Pac-10 should provide stiff challenges

Most of the great pitchers who ruled the Pacific-10 Conference last season have moved on.

But that doesn’t mean runs – or victories, either, for that matter – will come any easier once conference play begins this spring.

“It’s going to be a monster league again,” said Washington State coach Donnie Marbut, whose Cougars (13-7) entertain cross-state rival Washington (11-9) at 5:30 p.m. today at Bailey-Brayton Field in the Pac-10 opener for both teams. “Last year was a little bit different, because we had so many quality arms.

“I don’t know if the front-line, first-round, million-dollar arms are in the league this year, but everyone still seems to have good young pitchers. And I think the teams are better overall.”

Arizona State (19-7) and defending national champion Oregon State (20-3), the teams picked by conference coaches to finish 1-2 in the Pac-10 race, both got off to splendid starts against non-conference opponents and are ranked, along with USC (16-10), in this week’s Baseball America Top 25 poll.

USC, ranked No. 19, will entertain 17th-ranked ASU tonight at 7 in the Pac-10 opener for both teams. Fourth-ranked Oregon State will kick off the Pac-10 portion of its schedule next Friday when it hosts Arizona.

“Oregon State and Arizona State have kind of jumped out and played some pretty good baseball, and are a little bit ahead right now” Marbut said. “But I think you’ve got seven or eight other teams that are kind of in one bunch right behind them.

“Every club we play in the Pac-10 is just a quality, quality team. There aren’t going to be any easy weekends.”

Oregon State has won its last nine games, and Arizona State its last six. Washington had its eight-game winning streak stopped by a 12-0 non-conference road loss to Gonzaga on Wednesday.

Heading into conference play, UCLA (8-13) is the only Pac-10 team with a losing record, yet the Bruins, who finished third last season, were picked by Pac-10 coaches to finish fourth this year.