Gonzaga (23-26, 12-12 WCC) at Pepperdine (25-25, 15-9 WCC)

Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif.

Friday, May 15; 3:00 p.m. - RHP Andrew Sopko vs. RHP Jackson McClelland
Saturday, May 16; 1:00 p.m. - RHP Brandon Bailey vs TBA
Sunday, May 17; 1:00 p.m. - TBA vs TBA

Links to live stats and audio may be found on the baseball schedule page of GoZags.com

Game Notes: Gonzaga | Pepperdine

STORY LINES

• Gonzaga faces a must-win situation during the regular season-ending series at Pepperdine. The Zags are a game and a half out of fourth place with just three against the Waves left on the slate. A three-win weekend most likely puts GU into the WCC Championships for the third consecutive year; they're the only squad to play in the first two iterations of the tournament.
• Gonzaga is 12-12 in WCC action with series wins against San Diego, Saint Mary's, and Pacific. GU picked up one win in each of the other five conference series as well. On the road in WCC play, they're 3-6 with series losses at LMU, Portland, and Santa Clara.
• The Zags are 30-47 all-time against Pepperdine and have won each of the last four series against the Waves. Last year, the Zags took two of three from Pepperdine in Spokane, including a 13-10 season finale win during which GU eliminated a first-inning five-run lead, scoring all 13 runs between the fourth and eighth innings. The win punched the Zags' ticket to the WCC Baseball Championships. Gonzaga has won the last two series at Pepperdine (2011 and 2013), but the Zags have never swept the Waves in Malibu.

ABOUT GONZAGA

• Gonzaga is 23-26 on the year, coming off an 0-2 non-conference series at Oregon. The two games at Oregon were as different as they could be; the Ducks won game No. 1 9-4 while both teams put up at least 12 hits and combined for three three-run+ half innings. The non-conference finale on Wednesday, meanwhile, was a defensive struggle as the two squads combined for 12 hits and three runs. Oregon won that game 2-1, but GU starter Calvin LeBrun turned in a quality start of 6.0 innings pitched while allowing two runs on four hits and striking out four.
• First baseman Taylor Jones has led the team with a .374 batting average, .432 on base percentage, and .577 slugging percentage after breaking into the lineup during the BYU series in March. Third baseman Mitchell Gunsolus, meanwhile, has put together a standout senior campaign, leading the squad with 66 hits, 23 extra base hits, 42 runs scored, 31 walks, and seven home runs. Additionally, he's among the top two in every offensive statistical category except for hit by pitches. Sam Brown and Justin Jacobs have also come up big for the Zags as Brown has 61 hits and a .420 on base percentage while Jacobs leads the squad with 35 RBIs.
• With a 3.43 combined ERA, the Gonzaga pitching staff leads the conference and has done so throughout WCC play. Brandon Bailey's 2.70 ERA is fifth in the conference and leads the crop of regular starters while David Bigelow paces the bullpen with a 1.75 ERA. Bailey is also second in the conference with 87 strikeouts. Bigelow, the team's closer, is tied for second in GU history with nine saves and also leads the team with 22 appearances. He was named to the NCBWA's Stopper of the Year midseason watch list. Out of the pen, Hunter Wells has a 0.64 ERA in eight relief appearances (he's also started five games), and lefty Calvin LeBrun has posted a 3.09 ERA in seven outings in relief.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE

• The Waves are 25-25 on the year and 1and 15-9 in WCC action. Last Tuesday they dropped a 3-1 decision at home to Cal State Northridge, and the weekend before they lost two of three at WCC champion San Diego. Pepperdine and Gonzaga have four similar non-conference foes as the Waves went 2-7 in games against Tulane, Washington, CSUN, and UCLA. Gonzaga is 3-6 in those same games.
• Outfielder Brandon Caruso has been the most consistent regular starter for Pepperdine, hitting .292 with a team-leading 16 doubles while starting 48 games. Infielder Hutton Moyer is the big bat in the lineup as he leads the squad with a .531 slugging percentage and 39 runs scored and is just barely second with 33 RBIs. Infielder Chris Fornaci is the typical leadoff hitter for Pepperdine and leads the squad with 25 walks, 19 HBPs, and is second with a .402 on base percentage, one that's over 150 points higher than his batting average. As a team, the Waves are hitting .262, and they average 4.74 runs a game.
• Righthander Jackson McClelland leads the Pepperdine starters with a 2.25 ERA; he's 6-3 on the year and has fanned 61 batters. A.J Puckett leads the team with 61 strikeouts; while the Waves have two save leaders as right hander Max Gamboa has five saves and a 2.86 ERA while fellow righty Chandler Blanchard has posted four saves and a 3.71 ERA in 43.2 innings. Blanchard's 24 appearances lead the bullpen staff as well, although three of those outings have been starts. As a staff, the Waves have an ERA of 4.05 and .276 batting average against.

