Around the League: Pac-12 rowing represents at NCAA championships, baseball struggles
UCLA baseball coach John Savage’s team is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament, as the Bruins’ RPI is at 89 with only six games remaining. (Mackenzie Posse/Daily Bruin)
While Bruin athletes continue competing in Westwood, here’s a look at some of the biggest news from the rest of the Pac-12.
Pac-12 in lull as College World Series approaches
If the rankings are any indication, it’s not hard to tell that Pac-12 baseball is having a down year.
Utah currently leads the conference by one game, but the Utes will have to win the conference if they want to go to the NCAA Tournament. Their overall losing record of 21-25 has pushed their RPI rank all the way down to 116, second-worst in the Pac-12.
At No. 23, second-place Washington is the only Pac-12 team that’s made it into the D1baseball.com top 25, despite an RPI of 49. This time last year, the Pac-12 had five teams in the top 25, including No. 2 UCLA.
The Pac-12 will likely struggle to have strong representation in the College World Series, with five teams ranking in the top-64 in RPI and two weekends of conference play remaining. Last year the Pac-12 sent six teams to the tournament.
As for UCLA, coach John Savage said the Bruins are no longer a team in the bubble. UCLA’s RPI held steady at 89 after going 2-3 in their last five games.
NCAA rowing championships
Five Pac-12 teams received bids to the 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Championships, the most from any conference this season.
No. 2 California received an automatic qualifier after winning the Pac-12 Championships last weekend, and is joined by No. 4 Washington, No. 6 Stanford, No. 12 USC and No. 13 Washington State. The Golden Bears are the top seed in both the varsity eight race and the varsity four.
No. 20 UCLA just missed out on the national races after the Bruins finished sixth in the conference championships.
Each of the five Pac-12 schools will look to unseat three-time defending champion Ohio State, as the 22-team championship will be hosted at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, California, from May 27-29. The last time a Pac-12 school won the national tournament was Stanford in 2009.
