May 20, 2010
Games 50-52
Loyola Marymount (22-26, 4-11WCC)
vs.
Gonzaga (17-32, 5-10 WCC)
Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field
Friday - 6:30 p.m., Saturday - 1 p.m., Sunday - 1 p.m.
GAMETRACKER AVAILABLE - RADIO: 1510 KGA
Series Notes in PDF Format 
THIS WEEKEND: This weekend Gonzaga University welcomes Loyola Marymount University to Spokane for a three-game West Coast Conference series. The rematch of last season's West Coast Conference Championship Series begins 6:30 p.m. Friday with Saturday and Sunday's games slated for 1 p.m. starts.
ON DECK: Gonzaga University closes out the regular season with four games next week, facing off against Washington State University in Spokane on Tuesday before hosting a three-game West Coast Conference series with University of Portland next weekend.
LAST WEEK: Gonzaga University posted a 3-1 record last week, scoring four runs in the top of the 13th inning to earn a 6-2 over the University of San Francisco in game that was suspended due to darkness prior to the start of the inning back on April 10. The Zags then took the final two games of their three game series at Saint Mary's earn the series victory.
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. All Gonzaga home games will be video streamed and also available on the radio at 1510 AM with Tom Hudson and former Gonzaga head coach Steve Hertz calling the action.
FIVE GONZAGA HOME GAMES TO BE TELEVISED ON SWX: Five Gonzaga University home games will be televised on SWX-TV this season. The five home games to be shown live on SWX will be: Tuesday, Apr. 6 vs. the University of Washington at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Apr. 16 vs. Pepperdine University at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Apr. 30 vs. Santa Clara University at 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, May 25 vs. Washington State University at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, May 28 vs. University of Portland at 6:30 p.m. SWX, Sports and Weather Right Now, airing local and regional sports and weather can be seen free over-the-air in the Spokane viewing area on digital channel 6.2 or on Comcast Cable 115. Time Warner customers in North Idaho can get SWX on Time Warner channel 306 and Cable One customers in Lewiston can find SWX on Cable One channel 466. SWX is also available free over-the-air in the Tri-Cities on digital channel 25.3 or in Yakima on digital channel 23.3 and SWX is offered on Charter Cable on channel 287 in both Tri-Cities and Yakima.
QUICK HITS
- Drew Heid has hit safely in 45 of the 49 games this season and in all 15 WCC contests
- Mark Castellitto had his 13-game hitting streak snapped last Saturday
- Six Zags have recorded double-digits in doubles this season, only three players reached that mark in 2009
- Liam Baron has appeared in 23 of the 49 games this season
- Clayton Eslick's first career home run came April 27 at Washington on a pinch-hit grand slam
- Billy Moon has driven in eight runs and recorded a pair of three-hit games in his last five starts
- Eslick has driven in a team-high 13 runs in WCC play and leads the team with 20 two-out RBI
- Castellitto leads the team with a .397 (25-for-63) batting average with runners in scoring position
- Head coach Mark Machtolf is three wins away from reaching the 200-win milestone
ABOUT THE LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS: Loyola Marymount University comes into the weekend with a 22-26 overall record and 4-11 in West Coast Conference play. LMU leads the all-time series with Gonzaga University 31-26 but the Zags took four of the five meetings last season, clinching the WCC regular season title with series win in the final weekend against LMU and later taking the first two games of the WCC Championship Series from the Lions to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Matt Koch paces the club with a 15 home runs and 44 RBI. Head coach Jason Gill is in his second season at LMU and owns a 52-55 career record at the school.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: A couple members of the Gonzaga University Bulldogs are nearing milestones, led by seventh year head coach Mark Machtolf. The reigning West Coast Conference Coach of the Year is closing in on the 200 career wins milestone, needing just three more to reach the mark. Machtolf has recorded all 197 career victories with Gonzaga. Mark Castellitto moved into a tie for seventh place on Gonzaga's top-10 career home run list with his 29th career homer and 11th of the season at Saint Mary's College last Saturday. Fellow senior Drew Heid has posted four triples this season to currently sit tied for third in the GU top-10 list for career triples with 13.
SENIORS LEADING THE WAY: Gonzaga University seniors Mark Castellitto and Drew Heid have put together two very impressive final seasons as Zags. Castellitto posted a career month in March earning West Coast Conference Player of the Month honors and picked up a National Player of the Week honor along the way. He enters the week owning team-highs of 11 homers and 45 RBI. The preseason All-WCC selection Heid comes into the weekend leading the WCC with 82 hits while leading the team in batting average (.383) and runs scored (49). He has recorded a team-best 28 multi-hit games, stolen a team-high eight bases and posted a career-best 19-game hitting streak earlier this year.
