Game 30: April 9 - at Washington - Husky Ballpark - Seattle, WA - 5 p.m.
Game 31: April 10 - at Washington - Husky Ballpark - Seattle, WA - 1 p.m.
All times Pacific Time Zone and subject to change
Gametracker Available
Visit GoZags.com for audio/video availability
Gonzaga University Bulldogs (20-9, 3-3 West Coast)
Probable Pitching Rotation
Game 30 Starter TBA
(0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 31 Starter TBA
(0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Probable Position Starters
C - 18 Maxx Garrett, R-R, 6-1, 215, Sr., Kennewick, WA
(.227, 10 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 15 RBI)
1B - 26 Andy Hunter, R-R, 6-6, 220, Sr., Tucson, AZ
(.368, 12 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI)
2B - Alex Stanford, L-R, 5-10, 180, Sr., Bothell, WA
(.276, 16 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 3 SB)
3B - 6 Eric Lane, R-R, 6-0, 190, Sr., Port Angeles, WA
(.299, 23 R, 6 2B, 12 RBI1, 1 SB)
SS - 4 Steven Halcomb, R-R, 5-10, 165, Jr., Poway, CA
(.261, 15 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 4 SB)
LF - 11 Billy Moon, L-L, 6-0, 185, Jr., Spokane, WA
(.221, 9 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB)
CF - 21 Royce Bolinger, R-R, 6-2, 200, Sr., Scottsdale, AZ
(.379, 25 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 1 SB)
RF - 3 Payden Cawley Lamb, L-R, 5-10, 185, So., Buckley, WA
(.288, 8 R, 1 2B, 7 RBI, 1 SB)
DH - 5 Clayton Eslick, L-R, 5-11, 170, Jr., Gilroy, CA
(.357, 17 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 15 RBI)
Head Coach: 28 Mark Machtolf (Stanford University, 1987)
Gonzaga Record: 252-207-1 (9th year - 22nd at GU) Career Record: Same
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University of Washington Huskies (17-11, 4-5 Pacific-12)
All-time series versus Gonzaga: Washington leads 68-55
Probable Pitching Rotation
Game 30 Starter TBA
(0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 31 Starter TBA
(0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Head Coach: 4 Lindsay Meggs (UCLA, 1985)
Washington Record: 62-76 (3rd year) Career Record: 677-383-4 (19th year)
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ON THE TUBE: Gonzaga University will have five home games televised this season. Four games will be televised on SWX-TV while one game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. The four games to feature the Bulldogs on SWX are: March 30 vs. Pepperdine University at 6 p.m., April 3 and April 17 against Washington State University at 6 p.m. and May 12 against Arizona State University at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs WCC 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 the radio. Fans can follow the Zags on 1510 AM KGA Sports Talk radio with Tom Hudson returning for 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.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: The University of Washington is coming off losing two of three games at home to sixth-ranked Stanford University in a Pacific-12 Conference series over the weekend. After losing the first game 5-2, the Huskies fought back and took the middle game 6-4, but the Cardinal won the rubber game 8-6 to clinch the series. Leadoff hitter Jayce Bruce went 5-for-12 in the series. He leads the team with a .353 batting average, nine doubles, 22 runs scored and four stolen bases. Aaron West has been the Huskies ace pitcher, going 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA and 30 strikeouts.
LAST TIME VS. HUSKIES: Gonzaga University and the University of Washington were scheduled to meet for a two-game series in Spokane last season, but rain forced the series to be cancelled. The Bulldogs and Huskies met for five games in 2010, with the Huskies winning four. Among returners, Andy Hunter led the effort for the Bulldogs at the plate, going 5-for-21 (.238) with two doubles, a home run and six RBI. Billy Moon is the only player to have pitched against the Huskies. He made one appearance and in 1 2/3 of relief, allowing one earned run on four hit and two walks.
ZAGS IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Gonzaga University improving in the NCAA statistic rankings as of late. As a team, the Bulldogs pitching staff's 2.70 ERA is the 10th lowest in the country. Individually, two-way player Marco Gonzales' 1.26 ERA is 12th-best and his .417 batting average ranks 29th. Also according to the NCAA's statistic ranks, junior Clayton Eslick is the 26th toughest batter to strikeout. In 83 appearances at the plate this season, Eslick has only struck out four times for an average of 20.8.
GONZALES IS OUT: Gonzaga University will be without the services of two-way player Marco Gonzales for the next few weeks. The sophomore had surgery last week to repair a torn meniscus on his right leg. Gonzales is having another outstanding season in both hitting and pitching. At the plate, Gonzales leads the team in batting average (.417) and doubles (5) while on the mound he owns a 4-0 record with a 1.25 ERA.
BOLINGER'S STREAK ENDS AT 15: Although he drew a walk in Saturday's matchup at 19th-ranked University of San Diego, senior outfielder Royce Bolinger's career hitting streak came to an end at 15 games after going hitless in his three appearances at the plate. During his 15-game hitting streak, he went 28-for-61 (.459) with a double, two triples, seven home runs and 16 RBI during the streak. In the last two Sunday's, he hit two home runs in back-to-back plate appearances. Bolinger was also batting in either the third or fourth slot. He was 21-for-45 (.467) with two triples and six home runs when hitting in the three slot and was 6-for-16 (.438) with a double and a home run when batting in the cleanup spot.
ESLICK PROVIDES PROTECTION: Gonzaga University junior infielder Clayton Eslick has shown he can handle hitting in the cleanup slot in the last eight games. The Gilroy, Calif., native is 11-for-28 (.393) with a double, eight walks and five RBI when batting fourth. Senior Royce Bolinger also seems to be comfortable batting in front of Eslick as the outfielder is 16-for-36 (.444) with two doubles, five home runs and 10 RBI.
