COUGARS HEAD TO LOS ANGELES FOR WEEKEND SERIES AT USC
Washington State heads to Los Angeles for a Pac-12 Conference weekend series at USC. The series begins Friday at 6:30 p.m., continues Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and wraps up Sunday at 1 p.m.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Dakota Hawkins | Sr. | RHP | 2-2, 4.43 ERA, 38 K, 22.1 IP  VS.  Tyler Stromsborg | Jr. | RHP | 1-1, 6.26 ERA, 24 K, 27.1 IP
Grant Taylor | Jr. | RHP | 1-0, 4.15 ERA, 29 K, 21.2 IP  VS.  Caden Aoki | So. | RHP | 0-0, 5.06 ERA, 6 K, 5.1 IP
TBA  VS.  Eric Hammond | RS-Fr. | RHP | 0-1, 6.60 ERA, 15 K, 15.0 IP

FOLLOW ALONG
All three games will have live stats, webstream and broadcast on the radio. Links are listed on wsucougars.com.

ON DECK
WSU returns to Bailey-Brayton Field for a five-game homestand beginning Wednesday against Lindfield.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State enters the weekend with a 14-6 overall record including a 3-3 mark in Pac-12 Conference play after taking two of three at No. 15 Oregon State two weekends ago before dropping two of three to Oregon in Pullman last weekend. The Cougars enter the weekend second in the Pac-12 Conference in on-base percentage (.415) and scoring (8.2) while the pitching staff leads the league averaging 11.8 strikeouts/9 innings, eighth-most in the country. Leadoff hitter Jonah Advincula is second in the Pac-12 in hits (30), first baseman Sam Brown is fifth in the league in RBI (23) and reliever Chase Grillo paces the Pac-12 in saves (5). WSU posted a 27-26 mark last season, their third-straight winning season after claiming four of their final five series along with road series wins over No. 9 Arizona and No. 10 Oregon and closed the season with the program's first sweep over Arizona State. Brian Green owns 76-62 record in his fourth season at WSU and owns a 234-184-1 career mark in his ninth season as a head coach. 

COUGAR QUICK HITS
TEAM
•  WSU was ranked No. 20 last week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll, its first national ranking since 2010
•  WSU took 2 of 3 at No. 15 Oregon State for its first series win in Corvallis since 2009
•  WSU posted a program-best 3.21 team GPA in the 2022 fall semester, WSU has set records last 5 semesters
•  WSU recorded its 3rd-straight winning season last year (2020-22) for the 1st time since 2008-10
•  WSU pitching set a program record with 473 strikeouts last season, breaking the 2009 record of 453

INDIVIDUAL
•  OF Jonah Advincula is 2nd in the Pac-12 in hits (30) and RHP Chase Grillo leads in saves (5)
•  1B Sam Brown leads the Pac-12 in HBP (9), 5th in RBI (23), 7th in hitting (.383), Cam Magee 11th in hitting (.359)
•  RHP Andrew Baughn leads the country in appearances (14), RHP Dakota Hawkins is 2nd in Ks (38)
•  RHP Dakota Hawkins was 1 of the National Players of the Week, 5.1 IP, 10 K, 1 ER, Win vs. Oregon
•  Jacob McKeon was named a 2022 CoSIDA Academic All-American (3.98 GPA, Kinesiology)
•  2021 WSU All-American 1B Kyle Manzardo was the 2022 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Player of the Year

ABOUT USC
USC enters the weekend with an 11-8-1 overall record including a 4-2 mark in Pac-12 Conference play after posting series wins over Stanford in Los Angeles two weeks ago and at California last weekend. USC leads the all-time series against the Cougars 77-36-1 but WSU took two of three last year in Pullman. WSU is 14-44-1 all-time at Dedeaux Field and are looking for its first series win since 2011.

COUGS BY THE NUMBERS 
2014 - WSU claimed its Pac-12 opening series (at OSU) for the 1st time since taking two of three at Arizona in 2014
45 - WSU has been hit by the pitch 45 times in 2023, most in the Pac-12 and 13th-most in the country
38 - Dakota Hawkins enters the weeks 2nd in the Pac-12 with 38 strikeouts, Caden Kaelber is 3rd with 37 Ks
22 - WSU's 22-7 win over Villanova Feb. 18 in Arizona were the sixth-most runs scored in a game in WSU history
22 - WSU's 22 stolen bases are tied for 4th in the Pac-12 after finishing last season with 24 stolen bases
20 - WSU has used 20 different lineups in the first 20 games of 2023, 18 different defensive lineups
17 - WSU pitching owns 3 games with 17 K, tied for the 3rd-most in single-game history (Villanova, Oregon 2x)
14 - WSU 14-6 record is its best start since 2006
11 - WSU started the season 11-1, its best start since 1980 (18-0)
10 - Dakota Hawkins matched a career-high with 10 K opening day against Villanova, and against Oregon Friday
9 - WSU was hit by the pitch 9 times in the Feb. 18 win over Villanova, the most in WSU single-game history
8 - WSU has tallied seven comeback wins in 2023 after recording 16 last season
5 - Sam Brown homered in his first 5 home games this season (All 3 Games vs Southern Indiana, Seattle U, USF)
1 - Four Cougar pitchers combined for a 1-hitter in the series-clinching win at No. 15 Oregon State

