Arkansas, Texas and Nevada.

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- NEVADA (25-31, 10-13)
2009 RPI: 169
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
1B Shaun Kort (.329-4-62)
CF Westley Moss (.305, 15SBs)
LHP/DH Brock Stassi (6-5, 6.63/.262-4-18)
LHP Chris Garcia (4-6, 6.02)
OF Nick Melino (.352-4-39)

The Good News:
After a highly-uncharacteristic sixth place finish in ‘09, the only place to go is up, right? If the Pack is going to get back, they’ll rely on their seniors. Kort and SS Kevin Rodland (267, 12SBs) seem like they’ve been on campus 10 years and will team with the speedy Moss and the steady Brett Hart (.286-4-28) to bring a lot of leadership and offensive potential. Speaking of four-year guys, Daniel Tinlin (4-2, 3.62, 4svs) offers a proven closer for the Pack. Depth could be on its way with righties Tyler Rogstad, Tony Fagan and Bryan Suarez are all scheduled to be back at mid-season from Tommy John surgery. Incoming C Carlos Escobar could start behind the dish after turning down the Astros in the 41st round last June.

The Bad News:
A 1-11 finish sacked a promising ending, leaving the Wolf Pack with a sub-.500 record, which is rare in Reno. The 6.14 ERA was the main sticking point, along with allowing opponents to hit .307 off the arms corps. Okay, I suppose giving up 242 walks, 48 wild pitches, 62 plunks and six balks didn’t help either. The best starter on the staff, Derek Achelpohl, has hit the bricks as have the steady gloves and potent bats of 2B Matt Bowman and 3B Tyson Jaquez.

Schedule Note:
Lots of new blood (or… victims)
In a four week stretch from March 12th to April 3rd, the Wolf Pack will play D-1 newbies Cal State Bakersfield and Oregon on the road, then host re-instated Seattle University. In between the Ducks and Redhawks, UNR will get a visit from nationally-ranked UC Irvine – who they last played against in a snowstorm to open the 2008 season.

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- NEW MEXICO STATE (44-17, 12-12)
2009 RPI: 124
Starters Returning: 4
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Jared Jordan (7-3, 5.71)
RHP Daniel Simon (9-1, 4.55)
2B Mike Sodders (.422-13-68)
3B Wade Reynoso (.370-11-68)
DH Ben Harty (.279-17-56)

The Good News:
44 wins! Nice. The Aggies were all the rage after a 26-3 start. They went on to break 16 team records, most of those on offense. It’s going to be Bombs Away! again as you might expect with an offense that was downright scary last season, blasting the horsehide at a .353 clip. From that assault line, hitters like Sodders, Reynoso and Harty will be joined by 1B Chris Auten, who hit .365 in 2008 but was injured all last season. The Aggies also earned a staggering 419 walks in 2009, leading the WAC in that category by nearly 100 more than the rest. On the mound, NMSU chucked an amazing 446 strikeouts, despite the relatively weak staff. So there are some bee-bees being thrown, let’s just see if the Ags can induce more grounders now. Coach Rocky Ward called this year’s freshmen “as good as we’ve had” and will feature C Zach Fisher, who’s maturity is off the charts, 2B/SS Parker Hipp and OF Connor Eppard. Also keep an eye on J.C. transfer Matthew Kretchmer, a lefty – which is something the Aggies sorely missed last season.

The Bad News:
Well, obviously, a 44-win team that doesn’t get an at-large bid means you played a lot of tomato cans in pre-WAC play, which certainly was the case. Outside of Jordan and Simon, the pitching staff was shaky and needs some hurlers to come out of their funks this season in order for that 6.28 ERA and the .315 opponents batting average to drop a bit. SS Bryan Marquez not only put up video game-like numbers, but he was also the team leader and is now gone. Some young bats will have to be relied upon this season, which is always a dicey proposition.