SLUGGING IT OUT
Gonzaga has hit the ball hard since beginning last week's series against Pacific, posting a team slugging percentage of .552 in five games. Overall, the Zags raised their team slugging percentage from .367 to .386 with the extra-base outburst. They collected 24 hits for extra bases including six triples: three from Tyler Frost (one in each game of the series versus Pacific), two from Sam Brown (both of which came May 9), and one from Dustin Breshears (May 13 at Oregon). The Zags stormed back in to the WCC lead with 17 triples on the year, and Frost leapt into a tie for third with four on the season. The Zags also have hit four home runs during the last five games for a total of 21 on the year, the most in the last three seasons. Overall, nine different players claimed an extra base hit against Pacific and Oregon, with seven players posting at least two. The team batting average has also risen from .274 to .280 during that stretch as well.

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
All year long, the Zags have been adept at scoring runs late in games and preventing their opponents from doing the same. They're outscoring opponents 104-57 past the sixth inning and 64-24 in the last two innings of a game. As a team, Gonzaga is hitting .302 in innings seven through nine with 170 hits, 104 runs, and 94 RBIs. The Zags are also getting on base at a .385 clip in the final third of games, drawing 64 walks and getting hit by a pitch 16 times.

TAKING THE BULL BY THE HORNS
Much of the Bulldogs' late-game success hitting the ball has come thanks to their ability to hit opposing bullpens. Gonzaga has hit .287 against non-starting pitchers this season and billed them for 121 runs (95 earned) in 178.0 innings, a 4.80 ERA. More than half of GU's walks (89 of 175) have come off relief pitchers, and opposing relievers have suffered six losses at the hands of Gonzaga hitters. In fact, the Zags have batted around in an inning seven times this season, and all seven times came against relief pitching. Last weekend, the Zags scored 15 runs off the Tigers' bullpen in 13.0 innings, with 11 of those earned for a 7.62 ERA.

STARTING LINES
Gonzaga will send RHPs Andrew Sopko and Brandon Bailey the mound in the first two games but has not yet announced a starter for Sunday...Sopko is 7-5 on the year with a 2.94 ERA. His last start was his worst of the year, giving up eight earned runs on 10 hits, including two home runs. He entered the start with a 2.26 ERA and only having allowed two home runs all season. Despite the rough outing, he's still allowed two or less earned runs in 10 of his 13 starts and thrown eight quality starts. He won five games in a row from March 28 to April 24, and his best start of the year was a 8.0 inning, two-hit shutout performance against Saint Mary's April 10...Bailey is tied for second in the conference with eight wins and fifth with a 2.70 ERA. On May 9, he allowed just two earned runs in 7.0 innings but held Pacific scoreless through the first six frames. The ace has eight starts in which he's pitched 7.0+ innings while allowing two or less runs, and he's held opponents scoreless in half of those games. He's also second in the WCC with 87 strikeouts with a career-high 10 of those coming March 6 at Tulane.

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES
Infielder Taylor Jones has roared into the starting lineup, hitting .394 (43x109) since grabbing hold of a starting spot 28 games ago (on March 20 vs. BYU). He's set or equaled career highs in hits and RBIs (4 hits twice; 3 RBIs twice) in that stretch, and he's ripped five of his six career home runs as well. The sizable junior is absolutely crushing WCC pitching this season too, posting a .456/.506/.658 slash line in conference play. He's added 16 RBIs and 17 runs against WCC opponents, at least tied for second on the squad in both categories. Just as importantly, he's given the Zags solid defense at first base with a .990 fielding percentage in WCC play and the ability to collect both high and low throws to the bag.

RELIEF IS COMING
Gonzaga's bullpen has been lights out in the last five games, holding Pacific and Oregon scoreless with just a .175 batting average in 12.0 innings of work. Closer David Bigelow has pitched over a third of those innings, lasting 4.1 frames in three appearances. Wyatt Mills also pitched 3.2 shutout innings on May 12 at Oregon, while Derek Peterson threw 2.0 in his season debut versus Pacific May 8. Sean-Luke Brija and Zach Abbruzza have each also taken an inning during that span. Overall this season, Gonzaga's bullpen has posted a 2.52 ERA, holding opponents to a .227 batting average. They've allowed 40 earned runs and have fanned 109 opposing hitters.

TALKING CHAMPIONSHIPS
As mentioned earlier, the Zags are the only team to appear in both iterations of the WCC Baseball Championship, making the field in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, the Zags clinched a berth with two WCC games remaining with a 6-4 come-from-behind win at Santa Clara and the top spot in the tournament one day later. Last season, the Zags didn't clinch a spot until the regular season finale, upending Pepperdine 13-10 in Spokane. They entered the series with the Waves needing two wins for a spot. GU won the first game between the two squads 6-5 but fell in the second 8-6, forcing the do-or-die situation in the finale.

THAT'S 133 IN DOG RUNS
The Zags scored 19 runs Saturday night, May 9, against the Tigers, the most they've scored since plating 23 on March 25, 2010 at Utah Valley. The tally also equaled the most they've scored at Patterson Baseball Complex. Their 17-run margin of victory was the team's biggest in 10 years. In 2015, the Zags have won four games by at least 10 runs with 10-run wins over Purdue and Arkansas and a 13-run win at Santa Clara.