RACKING THEM UP: Although Gonzaga University ace Cody Martin doesn't own the record that he and the team would like but the junior right-hander has been everything you could as for out of an ace of the pitching staff, eating up a lot of innings and racking up strikeouts. Martin comes into the weekend with team-highs of 79 strikeouts and 71.1 innings. The Dos Palos, Calif. native and Gonzaga's all-time leader in saves (15) has posted four games with at least nine strikeouts, striking out nine in a season-opening win over University of Missouri Feb. 19, posting a career-high 13 strikeouts against Sacramento State University Feb. 26, again recording nine at Centenary College Mar. 5 and posting 10 strikeouts against the University of Hawai'i Apr. 2.
THEIR TIME TO SHINE: Two players for Gonzaga University who have emerged as a couple of offensive threats this season are sophomores Royce Bolinger and Andy Hunter. Both played sparingly on last season's veteran heavy team but each have taken advantage of playing every day this season. Bolinger made just 16 starts last season but has made 40 starts this season, recorded seven home runs, 10 doubles and 24 RBI. Hunter meanwhile has shown adjusted well on the fly to putting down the glove and sticking with the bat. The 6'6" designated hitter had Tommy John surgery this past summer and made the decision to step off the mound and into the batter's box this season. The results have been impressive, as the Tucson, Ariz. native comes into the week with a .301 batting average, six homers, 15 doubles and among the leaders in the West Coast Conference with 39 RBI. He posted a team-best 10-game hitting streak earlier this season and leads the team with 11 multi-RBI games.
EVERYDAY AUSTRALIAN LEFTY MAKING HIS MARK: Gonzaga University left-hander Liam Baron not only stands out on the Gonzaga roster because of his Perth, Western Australia hometown listing but also has been getting noticed because of the numbers he is putting up. Baron is third in the West Coast Conference with 23 appearances and although the conference record of 40 appearances in a season seems out of reach, the school record of 27 appearances might be in jeopardy. Baron has given the bullpen big time relief in his nine starts this season, going 7.2 innings in three of his seven starts including taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning at the University of San Francisco April 10.
NEWCOMERS MAKING IMPACTS: A couple freshmen who have made impacts for Gonzaga University are starting second baseman Clayton Eslick and left-handed pitcher Billy Moon. Eslick has started 46 games, produced a .279 batting average, recorded at team-high 16 doubles, one triple, one home run and driven in 35 runs. His pinch-hit grand slam in the 11-1 win at the University of Washington April 6 was his first career homer. Moon earned his first career win with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief in the win over New Mexico State University Feb. 20. and has since moved into the closer role, posting five saves this season. Cameron Edman has also emerged as a nice offensive weapon after transferring to GU and redshirting last season. The junior utility man was the team's opening day catcher and has also played first and third base all while registering 14 doubles, two triples, three homers and 19 RBI.
HOME ATTENDANCE MARK FALLS: A Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field record crowd of 1,917 fans were on hand to see Gonzaga University receive their 2009 West Coast Conference championship rings prior and post a 16-3 win over Pepperdine University Apr. 16. The previous top mark was 1,514, set back on the official dedication of Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field Apr. 20, 2007.
CASTELLITTO NAMED NCBWA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gonzaga University's Mark Castellitto was named the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Mar. 30. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season. Castellitto was also named the West Coast Conference Rawlings Player of the Week. The Poway, Calif. native posted a .588 batting average (10-for-17) with four home runs, two doubles, 11 runs scored and 13 RBI while slugging 1.412 and recording a .667 on-base percentage in the Zags four games. In the series-opening 23-12 win at Utah Valley University on Mar. 25, Castellitto had a career night going 5-for-7 with three home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored, all career-highs. He followed that with a four-hit game on Mar. 25, scoring four runs and driving in two before he closed out the weekend with a four-RBI game highlighted by three-run long ball to put the game out of reach in the eighth inning of the Mar. 26 8-3 win. The Zags leftfielder upped his average 54 points with the hot week.