OLSON IMPROVING HIS STATS: Gonzaga University senior left-hander Tyler Olson has been eating a lot of innings in his last four starts. He has thrown over seven innings in his last four starts and he has allowed only one earned run in each game, lowering his ERA from 3.04 to 2.03.
SMITH COMES THROUGH: After freshman pitcher Derek Callahan allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings in his start against Washington State University last Tuesday, sophomore Kenny Smith came into the game and put together an impressive outing against the Cougars. The right-hander allowed no runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings and the Bulldogs offense used 21 hits to beat the Cougars 9-3 and reward Smith his first collegiate win. It is also the most innings Smith has thrown in a game, besting his 4 2/3 innings of work at the University of Missouri last season.
ABBRUZZA STARTING TO SETTLE IN: 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 started to show he is settling in the collegiate level. The Redmond, Wash., native has lowered his ERA from 10.12 to 4.30 in last seven appearances, allowing one run on four hits and three walks in the last 9 1/3 innings of work. He has also struck out six batters during the run.
MACHTOLF REACHES CAREER WIN NO. 250: Gonzaga University ninth-year head coach Mark Machtolf received his 250th career win when his Bulldogs downed Pepperdine University 14-3 last Sunday. Machtolf is chasing Larry Koentopp's 289 wins, the second most in program history. Koentopp led the Zags for eight seasons from 1970-77. Machtolf's predecessor and current GU associate athletic director Steve Hertz has the most wins in program history with 637 wins in 24 years at the helm.
WE'RE WATCHING YOU: Five Gonzaga University pitchers, along with their batterymate senior Maxx Garrett, have picked off 12 runners this season, which is tied with Pepperdine University for the most among West Coast Conference teams. Junior left-hander Billy Moon leads the Bulldogs with most pickoffs, picking off four in three consecutive appearances. Sophomore Marco Gonzales and senior Tyler Olson are right behind their fellow southpaw with two while right-handers senior Andy Hunter, freshman Derek Peterson and catcher Garrett each added picked off one runner.
GONZALES ON A WINNING STREAK: After picking up his fourth win of the season against the University of the Pacific March 17, Gonzaga University sophomore left-hander Marco Gonzales has won 15 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.
ZAGS JUMPED RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE: Gonzaga University's 10-0 record to start the 2012 season was the best since 1990, when the Bulldogs went 9-0 to start the season. The 1990 Bulldogs opened the season sweeping Eastern Oregon State College in a four-game series and after defeating Eastern Washington University the Bulldogs swept Central Washington University in four games. The Bulldogs would suffer back-to-back losses to Fresno State University in their road-opener.
NON-CONFERENCE ROAD SCHEDULE NEARLY COMPLETE: Gonzaga University's visit to the University of Washington campus for two-games concludes its non-conference road schedule that requires an overnight stay. The only non-conference road game will remain on the schedule is a day trip to Washington State University May 22, which is a makeup date for when the scheduled March 20 meeting was postponed due to inclement weather.
ON DECK: Following the two-game series at the University of Washington, Gonzaga University returns home to open a three-game West Coast Conference series with Santa Clara University. The series begins Friday at 6 p.m. followed by a 3 p.m. first pitch Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday and Saturday's contests will be broadcasted on GUTV.
BULLDOGS PICKED SECOND IN WCC: Gonzaga University is picked to finish second according to the 2012 West Coast Conference coaches' preseason poll. The Bulldogs received 57 votes and three first-place votes. The University of San Diego edged the Bulldogs as the favorite to win the WCC title with 59 points and five first-place votes. The defending WCC champions University of San Francisco garnered a first-place vote and tallied 51 points to finish third in the poll. Loyola Marymount University captured 37 points to finish fourth. Pepperdine University and Saint Mary's College - each with 30 points - tied for fifth, while West Coast Conference newcomer BYU was tabbed seventh with 28 points. The University of Portland (23 points) and Santa Clara University (nine points) rounded out the poll.
RECAPPING LAST YEAR: Gonzaga University finished the 2011 season 32-19-1 overall, capturing its fourth 30-win season in the last five years. The Bulldogs also went 15-6 in West Coast Conference play. The Bulldogs started the season 0-5 but made a huge turnaround as the season progressed. In an unscripted moment, the Bulldogs and the University of San Francisco entered their regular-season series in Spokane tied for first place on the final weekend, setting up a WCC Championship Series. After the two teams split the first two games, the WCC championship was decided in the rubber match, with the Dons beating the Bulldogs 4-2.
NINE PLAYERS TO JOIN THE ZAGS IN 2013: Gonzaga University head coach Mark Machtolf announced the signing of nine players to his 2013 roster Jan. 31. Joining the Bulldogs next spring are Will Abram, a 6-2 left-handed pitcher and a sophomore transfer from Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Ariz.; Nelson Benjamin, a 6-0 centerfielder from Valley Vista High in Surprise, Ariz.; Taylor Jones, a 6-7 right-handed pitcher/first baseman from Kentwood High in Covington, Wash.; Brandon Mahovlich, a 6-2 right-handed pitcher/outfielder from Issaquah High in Issaquah, Wash.; Cabe Reiten, a 6-2 shortstop from the Academy Northwest in Olympia, Wash.; Michael Rucker, a 6-0 right-handed pitcher from Auburn Riverside High in Auburn, Wash.; Jimmy Sinatro, a 5-10 catcher from Skyline High in Sammamish, Wash.; Andrew Sopko, a 6-2 right-handed pitcher from Loyola Sacred Heart High in Missoula, Mont., and Caleb Wood, a 5-10 shortstop from Valley Vista High in Surprise, Ariz.
