The final weekend of the regular season didn’t go exactly how coach Jay Johnson and the Nevada baseball team would have liked, but that hasn’t dampened the Wolf Pack’s confidence heading into this week’s Mountain West Conference Tournament.
“There was a lot within the season in terms of positive experiences,” Johnson, the Wolf Pack’s first-year coach, said Sunday, a day after his team got swept in a three-game set at conference co-champion UNLV. “We had a lot of confidence moving into the weekend. We were a little short-handed with our pitching. UNLV played really well at home. I don’t think that takes away from our mindset or confidence.
“What’s great about a tournament or even your next game is all that matters is how you play the next game in front of you. We’ve done a great job of that all year.”
Some of that confidence comes from the Wolf Pack’s improvement this year. The team went 25-32, 11-19 in conference a year ago and enters the tournament at UNLV’s Earl Wilson Field at 28-25, 15-15. And even having lost five of six to the co-champions (New Mexico is the other) in the final two conference series, Nevada won 26 of 45 after a 2-6 start.
The Rebels (33-21, 20-10) improved to 21-3 at home this season and will be the No. 1 seed in the seven-team, double-elimination tournament that starts Wednesday. The winner receives the conference’s automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Regionals.
New Mexico (37-18-1, 20-10) is the No. 2 seed. The top two seeds earned byes until Thursday.
Nevada, the No. 4 seed, faces No. 5 Fresno State (27-27, 13-17) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The tournament opens with No. 6 Air Force (20-33, 10-20) against No. 7 San Jose State (18-36, 10-20) in a single-elimination game at 11 a.m. Wednesday. No. 3 San Diego State (37-18, 17-13) will take on the AFA-SJSU winner at 3 p.m.
As the top seed, UNLV will face the lowest remaining seed in its first game at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Johnson, though, can’t worry about the Rebels. Fresno State swept Nevada in a three-game series as part of Nevada’s 2-6 start. In April, the Wolf Pack won two of three at Peccole Park, winning the final two games in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion, each by a score of 9-8.
“I have a ton of respect for Fresno State,” Johnson said. “In my opinion, they’re as good as anyone in our league.”
Neither team has announced starting pitchers yet. Johnson said he would expect to see either Tim Borst (4-4, 2.77 ERA) or Jordan Brink (4-3, 2.96). Nevada has faced each twice. Johnson said the two 9-8 victories in its last two games against the Bulldogs give the Wolf Pack a boost of confidence.
“February was a long time ago,” Johnson said, referring to the Bulldogs’ sweep in Fresno. “At that point, I wasn’t sure if we were ready for that challenge at that time. I felt we steadily improved throughout the season.”
Johnson isn’t sure yet who will pitch for Nevada because usual first-day starter Michael Fain is questionable. He did not take his start against UNLV, and while Johnson would not reveal the injury (he said it wasn’t his pitching elbow or shoulder) he did say it’s not serious. They expect to know Monday if he can go.
“It’s a combination of resting him and being cautious,” Johnson said of Fain. “Obviously, we’re very hopeful he can pitch in the tournament.”
A full complement of pitchers can come in very handy in a tournament such as this. The Wolf Pack could play as few games as four to win the championship and could play as many as six.
Johnson said he believes as many as three MWC teams could get into the regionals, but Nevada is going to have to win the tournament to earn its first regional berth since 2000.
“I really believe our league is the best non-BCS baseball conference in the country,” he said. “We’re not the Pac-12 or the SEC. That’s hard to do. It speaks to the quality of the league.”
MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL
WHAT: Conference tournament
WHEN: Wednesday-Sunday
WHERE: Earl Wilson Field, Las Vegas
WHO: No. 1 seed UNLV (20-10 conference); No. 2 New Mexico (20-10), No. 3 San Diego State (17-13), No. 4 Nevada (15-15), No. 5 Fresno State (13-17), No. 6 Air Force (10-20), No. 7 San Jose State (10-20).
WATCH: All tournament games will be streamed live and at no cost at TheMW.com
Schedule
WEDNESDAY: Game 1 — Air Force vs. San Jose State, 11 a.m.; Game 2 — San Diego State vs. Game 1 winner, 3 p.m.; Game 3 — Nevada vs. Fresno State, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY: Game 4 — Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser, 11 a.m.; Game 5 — New Mexico vs. highest remaining seed in winners’ bracket, 3 p.m.; UNLV vs. lowest remaining seed in winners’ bracket, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY: TBD.
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