WSU baseball, swimming programs join Mountain West as affiliate members

From news services and local reports

PULLMAN — Washington State University athletics has entered into a conference affiliation agreement to have their baseball and women’s swimming programs participate in the Mountain West Conference, it was announced Tuesday.

The agreement will begin July 1.

“Finding a home for our baseball and women’s swimming programs has been a top priority for our athletic department and we appreciate the efforts of so many to get to this point,” WSU interim athletic director Anne McCoy said in a school news release. “This agreement offers both programs a competitive schedule in a west coast-based conference while providing a championship path for coming seasons. We are grateful for the patience shown by our student-athletes and coaches as we have navigated this process.”

Affiliate status through the NCAA allows for member affiliates to compete for conference and national championships.

WSU baseball has played in four College World Series and 16 regional appearances, and its 2,801 all-time wins rank 13th in NCAA Division I history entering the 2024 season. The Cougs have not played in the NCAA tournament since 2010, and last won a conference title in 1995 (Pac-12 North).

In December 2023, Washington State athletics entered into a football scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference to provide six games, three home and three road, for the 2024 season.

That same month, WSU entered into an affiliate agreement with the West Coast Conference for 10 of its athletic programs. Those 10 include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, rowing, soccer, tennis and volleyball.