Washington State looks to carry postseason momentum into 2027

The 2026 college season was a big breakthrough year for the Washington State Cougars. In Nathan Choate's second year as head coach, the Cougars made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

Washington State finished the season with a 31-28 overall record and a 15-9 record in Mountain West play. They won the Mountain West Tournament title and played in the 2026 Eugene Regional at PK Park. In that regional, the Cougars were able to win one game over Oregon State.

Washington State is now joining the newly reformed Pac-12 conference. They were a member of the Pac-12 from 1960 to 2024 before the conference disbanded. The only remaining members were the Cougars and the Oregon State Beavers.

As Washington State enters this new version of the Pac-12, a handful of returners from the 2026 NCAA Tournament team are back for 2027.

Nick Lewis returns after being Washington State's top starter

Washington State's top starting pitcher from a season ago is back. In 2026, Nick Lewis had a 10-2 record and a 2.97 ERA in 100 innings. Although he did not pick up a lot of strikeouts, he was able to get out of lots of tight spots and keep runs off the scoreboard.

Lewis also did not let a lot of opposing hitters draw walks. In 100 innings of work, he gave up just 27 walks. He forced opposing lineups to actually hit and get the ball in play.

The left-hander from Corona, California had two complete games a season ago for the Cougars. His first complete game came against the Fresno State Bulldogs on May 1. He allowed no earned runs and struck out five hitters in a 5-1 win for Washington State. Lewis' second complete game was the NCAA Tournament win the Cougars had against the Oregon State on May 29. His performance in a 3-2 win for Washington State saved every bullpen arm the Cougars had for the rest of the Eugene Regional.

Lewis is not only set up to be Washington State's ace again in 2027, but he also can be one of the best pitchers in the Pac-12.

Matt Priest and Dustin Robinson return as solid pieces in Washington State's lineup

In 2026, Matt Priest was the best hitter for the Washington State Cougars. He led the team with a .362 batting average and also had eight doubles, four home runs, and 38 RBIs.

Although he did not draw a significant number of walks, Priest did have a great on-base percentage that sat at .422.

Like Lewis, Priest also had a huge game in the NCAA Tournament win the Cougars had over Oregon State. He had two hits in three at-bats. One of those hits was an RBI single that tied the game up in the sixth inning. Ultimately, that set Washington State up to win the game in what was a low-scoring battle.

Dustin Robinson is also returning to Washington State in 2027 for his junior season. In 2026, he did show that he has some pop. The outfielder had 19 doubles and six home runs a season ago. He led the Cougars in doubles and was third on the team in home runs.

Those doubles and home runs Robinson had led to 40 RBIs. He also proved to be a decent threat on the base paths with seven stolen bases.

Priest and Robinson return to Pullman as two strong offensive weapons for Washington State. Priest is a base-hit machine for the Cougars, and Robinson has a chance to be the team's best power hitter in 2027.

Up next for Washington State

The Washington State Cougars will begin the 2027 college baseball season with a three-game weekend series against the Cal State Fullerton Titans from February 19-21. That series will be on the road for Washington State at Godwin Field.

For more NCAA news: https://worldbaseball.com/news/category/ncaa