March 2, 2005
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WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE: The Gonzaga University baseball team will look to extend its four-game win streak this week when they head to Lewiston, Idaho to compete in the Banana Belt Baseball Classic. On Thursday the Zags will open play in the tournament against Pacific Northwest rival Washington State University in a 10 a.m. game. Friday GU will square off against host Lewis-Clark State College in a 1 p.m. game and GU will conclude the tournament with a doubleheader on Saturday as they first play the University of Portland in a non-conference match up at 10 a.m. and will have a rematch with Utah Valley State College at 4 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: Gonzaga University swept Utah Valley State College over the weekend, outscoring the Wolverines 26-6. The Bulldogs opened the series with a 7-3 win behind a strong offensive performance from senior Jeff Culpepper. Culpepper was 3-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored, one double and one triple. On Saturday, junior Patrick Donovan pitched eight strong innings allowing just one run on five hits. Junior Scott Campbell was the offensive leader for the Zags as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. The Bulldogs' bats came alive in a 14-1 win in the third and final game of the series. Junior Kiel Thibault went 5-for-5 with three RBI, Culpepper was 3-for-5 with three RBI, and freshman Darin Holcomb was 3-for-4 with one RBI and two doubles
SCOUTING THE COUGARS: The Washington State University Cougars enter the week with a 7-7 record after splitting four games in the University of Hawaii tournament last weekend. The Cougars are 98-63 all-time against the Bulldogs. Zach McAngus leads the offensive charge for WSU with his .413 batting average. Wayne Daman Jr. leads the pitching rotation with his 1.29 ERA and a record of 1-1.
SCOUTING THE PILOTS: The University of Portland Pilots enter the week with a 4-6 record after dropping two of three games against the University of California, Davis last weekend. Gonzaga University leads the all-time series 84-58 and are currently riding a three game win streak against the Pilots. Portland's offense is led by Jason Krohn who is hitting .300 with a team leading 12 hits and two doubles. The pitching rotation is led by Ari Ronick who is 1-1 with an ERA of 3.60.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS: The Lewis-Clark State College Warriors enter the week with a 3-1 record. Gonzaga University is 49-55-1 against LC State all-time with the Warriors taking two of three from GU last season. Offensively Joey Dyche and Antonie McLeod lead the team with each batting .500. Jason Garcia leads the pitching rotation with a 1-0 record and an ERA of 1.80.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Gonzaga University will have a rematch against Utah Valley State College. The Wolverines enter the week with a 4-6 record after losing three straight to Gonzaga. Kevin Hashimoto leads the offense with a .471 batting average. Brady Drake leads the pitching rotation with a 1-0 record and an ERA of 2.70.
CULPEPPER NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gonzaga University senior right fielder Jeff Culpepper was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week after the Bulldogs swept Utah Valley State College over the weekend. The Woodinville, Wash. native went 7-for-11 at the plate with six RBI, two doubles and one triple for the weekend. In Sunday's 14-1 win Culpepper went 3-for-5 with three RBI, one double and pitched one inning allowing no runs and no hits. In Friday's 7-3 win Culpepper went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one double and one triple. Culpepper leads the WCC in hitting with a .529 batting average.
NO REST FOR THE WEARY: Gonzaga University will be playing one of the toughest parts of its schedule as the Bulldogs will play in 10 games over 10 days with one day off inbetween the Banana Belt Classic in Lewiston, Idaho and the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic in Fresno, Calif.
NOTES ON GONZAGA POSITION STARTERS
Bobby Carlson, Junior, 1B: Gonzaga University first baseman Bobby Carlson is currently hitting .219 with seven hits, one double and is second on the team with six RBI.
Scott Campbell, Junior, 2B: Gonzaga University junior second baseman Scott Campbell is hitting .308 with 12 hits, two doubles and is third on the team with eight RBI.
Aaron McGuinness, Sophomore, SS: Aaron McGuinness is hitting .321 for Gonzaga University recording nine hits and one RBI.
