April 23, 2009
Game Release in PDF Format 
Games 39-41
Gonzaga
(25-13, 7-5 WCC)
vs.
Santa Clara
(15-21, 4-8 WCC)
Santa Clara, Calif.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Gametracker Available
Probable Bulldog Lineup
Position Player (Yr., B/T) 2009 Stats
Catcher Tyson Van Winkle (Jr., R/R) .377, 60 H, 20 2B, 3 HR, 41 RBI
First Base Ryan Wiegand (Sr., L/R) .288, 30 R, 14 2B, 3 HR, 39 RBI
Second Base Evan Wells (Sr., L/R) .277, 41 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 14 RBI, 11 SB
Shortstop Ernesto Ortiz (Fr., L/R) .282, 11 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB
Third Base Jason Chatwood (Sr., R/R) .203, 3 2B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 4 SB
Left Field Mark Castellitto (Jr., R/R) .288, 7 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 3 SB
Centerfield Drew Heid (Jr., L/R) .335, 5 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 7 SB
Right Field Anthony Synegal (Sr., R/R) .325, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 3 SB
Designated Hitter Grant Kveder (Sr., L/R) .271, 13-for-48, 10 R, 1 2B, 5 RBI, 2 SB
THIS WEEKEND: Gonzaga University resumes West Coast Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Santa Clara University. The Bulldogs come into the week holding down third place in the WCC standings, trailing the University of San Diego and Loyola Marymount who are tied atop the standings with a 8-4 record in conference play.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS LIVE: All Gonzaga University home games and selected away games will be available via Gametracker on the internet at http://www.gozags.com. Selected home and away games will also be video streamed, check the Gonzaga web site to sign up for live video streaming and view other Gametracker links. Gonzaga's final nine home games will be on the radio, either on 1510 AM or 1050 AM with Tom Hudson and former Gonzaga head coach Steve Hertz calling the action.
ON DECK: Following its series at Santa Clara University this weekend, Gonzaga University will close out its season series against in-state rival Washington State University with a home-and-home series Tuesday and Wednesday. The Zags will hosts the Cougars Tuesday night before heading to Pullman for a non-conference matchup Wednesday evening.
THIS WEEK: This past Monday Gonzaga University received a grand slam from Ryan Wiegand and three doubles from Ernesto Ortiz but the University of Arizona scored eight runs in the middle innings to post an 8-7 win. The Bulldogs did manage to put runners on second and third in the ninth but the Wildcats got Evan Wells to line out to left field to end the game.
LAST WEEK: Gonzaga University went 2-2 while being ranked No. 22 by Baseball America last week. The Bulldogs posted a 17-6 win over Washington State University and later won the series opener at the University of Portland Friday. Portland rebounded to take the final two games of the series, using a couple of late-inning rallies to hand the Zags their first series defeat of the season.
BULLDOGS BACK TO RECEIVING VOTES: A week after earning its first national ranking since the 2006 season, Gonzaga University was out of this week's national polls after posting a 2-2 record last week. The Bulldogs do appear in the receiving votes category of this week's ESPN/USA Today national poll, marking the fifth straight week they have appeared in at least one "receiving votes" section of a national poll. GU has won its two series against ranked opponents this season, taking two of three at #26 Pepperdine Apr. 3-5 and also against #21 University of San Diego in Spokane Apr. 9-11 and own a 6-3 record against ranked teams.
ABOUT SANTA CLARA: Santa Clara University comes into the weekend with a 15-21 overall record and 4-8 in West Coast Conference play. The Broncos lead the all-time series 35-29 and took two of three from Gonzaga University in Spokane last season. Catcher Geoff Klein comes into the weekend leading the Broncos in hitting (.371), home runs (4) and RBI (42). Head coach Mark O'Brien is in his eighth season at SCU and owns a 214-211 career coaching record.
BIG WEEK AT THE PLATE EARNS VAN WINKLE WCC ACCOLADE: Gonzaga University junior catcher Tyson Van Winkle earned his second West Coast Conference/Rawlings Player of the Week award of his career after producing one of the best weeks at the plate in the country last week. In four games last week, the Vancouver, Wash. native went 13-for-18 (.722) with nine RBI, scored seven runs, hit six doubles, one home run, had a 1.222 slugging percentage and a .714 on-base percentage. He recorded at least two hits in each of the Bulldogs four games last week beginning with a career-best 5-for-5 six RBI performance in the win over Washington State. He followed that with a 4-for-5 game at Portland on Friday and recorded two hits in each of the next two games on Saturday and Sunday at Portland. Van Winkle recorded hits in eight straight at-bats at one point and upped his batting average 43 points during the week.
