Game 36: April 20 - at San Francisco - Benedetti Diamond - San Francisco, CA - 3 p.m.
Game 37: April 21 - at San Francisco - Benedetti Diamond - San Francisco, CA - 1 p.m.
Game 38: April 22 - at San Francisco - Benedetti Diamond - San Francisco, CA - Noon
All times Pacific Time Zone and subject to change
Visit GoZags.com for lives stats and video/audio availability
No. 30 Gonzaga University Bulldogs (26-9, 6-3 West Coast)
Probable Pitching Rotation
LHP - 13 Tyler Olson, R-L, 6-3, 190, Sr., Spokane, WA
(4-0, 2.11 ERA)
LHP - 7 Marco Gonzales, L-L, 6-1, 185, So., Fort Collins, CO
(5-0, 1.54 ERA)
RHP - 26 Andy Hunter, R-R, 6-6, 220, Sr., Tucson, WA
(3-2, 2.97 ERA)
Probable Position Starters
C - 18 Maxx Garrett, R-R, 6-1, 215, Sr., Kennewick, WA
(.222, 13 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 18 RBI)
1B - 7 Marco Gonzales, L-L, 6-1, 185, So., Fort Collins, CO
(.433, 11 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 18 RBI)
OR
1B - 26 Andy Hunter, R-R, 6-6, 220, Sr., Tucson, WA
(.324, 16 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI)
2B - Alex Stanford, L-R, 5-10, 180, Sr., Bothell, WA
(.298, 21 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 7 SB)
3B - 6 Eric Lane, R-R, 6-0, 190, Sr., Port Angeles, WA
(.320, 26 R, 6 2B, 15 RBI, 1 SB)
SS - 4 Steven Halcomb, R-R, 5-10, 165, Jr., Poway, CA
(.271, 17 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 4 SB)
LF - 31 Brock Slavin, L-R, 6-0, 190, RS-So., Tenino, WA
(.359, 12 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI)
CF - 21 Royce Bolinger, R-R, 6-2, 200, Sr., Scottsdale, AZ
(.383, 31 R, 7 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 2 SB)
RF - 3 Payden Cawley Lamb, L-R, 5-10, 185, So., Buckley, WA
(.254, 11 R, 2 2B, 9 RBI, 1 SB)
DH - 5 Clayton Eslick, L-R, 5-11, 170, Jr., Gilroy, CA
(.328, 21 R, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI)
Head Coach: 28 Mark Machtolf (Stanford University, 1987)
Gonzaga Record: 258-207-1 (9th year - 22nd at GU) Career Record: Same
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University of San Francisco Dons (16-24, 3-6 West Coast)
All-time series versus Gonzaga: San Francisco leads 32-34
Probable Pitching Rotation
RHP - 10 Kyle Zimmer, R-R, 6-4, 220, Jr., La Jolla, CA
(3-3, 2.79 ERA)
RHP - 44 Alex Balog, R-R, 6-5, 210, So., Saratoga, CA
(1-3, 3.21 ERA)
RHP - 35 Abe Bobb, R-R, 6-2, 160, So., Denver, CO
(4-4, 2.85 ERA)
Head Coach: 32 Nino Giarratano (William Jewell College, 1985)
San Francisco Record: 384-394 (14th year) Career Record: Same
National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association Ranking
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ON THE TUBE: Gonzaga University will have five of its home games televised this season. Four games will be televised on SWX-TV while one game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. The one game remaining to feature the Bulldogs on SWX is May 12 against Arizona State University at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs West Coast Conference game against Loyola Marymount University on April 28 will be featured on ESPNU. The Saturday contest is set for a 7 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's contest will be the first time the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field will be seen on the ESPN family of networks.
ON THE RADIO: The Gonzaga University baseball team's home games can be heard on Sports Talk 1510 KGA. Fans can hear Tom Hudson call the action as he is in his ninth season as the voice of the Zags. Joining Hudson in his fifth season as an analyst is Gonzaga's all-time winningest baseball coach and current associate athletic director Steve Hertz.
LIVE VIDEO COVERAGE: The Gonzaga University baseball team's home games can be seen live on the Zags Sports Channel all-access through GoZags.com. Check out the baseball schedule page for the link to the video broadcast. As always, live stats are available for all home games and can be accessed through GoZags.com.
