In the Warriors' first season in the WAC, they won divisional and conference honors, winning the South Division regular season, and the WAC Championship Series against BYU.

The Rainbow Warriors received an automatic berth into the 1980 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

There, they won the Central Regional and advanced to the College World Series, where they lost in the final to Arizona.

The 1979 season saw the Rainbow Warriors finish with an overall record of 69–15, including notable wins over Vanderbilt, North Carolina, and Oregon State.

Their record provided the Warriors with an at-large berth into the 1979 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.