Washington State’s baseball program celebrated a milestone recently when left‑hander Nick Lewis was selected as the 2026 Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year, marking the first time a Cougar hurler has captured the league’s top pitching honor.
Lewis finished the regular season with an 8‑2 record, a 3.39 earned‑run average and 54 strikeouts across 82.1 innings, while also batting .253 against him. In conference play he went 7‑1 with a 2.83 ERA in 54 innings, topping the Mountain West in wins, ERA and innings pitched.
A Historic First for the Cougars
The award underscores a breakthrough for Washington State, as Lewis becomes the first pitcher in program history to receive the conference’s Pitcher of the Year designation, a testament to his consistency and dominance on the mound.
The Cougars closed the regular slate at 27‑25 overall and 15‑9 in Mountain West play, earning the second seed for the upcoming tournament. Their next test will be a Friday night showdown at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona, against the winner of the Air Force‑UNLV matchup.
Coach John Olerud, a former MLB All‑Star and now a mentor in the program, praised Lewis’s work ethic and poise under pressure, noting that the pitcher’s ability to deliver complete‑game performances — such as his nine‑strikeout effort against UNLV — has set a new standard for the team.
With the tournament looming, the Cougars hope to translate Lewis’s excellence into a deep run, aiming to capture their first conference title in decades.