BSB: Cougs open two-game series at UNLV Tuesday

After splitting their first four games of the current 9-game, two-week road trip, Washington State heads to Las Vegas for a brief two-game series before concluding the trip at Arizona State this coming weekend.

WSU plays five games in the next six days.

"It's going to be the most challenging week of the season for us," WSU coach Brian Green said Monday during a video conference with reporters. "We just came off an emotional weekend. Now we have two games against a good opponent. UNLV has a high RPI, so this will be a great opportunity for us. We're going to have to piece together things on the mound and make sure our weekend starters are fresh going into Tempe."

Midweek non-conference games after the start of the conference schedule always raises an important question: How much time and effort do you pour into the midweek games with three critical pac-12 game looming on the schedule?

"We're totally Vegas," Green said. "The hard part is making sure we do a good job from a coaching perspective managing the bullpen to make sure we go into Tempe in good shape. Obviously, they have a great offense down there in Tempe."

Sophomore RHP Grant Taylor has been named starting pitcher for Tuesday's 12:05 p.m. matinee at Earl Wilson Stadium. Wednesday's starter for WSU is TBA. Taylor will make his season debut for the Cougars. Last season Taylor appeared in three games and fanned three in 3.1 innings pitched.

WSU pitchers issued 17 walks in the final two games of the Oregon State series.

"We were too passive in the strike zone (Sunday)," Green said. "We just had too many free passes plus three HBP. We essentially gave them three free runs and the final was 9-8. We have to do a better job of that in the bullpen. Our guys know that. Our starting pitching has been phenomenal."