San Jose State Takes on Another Tough Schedule in 2015
Last season the Spartans pretty much got hammered in conference and out as the OOC portion of their schedule was one of the toughest in the nation. Fans don't care. Just win, baby. However, I take the dissenting position and love to see teams take on good programs with one series to take a break, as it were. Well, my hat is off to the Spartans under Coach Nakama as they've done it again. I'd love to see the Longhorns of Texas, or Arizona State, or even Stony Brook come out to San Jose, but that will never happen. Too expensive for a fairly poor program. However, there are plenty of strong programs in the bay area and California in general to keep challenges up to snuff. Read on and you'll see what I mean.
For those of you who've not seen how I do this, it's pretty simple. I don't deal with conference games just OOC. Some single games I ignore but not always as I usually put together the two or three a team plays one at a time throughout the year. Get it? The three game series are the ones I deal with most closely. You'll see.
2/13/15 - 2/15/15 at Loyola Marymount
This is a hell of a start to a season. I pick LMU to possibly win the WCC this year as I think their pitching is just fabulous. They have one of the premier pitchers in the west in Tyler Megill over whom the pros drool. They also have his kid brother who may start one of the games. The recruiting class is also highly rated (I agreed) so they have a lot going for them. The team hit close to .300 also so this will be a big challenge. The Lions should make it to the NCAA's this season. Thumbs up.
2/17/15 San Francisco
The Dons slipped last year. I picked them to win the title in the WCC and they missed by quite a bit and didn't even hit .500 for the year. A real let down. They are always a competitive team so I think they should rebound. This game is just a short bus ride for either school, they play each other often, and they are very familiar with each other. Thumbs up.
2/20/15 - 2/22/15 Northern Colorado
The Bears had a rude awakening to life in the WAC last year. They were top dog in the Great West in 2013 but had little respect. I guess those folks were right. Last place in the WAC and, boy, did they struggle. Even if they improve, and I hope they do, it won't be a lot. I now live about 20 miles from the campus so this is the team I will watch for my D1 fix. The Spartans should be able to take this series but I always regret making statements like that. Thumbs down.
3/3/15, 4/28/15 Stanford (home and home)
Two tough games against opposition that is always in the hunt for a national title. The Spartans always seem to play up for these games and have done well in the past few years. Stanford will again be loaded this year as their young team will be a year older and have some pretty good freshmen coming in; as usual. Pitching is pretty good and the hitting is only ok at .271 but they lose a lot of pop in Alex Blandino. Thumbs up.
3/10/15, 5/5/15 Cal Poly (home and home)
A burgeoning powerhouse in the west, the Mustangs are now a power to be reckoned with in the Big West. They are the reigning champs of the conference and took Pepperdine to the wire in their regional. A great team that is getting better. Hey, Kruk, you reading this? They have good pitching (3.05) and hitting (.297) and that double whammy gets you lots of wins. Forty seven to be exact. These two games will be worth watching. Thumbs up.
3/13/15 - 3/15/15 at UC Irvine
Man, it just doesn't quit. The Anteaters are another tournament tested team. They finished near the top of the Big West at 15-9 and made it into a regional where they eventually made it to Valhalla; the CWS. What a dream that is. The hitting was only average but they made it on, you guessed it, pitching. Simply outstanding at 2.76. With that kind of pitching you will always be in a game. The Spartans will have their gloves full. Zot! Thumbs up.
3/17/15, 4/14/15 Saint Mary's (home and home)
The Gaels struggled just as did the Spartans and finished close to the bottom of the WCC at 8-19. They lost a few to the draft so that will hurt but that's college life so deal with it. Why'd they lose? Hitting was a bit under par and the pitching did poorly. Do the math. That's what killed the Spartans so this is a pair of games for two programs that have seen little success in the past few years. Thumbs down.
3/24/15 - 3/25/15 at Oregon State
It's back to the grinder for the Spartans as they go north to Corvallis to face an extremely good Beavers team. They won the Pacific 12 by two games and hosted their own regional in which they got taken out by UC Irvine (see above). This is another team that is always in the hunt for a national title and deservedly so. Fair hitting offset by drop dead great pitching (2.29). They had one of the top players in D1 ball in Michael Conforto but he's, uh, gone. The two top pitchers, and the top two in the west, are also gone. Oh, hell, they lost a lot. Time to rebuild? Nah, just reload. Thumbs up.
4/7/15, 5/12/15 Santa Clara (home and home)
This is the battle for Santa Clara County. Eh, not much of a battle in recent years. Still, it's a competitive and entertaining time when these two play. The Broncos finally made it out of the cellar and were nearly .500 overall. That's a huge improvement. If the Spartans are improved by the time these two play, it could be a great match. Thumbs up.
4/16/15 - 4/19/15 at Washington State
The road warriors do it again as they head up to the Palouse to take on the Cougars for four games. The Cougs were ok but not world beaters. A little under .500 in both the Pac 12 as well as overall. Eh, what can I say. I thought the Spartans had a real chance when these two played last year but they got swept. I ain't sayin' nuttin' this time. April sixteenth? We'll see how things are going. This is another tough roadie for the boys in blue. Thumbs up.
4/21/15 at UC Davis
A single game with the Aggies which is a team that has been mired in mediocrity for the past few seasons. I keep thinking they'll turn it around but it hasn't happened yet. Thumbs down.
Take a look at this schedule. It's the only one I've got. Who sang that song? The Spartans could be whining again when all is said and done. Six three game series, five of which are on the road. They play four tournament teams and one that could be in it this season. This is a tough way for the Spartans to improve a young team that had little success last year with a veteran team. The boys in blue could be much improved and not show it.