TWITTER: The Gonzaga University Bulldogs are on Twitter. Fans can follow the Bulldogs at Twitter.com/GonzagaBulldogs. Fans can receive inside scoop on all Bulldog athletics as well as in-game updates. The Gonzaga baseball team is also on Twitter. Visit Twitter.com/GonzagaBaseball to follow the Bulldogs.
FACEBOOK: The Gonzaga University Bulldogs are on Facebook. Visit Facebook.com/GonzagaBulldogs and click on 'Like' to receive inside scoop and photos. The Gonzaga baseball team also has a Facebook page, visit Facebook.com/GUBaseball.
RECAPING LAST GAME: Gonzaga University scored three runs in the fifth inning and two runs each in the sixth and seventh to beat its in-state rival Washington State University 7-4 this past Tuesday. With the win, the Bulldogs clinched the three-game season series with one game remaining in Pullman May 22. Similar to the first meeting in Spokane back on April 3, the Cougars took a 3-0 lead early in the game, but the patient Bulldogs once again waited the right moment to begin a rally. Royce Bolinger and Eric Lane both produced three of the Bulldogs 11 hits while Bolinger and Steven Halcomb both drove in a pair of runs with one swing. On the mound, starter Kenny Smith surrendered three runs, two earned, on four hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings of work. Derek Callahan, Derek Peterson and Zach Abbruzza combined for one run allowed on three hits and struck out seven.
ZAGS IN THE WCC STANDINGS: After sweeping Santa Clara University last weekend, Gonzaga University moved into a tie with BYU for second place in the West Coast Conference standings. The Bulldogs and Cougars, both carrying 6-3 records in conference play, are only one game behind first-place University of San Diego, which is 7-2. The University of Portland sits in fourth place with a 7-5 record followed by Loyola Marymount University and Pepperdine University, which both are 5-4. The University of San Francisco, which will host the Bulldogs this weekend, is 3-6 in conference play while its Bay Area counterparts, Saint Mary's College (2-7) and the Broncos (1-8), round out the rest of the league standings.
SCOUTING THE DONS: The University of San Francisco was in West Coast Conference action last weekend, taking two of three games at Loyola Marymount University. The Dons won game one 13-9, dropped game two of a doubleheader 4-2 and clinched the series with an 8-5 victory. The Dons also made a day trip to Reno, Nev., Tuesday to face the University of Nevada. The Dons were ahead 4-3 but the Wolf Pack scored seven runs in the sixth frame to win the game 10-5. Friday's starter Kyle Zimmer has been the team's ace, going 3-3 with a 2.79 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Saturday's starter Abe Bobb is 4-4 with a 2.85 ERA and the Dons Sunday starter, Alex Balog, is 1-3 with a 3.21 ERA. Outfielder Justin Maffei has started all 40 games and leads the Dons with a .341 batting average. Nik Balog has been the Dons RBI man as he has driven in a team-most 25 runs.
LAST TIME VS. DONS: In an unscripted moment, Gonzaga University and the University of San Francisco entered their scheduled West Coast Conference meeting on the final weekend of the regular-season tied for first place in the standings. With the WCC championship on the line, the visiting Dons took game one 4-2 but the Bulldogs answered back by winning the middle game 7-5. On the final day of the regular-season, the Bulldogs tried to rally from a three-run deficit in the ninth inning but came up short as the Dons won the game and the WCC title 4-2. Among returners, Eric Lane led the Bulldogs in the series going 5-for-12 (.417) with a run and a RBI. Then-freshman Marco Gonzales showed he can handle the pressure of trying to force the WCC title to be decided on the final day. Although he was one out short from his fifth complete-game of the year, he struck out a career-high 12 batters and allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk. Jason Mahood went 6-for-10 (.600) with four runs, a home run and four RBI to lead the Dons in the series. On the pitching side, Kyle Zimmer got the starting nod for game one, going seven innings and allowing two earned runs. He got came into game three and held the Bulldogs down to get the save.
ON DECK: Following the West Coast Conference series with the University of San Francisco, Gonzaga University returns home to host Loyola Marymount University for another three-game WCC series next weekend. The series starts Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday's contest starts at 7 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPNU. The final game of the series is Sunday at 1 p.m.
