大象APP

OMAHA, Neb. 鈥� Even as Arizona spent much of spring touring new ballparks in the Big 12, Mason White kept an eye to the west.

Old habits are hard to break, and the Wildcats junior outfielder has been checking in on Pac-12 teams since he was a kid growing up in Tucson. He was immersed in that league last year as Arizona walked off Oregon State for the regular-season title and then won the tournament crown, too.

鈥淭he Conference of Champions鈥� was on its way out then, a casualty of football-related realignment and big-money television deals. Its teams scattered. Its rivalries halted.

鈥淚 was upset when the Pac-12 went away,鈥� White said. 鈥淭his year it would have been special.鈥�

In an ironic twist equal parts cathartic and provocative, former Pac-12 teams are enjoying their best College World Series representation this month since 1988. Three teams are in the Omaha field in No. 8 national seed Oregon State, No. 15 UCLA and regional two seed Arizona.

The Beavers and Bruins are both in the winners bracket after opening wins. The Wildcats took a tie game with Coastal Carolina into the late innings Friday and get at least one more chance Sunday afternoon against Louisville.

Pac-12 refugees in this year鈥檚 NCAA Tournament also included regional host Oregon, Arizona State and USC 鈥� the Trojans extinguished a decade-long postseason drought. Arizona returned to the CWS for the first time since 2021 while Oregon State (2018) and UCLA (2013) also ended relatively extended absences. They carry unfamiliar flags now with the Big 12, independent status and the Big Ten, respectively.

鈥淚t sucks that that conference went away,鈥� Oregon State pitcher Nelson Keljo said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 awesome to see the showing the league is having.鈥�

Players and coaches still speak about the Pac-12 in the present tense. Many of its traits live on in style of play 鈥� suffocating pitching, small ball, rock-solid fundamentals. All three CWS reps boast top-25 defenses and top-50 pitching staffs. UCLA and Oregon State are as likely as anyone to advance a runner with a sacrifice bunt.

Despite five straight seasons of a championship dogpile by an SEC school, the most all-time titles (28) still reside with former Pac-12 clubs. USC (12) set the standard in the 1960s and 鈥�70s while Arizona State (five) and Arizona (four) had their own runs of glory. Oregon State, California and Stanford also own multiple CWS crowns. UCLA reached its only pinnacle in 2013.

Stanford 鈥� which finished near the bottom of the ACC this spring 鈥� has been among the most successful programs this decade with Omaha trips in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

鈥淲e have teams that went to different conferences and now we鈥檙e back together in Omaha,鈥� UCLA reliever Josh Alger said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 super cool. We had a conference we thought was strong and we鈥檝e gone out and showed that West Coast baseball can do it.鈥�

Memories and emotions still run strong. Oregon State鈥檚 Keljo recalls that final regular-season Sunday last year against Arizona when the Beavers needed to win the conference, only to lose by a run. Arizona鈥檚 White is still more familiar with his old league (in which everyone played everyone) than his new one. Oregon State beat UCLA 7-1 on a Tuesday in April absent its usual high stakes.

OSU assistant Ryan Gipson spent 10 years in the Pac-12 with the Beavers as a coach or player, including as a starter on the 2006 national championship team. This CWS field is a welcome throwback, he said. Traditional powers from the Pacific time zone are mixing it up again.

鈥淚t just shows the strength of West Coast baseball,鈥� Gipson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit of a travesty too that the conference isn鈥檛 kicking, especially for baseball.鈥�

Head coaches have brought up similar sentiments this week. Arizona鈥檚 Chip Hale said he wants the old Pac-12 to 鈥渟how鈥� on the national stage. Oregon State鈥檚 Mitch Canham used a press conference to remind of other quality programs out west like UC Irvine, Santa Barbara, San Diego and others. He told a story about a letter he found recently from a past USC baseball coach written to former OSU skipper Pat Casey expressing how proud he was of the Beavers winning the College World Series.

UCLA鈥檚 John Savage broke down the paths all three old Pac-12 teams took to Omaha. Arizona won at Oregon鈥檚 regional and then at North Carolina in the supers. UCLA caught a break hosting a Super Regional when UTSA upset No. 2 seed Texas. Oregon State held off No. 9 Florida State to advance.

West Coast baseball isn鈥檛 鈥渄ead鈥� after all, the 21-year Bruins coach said. This final week proves it.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 pretty cool,鈥� Savage said. 鈥淏ecause I was a Pac-10, Pac-12 guy for a long time.鈥�

UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu 鈥� who grew up in Huntington Beach 鈥� is still feeling the old league pride, too. If the Bruins aren鈥檛 the last ones standing, he knows who he鈥檚 pulling for.

And what part of the country he wants to see stay represented in college baseball.

鈥淭he Pac-12鈥檚 still alive,鈥� Levu said. 鈥淚 guess we gotta represent for the Pac-12. But it鈥檚 sick seeing those other teams in here 鈥� I wish they still had that conference.鈥