Washington State Baseball Wins Mountain West, Earns NCAA Tournament Bid
The Washington State Cougars baseball team is officially headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 after defeating San Diego State 14-4 Sunday afternoon to win the Mountain West Championship. The Cougars earned the conference’s automatic bid and completed one of the program’s biggest turnarounds in recent history.
The Cougars entered their winner take all game with a 29-26 overall record and finished second in the Mountain West standings with a 15-9 conference record, trailing only San Diego State in the standings. After finishing 18-36 a season ago, Washington State returned much of the same roster and turned that experience into a postseason run that few expected.
Washington State opened the conference tournament Friday night with a 5-1 win over Air Force to advance to the semifinals. On Saturday, the Cougars faced top-seeded San Diego State and pulled off a 14-9 upset to move into the championship game undefeated.
San Diego State stayed alive later that day by defeating Air Force 11-8 in an elimination game, setting up a rematch with Washington State on Sunday. Because the Cougars had not yet lost in the double-elimination tournament, the Aztecs needed to beat Washington State twice to claim the championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
WATCH: Reign Break Scoreless Streak, Beat Expansion Boston 2-1
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down a 2-1 win for the Seattle Reign over the Boston Legacy (2-6-3) on Friday night. Seattle improved to 4-4-2 and broke a five-game scoreless streak thanks to goals from Sofia Huerta and Maddie Dahlien, conceding a late stoppage-time goal to spoil a clean-sheet performance.
M’s Take Close, Stable Pitcher’s Duel to Begin Road Trip in Kansas City
The Mariners have seen games take wild courses in Kauffman Stadium over the past few years, but on Friday night, it was remarkably stable. Both teams struggled quite a bit at the plate, leading to a low-scoring pitcher’s duel, but one home run for the visitors led to Seattle taking a 2-0 lead and the M’s bullpen went all according to plan.
Logan Gilbert threw nearly six shutout innings, recovering from his seven-run disaster against the Padres.
The last time Logan Gilbert had gone out to the mound, he had thrown 21 of his 27 first pitches for strikes, yet the San Diego Padres jumped on them for seven runs in total. Gilbert threw 15 of 21 first pitches for strikes on Friday, yet he kept the opposing Royals scoreless.
Talking with the media before the game, manager Dan Wilson downplayed concerns that the Mariners’ strike-throwing had allowed hitters to sit on and ambush early strikes.
“We do attack the zone, we do want to get ahead, and I think it’s a different at-bat when you do,” Wilson said before Friday’s game. “I think the good always outweighs the bad when it comes to that.”
Of course, the devil is in the details. Looking at a map of these first pitches, with those against San Diego on the left and those against Kansas City on the right, there are a couple things that are clear.
Storm Activate Awa Fam, Sign Joyner Holmes to Hardship Contract
The Seattle Storm made two moves ahead of their second straight bout with the Connecticut Sun on Friday, May 22, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle activated rookie No. 3 overall pick Awa Fam now that she has joined the team and also signed forward Joyner Holmes to a hardship contract on Friday.
The Storm have been without Ezi Magbegor since the season began, and Dominique Malonga has now missed two games due to a concussion. Her status for Friday’s game against the Sun is uncertain, but the signing of Holmes suggests she will still be on the sidelines.
Arozarena, Mariners Gut Out Series Win vs. White Sox
It would be quite an understatement to say a Wednesday win was badly needed after the gut-punch the Mariners had suffered on Tuesday.
Luckily for Seattle (with luck indeed on the team’s side more often than not), the M’s gutted out the afternoon rubber match, defying even a no-outs, bases loaded miss to put up five runs and win the game 5-4. It was their first one-run win since May 4 and 24th win on the whole year, though they still sit three games under despite heroics from Randy Arozarena and Jhonny Pereda.
Emerson Hancock pitched an uneasy five innings but avoided extra damage.
