Feb. 20, 2001
SPOKANE, Wash. -
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Gonzaga (2-1) at San Diego State (5-5)
Tony Gwynn Stadium (3,000)
Game Date and Time
Friday - Feb. 23, 6 p.m.
Saturday - Feb. 24, 6 p.m.
Sunday - Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
Gonzaga Starting Pitchers
Game 1 - LHP Barry Matthews (1-0, 0.00)
Game 2 - RHP Sean Lichter (0-0, 2.84)
Game 3 - LHP Scott Stencil (1-0, 3.00)
ZAGS OPEN SEASON WITH SERIES WIN: For the second consecutive season Gonzaga opened the baseball season with a series win taking 2-of-3 from Portland in a non-conference series. Gonzaga also won its season opener for the second straight year taking game one 1-0 in dramatic fashion. Senior Barry Matthews pitched a complete game shutout and hit a solo homerun in the top of the ninth to propel GU to the victory. Portland rebounded for a 5-4 victory in the second game, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. In Sunday's finale, Jared Hertz ignited a three-run seventh to lift Gonzaga over Portland 8-3.
SCOUTING THE AZTECS: This will be only the fourth meeting between Gonzaga and San Diego State with the Aztecs winning all three previous meetings. SDSU took the intial game by a 10-1 margin in 1996 before winning the next two meetings in 1998 by scores of 10-4 and 15-2. The Aztecs are currently 5-5 on the season with a 4-3 home record. Second baseman Carlo Cota leads the San Diego State hitting attack with a .412 average while Anthony Gwynn is off to a solid freshman season hitting .368. The Aztecs are coached by Jim Dietz who has compiled a 1159-706-18 record during his 29 years at San Diego State.
COMPLETE GAME STUFF: Gonzaga's pitching staff is off to a great start on the mound with two complete game performances in the first three games of the season. Barry Matthews opened the season with a complete game four-hit shutout of Portland. Last season Matthews led the Zags with four complete games. In Sunday's series finale, Scott Stencil tossed a complete game as Gonzaga defeated Portland 8-3. Stencil worked through a rough fourth inning before allowing only one hit over the final five innings of work. With the two complete games, Gonzaga is already a quarter of the way towards matching last season's total of eight complete games.
THE HERTZ ERA CONTINUES: Gonzaga head coach Steve Hertz enters his 22nd season as the head coach of the Bulldogs and 24th season as a Division I head coach. During his tenure with the Bulldogs Hertz has compiled a 555-550-5 record including two trips to the NCAA Regionals. The last two seasons Gonzaga has been in contention for the Coast Division title of the West Coast Conference finishing second in both campaigns. Overall, Hertz has compiled a 614-612-5 record winning his 600th career game on April 8, 2000 against Saint Mary's College.
EARLY SEASON DEFENSE: Despite only having three days of outside practice prior to their weekend season opener, Gonzaga did not seem to have any problems adjusting to ground balls in the opening weekend at Portland. The Zags committed only one error in three games compared to five errors turned in by the Pilots. Last season Gonzaga committed 80 errors on the season but the Bulldogs did turn in one stretch of 52 innings without a miscue as they finished the season with a .959 fielding percentage.
ZAGS ON THE NET: Gonzaga's three game weekend series at San Diego State will be available on the internet at http://www.gozags.com or http://www.goaztecs.com. The games will be broadcast by San Diego State play-by-play man Alan Horton and can be heard on the internet courtesy of the San Diego State athletic department and the FansOnly Network.
DOUBLE-DIPPING: When Gonzaga released its 2001 schedule the Zags were planning on only playing one double-header for entire season. Due to bad weather Gonzaga now has three double dips on the 2001 slate with upcoming twin bills at Washington State (March 3) and at Portland (April 14). The Zags split their opening double-header on Saturday with Portland winning game one in the top of the ninth on a Barry Matthews homerun and losing game two in the bottom of the tenth with two outs. Last season Gonzaga posted a 10-8 record in double-headers sweeping two of them against Saint Mary's and San Francisco and being swept near the end of the season by Loyola Marymount.
RICHARDSON HOT IN DEBUT: Junior college transfer Kevin Richardson has been hot off the bench for Gonzaga in his Division I debut. Slated as the designated hitter on days in which Barry Matthews does not take the mound, Richardson currently leads the team with a .500 batting average and is slugging 1.500. Richardson hit a homerun in his opening game against Portland on Saturday and followed that up with an RBI double in Sunday's victory.
E-ROD CONTINUES TO SWING A HOT STICK: A year after becoming Gonzaga's first freshman All-America, second baseman Eric Rodland has continued his hot hitting during his sophomore season. Rodland extended his current hitting streak to 6-games dating back to last season where he compiled three streaks of at least 11-games. As Gonzaga's lead-off man, Rodland is hitting .300 with a .429 on-base percentage.
ROOKIE DEBUT: While Gonzaga had six new players appear during their weekend series against Portland, only one freshman was able to crack the lineup in the three game set. Freshman lefthander Ed Clelland appeared for 2/3 of an inning against the Pilots in the second game of the series. Newcomers Kyle Rajsich and Greg Brooks also contributed off the bench with Rajsich going 1-for-1 in a pinch hitting role and Brooks going 1-for-2 in a game three start at third base.
PUT ME IN COACH: Gonzaga's search to replace part of last season's outfield continues after the opening weekend of the season. Jared Hertz has moved back into his familiar role in rightfield after a season ending knee injury in 2000 and Barry Matthews has moved into leftfield on days he does not pitch replacing departed senior Brent Church. The question mark has been who will replace the WCC's top hitter, Jason Bay, in centerfield. Through the opening three games the platoon of Kevin Cave and Garth Blumberg has yet to get a hit in 14 combined plate appearances. Things should be on the up swing this weekend when the Zags head to sunny San Diego and play their first warm weather contest of the season.