FRIDAY NIGHT FIELDS: Senior right-handed starting pitcher Matt Fields had won his last five starts to own a 5-1 record before receiving a no-decision in his start at the University of Portland last Friday. He struck out seven and allowed three runs in five innings. In his prior start, he struck out seven over 7.2 innings in the win over #21 University of San Diego. At #26 Pepperdine University earlier this season, he allowed just one run in a career-high eight innings to record the win. Against the University of Nevada Feb. 20 he struck out a season-high eight. Fields has pitched in every Friday game so far this season and leads the Zags in innings (58.2) and in strikeouts (53). He is a perfect 3-0 in WCC play, his overall 2.76 ERA is second in the West Coast Conference and his five wins are tied for seventh in the WCC. The 2008 All-WCC honorable mention selection posted a team-best eight wins and finished with 3-1 record as the Friday starter last season.
VAN WINKLE LEADING THE WAY: Gonzaga University junior catcher Tyson Van Winkle has continued to swing a hot bat for the Zags, posting one of the best offensive weeks in the country last week. The Vancouver, Wash. native went 13-for-18 (.722) with six doubles, one home run, nine RBI, a 1.222 slugging percentage and a .714 on-base percentage, earning his second West Coast Conference/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week of the season. He put together best game of his career this last Tuesday against Washington State University, going 5-for-5 with two doubles and six RBI. He has started every game behind the plate and comes into the weekend leading the WCC in doubles (20), third in the hitting (.377) and in hits (60), fourth in RBI (41). He leads the Zags with a .417 average in WCC play, also leads in slugging (.560), two-out RBI (20) and his tied for third with three home runs.
MARTIN NAMED TO NCBWA MIDSEASON STOPPER WATCH LIST: Gonzaga University sophomore pitcher Cody Martin has been named to the 2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Mid-season Stopper of the Year Watch List. Forty-five players have been named to the 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. 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.
WIEGAND SLAMMING HIS WAY TO TOP OF RECORD BOOKS: Gonzaga University senior first baseman Ryan Wiegand became Gonzaga's all-time leader in RBI and doubles. The San Diego native passed Jeff Hainline's career top RBI mark of 186 and Jerrod Wong's top doubles mark of 60 with his double and two RBI at the University of Portland last Sunday. Earlier this week Wiegand launched his third career grand slam and second in seven days. He has recorded 14 doubles and driven in 39 runs this season, giving him 60 career doubles and 191 career RBI. Wiegand has also moved into the school's top-10 career hit list earlier this season, his 45 hits place him fourth with 259 career base-hits and trails Eric Rodland's top mark of 269. He also enters the week fourth all-time in at-bats (773), tied for sixth in walks (103) and tied for eighth in games played (198).
DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO: Senior lead-off hitter Evan Wells and junior centerfielder Drew Heid have continued to be the sparks atop the Gonzaga University lineup. Wells has scored multiple runs in a game 12 times this season including matching his career-high with four runs scored against University of Utah Mar. 24. He enters the week second in the West Coast Conference in walks (28) and fourth in runs scored (41) and stolen bases (11-for-12). The 2008 All-WCC Honorable Mention selection is also second on the club in on-base percentage (.437). Heid meanwhile is second on the team in hitting (.335), hits (55) and is second in the WCC in triples (5). The 2008 All-WCC selection from a year ago has also scored 29 runs, driven in 27 and stolen seven bases while hitting out of the two-hole this season.
SENIOR STEPPING UP: Gonzaga University senior pitcher A.J. Proszek started the season working out of the bullpen, allowing just four runs in eight appearances before stepping into a starting role at the University of Portland last weekend. He fired seven scoreless innings against the Pilots in his first start of the season, scattering four hits and striking out five before eventually earning a no-decision. Proszek owns a team-best 1.30 ERA and a 1-0 record with a team-best three saves.
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 their first collegiate seasons. Ortiz produced a team-best 12-game hitting streak to start the season and enters this weekend third on the team in doubles (11). His two-out two-run double brought home the go-ahead runs in the Apr. 11 4-2 win over #21 University of San Diego. Carpenter has been one of the most impressive freshman pitchers in the country through is first nine collegiate starts. He earned his fifth win of the season last weekend with four scoreless innings of relief against the University of Portland. He has recorded eight or more strikeouts three times this season including a career-high 10 strikeout performance against Utah Valley University Mar. 14. The Peoria, Ariz. native enters the weekend second on the team in strikeouts (52), tied for second in wins (5) and third in innings (53.2).
ZAGS PLACED FOURTH IN WCC PRESEASON 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.