Wednesday’s game gave Mariners starter Emerson Hancock the chance for revenge on the only team to yet put up a crooked number on him in 2026. Results were mixed innings-wise, but the hurler kept the White Sox to far less runs than the five he had given up in Chicago.
The strangeness of the sport was on display in the second and third innings for the Mariners starter. Despite a whistle-clean first inning, Hancock lost his control in the second, unable to figure out the release point on his fastball. One heater after another flew high and away to the lefty Colson Montgomery for a leadoff five-pitch walk, followed by four straight up and in to Chase Meidroth. He tried to get his feel back with a sweeper to Jarred Kelenic, only for it to bounce out of Jhonny Pereda’s reach and advance the runners - but the wild pitch scarcely mattered since Kelenic walked anyway.
O’Dea’s Tevita Nonu Latest Win as Huskies Look to Load Up on the Defensive Line
After three years of playing catch-up to build a defensive front capable of holding up in the Big Ten, the Washington Huskies appear to be loading up for the long term.
While head coach Jedd Fisch and defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi look far and wide for tall and wide bodies, the latest recruiting win is just a few miles from Huskies Stadium. Tevita Nonu, a 6-4, 270-pound Class of 2027 defensive lineman from O’Dea High School, committed to Washington on Tuesday.
Nonu chose Washington over Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and Arizona. This was a crucial win for UW.
How Do Sounders Stack Up in MLS All-Star Voting?
The MLS All-Star Game may not be the most popular among fans for its unusual place in international football culture, but it's an easy way for teams to get publicity for their highest-performing players.
Last season, now Atletico Madrid midfielder Obed Vargas was the only Seattle Sounder to make the squad. With the Sounders off to a much better start at 7-2-3 (4th in Western Conference) this time around, Seattle is generating buzz with one day of fan voting left before the July 29 All-Star Game in Charlotte.
This season, the Sounders are tied for the fewest goals allowed in league play (10), but are tied for the fifth-fewest scored (17). As such, solid offensive seasons for Paul Rothrock (5 G+A), Albert Rusnak (6 G+A) and Jesus Ferreira (5 G+A) simply don't stack up with the rest of a league that is oversaturated with ridiculous scoring lines this season. Instead, look for the pieces that are powering the elite defense performance to get some love in Charlotte.
Keeper Andrew Thomas, USMNT midfield prospect Cristian Roldan, center back Jackson Ragen, right back Alex Roldan and left back Nouhou were all top-five in fan voting at their respective positions as of May 18, according to MLS. The voting process will take fan, media and player votes into account for 11 of the players, while Charlotte coach Dean Smith will select 13 and MLS Commissioner Don Garber will pick the remaining two All-Stars.
Gonzaga Baseball Cleans Up at WCC Awards as Mark Machtolf, Nine Players Garner Accolades
When a team wins a conference by more than seven games, it figures that they’ll be notably represented when postseason awards roll around.
Of the 59 names listed across the various West Coast award categories, 14 of them are members of Gonzaga baseball, as nine different Bulldogs were honored at least once for their individual performance this season. That means nearly a quarter of the honorees were Zags.
GU nearly swept the five major awards, only missing out on Defensive Player of the Year. Mark Machtolf won his sixth WCC Coach of the Year honor, Mikey Bell went back-to-back in Player of the Year Voting, Karsten Sweum took home Pitcher of the Year, and Landon Hood won the Freshman of the Year award. Bell leads the slew of right-handed Bulldog sluggers recognition, while a senior pitcher got some shine as well in his final year in Spokane.
What was special about each of their seasons, and who else brought home the hardware?
Welcome to the Show: Colt Emerson Whacks Big Jack for First Career Hit, M’s Top White Sox 6-1
On Sunday morning, the Mariners brass was faced with a decision. Brendan Donovan had re-injured his groin during a game against the Astros, and with Leo Rivas’ struggles continuing unabated and an unclear timeline for Patrick Wisdom (though he was evidently taken off the IL the following day), the time was arriving for 20-year-old top prospect Colt Emerson. At least, that’s the decision that the front office made.
