Northern Pacific Conference (baseball) The Northern Pacific Conference (Nor-Pac ) was formed for baseball for the 1975 season and comprised the NCAA programs in the Northwest not in the Pacific-8 Conference .[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] The Big Sky Conference had dropped sponsorship of the sport after the 1974 season,[ 4] [ 5] and its three remaining baseball programs (Gonzaga , Idaho , Boise State ) joined Portland State , Portland , Seattle U. , and Puget Sound .[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 6] [ 7] An eighth team, Eastern Washington , was added after the 1979 season.[ 8] [ 9] [ 10]
Idaho and Boise State dropped varsity baseball after the 1980 season,[ 11] [ 12] as did Seattle U., and the five-team Nor-Pac played a seventh and final season in 1981.[ 10] Puget Sound dropped its program and the remaining four (GU, EWU, PSU, UP) joined the Northern division of the Pac-10 (as affiliate members , baseball only) for 1982;[ 13] [ 14] [ 15] Oregon also discontinued baseball after 1981,[ 16] [ 17] which had left just three teams (Washington , Washington State , and Oregon State ). In the Pac-10, the champion of the seven-team Northern division met the runner-up of the stronger six-team Southern division in a best-of-three series for the conference's second berth in the NCAA tournament .
Eastern Washington dropped baseball in 1990,[ 18] [ 19] and Portland State eight years later; after 1995, Gonzaga and Portland moved their baseball to the West Coast Conference (WCC), where their other sports were.[ 20] Baseball returned at Oregon in 2009,[ 21] Seattle U. in 2010, and briefly at Boise State for a pandemic-shortened 2020 season before being eliminated a second time due to a budget reduction..
Champions
References
^ a b "Idaho, Gonzaga join new baseball circuit" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 16.
^ a b "Portland State, Portland to play in baseball league" . The Bulletin . (Bend, Oregon). Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 12.
^ a b Jordan, Jeff (January 19, 1975). "Idea's time has arrived" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). p. 3, sports.
^ "Idaho off probation, loop titles dwindle" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). May 5, 1974. p. 13.
^ "Baseball axed in Big Sky" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). May 29, 1974. p. 15.
^ "Vandals boast vets for baseball season" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). March 12, 1975. p. 13.
^ "Baseball: College - Northern Pacific" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). May 1, 1979. p. 25.
^ "EWU baseball team joins Nor-Pac league" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). June 6, 1979. p. 1B.
^ "Baseball: College - NorPac standings" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). May 7, 1980. p. B5.
^ a b "Baseball: Northern Pacific" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). (standings). May 16, 1981. p. 13.
^ "Boise State drops baseball program" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). Associated Press. May 6, 1980. p. C1.
^ Goodwin, Dale (May 13, 1980). "Baseball's 'out' at Idaho" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). p. 19.
^ Van Sickel, Charlie (May 30, 1981). "Nor-Pac League dead; schools to join Pac-10" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). p. 12.
^ "Pac-10 merger confirmed" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). August 14, 1981. p. 24.
^ Rodman, Bob (August 14, 1981). "Expanded ND baseball appears ready to roll" . Eugene-Register Guard . (Oregon). p. 3B.
^ Rodman, Bob (May 7, 1981). "A gloomy day for Ducks' oldest program" . Eugene-Register Guard . (Oregon). p. 1C.
^ "UO axes baseball, gymnastics" . Eugene-Register Guard . (Oregon). May 7, 1981. p. 1C.
^ Boling, Dave (May 31, 1990). "Baseball, wrestling to go at EWU" . Spokane Chronicle . (Washington). p. C1.
^ "EWU cuts two sports; audit ends" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). June 19, 1990. p. C1.
^ Bergum, Steve (May 3, 1995). "Gonzaga leaving Pac-10 North" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). p. C3.
^ "University of Oregon is bringing back baseball" . Moscow-Pullman Daily News . (Idaho-Washington). Associated Press. July 14, 2007. p. 1B.
^ "WSU, UPs picked for NCAA action" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). May 19, 1975. p. 17.
^ "Idaho leaves cellar; Cougs triumph, too" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). May 12, 1976. p. 37.
^ "Northern Pacific baseball final standings" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). May 9, 1977. p. 19.
^ "Warriors in regionals, Zags gain title" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). May 18, 1978. p. 53.
^ "Northern Pacific standings" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, California). May 10, 1979. p. 42.
^ "Zags, Cougs, Bucs first" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). May 12, 1980. p. 21.
^ "Zags bucking big odds tonight" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). May 22, 1981. p. 21.
^ "Northern Pacific final standings" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). May 19, 1981. p. 19.