By
Allen Wagner
May 13, 2009
1. Arizona State: Last weekend didn’t see too much Pac-10 action, with most teams playing non-conference opponents. The Sun Devils swept Winthrop, keeping their 16-5 conference record intact. They have remaining conference series against Oregon and UCLA and should run away with the conference title.
2. Washington State: The Cougars got off to a great start in the Northwest with a sweep of the Ducks, but Oregon State and a resurgent Washington remain.
3. Washington: The Huskies have been playing out of their minds recently, and their wins over the Beavers show that they’re not quite done yet. Kyle Conley is still stuck at 40 career home runs, two shy of the UW record, and I’m sure getting his bat going again in the final six conference games will be a big factor in the Huskies’ success.
4. UCLA: When Cal wins two of three games at Jackie Robinson Stadium, something is wrong. The Bruins, though, have the benefit of pretty solid pitching with guys like Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer anchoring the rotation. This should give them enough strength to finish the season strong.
5. Oregon State: The series against Washington was one the Beavers needed to win to prove legitimacy. Their NCAA tournament bid is likely secured, but the Beavers have been very average in conference play. They have to face WSU and Stanford to round out the season.
6. Stanford: The Cardinal offense showed up in force against New Mexico this weekend and pounded out 27 runs in three games, thanks in large part to Pac-10 Player of the Week Brent Milleville. However, it’s hard to see the Cardinal pitchers putting up their own solid performances down the stretch, which could mean their third sub-.500 Pac-10 season in four years.
7. USC: Postseason hopes are pretty much extinguished for the Trojans after losing nine of their last 10 games, including five conference games.
8. Arizona: The Wildcats have won five in a row. Granted, San Diego and Loyola Marymount are not Pac-10 competition, but still, that’s pretty impressive considering the ’Cats are now 25-23 overall.
9. California: Jeff Kobernus lifted the Bears in their series win over the Bruins by going 7-for-17, with two home runs and five RBI. Too bad the Bears didn’t play like they did against UCLA earlier in the season.
10. Oregon: The Ducks got obliterated by the Cougars and will likely finish the season with five or six conference wins, with three-game sets against Arizona State and Arizona remaining.
Reach reporter Allen Wagner at sports@dailyuw.com.
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