“We think he’s the best option,” Hollander said about Emerson on Sunday. “This period will give him some runway; this is not a 15 at-bat or a 20 at-bat tryout to see if he’s capable of taking the job and running with it for the rest of the year.”
One key homer does not a good player make, but when Emerson sent a low liner a hair’s breadth above the yellow crown of T-Mobile park’s right field wall in the bottom of the eighth - a shot that put the M’s up by the 6-1 score that would prove final - Seattle got a glimpse of things that may be.
Colt Emerson’s first major league hit was a three-run homer to turn a close lead into a comfortable one.
When Emerson went up to the dish, the momentum of the game had left a growing pit in many stomachs across the Northwest. Seattle had scored one run on a Julio Rodríguez bomb in the first, another on a third inning Randy Arozarena RBI double that was more memorable for what happened between second and third, and a run-scoring Josh Naylor single in the sixth.
But despite an electric double steal growing the inning into a second-and-third, one out opportunity, neither Cole Young nor Emerson had cashed in, and a homer followed by a bunch of stranded traffic had put the wind at the White Sox’ back.
Storm Waive Third-Round Pick Grace VanSlooten
The Seattle Storm are preparing for the arrival of No. 3 overall pick Awa Fam following her championship win with Valencia in Spain, and they waived third-round pick Grace VanSlooten on Monday to make space on the roster.
VanSlooten, who has played in all four regular-season games, was the 39th overall pick in this year’s draft out of Michigan State. She likely would have landed in a developmental roster spot initially if Fam was with the Storm to begin the campaign, but the second spot is now filled by Taylor Thierry. Of course, if she clears waivers, the Storm could always let go of Thierry and re-sign VanSlooten to a developmental contract.
Coetzer Shines as Seawolves Wallop Anthem 57-21, Move into Second Place
TUKWILA, Wash. - Despite all the injuries and the early season losses, the Seawolves currently sit in a home playoff spot with three games remaining in the 2026 MLR season. Perhaps it goes to show that, even in a 10-match season, an early slump isn’t the be-all, end-all; perhaps it also shows that the five teams not named the Chicago Hounds have quite the dogfight to see who gets the second place home playoff game, who gets the other two playoff spots, and which two teams are left out in the cold.
Seattle’s 57-21 victory against Anthem Rugby Carolina was their most emphatic yet, building on a season-saving win against the Free Jacks and a second half comeback against Old Glory, both badly needed road wins before their triumphant (yet incomplete) homecoming.
Sunday afternoon marked the return of Davy Coetzer and Marno Redelinghuys to the starting XV, with André Warner playing at scrumhalf and JP Smith originally slated to play on the wing before being scratched late. Dorian Jones also returned from injury, ending up coming off the bench in the final quarter of the game.
Sounders’ Home Unbeaten Streak Ends at 22, Pec Runs Riot for Galaxy
The Seattle Sounders had been through the wringer in a three-game week, but were facing an LA Galaxy team coming off a tough loss to Kansas City to close the stretch Saturday. Seattle, on the other hand, was riding high with a win over the top-ranked San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, and set their lineup to rotate against the 11th-place Galaxy.
Unfortunately for Seattle, LA found its footing in this one, as star winger Gabriel Pec had a goal and an assist in transition late to bury the Sounders in a 2-0 shocker. The loss meant the end of a 22-game home unbeaten run dating back to last summer against European champion Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup.
Seattle, as it has for the past few matches, spent plenty of time in LA's box with 30 touches in the 18, but couldn't cash in on 1.4 expected goals on mostly half-chances. The Sounders also took 15 shots and got five on frame with 58% possession, but the Galaxy's counterattacks late buried Seattle as LA generated 1.7 xG on nine shots.
