Like an up-and-coming boxer thrown into a title bout against a seasoned pro, the Washington State baseball team isn’t wasting time facing scrubs early this season.

The Cougars (7-5) will learn quickly how they stack up with the best in the nation when they host No. 4 Oregon State (9-1) for a three-game series starting at 3:05 p.m. today in their home opener at Bailey-Brayton Field.

The Beavers are some of the top dogs in a talented Pac-12 Conference, owning a national championship as recently as 2018.

Meanwhile, the Cougs are on their way up the ladder under third-year coach Brian Green and are coming off their first full winning season since 2015.

“If you’re going to play anybody early, you want to play the best teams, and we’re certainly getting an opportunity to do that,” Green said. “Going to be a great series. We’re excited to be at home and we know we’re going to have to play really good clean baseball to make a run this weekend.”

With two four-game series and a trip to Frisco, Texas, for the Frisco College Baseball Classic — where WSU went 1-2 against Texas A&M, Wichita State and Iowa, respectively — already under their belts, the Cougs are hoping their tough opening stretch has prepared them for the start of Pac-12 play.

Through 12 games, sophomore second baseman Kyle Russell leads the team with a .348 batting average while senior left fielder Justin Van De Brake (three doubles, two triples, one home run) leads the team with six extra base-hits.

The veterans are complimented with a pair of freshmen in infielder Elijah Hainline (.333) and catcher Will Cresswell (.286), who “kinda jumped into the mix in terms of playing time and rotation.”

Pitching has been more up-and-down, but Day 3 starter Cole McMillan owns a respectable 1.93 ERA and 1-0 record in a team-high 14 innings pitched.

Today’s starter likely will be junior right-hander McKabe Cottrell (1-2, 4.61 ERA).

He’ll face a Beavs’ offense that hits a Pac-12-best .353 and is led by hard-hitting junior Jacob Melton (.429, 20 RBI).

OSU is no slouch on the mound either, where left-hander Cooper Hjerpe (3-0, 1.65 ERA) is expected to get the start today and owns “probably one of the top arms in the Pac-12 if not the country.”

“They’re off to a tremendous start,” Green said. “Obviously, a great program. You look at their numbers, it’s pretty daunting. … so a great challenge for us.”

WSU’s opening stops included Hawaii, Arizona and Texas, so 40-degree temperatures in Pullman will be a bit of a shakeup. But the Cougs are just happy to face OSU on their own turf.

“Just excited to be in front of our own crowd and to hear people cheer for the Cougars,” Green said. “We’ve gotten great support on the road, but obviously nice to wake up in our own beds in Pullman to go after a Pac-12 series.”

Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2260, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.