March 19, 2009

Weekly Release in PDF Format

Pacific (7-9)
vs.
Gonzaga (11-5)
Patterson Baseball Complex
and Washington Trust Field
Friday 6:30 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m., Sunday Noon
Gametracker Available

Probable Bulldog Lineup
Position Player (Yr., B/T) 2009 Stats
Catcher Tyson Van Winkle (Jr., R/R) .362, 25 H, 13 R, 8 2B, 2 HR, 18 RBI
First Base Ryan Wiegand (Sr., L/R) .292, 19 H, 14 R, 6 2B, 15 RBI
Second Base Evan Wells (Sr., L/R) .345, 20 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 8 RBI, 5 SB
Shortstop Ernesto Ortiz (Fr., L/R) .345, 14 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI
Third Base Jason Chatwood (Sr., R/R) .220, 15 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 2 SB
Left Field Mark Castellitto (Jr., R/R) .259, 13 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB
Centerfield Drew Heid (Jr., L/R) .333, 12 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 4 SB
Right Field Royce Bolinger (Fr., R/R) .196, 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI
Designated Hitter Anthony Synegal (Sr., R/R) .333, 11 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 10 RBI, 3 SB

THIS WEEKEND: Gonzaga University continues its nine-game homestand with a three-game series against the University of Pacific at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field this weekend. The Zags will match up with the Tigers, out of the Big West Conference, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m., Saturday and Noon on Sunday.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS LIVE: All Gonzaga University home games and selected away games will be video streamed and available via Gametracker on the internet at http://www.gozags.com. Check the Gonzaga web site to sign up for live video streaming and view other Gametracker links.

SCHEDULE CHANGES: The weather conditions in Spokane, Wash. last week caused Gonzaga University to shift its schedule around. The Bulldogs were expected to play the University of Washington in Spokane Mar. 10-11 but snow forced the two teams to postpone the series until April 6-7.

LAST WEEK: Gonzaga University swept a four-game games series with Utah Valley University last weekend. After both teams agreed to play a doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday due to the weather forecast calling for snow and/or rain on Sunday, the Zags posted 8-3 and 10-5 wins on Friday before closing out the series with 4-2 and 9-6 wins Saturday.

ON DECK: Next week Gonzaga University closes out their nine-game homestand with a two-game midweek series against the University of Utah Mar. 24-25. Next weekend the Bulldogs begin West Coast Conference play with a three-game series at the University of San Francisco Mar. 27-29.

ABOUT THE PACIFIC TIGERS: The University of Pacific enters the weekend series with Gonzaga University with a 7-9 overall record after dropping a game to the University of California 12-2 Tuesday and beating Dartmouth University 8-7 Wednesday. Third baseman J.P. Brown leads the team with a .377 batting average and outfielder Mike McKeever paces the club with three home runs and 19 RBI. Head coach Ed Sprague is in his sixth season at Pacific and owns a 117-180 overall record.

MACHTOLF AND SPRAGUE MEET AGAIN: Gonzaga University head coach Mark Machtolf and University of Pacific head coach Ed Spraque will once again meet again on the diamond this weekend. Both teams met last season in Spokane and the Bulldogs swept the three-game series but there is another connection between the two programs. Machtolf and Sprague were teammates on Stanford University's 1987 National Championship team.

IMPRESSIVE START FOR VAN WINKLEe: Gonzaga University junior catcher Tyson Van Winkle has continued to swing a hot bat through the first month of the season. The Vancouver, Wash. native comes into the series against the University of Pacific second in the West Coast Conference in doubles (8), fourth in hits (25), tied for fifth in RBI (18) and is seventh in batting average (.362). Van Winkle also leads the team in slugging percentage (.565), two-out RBI (14) and is second in home runs (2).

WIEGAND MAKING HIS MARK: In his final season for Gonzaga University, senior first baseman Ryan Wiegand finds himself within reach of a couple of school offensive records. The San Diego native picked up his sixth double of the season in Friday's first game against Utah Valley University, giving him sole possession of third-place with 52 career doubles and putting him just seven behind Jerrod Wong's top mark of 59. Wiegand also drove in five runs over the weekend, giving him 18 for the season and 170 for his career, just 16 away from Jeff Hainline's Gonzaga career-record of 186. Wiegand also moved into the school's top-10 career hit list earlier this season, his 19 hits so far this season moved him into a tie for fourth place with Darin Holcomb with 233 career base-hits and trails Eric Rodland's top mark of 269 by 33.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIELDS: Senior right-handed starting pitcher Matt Fields picked up his first win after throwing a season-high 7.1 innings last Friday against Utah Valley University. Fields had received two no-decisions earlier in the season after he had left with the lead in both contests. He recorded a season-high eight strikeouts against the University of Nevada Feb. 20 and has posted back-to-back six-strikeout efforts in his last two starts. Fields has pitched in every Friday game so far this season and enters the series-opener against the University of Pacific Friday leading the team in innings pitched (25.2) and is second on the team in strikeouts (25) and ERA (3.16). The 2008 All-West Coast Conference honorable mention selection posted a team-best eight wins and finished with 3-1 record as the Friday starter last season.

ANNOUNCING THEIR PRESENCE WITH AUTHORITY: Gonzaga University freshmen shortstop Ernesto Ortiz and starting pitcher Ryan Carpenter have both made immediate impacts for the Bulldogs in the first month of their collegiate careers. Ortiz enters the weekend with a team-best 11-game hitting streak, is currently second on the team in slugging (.517) and tied for second in batting average (.345). The Phoenix, Ariz, native is third in runs scored (14), hits (20) and doubles (5). Carpenter has been one of the most impressive freshman pitchers in the country through is first four collegiate starts. He has recorded eight or more strikeouts in three of his four starts this season and is coming off of a career-high 10 strikeout performance last Saturday against Utah Valley. The Peoria, Ariz. native enters his start this Saturday fifth in the West Coast Conference with a team-high 29 strikeouts, the team's second best record (3-1) and is third on the team in ERA (3.28) and innings (24.2).

PAIR OF ZAGS EARNED WCC WEEKLY ACCOLADES: Gonzaga University junior catcher Tyson Van Winkle and sophomore pitcher Cody Martin were named West Coast Conference Player and Co-Pitcher of the Week respectively, following the Zags season-opening weekend in which they posted a 3-1 record including two wins over #10 University of Missouri. Van Winkle earned his first career WCC weekly accolade after going 9-for-18 (.500) with four doubles, one home run, nine RBI, five runs scored and a .889 slugging percentage in the Zags' four games. Martin limited #10 Missouri to one earned run on three hits and struck out six over seven innings to earn the win. It is the second career WCC Player of the Week award for Martin.

MARTIN NAMED TO NCBWA PRESEASON STOPPER WATCH LIST: Gonzaga University sophomore pitcher Cody Martin has been named to the 2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List. Forty players have been named to the initial watch list for the fifth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. The initial list will be updated with a mid-season release the week of April 16, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, May 27, prior to start of NCAA regional tournament competition. The NCBWA's All-America Committee will then select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced in early June.

ZAGS PLACED FOURTH IN WCC PREASON POLL; EARN 1ST PLACE VOTE: Gonzaga University was picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference for the 2009 season according to a preseason vote of the league's head coaches. San Diego and Pepperdine were picked as favorites to win this year's WCC regular season title in the 2009 preseason baseball poll. San Diego and Pepperdine both received 45 points, with the Toreros receiving four first place votes to three for the Waves. Gonzaga received the last remaining first place vote.