Reign Scoreless Streak Hits Five, Seattle Falls to Gotham at Home
SEATTLE, Wash. — After the Seattle Reign failed to score in their fourth straight game in a 1-0 loss to Washington last Sunday, defender Madison Curry said goals would pour in if they could make it rain once.
Five days later, Seattle didn't even manage a drizzle, losing 2-0 to defending champion Gotham FC to drop to 3-4-2. Gotham (5-2-3) notched its fifth straight result as Jaedyn Shaw scored in the 24th, while Tierna Davidson scored in the 57th on Friday night.
Unlike in its last few showings, Seattle didn't create many real chances until late in the game, when veteran substitute Brittany Ratcliffe had a 1-on-1 chance that was kick-saved by Ann-Katrin Berger, and Maddie Dahlien was tripped up in the box with no penalty call.
Outside of those chances in the 85th and stoppage time, the Reign didn't threaten the defending champs on a 0.8 expected-goal night.
Well-Traveled Spanish Forward Izan Almansa Commits to Gonzaga
Continuing to sink its teeth into the international player pool, the Gonzaga Bulldogs reportedly received a commitment from 6-10 forward Izan Almansa, who, at just 20 years old, has already played at several competitive levels in his basketball career.
The Spaniard’s stops range from Overtime Elite to the Australian league to sitting in the NBA Draft green room last summer. Because of this, Almansa’s eligibility is still a question mark heading into the fall, and there’s a chance his commitment to the Zags is all for naught if the NCAA doesn’t distribute him a waiver. GU had a messy eligibility situation as recently as last year when Tyon Grant-Foster needed an injuction hearing to finally get on the court. But for the time being, Almansa is GU’s third new addition this offseason, joining Massamba Diop and Houston transfer Isiah Harwell. If he is cleared to suit up for the Bulldogs, Almansa becomes a considerable addition to the roster, bringing valuable depth behind Diop and Braden Huff in the frontcourt, which was something the team did not have last season.
Sounders Down Western Conference Front-Runner San Jose in Heritage Cup Classic
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down a 3-2 barn-burner between the Seattle Sounders (7-1-3, 3rd in Western Conference) and San Jose Earthquakes (9-2-2, 2nd in Western Conference).
Osaze De Rosario netted an 89th-minute game-winner as the game swung back and forth after an early Sounders mistake led to a second-minute San Jose goal. Albert Rusnák scored off a penalty kick late in the first half to equalize before Jesús Ferreira went coast-to-coast in a spectacular individual effort to give Seattle the lead.
The goals come at good times for Ferreira and De Rosario, who have both been lacking on the scoring edge as Seattle finally met its expected-goal mark after two frustrating draws against Kansas City and San Diego.
The win also meant history for the Sounders, who swept San Diego in the regular season for the first time.
Arozarena, Canzone Crush Stros Pitching, Raleigh Breaks Slump in 10-2 Mariner Win
Monday night and Tuesday night represented two very different kinds of Mariners victories. In the bottom of the ninth on the first night, the M’s got a win by the skin of their teeth, with Andrés Muñoz getting the better of Yordan Alvarez to finish out a badly-needed win for the M’s.
When Domingo González wrapped up the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday, things were far less tense. Although the Astros had runners on first and third, the M’s were already up 10-2, and with the final out, that was the final score. It was sublimely special for González, who had just completed his very first inning, but the Mariners’ offensive explosion had long since shattered all but the slightest chance of even the mighty Astros offense clawing back into the match.
Against the whole gamut of Houston hurlers they faced on Tuesday, the Mariners put up numbers. They scored 10 runs on 11 hits, six walks, and two batters hit by a pitch; they got hard hits on 57.6% of their batted balls. With runners in scoring position, the M’s went 2-for-8, but one of those hits was Dominic Canzone’s first career grand slam, which he slammed on the first pitch Astros starter Tatsuya Imai sent his way in the fourth inning.
Seattle took Tatsuya Imai to Randyland and the Can-zone.
