After a 16-2 start that saw losses to No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 7 Oklahoma State, the fifth-ranked Huskies enter conference play as the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12. With ten opponents and 26 games remaining until the final Pac-12 tournament, the Huskies have set a clear path to another NCAA tournament birth and another Women’s College World Series trip.

With uncertainty surrounding the lineup in our schedule prediction in December, we expected a four-loss non-conference schedule (predicted losses against Florida State and LSU were canceled games.) However, with an idea of where the freshman and transfers fit into the lineup, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about this squad for the remainder of the season.

Pitching

As a whole, the pitching staff has been nothing short of elite, posting a team ERA of 1.66 with a team WHIP of 1.01. Fifth-year Brooke Nelson (0.37) and sophomore Ruby Meylan (0.50) currently sit atop the Pac-12 in ERA and will need to continue their excellent form heading into this weekend and beyond.

With five complete games and 55 strikeouts across 42.1 innings pitched, Meylan (6-1) has served as the workhorse for the Huskies, pitching over 15 innings more than every other pitcher and doing so very efficiently. If Meylan continues to pitch at this level, she brings a high chance of victory in every game Washington plays in.

Nelson (4-0) has pitched the fewest innings on the team, yet delivers at a high level each time her name is called. With 21 strikeouts across 19 innings, Nelson has only allowed one earned run and is the only pitcher in the rotation who has yet to allow a home run on the season.

Freshman Sidne Peters has shown great potential in her eight appearances this season, tossing 37 strikeouts in only 26 innings pitched this season. She has work to do with her command after allowing 16 walks, but after only allowing 12 hits all season, it’s clear that Peters (2-0) will be a crucial piece to the puzzle down the stretch.

Senior Lindsay Lopez finds herself in a similar slump as last year during non-conference play, and they’ll need her to return to last year’s Pac-12 form if the Huskies want to remain at the top. There’s no question regarding the talent that Lopez (4-1) possesses, but she hasn’t been able to play at the high level that she’s capable of.

Batting

Head coach Heather Tarr has to be happy with the impact of transfer senior Jillian Celis this season. Celis is batting .403 with 24 RBIs, four home runs, and nine doubles, leading the team in all four categories.

Junior Kinsey Fiedler has risen to the occasion so far this season, posting a .400 batting average with three home runs, two doubles, and a triple to go with 13 runs and 13 RBIs. Following close behind her are sophomore Alana Johnson and junior Rylee Holtorf, both batting .382 with multiple home runs.

Brooklyn Carter is still playing at an elite level in the leadoff role, batting .377 with 17 runs, six RBIs, and a team-high 12 stolen bases.

Freshman Jadyn Glab leads the team with a .487 OBP, showing powerful flashes while drawing 12 walks at the plate. Sophomore Sydney Stewart has drawn 15 walks of her own but is only batting .206 and will need to be a more efficient hitter down the stretch for the Huskies.

The offense has to continue being aggressive on the basepaths to continue getting into scoring position. Washington has won every game this season when the team bats over .200 in the game, and as long as its batters can get on base and score, the pitching can take them the rest of the way.

Schedule

As of now, the Huskies are slated to play four more ranked programs throughout conference play with Stanford, Cal, UCLA, and Arizona all within the top 25. Washington went 10-5 last season against a ranked opponent, and a similar turnout will place them firmly in position to host regionals (and super regionals) for a second straight season.

With the conference opener at home against Arizona State starting on Friday, the Huskies have an opportunity to come firing out of the gate and put the rest of the nation on notice.