Joe Vranesh went 4 for 6 with five RBIs and Saint Mary’s used a seven-run fourth inning to defeat Washington State 14-8 Saturday in Moraga, California.

Eli Wilson’s two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday snapped a 4-all tie and helped Minnesota beat Gonzaga 8-5 in the first day of the Surprise (Arizona) College Baseball Classic.

When a baseball team loses four of its top six hitters and its top three pitchers, it’s easy to see why Washington State was picked to finish 10th in the 11-team Pac-12 Conference this season.

With more than a foot of snow on the ground at the Patterson Baseball Complex, the Gonzaga baseball team is following the snowbirds and heading to Surprise, Arizona, for the third straight year for a four-game, season-opening series.

The NCAA has sanctioned Missouri’s football, baseball and softball programs after an investigation revealed academic misconduct involving a tutor. Among the penalties were three years of probation and one year of postseason bans for all three programs.

Coach Marty Lees and Washington State got an important nod of approval Friday as they continue to play catch-up in the Pac-12 Conference’s baseball facilities arms race.

Retired Gonzaga coach and baseball executive Larry Koentopp died on Saturday in Las Vegas at the age of 82, as announced by the Las Vegas Aviators baseball club. No cause of death was revealed.

With the new agreement comes a new format as Lewis-Clark State will add to its hosting responsibilities with the addition of a 10th NAIA National Championship Opening Round site.

Freshman Kevin Abel threw a two-hitter for his record fourth victory in the College World Series, and Oregon State beat Arkansas 5-0 on Thursday night for its third national championship.

Oregon State’s Trevor Larnach hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the top of the ninth after Arkansas blew a chance to lock up a national championship, and the Beavers forced a third and deciding game in the College World Series finals with a 5-3 win. Cadyn Grenier singled in the tying run after three Arkansas fielders watched his foul ball drop between them.

Arkansas broke through for four runs against a faltering Luke Heimlich in the fifth inning and moved a step closer to its first national championship in baseball with a 4-1 win over Oregon State in Game 1 of the College World Series finals. Heimlich issued a walk and hit two batters as the Razorbacks took a three-run lead in the fifth inning.

Kevin Abel and Jake Mulholland combined on a four-hitter, Tyler Malone hit his third home run of the College World Series, and Oregon State survived some ninth-inning drama to beat Mississippi State 5-2 to reach the best-of-three finals against Arkansas. As they did in 2006, when they won the first of two straight national titles, the Beavers came back from losing their CWS opener to win four straight and make the finals.

Gonzaga senior first baseman Jake Vieth has been named to the ABCA/Rawlings Division I Gold Glove Team, the American Baseball Coaches’ Association announced Wednesday.

Kyle Nobach hit a three-run homer to put Oregon State in control in the seventh inning, Kevin Abel pitched four strong innings of relief and Oregon State sent Pac-12 rival Washington home from the College World Series with a 14-5 win on Monday night.

Luke Alexander’s drive to right field got past Christian Jones in the bottom of the ninth inning, allowing Hunter Stovall to score from second base to give Mississippi State a 1-0 victory over Washington in the College World Series on Saturday night.

Some say Meggs, 55, has mellowed. Meggs will tell you that, in fact. But at his core, as he prepares to take Washington into its first College World Series, Meggs still demands much of his players and doesn’t flinch.

When Lindsay Meggs arrived at Washington nine years ago, he proclaimed that he wanted the Huskies to become an “Omaha program,” worthy of being in the College World Series mix on a regular basis. It’s finally happened, and maybe in the most unlikely of seasons.

Before Sunday, Washington was the only team in the tradition-rich Pac-12 to never make it to the College World Series.

Junior right hander Tommy Wilson pitched seven strong innings, leading Cal State Fullerton to a 5-2 victory over Washington on Saturday to even their best-of-three Super Regional series at a game apiece.