The events of the past couple of days have put Boise State softball team squarely in the Mountain West Conference title picture. Going in, Boise State was one of three teams tied for second place, one game behind league leader Fresno State.
And, although the Bulldog women haven't lost, the other two teams tied with Boise State (Colorado State and San Diego State) have. So, headed into Sunday's games, Boise State is now all alone in second place. We said a couple of weeks ago that Boise State probably needed to win out through this weekend, and then take two of three in San Diego to have a realistic chance. That they have done. Even with that, probably the best Boise State can hope for is a playoff for the league title.
If Boise State can get it done tomorrow, the Broncos will probably be in of shape as they have ever had in program history to take home a conference title. And all this without the injured Devon Bridges. No matter what happens, the team has done amazing in her absence to be a strong contender with one week remaining in the season. There was a time a few years ago in which the Lady Broncos were in a similar position.
That year, Boise State had to sweep San Diego State in San Diego to tie for the title. The Broncos won the first two, but then fell hard in the third game. This year is a little different, if only because it is Fresno State, not the Aztecs, who are in first. SD State is still a strong contender, but not the dominant team they were the last time the Broncos made a serious run.
Fresno State plays at Nevada for three--you have to figure the Bulldogs will win at least one if not two in Reno. So I figure the Bulldogs definitely have the upper hand unless they lose tomorrow. In playing out the scenario from a Bronco point of view, I figured FSU would lose one to contender Colorado State, and so far, that hasn't happened.
At the minimum, what we said several weeks ago holds true--Boise State must win tomorrow afternoon ( and if you can go support the team, please do--it may make the difference!), and they must win two of three in San Diego. What could change from that prediction is that Fresno may sweep Colorado State. If they do, Boise State probably needs a sweep in San Diego to tie Fresno for the title. Should that occur, there is no playoff and Boise State holds the tiebreaker over Fresno State since they beat the Bulldogs two out of three games this season.
We will know if the added requirement of a sweep is in place after tomorrow's games. If Boise State brings the bats to San Diego, I think that a two-fer is definitely a possibility.
And, although the Bulldog women haven't lost, the other two teams tied with Boise State (Colorado State and San Diego State) have. So, headed into Sunday's games, Boise State is now all alone in second place. We said a couple of weeks ago that Boise State probably needed to win out through this weekend, and then take two of three in San Diego to have a realistic chance. That they have done. Even with that, probably the best Boise State can hope for is a playoff for the league title.
If Boise State can get it done tomorrow, the Broncos will probably be in of shape as they have ever had in program history to take home a conference title. And all this without the injured Devon Bridges. No matter what happens, the team has done amazing in her absence to be a strong contender with one week remaining in the season. There was a time a few years ago in which the Lady Broncos were in a similar position.
That year, Boise State had to sweep San Diego State in San Diego to tie for the title. The Broncos won the first two, but then fell hard in the third game. This year is a little different, if only because it is Fresno State, not the Aztecs, who are in first. SD State is still a strong contender, but not the dominant team they were the last time the Broncos made a serious run.
Fresno State plays at Nevada for three--you have to figure the Bulldogs will win at least one if not two in Reno. So I figure the Bulldogs definitely have the upper hand unless they lose tomorrow. In playing out the scenario from a Bronco point of view, I figured FSU would lose one to contender Colorado State, and so far, that hasn't happened.
At the minimum, what we said several weeks ago holds true--Boise State must win tomorrow afternoon ( and if you can go support the team, please do--it may make the difference!), and they must win two of three in San Diego. What could change from that prediction is that Fresno may sweep Colorado State. If they do, Boise State probably needs a sweep in San Diego to tie Fresno for the title. Should that occur, there is no playoff and Boise State holds the tiebreaker over Fresno State since they beat the Bulldogs two out of three games this season.
We will know if the added requirement of a sweep is in place after tomorrow's games. If Boise State brings the bats to San Diego, I think that a two-fer is definitely a possibility.
