• It was another tough outing for Wazzu baseball (10-18) Tuesday, traveling up the road to Spokane and falling to No. 15 Gonzaga (19-7) by a final of 12-0. The non-conference matchup was a chance for both ballclubs to get roster reserves a chance to play.
  Gonzaga used a pair of homers and a triple to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings. When the Zags added another five runs in the sixth, this one was over. Their pitching had all the answers to snuff out the Cougar offense which managed just four hits. Four hits. That, my friends, isn't what a winning squad does at the plate.
  If you're wondering, yes, Wazzu committed another error in the field. Defense has certainly been a key component to the poor start of this season for the Cougs.
  Returning to conference play, things aren't going to get any easier for WSU as they travel to Tucson this weekend for a three-game series with the Arizona Wildcats. The first pitch for the series opener on Friday is scheduled for 6pm. The game will be broadcast on Arizona Live Stream-3.
  https://wsucougars.com/news/2022/4/5/baseball-cougars-drop-midweek-matchup-at-no-15-gonzaga.aspx

• The news from Cougs men's hoops comes as a surprise of sorts. It was expected that Ryan Rapp would enter the transfer portal. Another guard, Jefferson Koulibaly put his name in the portal after seeing very limited playing time as this past season played out. Now we hear that a third guard, Noah Williams, has opted to play elsewhere next year.
  Williams is unexpected due to the fact he's an excellent defender and showed offensive potential his first two seasons. Also, his father, Guy Williams, was an outstanding Coug player for George Raveling back in the day. Given that Williams wears his emotions on his sleeve, it's possible he won't find a better place to land than Pullman once the transfer portal waters have been tested. As you may recall, Andrea Jakimovsky entered the portal prior to this past season and continued playing for Coach Kyle Smith this season.
  It's possible that the three guards have concerns that their playing minutes will be cut back next year with Myles Rice coming off a redshirt season of development. Word on the street is that Rice is a very talented player with a boatload of potential. Regardless, Coach Smith will have at least one new starting guard playing in his backcourt joining Tyrell Roberts. As we saw this past season, Roberts can fill it up but struggles to defend taller players, which is just about everyone on the other team's roster.
  Good news is that TJ Bamba improved dramatically this past year at both ends of the court. Toward the end of the campaign, Smith referred to Bamba as his best lockdown defender, a moniker he used to apply to Williams. Who knows whether or not incoming freshman Dylan Darling will live up to his potential. It's rare that a freshman comes in and delivers instant impact for a Pac-12 team. That's not to say it won't happen, but look for Smith to pull in another guard from the transfer portal to replace the minutes Williams would have seen.

Go Cougs!!!