BULLDOGS IN RPI STANDINGS: As of Monday, Gonzaga University moved up 13 spots to No. 14 in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) standings, the highest ranking among West Coast Conference schools. RPI rates every baseball club on a weighted scale taking into factors such as a team's winning percentage, its opponents' winning percentage and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents. Among the Bulldogs opponents this year, six are in the top 40. The University of Arkansas (No. 9) and University of Oregon (No. 12) are above the Bulldogs in the standings while the University of San Diego (No. 23), Pepperdine University (No. 28), Arizona State University (No. 29) and the University of Washington (No. 40) round out the rest of the top 40.
ZAGS IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Gonzaga University kept moving up in the NCAA statistic rankings. As of last Monday, the Bulldogs pitching staff's 2.76 ERA was the 11th lowest in the country. Individually, sophomore two-way player Marco Gonzales' 1.26 ERA ranked 24th in the country and junior infielder Clayton Eslick was the 24th toughest batter to strikeout. In 108 appearances at the plate before Tuesday's game against Washington State University, Eslick has only struck out six times for an average of 19.6.
MARCO'S BACK: After having surgery to repair a torn meniscus on his right leg nearly three weeks ago, Gonzaga University sophomore two-way player Marco Gonzales made his return to the field last Saturday against Santa Clara University. It was his first appearance on the field since March 25. Against the Broncos, Gonzales threw 82 pitches in five innings and although he struck out four batters, he allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks. He also started at first base against the Broncos last Sunday, going 2-for-2 with two sacrifice hits, and defensively, he recorded 11 putouts and two assists.
SLAVIN EARNING PLAYING TIME: Gonzaga University redshirt outfielder Brock Slavin has been performing well since he got the starting nod from head coach Mark Machtolf at the University of San Diego April 7. Slavin is 9-for-25 (.360) with a double, a home run and seven RBI in the last seven games and has played key roles during Gonzaga six-game winning streak. The Tenino, Wash., native was part of the five-run explosion in the eighth inning at the University of Washington April 10. He drove in the go-ahead with a base hit as well as scored in an insurance run to help the Bulldogs beat the Huskies 8-5. The left-handed hitting Slavin also came through last Sunday when he hit a three-run home run to left field to help the Bulldogs beat Santa Clara University 3-1 to complete the three-game West Coast Conference sweep.
ESLICK HAS THEIR BACK: Gonzaga University junior infielder Clayton Eslick has shown he can handle hitting in the fourth slot in the last 13 games. The Gilroy, Calif., native is 16-for-52 (.307) with two doubles, eight walks and seven RBI when batting cleanup. Senior Royce Bolinger also seems to be comfortable batting in front of Eslick as the outfielder is 25-for-61 (.410) with two doubles, two triples, six home runs and 16 RBI.
RUNS ARE HARD TO EARN: Gonzaga University's pitching staff moved into the top 10 for the lowest ERA in the nation this week. Entering Monday, the Bulldogs 2.67 combined ERA ranked seventh in the country. Coastal Carolina University led the nation with a 2.20 ERA, followed by the Bulldogs West Coast Conference foes University of Portland with a 2.44. In the individual ERA category, sophomore left-hander Marco Gonzales' 1.54 ERA was ranked 24th in the country. Coastal Carolina's Aaron Burke owned the lowest ERA in the nation with a 0.72.
ABBRUZZA KEEPS GETTING BETTER: After he allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings at the University of New Mexico on March 11, Gonzaga University freshman right-hander has showed he has settled in the collegiate level. The Redmond, Wash., native has lowered his ERA from 10.12 to 3.48 in last nine appearances, allowing two runs on seven hits and four walks in the last 14 1/3 innings of work. He has also struck out 13 batters during the stretch.
WE'RE WATCHING YOU: Seven Gonzaga University pitchers, along with their batterymate senior Maxx Garrett, have picked off 13 runners this season, which is second most behind Pepperdine University's 15 for the most among West Coast Conference teams. Junior left-hander Billy Moon leads the Bulldogs with most pickoffs with four, followed by sophomore lefty Marco Gonzales with three. Garrett and senior Tyler Olson are behind the two southpaws with two while right-handers senior Andy Hunter, sophomore Kenny Smith and freshman Derek Peterson each have picked off one runner.
GONZALES ON A WINNING STREAK: After picking up his fifth win of the season against Santa Clara University last Saturday, Gonzaga University sophomore left-hander Marco Gonzales has won 16 straight games on the mound, the longest streak among NCAA Division I pitchers. His last losing decision was at Texas A&M University Feb. 26, 2011, when he threw seven innings and allowed three runs, but the Bulldog offense couldn't help him as they lost 4-2 to the Aggies.
