WCC Votes to Add Oregon State, Washington State for Non-Football Sports, per Report
West Coast Conference school presidents are meeting on Thursday to vote on adding Oregon State and Washington State to the league in most non-football sports, including men’s and women’s basketball.
The two remaining Pac-12 schools would join the WCC for the 2024-25 academic year, according to The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach. However, this would be a temporary measure while the Beavers and Cougars programs decide on a permanent conference home.
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As things stand, Oregon State and Washington State would not join the WCC in baseball, and may compete as independents for 2024-25. The Beavers are a national contender in baseball and might prefer to make their own schedule, adding opponents that help them compete for the College World Series.
That said, Auerbach reports that the two schools could still join the WCC in baseball ahead of the 2025 season should it prove a good fit, and thus compete in the conference tournament.
Oregon State and Washington State will compete in the Mountain West for football during the 2024 season.
The two schools have been trying to find a new conference home since the Pac-12 effectively shuttered with the defections of UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State and Utah joined the Big 12. Stanford and Cal soon defected to the ACC, leaving the Beavers and Cougars as the remains of a once-proud conference.
The WCC is comprised of nine schools located in California, Oregon and Washington, including national men’s basketball power Gonzaga.