The Astros’ big pitching signing of the offseason, Tatsuya Imai, hasn’t turned out how Houston had hoped in the first month and a half of the season. The last time he faced Seattle, he had to be pulled with one out in the first inning due to four walks and one hit batsman, then he wound up on the IL with right arm fatigue. He did better on his return start on Tuesday on account of the fact he went four innings. That’s about the only positive Joe Espada’s club got out of the outing.
Former Gonzaga Bulldogs Forward Brandon Clarke Passes Away at 29
Former Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Brandon Clarke passed away, his current team, the Memphis Grizzlies, announced on Tuesday. No cause of death has been announced at this time. He was 29 years old.
“Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten,” the team wrote in a statement.
His agency, Priority Sports, also released a statement: “Everyone loved BC because he was always there as the most supportive friend you could ever imagine. He was so unique in the joy he brought to all of those in his life. It’s just impossible to put into words how much he’ll be missed.”
Gonzaga has not released a statement on the news at this time.
Bullpen Locks Down Four Frames, Mariners Eke Out 3-1 Win in Houston
It was power on power in the bottom of the ninth. Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz, who had reached 101.3 miles an hour two pitches earlier, had a 2-2 count against Yordan Alvarez himself. Alvarez represented the tying run, and with 13 home runs already this season, he was a real threat to knot the game.
Muñoz tossed his rarest pitch, a 93.2 mile an hour changeup that tailed away from Alvarez. Expecting either a roaring fastball up or a slider along the lower edges, he was completely flummoxed; the Mariners won 3-1 as Alvarez struck out.
For a team desperately in need of a hot streak, getting any win on the board against Houston was a plus. George Kirby didn’t go as deep into the game as the M’s would have hoped and the bats fell silent for nearly the entire game, but they got just enough production while Kirby and every other arm stepped up enough run-prevention wise to notch Seattle’s 20th victory.
Mariners hitters put three early runs on the board but fell familiarly silent as the game wore on.
The second inning was fruitful for Seattle. Randy Arozarena knocked a one-out single into right and Luke Raley walked to set a two-runner table, and with two outs, both Dominic Canzone and Cole Young found the outfield for an RBI each. Julio Rodríguez rocked a towering homer to begin the third.
And then 20 of the next 23 batters made outs.
Seawolves Take Down Old Glory in Second Half, Move Up Table with Second Straight Road Win
The magnitude of the Seawolves’ 30-25 win on Mother’s Day afternoon might not have been immediately obvious. A three-game rut against Anthem, the Legion, and the Hounds early in the 10-game season meant that the team, just as in 2025, needed to put together a massive run to get back in the hunt.
Now, the situations weren’t identical. While Seattle needed to go on a big run just to make it back into a playoff spot by the end of the season in last year’s powerhouse Western Conference, the league’s contractions have resulted in a six-team MLR with four teams bound for the playoffs.’
The big prize, then - though a playoff spot can never be taken for granted - is the guarantee of a home playoff game. The Chicago Hounds, who won their sixth game of six on Sunday, are virtually guaranteed to be the top seed in the MLR, with 30 points in the table.
California is in second with 18 points. And after the Seawolves’ windy, rainy win against Old Glory DC on Sunday afternoon, they have 16. A home semifinal is well within reach.
Reign Devastated By Late Washington Goal in Loss, Continue Scoreless Streak
Seattle Reign coach Laura Harvey was dejected in her postgame presser.
Sunday saw her team try to break a three-game scoreless streak against a hot Washington Spirit team led by USWNT star Trinity Rodman. Though the Reign hit the crossbar in the early going, their issues with quality in the final third continued to frustrate the team as the game wore on.
With six minutes of regular time to play, the Spirit, which hadn't generated many of their typical chances all night, drove a dagger into the Reign as substitute Claudia Martinez scored off a Seattle turnover.
Seattle dropped to 3-3-2, now winless in their last four with zero goals to show in each.
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