DAKOTA HAWKINS EARNS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
For the second straight week a Washington State pitcher has earned national recognition as Dakota Hawkins was named one of the National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball, the organization announced Monday. Hawkins matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts and allowed just one earned run in 5.1 innings to earn the win over Oregon. Hawkins enters the week second in the Pac-12 Conference with 38 strikeouts. Last week, reliever Connor Wilford received the same recognition along with Pac-12 Pitcher of the week after two no-hit appearances in WSU's series win at No. 15 Oregon State.

COUGAR BASEBALL BACK IN TOP-25 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2010
Washington State Baseball returned to the National Top-25 for the first time since 2010, appearing at No. 20 in last week's Collegiate Baseball Poll after beating No. 15 Oregon State the previous weekend. The Cougars took two of three at No. 15 Oregon State, dropping Friday's series opener before claiming a 6-3 win Saturday and four pitchers combined for a one-hitter in Sunday's 3-1 victory to clinch their first series win in Corvallis since 2009. The Cougars finished the 2010 season ranked No. 21 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 24 by Baseball America. The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, which started in 1959, is the oldest college baseball poll.

CONNOR WILFORD EARNS NATIONAL ACCOLADE, PAC-12 PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Reliever Connor Wilford was named the Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week and one of the National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball following the series win oat No 15 Oregon State. Wilford made two appearances out of the bullpen in the Cougar's series win at No. 15 OSU and combined for seven no-hit innings with nine strikeouts and just one walk. The sophomore righthander struck out six in four no-hit innings of Friday's series-opener and came back two days later to work the fifth, sixth and seventh innings where he retired all nine hitters he faced, three via strikeout, to earn Sunday's series-clinching win. The Cougars went 3-1 last week with a home win over Seattle U Tuesday followed by taking two of three at No. 15 Oregon State over the weekend. WSU dropped Friday's series opener before claiming a 6-3 win Saturday and four pitchers combined for a one-hitter in Sunday's 3-1 victory to clinch their first series win in Corvallis since 2009.

ADVINCULA NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AFTER HUGE OPENING WEEKEND
Outfielder Jonah Advincula was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week after producing huge offensive numbers during opening weekend. Playing at the Peoria Sports Complex in Arizona, Advincula helped the Cougars beat Villanova twice and UC Riverside twice for its first 4-0 start since 2010. In four games, Advincula, a transfer from Redlands University (DIII), went 8-for-16 (.500) with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBI, three stolen bases and four runs scored. The junior from Santa Clara, Calif. hit in the leadoff spot all weekend, recorded two multiple-hit games, posted a .619 on-base percentage and a 1.125 slugging percentage. In game one against UC Riverside Saturday, the lefthanded hitter collected four hits including two home runs, a double, a triple, two runs scored, one stolen base and eight RBI, the second-most RBI in WSU single-game history. In the eighth inning, Advincula went to the plate needing just a single to hit for the cycle, he instead hit a grand slam. 

IN THE CLASSROOM, IN THE COMMUNITY
Head coach Brian Green emphasized winning in the classroom and the community in his introductory press conference and the Cougs backed him up in his first three years at WSU. 
- Last fall, WSU posted a semester team GPA (3.21) the highest team GPA in program history. WSU has set program GPA records in the last five semesters.
- WSU does a viral campaign under Green named Meet The Professor where each baseball student-athlete introduces themselves and takes a selfie with their professor in the first class of each semester. 
- In January of 2020, WSU gathered at a local elementary school and helped the Whitman County Special Olympics with basketball practice.
- This past summer, WSU partnered with WSU ROAR to host a Lentil Cookoff. WSU ROAR is a two-year postsecondary education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

