Another chapter in the history of Washington State Cougar baseball begins Friday on the campus of Western Carolina located in Cullowhee, NC.
Coach Donnie Marbut is as excited about this ball club as any he has coached in Pullman over the past ten years. WSU is relatively youthful but is poised to surprise many based on the talent from top to bottom of the Cougar roster.
The strength of the Cougs is balanced between pitching and defense. Coach Marbut has six guys back from last year’s squad who started at least one game. Add to that the top six innings-pitched and you have the makings of a very solid pitching staff loaded with arms regularly throwing in the 90’s.
What makes pitching even better for Washington State is their defense. WSU set a school mark for fielding a year ago with an outstanding .978 percentage. Repeat that competency in the field this season and every Coug taking the mound will enjoy greater confidence.
Hitting is the untested question mark for the Cougars. The top five leaders at the plate from a year ago have moved on to the pros. One guy who seems to be under media radar is redshirt junior Brett Jacobs. Following a stellar freshman campaign, Jacobs was plagued by injury his sophomore season and sat out 2012 recovering from surgery. When healthy, this young man can flat out hit for average.
"“(Jacobs) is kind of a quieter Jared Prince (RHP/OF 2006-09 .343 All Pac-10) to be honest with you,” describes Coach Marbut. “He’s a die hard Coug. He knows how to play games. He knows how to win games. He’s learned a new position over at first base and we like him a lot.”"
You can follow the live stats for the Cougs online at: wsucougars.com
Here are the probable starters for the opening series against the Catamounts of Western Carolina:
Friday
WSU-RH SO Tanner Chleborad (14 G, 13 GS, 4-3, 4.24 ERA)
WCU-RH SO Jeremy Null (17 G, 14 GS, 4-4, 5.05 ERA)
Saturday
WSU-LH SO Joe Pistorese (15 G, 12 GS, 4-3, 2.44 ERA)
WCU-RH JR Jordan Smith (16 G, 15 GS, 4-5, 3.48 ERA)
Sunday
WSU-RH RS-SO Scott Simon (28 G, 1 GS, 2-3, 4.09 ERA)
WCU-LH RS-SR Morgan McKinney (15 G, 15 GS, 6-3, 3.74 ERA)
GO COUGS!!!