Darin Holcomb, Freshman, 3B: Gonzaga University freshman third baseman Darin Holcomb went 6-for-13 with three RBI over the weekend and is now batting .313 with 10 hits and four RBI.
Kiel Thibault, Junior, C: Gonzaga University junior catcher Kiel Thibault's 6-for-10 performance over the weekend improved hits batting average to .375. He now has 12 hits, seven RBI, two doubles and has one home run.
Will Ayala, Freshman, LF: Will Ayala is hitting .214 with six hits and five RBI while batting in the number seven spot for Gonzaga University.
Jackson Brennan, Junior, CF: Jackson Brennan is the lead-off hitter for Gonzaga University and is hitting .343 with 12 hits, four RBI and is tied for the lead on the team in doubles with four.
Jeff Culpepper, Senior, RF: Gonzaga University's lone senior on the roster, Jeff Culpepper is leading the West Coast Conference in hitting with a .529 batting average. Culpepper recorded seven hits, six RBI, two doubles and a triple over the weekend earning him WCC Player of the Week honors.
Shawn Wayt, Freshman, DH: Shawn Wayt is batting .150 with three hits. Wayt also serves as a relief pitcher for Gonzaga University.
Mike Terry, Freshman, DH: Gonzaga University redshirt freshman Mike Terry splits time in the DH spot with classmate Shawn Wayt. Terry is batting .273 with three hits and one RBI.
MISCELLANY: Gonzaga University is 5-0 when scoring first...GU is 1-3 when their opponent scores first...the Zags are 3-2 when they score seven or more runs in a game and are 3-1 when scoring five or fewer runs...the Bulldogs are 3-2 when recording six to ten hits.
THIBAULT'S HOT BAT: Gonzaga University preseason All-American catcher Kiel Thibault has been hot as of late. Thibault went 6-for-10 with three RBI in the three-game series with Utah Valley State College last weekend including a 5-for-5 three RBI performance in the 14-1 win Sunday.
MONROE OFFERS STRONG START: Junior right-hander Josh Monroe had his third solid start of the season as he worked eight innings against Utah Valley State College on Friday allowing only one earned run with eight strikeouts. His efforts over the weekend have earned him a West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week Nomination. Monroe is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.87.
BULLDOGS STILL 10 GAMES AWAY FROM HOME OPENER: Gonzaga has reached the half-way point of one portion of its schedule, its run of 19 straight road games prior to the home opener on March 18 against Saint Mary's College. Gonzaga has four games at the Banana Belt Classic followed by road trip to Fresno, Calif. for the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic before the Zags finally get to open home play at Avista Stadium.
SKIPPER Mark Machtolf: Considered one of the Top 10 rising stars in the Division I coaching ranks by Baseball America in its 2000 publication, Mark Machtolf now enters his second season at the helm of the Gonzaga baseball program. Machtolf, an 11-year assistant at Gonzaga, was officially handed the coaching reigns on August 7, 2003, from 24-year head coach Steve Hertz who moved into an administrative position at the school. During his 11 years as an assistant, Machtolf coached the Bulldogs hitters and outfielders as well as serving as the Bulldogs recruiting coordinator. Under his guidance Gonzaga became one of the top power hitting teams in the nation, setting a West Coast Conference and school record with 92 home runs in 2002, the seventh best home run per game average in the nation. Machtolf also coached Bulldogs slugger Nate Gold who led the NCAA with 33 home runs in 2002 en route to All-American honors. A 1987 graduate of Stanford University, Machtolf was a member of the Cardinal's 1987 College World Series championship team and was an All-CWS selection. A 4-year baseball letterman and 2-year football letterman he graduated from Stanford in 1987.
2005 GAMETRACKER AVAILABLE: Gonzaga will once again have GameTracker statistics available for selected games during the 2005 baseball season. Fans can go to www.gozags.com and click on the baseball schedule to see which road games are available throughout the season. Gonzaga will once again carry all 20 home games on GameTracker.
