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BYU Baseball: Cougars face must-win weekend series

By Shaun Gordon

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 01: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim left his bat on a tarp during batting practice at Angel Stadium on May 1, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 01: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim left his bat on a tarp during batting practice at Angel Stadium on May 1, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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BYU baseball has struggled with consistency this season, and now they face a must-win series against St. Mary’s as a result.

This weekend’s series has become the most important three-game stretch of the season for BYU baseball.

The Cougars sit at sixth place in the West Coast Conference at 8-10, two games behind fifth-seeded St. Mary’s.

That’s who BYU faces this weekend.

More importantly, the Cougars are 2 1/2 games back of Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount, who are tied for third at 12-9. Since only the top four teams qualify for the WCC Tournament, BYU has to shoot for that fourth spot.

This isn’t where the Cougars expected to be at the beginning of the season. The Cougars were picked to finish first in the preseason poll, but they’ve struggled with consistency. They’re not hitting nearly as well as they did last season, nor have they been able to keep opponents from crossing the plate consistently.

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While BYU has struggled this year, they still hold their destiny in their own hands. If the Cougars win their last nine conference games, they’re guaranteed no worse than fourth place. Even if they lose one, as long as it’s in final series against Pacific, they still control their own fate.

Winning eight of nine in baseball isn’t easy, but it’s doable.

The Cougars need to win this weekend’s series, or they’ll face a nearly impossible climb into the top four. One loss against the Gaels would keep them in contention, but a sweep would put them in the best possible position going into the last two weeks of the season.

If BYU wins all three against St. Mary’s, they’ll move past the Gaels into fifth place and to within one game of fourth. They’ll also put themselves in position to gain ground on second-place San Francisco, who the Cougars play next weekend.

If everything were to fall into place, BYU could still end up in first place, right where they were expected to be.

But they’ll take any finish that keeps their season alive.

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