Northwest Notes June 5, 2026

WSU sophomore Lewis named national pitcher of the month

Washington State left-hander Nick Lewis was named the National Pitcher of the Month for the month of May by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America on Thursday.

During the month, Lewis went 4-0 with a pair of complete games along with a 1.07 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 34.1 innings, helping the Cougars to a Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2010. The redshirt sophomore issued just four walks, allowed just four earned runs and was named to a pair of All-Tournament teams in the Mountain West Conference Tournament and Eugene NCAA Regional.

Lewis opened the month with a complete-game win over Fresno State, striking out five and allowed just one unearned run on five hits. One week later, Lewis struck out six and allowed two earned runs over seven innings in the win at Air Force, handing AFA its first home loss of the season. Lewis made a brief appearance out of the bullpen in the May 12 season finale against Seattle U, retiring the only two batters he faced. At the MWC Tournament, Lewis struck out a career-high 11 and allowed one unearned run in 8.2 innings of the quarterfinal win over Air Force. Lewis took the ball in WSU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance and delivered in a big way, firing a complete game six-hitter to beat seventh-ranked Oregon State in the opening round of the Eugene Regional.

Lewis, the 2026 MWC Pitcher of the Year, finished the season with a 10-2 record and 2.97 ERA in 100 innings, WSU’s first 10-game winner since 2000.

Washington State finished 31-28, its most wins since the 2010 season.

Boise State head basketball coach Leon Rice hires son Max as assistant

BOISE — Boise State men’s basketball head coach Leon Rice announced, the addition of his son, Max Rice, as an assistant coach.

“When Max expressed an interest in coaching, it was an absolute no-brainer to add him to the staff and welcome him back home,” Leon Rice said. “Max’s knowledge, paired with the success he enjoyed as a player, both collegiately and professionally, will serve as an undeniable asset. What better person to help coach this group than someone who won over 100 games in this uniform, was an all-conference performer, and has intimate knowledge of what it takes to be successful in this program.”

Rice graduated from Boise State in 2024, then professionally for two seasons. He suited up for Team FOG Naestved in Germany in 2024, and spent time with the East Perth Eagles of the National Basketball League (NBL) from 2025-26.

In his tenure with the Eagles, spanning two seasons, Rice appeared in 34 games, including 11 this season from March to May. In those contests, Rice averaged 10.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 42 percent from the field.

Playing five years for Boise State from 2019-24, Rice started 74 of 160 games played, including all 67 from 2022-24. Averaging double figures in each of his final two seasons, Rice totaled 1,257 points in his career and registered two 400-point campaigns.

Rice starred at Bishop Kelly High and was a three-time First-Team 4A All-Idaho selection. He was a two-time 4A Southern Idaho Conference Player of the Year and averaged 23.4 points and 7.9 rebounds as a senior.