Schedule Note:
Better than North Dakota, Chicago State, Hartford and Northern Colorado.
If there was EVER a team that needed a schedule upgrade (other than those SEC and ACC powers that refuse to play tough non-conference games) it was these Aggies. This year, it will be a tougher ride, including games against Missouri, Washington, Gonzaga, Georgia State, UC Santa Barbara, New Mexico and USC. Still, there are those weekend sets vs. Wofford, Houston Baptist, St. Joseph’s and Akron that will still drag down an RPI big time.

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- SACRAMENTO STATE (27-27, 8-14)
2009 RPI: 172
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Jesse Darrah (9-2, 5.54, Freshman All Am.)
RHP Brandon Sandoval (5-4, 5.49)
3B Josh Powers (.358, 11SBs)

The Good News:
The Hornets made some strides overall, improving to a .500 mark for 2009, and now search for more. The offense hit an impressive .318, despite only three starters returning last season. This time, Powers leads a unit that might not hit as well, but has great potential. Some sweet-fielding defenders with some offensive pop return in C Justin Lamb (.271-11-38) and SS Derrick Chung (.294-4-34). The mound mates should make a lot of improvement as well since they were so young last season.Keep an eye on incoming RHP Zach Morgan, a 35th round draftee of the D-backs last June.

The Bad News:
After 32 years at the helm, legendary head coach John Smith is calling it quits after this season. His second-to-last team was a streaky outfit in 2009 and needs to formulate some consistency. They started off 1-7 and then went 0-6 to end the campaign, which ruined their chance at a winning mark. All-World slugger Tim Wheeler has gone to the play-for-pay ranks now and will be a huge hole to fill in the lineup card.

Schedule Note:
This team must stay strong to the end.
It will be a tough month of May for Sac State, having to travel for WAC weekends at San Jose State, Louisiana Tech and the season finale at Fresno State in the last four weekends. Only a home date with Nevada is the lone comforts-of-home factor at that time. Won’t be easy, especially since they’ll be jockeying for their final post-season of play under Coach Smith.

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- SAN JOSE STATE (41-20, 15-7)
2009 RPI: 80
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 0
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 1

All Conference Candidates:
OF Jason Martin (.377-5-45, 2nd team All WAC)
3B Corey Valine (.387-7-46, 2nd team All WAC)
1B Danny Stienstra (.337)

The Good News:
A WAC championship was just the tonic for longtime skipper Sam Piraro after years of off-and-on struggle. And frankly, this team comes into 2010 with a pissed mentality, knowing they deserved better and are going to go out and get it. Don’t worry about the offensive end of things, because they’ll be ready with guys like Martin, Valine and Stienstra leading by example. They’ll also get help from a stellar incoming class. Coach Piraro told me to watch for SS Zack Jones (a 24th round pick of Kansas City), he’s going to be a bonafide super star. But he’s being pushed by fellow frosh Richie Johnson. There are also a handful of first-year pitchers that may be tossing in the weekend rotation: including 6′5″ RHP Blake McFarland and 5′11″ LHP David Wayne Russo. Also look for the Friday role to possibly go to JC transfer LHP John Austin, who had the best fall.

The Bad News:
As mentioned plenty of times before, SJSU felt wronged by not getting a sniff at the Big Dance as an at-large team last season. But again, the WAC doesn’t seem to get a lot of credit from the selection committee, so you’ve got to schedule better. Almost every pitcher of note is gone from that 41-win team (only four wins from last year are back), and you know how tough it is to succeed with an all-new staff. The offense still needs more bash (43HRs) and more dash (just 36SBs), even though they hit a solid .339 as a team. Coach Piraro also must hope that newbies like Jones and Johnson can keep the fielding numbers up in the .978 range again.

Schedule Note:
Beefed Up. But is it RPI-friendly enough?
Non-conference games against the likes of Chicago State, St. Joseph’s and Dartmouth wasn’t going to cut it for the blue and gold. So coach Piraro went out and got a three-game road trip to play at Wichita State this season (and at UCLA and at Arizona in successive seasons). They’ll also spend weekends against teams that should be much-improved this season like UC Santa Barbara, BYU and St. Mary’s.