WASHINGTON STATE at ALABAMA

Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Sewell-Thomas Stadium (5,867) | Feb. 23-24, 2018

Friday, Noon (DH) (PT) | Saturday, 11 a.m. (PT)

COUGARS WRAP UP ROAD TRIP AT ALABAMA

Washington State (2-3) wraps up its season-opening eight-game road trip with a three-game series at the University of Alabama (4-0). The series begins Friday with a doubleheader set for a Noon (PT) start while Saturday's finale is set for 11 a.m. (PT). All three games will be streamed on the SEC Network online at ESPN3.com.

FOLLOW ALONG

Cougar baseball fans can follow all the season's action on the Washington State baseball official twitter page @CougBaseball, instagram page @Coug_Baseball and wsucougars.com. Links to live stats and radio streams will be available at the baseball schedule page on wsucougars.com. Every Cougar home game will be webstreamed through Pac-12.org. 

ON DECK

Washington State returns to Pullman for an eight-game homestand beginning Thursday against Sacramento State at 4 p.m. The Cougars will host Saint Mary's for a four-game series the following week.

LAST TIME OUT

WSU scored the go-ahead run to break a 4-4 tie in the ninth inning and posted a 5-4 victory at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix Tuesday. The Cougars beat an Antelope team who beat No. 7 TCU Sunday and claimed the WAC regular season title in 2017. Dillon Plew recorded three hits and scored two runs including the go-ahead run in the ninth after starting the inning with a triple. Justin Harrer had two hits and two RBI, driving in Plew with two outs in the ninth with a single through the left side. Senior James Rudkin added two hits and an RBI and Nick Strange earned the win by getting the final five outs.

LAST WEEKEND

The Cougars went 1-3 during opening weekend at the Husker Classic in Tempe, Ariz., falling 8-1 to UC Riverside Friday, 8-3 to Nebraska Saturday and 5-3 to Nebraska Sunday before coming back to beat UC Riverside 7-6 in Sunday's tournament finale. WSU collected 18 hits and erased a 6-1 deficit with two runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth after Cal Waterman delivered the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth and Ryan Walker sealed things up in the ninth. Cougar newcomer Wyatt Segle went 5-for-5 in the win, the first Cougar with a 5-hit game since 2013.

ABOUT ALABAMA

Alabama has opened 2018 with a perfect 4-0 mark after sweeping a three-game series with Valparaiso and posting a 4-0 win over Middle Tennessee Tuesday. Last season, Alabama went 19-34-1 overall including 5-24-1 in Southeastern Conference play. WSU and Alabama will meet for just the second time with the only previous coming in the 1950 College World Series, a 9-1 Cougar victory in seven innings. WSU finished as the runner-up to Texas.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State returned eight starters from its 2017 lineup and two pitchers from its final weekend rotation. Last season, the Cougars upped their win total from a season ago and posted four straight Pac-12 Conference series wins in a 24-29 campaign including a 10-20 mark in league play. In year two under head coach Marty Lees, the Cougars recorded its highest batting average, scored the most runs and hit the most home runs since 2013 while posting the fourth-most doubles (105) in the Pac-12, the most since 2012. Washington State won four straight conference series for the first time since 1995, claiming series against No. 30 Washington, at Utah, Oregon and No. 28 UCLA. The Cougars played well at Bailey-Brayton Field in 2017, posting a 20-10 mark for the best home record since the 2010 team went 20-5.

NOTES FROM OPENING WEEKEND

Washington State went 1-3 the opening weekend of 2018 and received a couple impressive performances along the way. Junior first basemen/designated hitter Wyatt Segle recorded a hit in all four games capped by a 5-for-5 performance in the comeback win over UC Riverside. Segle was the first Cougar to notch a five-hit game since Adam Nebulowich did so against UCLA in 2013. Segle finished the weekend 8-for-13 for a team-best .615 batting average. Junior shortstop Andres Alvarez recorded multiple-hits in each of the final three games including a three-hit game against Nebraska last Saturday. Sophomore centerfielder Danny Sinatro recorded his first career three-hit game in the win over UC Riverside Sunday, recording two doubles along the way and also stole three bases throughout the weekend. On the mound, redshirt-sophomore lefthander Isaac Mullins struck out a career-high seven in five innings against UC Riverside on opening day and senior lefthander Scotty Sunitsch matched a career-high with six strikes outs in six innings against Nebraska Sunday. Senior reliever Ryan Walker was dominant in his only appearance, striking out four in 2.2 scoreless innings of Sunday's win over UC Riverside.