2022 BY THE NUMBERS
3,609 - WSU set a program record for home-opening series attendance in 2022 against No. 4 Oregon State (3,609)
473 - WSU pitching set a program record with 473 strikeouts last season, breaking the 2009 record of 453
200 - WSU's 11-6 win over Texas A&M at the Frisco Classic in 2022 was its 1st win over an SEC team since 2012
30 - Relievers Chase Grillo and Cam Liss made 30 appearances, tied for 4th-most in WSU single-season history
3 - WSU recorded its 3rd-straight winning season (2020-22) for the 1st time since 2008-10
2 - WSU produced 2 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans for the 1st time since 1973
2 - WSU won 2 road series over Top-10 teams (No. 9 Arizona, No. 10 Oregon) for the 1st time in program history
1st - WSU swept Arizona State for the 1st time in program history

RV TAILGATE PROGRAM RETURNS TO BAILEY-BRAYTON FIELD FOR 2023
The Cougar Baseball RV Tailgate program returns for 2023. RV Parking and Tailgating will highlight the gameday experience at Bailey-Brayton Field and will be located behind the Indoor Practice Facility along the first base side. Please contact the WSU Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS for season ticket information and/or to secure an RV pass for the season, or select series.

PROJECT: BTO (COUGAR BASEBALL COMPLEX Photos on BACK PAGE)
Washington State broke ground on the Cougar Baseball Facility Project: BTO (Back to Omaha) in October of 2019 and officially moved into its new home this past January. The state-of-the-art facility features a $10 million clubhouse facility, a new entrance to Bailey-Brayton Field, a 1,300 square-foot locker room, a 1,500 square-foot weight room, academic area, team meeting room, areas for Cougar equipment, nutrition and athletic medicine, coaches offices as well as recognition of WSU's storied history. In addition, the facility will enhance the game day experience for players, coaches and fans, and provide improved ingress and egress along with new public restrooms and concessions. All costs were all covered through donor support. 

KYLE MANZARDO NAMED TAMPA BAY RAYS 2022 MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Former Washington State Baseball first baseman Kyle Manzardo was named the Tampa Bay Rays 2022 Minor League Player of the Year and was recently invited to the 2023 big league spring training. Manzardo opened the 2022 season at High-A Bowling Green where he collected 34 extra-base hits, 55 RBI, .329 batting average, 16 doubles and 17 home runs in 63 games before being promoted to Double-A Montgomery. In 30 games at Double-A, Manzardo hit .323 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI. Manzardo finished the 2022 season with a combined .327 batting average, 26 doubles, 22 homers, 81 RBI and a 1.043 OPS, leading all Rays' minor-leaguers in average, on-base percentage and slugging. Manzardo, taken in the second round as the No. 63 overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, the highest draft pick for the Cougars since Scott Hatteberg was selected in the first round compensation round and No. 43 overall in 1991. Manzardo earned All-America first-team honors by Collegiate Baseball as a junior in 2021, WSU's first All-American first-team selection since pitcher Aaron Sele in 1990 and was the first position player to earn All-American first-team honors since John Olerud in 1988. In his three seasons in Pullman, Manzardo was a two-time All-American, hit .336 with 37 doubles, 16 home runs, 105 RBI, 149 hits, set the WSU record with a 43-game on-base streak and recorded a 27-game hitting streak, the second-longest hitting streak in program history. Manzardo also tallied 45 multiple-hit games including 11 3-hit games and four 4-hit games. 

JOHN OLERUD NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE CENTURY
The Pac-12 Conference inducted Coug legend John Olerud into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2019. Olerud was named the Pac-12 Conference's Baseball Player of the Century in 2016. During his three seasons in a Cougar uniform, Olerud (1987-89) had one of the finest careers of any Cougar student-athlete, in any sport, in Washington State history, rewriting the WSU record books and becoming the only Cougar baseball athlete ever to be named College Athlete of the Year. In 1988, Olerud became the only player in NCAA history to win 15 games on the mound and hit 20 home runs in the same season, going 15-0 with 23 home runs that year. Olerud went 26-4 overall with a 3.17 ERA over 241.1 innings during his three seasons, hitting .434. He set two Pac-10 records and 10 Pac-10 North marks, highlighted by his sophomore season when he was named Athlete of the Year by Baseball America. In January prior to his junior year at WSU, Olerud suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of brain seizure. He missed the first 28 games of the spring season, but returned to hit .359 for WSU over the final 27 games. Prior to his senior season, Olerud signed a contract with Toronto and went directly to the Major Leagues. In 1993, he became the first Blue Jay to win a batting title, hitting .363. Olerud played for Toronto, the New York Mets and Yankees, Seattle and Boston during his 17-year career, winning back-to-back World Series titles with Toronto in 1992 and 1993. In 2001 he joined his father, John Sr., in the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and is a member of the College Baseball, State of Washington and Inland Northwest Sports Halls of Fame. The John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, given annually by the College Baseball Hall of Fame, was named in his honor and in 2016, he was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Century.