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Pac-12 baseball fashion police: uniform power rankings

What I like – and don't like – about the 2015 Pac-12 uniform collection.

Junior pitcher Ryan Kellogg delivers from the mound in a game against Long Beach State on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Kellogg pitched seven scoreless innings in a 4-2 Sun Devil loss to the Dirtbags. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)
Junior pitcher Ryan Kellogg delivers from the mound in a game against Long Beach State on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Kellogg pitched seven scoreless innings in a 4-2 Sun Devil loss to the Dirtbags. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)

What I like — and don’t like — about the 2015 Pac-12 uniform collection.

During rivalry week, The State Press will release a series of content that evaluates Pac-12 baseball as a whole, using various different forms of criteria. Today’s topic? Uniforms.

1. ASU’s “Tequila Sunrise”

Is there really a need for an explanation? Even if head coach Tracy Smith isn’t a fan of the '70s era throwback uniforms, they’re a hit with fans and players alike. Maybe they’ll finally appear in the stadium shop at Muni someday.

2. UCLA’s home whites

The Bruins have a number of classic duds that could top this list individually, including a powder-blue home whites and a delightful throwback-ish rendition of the home uniform.

3. USC’s black alternates

Contrary to popular opinion, black does NOT go with everything, but it does work with the cardinal and gold with stylized “Trojans” lettering and gold numbers that pop on the front of the jersey. Bonus points to schools (ASU, Cal, UCLA, USC, Stanford, and Washington State) with their own unique baseball logos on their caps.

4. Oregon’s... everything

Oregon senior catcher Shaun Chase celebrates with teammates on March 9, 2015. Natalie Hardwicke | The Daily Emerald

It would be silly for me to assume a certain Oregon uniform is designated as “home” or “away” because the Ducks have essentially removed those traditional boundaries. They do abide by the white pants at home and gray pants on the road rule, but everything else is essentially in play.

5. Stanford’s home whites

One of few teams to avoid hopping on the Nike/Adidas corporate train for baseball, this traditional look with a subtle Rawlings logo is a timeless and stylish option, one of just three hanging in the locker room for the Cardinal at Sunken Diamond. Purists, feast your eyes.

6. Oregon State’s orange alternates

Thankfully, orange is not the new black on baseball diamonds, but the Beavers make it look sharp. The construction cone-esque bright shade of orange will help Oregon State draw fewer comparisons to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who happen to share the “OSU” acronym and the same color scheme.

7. California’s home whites

There’s a lot to like about the classic Cal lettering on both the home whites and road grays (and old-school “C” cap) but the navy blue alternate doesn’t provide nearly as much “wow” factor as some other Pac-12 jerseys. It would be neat to draw up something evocative of the history of the Bay Area, or perhaps even work the Golden Bear into a design somehow.

8. Washington’s purple alternates

Washington junior first baseman Branden Berry takes a swing in a baseball game. Kaia D'Albora | The Daily UW

My interests with Washington are similar to Cal’s, because I do like the formal block "W" and the purple is a nice fit with gray road pants. I would really like to see more silver incorporated, maybe even in the form of a Husky on the chest or with the logo in the cap.

9. Washington State’s pinstripe home whites

Washington State pitcher Joe Pistorese throws in a game against UCLA on March 28, 2015. Herman Meier | Daily Evergreen

If it weren’t for all the red in this conference, the Cougars might have found themselves ranked a bit higher. The home whites with red pinstripes should be worn much more often, as should the uber-retro "W" hat. The only problem is its ugly primary logo doesn’t mesh with the throwback look.

10. Arizona’s cherry-red alternates

The Wildcats could be very creative with all of the patriotic possibilities offered by red, white, and blue as school colors. Instead, they’re left most often donning a bland pinstripe combination that comes across as pretentious and doesn’t offer much contrast from its tri-color main "A" logo.

11. Utah’s black alternates

The lack of variety in Utah’s uniforms and lack of a vibrant secondary color limits some of the possibilities for uniforms, but it allows the black alternates with all-caps and even cursive red stand out. That said, the Utes should expect more out of Under Armour as the company’s flagship representative in the Pac-12.

Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.

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