COMEBACK KIDS GIVE WSU FIRST WIN IN 2018

WSU used a comeback to notch its first win of 2018 after recording 12 comeback victories in 2017. The Cougars trailed UC Riverside 6-1 in Sunday's Husker Classic finale before tallying two runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth behind a pair of two-out two-run singles from JJ Hancock and Cal Waterman with Waterman's proving to be the game-winner. WSU added another win in its final at-bat Tuesday, breaking a 4-4 tied with a run in the ninth inning for a 5-4 win at Grand Canyon.

COUGAR OFFENSE

Washington State returns five players who recorded 10+ doubles last season including three of its top four home run hitters from a season ago. Junior shortstop Andres Alvarez, who earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention last season, returns after hitting .308 while starting all 53 games. Junior Justin Harrer, also an All-Pac-12 honorable mention pick last year, led the team with five home runs and 17 doubles and tied for second with 32 RBI. Senior JJ Hancock and Alvarez shared the team lead with five stolen bases while sophomore infielder Dillon Plew returns after his steller freshman campaign saw him record 10 doubles and tied for the team lead with 28 walks.

COUGAR DEFENSE

Defensively, the Cougars return seven position starters but must replace the elite defender in Shane Matheny who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants. Last season, WSU tied for second in the Pac-12 with 51 double plays turned including a conference-best 33 during Pac-12 play. 

COUGAR PITCHING

On the mound, the Cougars combined to pick off 11 baserunners, the second-most in the Pac-12 senior lefthander Cody Anderson held opposing hitters to a .239 batting average, 10th-lowest in the Pac-12. Scotty Sunitsch finished the year with eight saves, third-most in the conference and also tied for sixth in the league with 28 appearances. 

COUGAR OFFENSE MADE BIG STRIDES IN 2017

The WSU offense made big strides in year two under head coach Marty Lees and hitting coach Jim Horner. WSU posted its highest batting average (.272) since 2013, averaged the most runs/g (4.9) and hits/g (9.1) per game since 2013, hit the most doubles (105) since 2012 and hit the most home runs (21) since 2013. Six Cougars recorded 10+ doubles for the first time since 2010 after just two players had double-digit doubles 2016.

RECORD BOOK WATCH (PAGE 9)

Senior lefthander Scotty Sunitsch put his name in a couple WSU career Top-10 lists last season  while senior righty Ryan Walker also worked is way on to the record book. Sunitsch enters the weekend series with 72 career appearances, eighth-most in WSU history and with nine career saves, tied for ninth in WSU history. Ryan Walker, who recorded three wins in relief last season to push his career relief wins total to nine, added another relief win Sunday, No. 10 of his career, tied for fourth in WSU history. Walker enters the weekend with 65 career appearances, needing five appearances to move into the WSU career Top-10.

BY THE NUMBERS IN 2017

105 - WSU's 105 doubles were the most since 2012 (108)

32 - 32 years since the last WSU no-hitter, Kurt Waananen - Rockford College (Ill.) (3/14/85)

24 - WSU had 24 games with 10+ hits in 2017 after recording just 15 double-digit hit games in 2016

21 - WSU's 21 home runs were the most since 2013 (24)

17 - James Rudkin led the team with 17 two-out RBI, JJ Hancock was second with 13

12 - WSU had 12 comeback wins in 2017, including in each of the first seven wins of the season

6 - Five players recorded 10+ doubles last season, the most since six did so in 2010

4.9 - WSU averaged 4.9 run/G last season, the most since 2013 (5.2)

1.95 - WSU posted a 1.95 ERA in the series win at Utah, 27.2 IP, 16 H, 20 K, .167 avg against

.272 - WSU's .272 batting average was the highest since 2013 (.293)