CASTELLITTO AND MARTIN GARNER WCC ACCOLADES: Gonzaga University's Mark Castellitto and Cody Martin each picked up a West Coast Conference Apr. 5. Castellitto was named the WCC's Co-Player of the Month while Martin earned Rawlings WCC Pitcher of the Week honors. Castellitto picks up his third award in the past two weeks after he put together one of the best performances at the plate in the country over the past month. In Gonzaga's 18 games during March, the senior leftfielder posted a .406 batting average (28-for-69) with seven doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 24 RBI. He also scored 21 runs, slugged .884, finished with a .506 on-base percentage and boosted his batting average 150 points during that span. Castellitto led the team with six multi-RBI games and finished with seven multi-hit games including two four-hit performances and one five-hit game. His best game came in the 23-12 win over Utah Valley University Mar. 25, going 5-for-7 with three homers, five runs scored and seven RBI, all career highs. He closed out the month earning NCBWA National Player of the Week and Rawlings WCC Player of the Month honors by recording a .588 batting average with four homers and 13 RBI in the Zags final four games of March. Castellitto shares the monthly honor with Tommy Medica of Santa Clara University. Martin picks up his first WCC Pitcher of the Week accolade of the 2010 season and fourth of his career. The junior right hander struck out 10, allowed three hits and surrendered just two unearned runs in his six-inning start at the University of Hawai'i this past Friday. Martin has recorded at-least nine strikeouts in four of his starts this season, highlighted by a 13-strikeout performance against Sacramento State Feb. 26 and enters this week leading the conference with 56 strikeouts.
MARTIN NAMED TO NCBWA PRESEASON STOPPER WATCH LIST: For the second consecutive season Gonzaga University pitcher Cody Martin has been named to the Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Forty players were named to the initial watch list for the sixth annual NCBWA award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. Martin received the same recognition prior to last season and later appeared on the mid-season list before earning an invite to the Team USA National team trials this past June. In 23 appearances for the Zags last year the Dos Palos, Calif. native posted a team-best 3.07 ERA while going 5-4 with six saves and recording 68 strikeouts in 58.2 innings. In 2008, Martin set the school record for saves in a season with nine and later garnered Freshman All-America third team honors, All-West Coast Conference honorable mention and a spot on the All-WCC Freshmen team. The initial list will be updated with a mid-season release the week of April 19, 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, June 2, prior to start of NCAA regional tournament competition.
ZAGS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH BY WCC COACHES: The West Coast Conference announced its 2010 preseason baseball poll Jan. 25 as defending WCC regular season and WCC Championship Series champion Gonzaga University received one first place vote and was picked to finish fourth by the conference's coaches. San Diego was picked as the favorite to win this year's WCC regular season title as the Toreros received six first place votes for a total of 48 points. Pepperdine was picked second with 38 points. San Francisco totaled 33 points for third, followed by Gonzaga who just edged out 2009 runner-up Loyola Marymount, which received 28 points for fifth. Rounding out this year's preseason poll are Santa Clara, which received the last first place vote with 20 points, Saint Mary's with 17 points, and Portland with 11 points.
CARPENTER AND HEID PRODUCE BIG SUMMERS: Gonzaga University's Ryan Carpenter and Drew Heid have been named by Baseball America as two of the top prospects out of the Alaskan Summer League.Carpenter, a sophomore left-handed pitcher, was ranked the second best prospect in the league while Heid, the Zags senior centerfielder was ranked as the 10th best prospect. Each player produced very impressive seasons for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots who earned a second place finish at the NBC World Series. Carpenter was named to the Alaskan All-League team after leading the league in strikeouts (54) and posting the league's second lowest earned run average (0.67). The Peoria, Ariz. native went 2-2 in his 10 appearances including nine starts and allowed just three earned runs in 40.1 innings pitched. Heid earned a number of honors this summer, taking home the Alaskan League's Most Valuable Player award, earning the league's Silver Slugger Award and was also named to the All-League team after posting league-highs in batting average (.427), hits (73) and doubles (18). In 44 games, the Touchet, Wash. native also scored 41 runs, hit four home runs, stole 11 bases and finished with 31 RBI. It is the second consecutive summer that Heid has earned MVP honors of a summer league after he took home the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League's MVP award last summer.
MARTIN INVITED TO USA BASEBALL NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS: Gonzaga University sophomore pitcher Cody Martin was invited to the Team USA National Team trials held at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. this past June. Players participated in daily practices and drills at the trials, as well as in modified intrasquad Blue vs. Red games. Martin was not included in the final Team USA National Team roster.
LAST SEASON: Last season Gonzaga University claimed its inaugural West Coast Conference regular-season and WCC Championship Series titles, earning the program's eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1981. The Bulldogs finished the year with a 36-18 overall record, marking the third consecutive season that Gonzaga has finished with 30-plus wins. GU also finished the season ranked No. 22 by Baseball America.
