COUGARS CONTINUE ROAD TRAVELS WITH SERIES AT NEVADA
Washington State (2-6) hits the road for the third straight week after moving its series with Nevada (6-1) from Pullman, Wash. to Reno, Nev. because of snow in the Pullman forecast for most of the week. The three-game series in Reno will run Thursday-Saturday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. each game.

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. The first two games at Nevada are scheduled to be webstreamed by nevadawolfpack.com

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State posted a 16-33-1 overall record in 2018 including a 8-21-1 in Pac-12 Conference play. The Cougar pitching staff recorded a pair of no-hitters for the first time since 1976 and the defense was fourth in the Pac-12 in double plays turned (46). Offensively, WSU returns senior shortstop Andres Alvarez (.263, 16 2B, 5 SB), junior infielder Dillon Plew (.277, 7 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI) and senior catcher Rob Teel (.275, 2 HR, 13 RBI) along with junior centerfielder Danny Sinatro (2 HR, 10 RBI, 9 SB). On the mound, junior lefthander A.J. Block (21 APP, 48 K, 44 IP) and sophomore righthander Hayden Rosenkrantz (6 Friday starts, 25 K, 36.1 IP) lead a pitching staff that adds a pair of freshmen who were both drafted out of high school; RHP Brandon White (14th, LAD), Ky Bush (40th, KC). Head coach Marty Lees begins his fourth season with the Cougars.

COUGAR QUICK HITS
TEAM
•  WSU owns nationally ranked recruiting classes in 2 of the last 3 seasons (2016 - No. 28 and 2018 - No. 32)
•  WSU has seen 16 players make their WSU debuts in the first 2 weekends (10 freshmen including 7 pitchers
•  WSU was the only team in the country with a two no-hitters in 2018, first WSU team to do so since 1976
•  WSU took 2 of 3 for its first series win over Arizona State since 2013 and first over ASU in Pullman since 2010
•  Marty Lees and pitching coach Dan Spencer were assistants on Oregon State's National Title teams (2006-07)
•  Assistant coach Jim Horner played for the Cougars (1993-96), earned All-Pac-10 honors as an OF in 1996 

PLAYER
•  3 Cougs list hometowns from Nevada, INF Garrett Gouldsmith (Reno), INF Abel Carter (Carson City), LHP Bryce Moyle (Carson City) and RHP Hayden Rosenkrantz played his first 3 HS seasons at Centennial HS in Las Vegas
•  OF Collin Montez enters the week tied for 4th in the Pac-12 in home runs (2), both hit at Saint Mary's (2/16)
•  C Rob Teel entered the week leading the Pac-12 with 4 runners thrown out attempting to steal
•  RHP Brandon White was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week (at Santa Clara, Win, 6.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K)

LAST WEEKEND
The Cougars split a four-game series at Santa Clara University last weekend, taking the opener 10-0 behind a combined one-hit shutout from starter Brandon White (6.1 IP, 0 H, 9 K) and reliever Owen Leonard (2.2 IP, 1 H, 5 K). Offensively Andres Alvarez led the way with a .412 average in the series while freshman Kyle Manzardo hit .313 with three doubles and six RBI in the series. Santa Clara claimed the Friday meeting 4-2 after WSU left nine men on base and SCU posted a 3-1 win Saturday after the Cougars again left 11 men on base. In Sunday's finale, WSU used a six-run eighth inning to post a 10-6 win behind a four-hit game from Kyle Manzardo and a three-hit game from Kodie Kolden.

WHITE'S NO-HIT OUTING EARNS NATIONAL, PAC-12 HONORS
Freshman pitcher Brandon White was named the Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. White was also named among the National Pitchers of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Magazine Monday. White earned his first career win in his first career start last Thursday at Santa Clara after firing 6.1 no-hit innings with nine strikeouts and no walks in a combined one-hit shutout win, 10-0. The Chehalis, Wash. native retired the first 15 batters he faced before the leadoff hitter in the sixth inning reached on a Cougar fielding error but was thrown out trying to steal second base later in the inning. White, a 14th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 MLB Draft, is the first Cougar freshman pitcher to earn Pac-12 weekly honors since Ryan Walker in 2015.

