Mississippi State baseball must keep an eye out for these Washington players in the College World Series
The Washington Huskies aren’t a group of guys that the Mississippi State baseball team can take lightly. Yes, Washington is one of two teams in the College World Series without 40 wins. However, the other team without 40 wins is this Mississippi State baseball team.
Like Mississippi State, Washington found itself battling against expectations for much of this season. The Huskies had to overcome odds that were stacked against them and everything that came with that. Going 10-13 against out-of-conference opponents will make many teams overlook you.
But Washington responded by winning 20 of their 30 Pac-12 games this season. These three players had huge impacts in that success this year.
All stats via GoHuskies.com
Joe Wainhouse
Joe Wainhouse is, without anything that would even resemble a doubt, the best hitter on this Washington Huskies baseball team. Wainhouse is a giant, standing at 6-6 and 255 pounds and has plenty of power to put the ball beyond the outfield wall in any given at bat.
This year, the senior has hit an astonishing 19 home runs. Wainhouse has a total of 69 hits but has also struck out exactly 69 times. He’s got plenty of power and a solid batting average of .312, but he’s just as likely to get a hit as he is to strike out.
Joe DeMers
Statistically, Joe DeMers appears to be the best starting pitcher that the Washington Huskies have this season. DeMers boasts a 7-3 win-loss record and has a team high 123.0 innings pitched this year. DeMers also leads the Huskies in strikeouts with 92.
However, it is possible to get some solid hits off of DeMers. This year, opponents have earned a total of 33 extra base hits against DeMers. That breaks down to be 22 doubles, 5 triples, and 8 home runs.
Stevie Emmanuels
Stevie Emmanuels may not be the best pitcher coming out of Washington’s bullpen in terms of ERA, but that doesn’t mean that he’s still not very good. Emmanuels currently holds a 4.26 ERA and has struck out 32 opponents in 44.1 innings pitched.
Still, Emmanuels is a solid pitcher and that shouldn’t be ignored. This year, Emmanuels has a team leading 8-2 win-loss record. When the Washington Huskies need him to come into close games and pitch well, he has the capability to do just that.
Next: Watch The Opening Game Of The College World Series
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will need to make sure that they approach this game as carefully as possible. Washington, like the Mississippi State baseball team, has surpassed and gone beyond everything that they realistically should have been able to do this season. Washington may have the fewest wins of any team in Omaha right now, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a real threat.