ABOUT NEVADA
Nevada comes into the week with a 6-1 record after sweeping a three-game series at Long Beach last weekend. The Wolf Pack, winners of the 2018 Mountain West Conference Regular Season, went 29-24 last season including a 20-9 mark in MWC play. WSU leads the all-time series with Nevada 11-5 and it will be the first meeting between the two clubs since 2004, a 10-7 win for WSU in a 2004 meeting played in Scottsdale, Ariz. WSU owns a 5-2 mark when playing in Reno and will be making its first trip to Reno since Nevada claimed both games of a two-game set in 2004.

COUGARS DROP OPENING WEEKEND SERIES AT SAINT MARY'S
The Cougars dropped all four games of a season-opening series at Saint Mary's. Offensively, leftfielder Collin Montez led the way with five RBI and three extra-base hits including a two-homer game in game one of a doubleheader. Leadoff man Dillon Plew also tallied three hits and posting a .444 on-base percentage. On the mound, nine pitchers made their WSU debuts including six freshmen. Sophomore starter Hayden Rosenkrantz led the way after setting career highs with six-plus innings and five strikeouts.

COUGS RECEIVE PRESEASON RECOGNITION
D1Baseball.com released its Top 2019 Prospects and a couple Cougars received recognition. Junior left-handed pitcher A.J. Block enters 2019 rated No. 25 among the Top Pac-12 2019 Prospects and No. 167 nationally. Three were named among the Top Pac-12 Impact Freshmen; RHP Brandon White (No. 12), LHP Ky Bush (No. 35), INF Kyle Manzardo (No. 38). White was also named among the Top-100 Impact Freshmen in the country, No. 85).

ANOTHER NATIONALLY RANKED RECRUITING CLASS
Washington State's 2016 incoming class was rated No. 28 by D1baseball.com and this year's 2018 class (this year's newcomers) was rated No. 32 in the country by Collegiate Baseball. The Cougars 2018 signing class features 21 newcomers including 12 who earned All-State honors, one Junior College All-American and a pair of high school signees who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

BOARD OF REGENTS APPROVES BASEBALL PROJECT - BTO
The Washington State Board of Regents Friday approved Project: BTO (Back to Omaha) Jan. 25, the baseball facility project to modernize and upgrade Bailey-Brayton Field. "Gaining approval for this project, which is funded solely on private donations, is a testament to a lot of hard work by many people, " said Washington State Director of Athletics Pat Chun. "Upgrading Bailey-Brayton Field was a necessity and provides Marty Lees and his staff the opportunity to attract top talent to Washington State, develop current talent, and return the program to a place of prominence." The state-of-the-art facility renovation and enhancement will cost approximately $10 million. 100 percent of the project costs will be covered through private donations. WSU Athletics was able to secure nearly $2 million in new gifts and pledges over the past 12 months to reach the $10 million goal. The project will feature a locker room, coaches offices, team meeting rooms, a players lounge, as well as recognition of Cougar Baseball's storied history. Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2019, with completion in time for the 2021 baseball season. "What a great day to be a Coug," said WSU Head Coach Marty Lees. "Thank you to the Board of Regents, our administration, alumni, donors and fans. This will provide a tremendous boost to our current and future players and we couldn't be more excited for what the future holds surrounding Cougar Baseball."

WHO'S GONE?
The Cougars return four position starts and one pitcher from its weekend rotation in 2019. 
Here are a couple of significant losses:
Blake Clanton (DH) - Graduated, All-Pac-12 HM, .350, 13 2B, 10 HR, 35 RBI
Justin Harrer (OF) - Drafted, 35th RD, Pittsburgh, 11 HR, 30 RBI
JJ Hancock (OF) - Graduated, .278, 7 2B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 4 SB
Scotty Sunitsch (LHP) - Drafted, 18th RD, Milwaukee, All-Pac-12 HM, 6-4, 3.74 ERA, 84.1 IP, 74 K, No-Hitter at ORE
Ryan Walker (RHP) - Drafted, 31st RD, San Francisco, 23 APP, 4-4, 5 SV, 46.1 IP, 47 K
Parker McFadden (RHP) - Drafted, 16th RD, Baltimore, 15 APP, 1-1, 3.56 ERA, 30.1 IP, 46 K

MLB DRAFT PICKS UNDER MARTY LEES
Since Marty Lees arrived at Washington State for the 2016 season, 10 Cougars have been drafted: 
2016, Ian Hamilton, RHP, 11th round, Chicago White Sox
2016, Layne Bruner, LHP, 18th round, Baltimore Orioles
2016, Trek Stemp, 2B, 29th round, Tampa Bay Rays
2017, Damon Jones, LHP, 18th round, Philadelphia Phillies
2017, Shane Matheny, 3B, 23rd round, San Francisco Giants
2017, Colby Nealy, RHP, 35th round, Los Angeles Dodgers
2018, Parker McFadden, RHP, 16th round, Baltimore Orioles
2018, Scotty Sunitsch, LHP, 18th round, Milwaukee Brewers
2018, Ryan Walker, RHP, 31st round, San Francisco Giants
2018, Justin Harrer, INF,  35th round, Pittsburgh Pirates

Below is a list of current Cougars who were drafted out of high school:
2016, Danny Sinatro, OF, 40th round, Cleveland Indians
2016, A.J. Block, LHP, 39th round, Chicago Cubs
2017, Jack Smith, INF, 39th round, Seattle Mariners
2018, Brandon White, RHP, 14th round, Los Angeles Dodgers
2018, Ky Bush, LHP, 40th round, Kansas City Royals

SEVEN COUGARS EARN PAC-12 ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS IN 2018
Seven Cougars received Pac-12 Conference All-Academic honors in 2018, including two first-team selections. A.J. Block (3.77 GPA, Computer Science) and Collin Maier (3.92 GPA, Mechanical Engineering) were each named to the first team, the first time WSU has had two first-team selections since 2014. Cal Waterman (3.52 GPA, Finance) was named to the second team while Blake Clanton (3.37 GPA, Accounting), Danny Sinatro (3.42 GPA, Marketing), Scotty Sunitsch (3.05 GPA, Criminal Justice) and Ryan Walker (3.15 GPA, Criminal Justice) each received honorable mention. The seven selections are the most under head coach Marty Lees and most by WSU since eight earned all-academic honors in 2012. To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average, be a starter or significant contributor, and have completed at least one year in residence at their current institution. 

BY THE NUMBERS IN 2018
36 - WSU's 36 home runs were the most since 2010
25 - WSU played 25 games that were decided by two runs or less (10-14-1)
18 - WSU played 18 one-run games in 2018 and went 9-9 in those games
9 - WSU had 9 comeback wins in 2018 including four of walkoff variety
7 - WSU had 7 last at-bat wins in 2018 including against Gonzaga (4/3)
7 - WSU turned 7 double plays during the series against No. 3 Oregon State
4 - 4 pitchers combined to no-hit Santa Clara in the 5-0 win April 22
2 - WSU threw 2 no-hitters in 2018 for the first time since 1976
1 - Danny Sinatro's 1st career homer was an inside-the-parker against Santa Clara (4/21), it was the 1st inside-the-park homer for WSU since Yale Rosen did so in 2013
1 - WSU tied No. 3 Oregon State 7-7 (5/6), it was WSU's 1st tie since 1992 (8-8, vs. New Mexico - Fresno)