Gonzaga (21-23, 10-11 WCC) vs. Pacific (11-33, 8-13 WCC)

Patterson Baseball Complex & Washington Trust Field | Spokane, Wash.

Friday, May 8; 6:00 p.m. - RHP Andrew Sopko vs. RHP Jake Jenkins
Saturday, May 9; 6:00 p.m. - RHP Brandon Bailey vs. RHP Will Lydon
Sunday, May 10; 3:00 p.m. - RHP Eli Morgan vs. RHP Michael Benson

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

Game Notes: Gonzaga | Pacfiic

STORY LINES

• The Zags return home for their final three games at Patterson Baseball Complex, taking on Pacific in a crucial three-game conference set. Before the series finale on Sunday, Gonzaga will honor its five seniors - Zach Abbruzza, David Bigelow, Mitchell Gunsolus, Cory LeBrun, and Derek Peterson - for their effort and dedication to Gonzaga baseball.
• Gonzaga is 10-11 in WCC action and sixth in the conference standings, 1.5 games behind LMU for fifth and two out of a playoff spot. Their last two WCC series were on the road where they won one game each at Portland and Santa Clara.
• Gonzaga and Pacific have met 21 times since 1960 with the Zags leading the series 15-6. Last year the Zags won the three-game conference series held in Stockton, but they split the season series two games apiece as they also played a non-conference bout at the Husker Classic in Tempe, Ariz., which Pacific won. The last time the Tigers were in Spokane, Gonzaga won the opening two games of the three game set 6-4 and 2- before falling 4-2 in the finale.

ABOUT GONZAGA

• Gonzaga is 21-23 on the year, coming off a good weekend of baseball against #2 UCLA. They went 1-2 against the Bruins and were in every game. The Zags brought the tying run up to bat three times in the series 3-0 series-opening loss Friday night, and they responded with a 6-1 win Saturday afternoon on the strength of 7.0 scoreless innings from Brandon Bailey. During Sunday's rubber match, the Zags jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but the home team got back into the game and won on a walk-off base hit by a 6-5 tally.
• First baseman Taylor Jones has led the team with a .396 batting average, .435 on base percentage, and .632 slugging percentage, breaking into the lineup during the BYU series in March. He's also tied for first with five home runs and is second with 26 RBIs. Third baseman Mitchell Gunsolus, meanwhile, has put together a standout senior campaign. He leads the team with 58 hits, 19 extra- base hits, and is tied for the lead with five homers as well. Additionally, he's among the top three in every offensive statistical category. Sam Brown and Justin Jacobs have also come up big for the Zags as Brown's hitting .325 with 55 hits and Jacobs leads the squad with 33 RBIs.
• With a 3.35 combined ERA, the Gonzaga pitching staff leads the conference and has done so all conference season long. Andrew Sopko's 2.26 ERA is fourth best in the conference and leads the crop of regular starters while David Bigelow paces the bullpen with a 1.99 ERA. Bigelow, the team's closer, has eight saves and a team-leading 19 appearances. He was named to the NCBWA's Stopper of the Year midseason watch list last week. Brandon Bailey leads the squad with 82 strikeouts. 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 PACIFIC

• The Tigers are 11-33 on the year and 8-13 in conference play, but are coming off a 2-1 weekend at BYU in which they scored 19 runs, including 11 Saturday in an 11-6 win. They've won one conference series, taking two of three from San Francisco at home. The Tigers have also won at least one game in six of their seven WCC series played.
• Outfielder Tyler Sullivan leads Pacific with a .361 batting average and a .426 on-base percentage. In his team-best 44 games played and started, he has crossed the plate a team-high 31 times. He is second in the West Coast Conference with 65 hits. His four triples lead the conference. Fellow outfielder Gio Brusa leads the Tigers with a .356 batting average during WCC play. The junior has a team-high .527 slugging percentage so far this season. Shortstop Brett Sullivan paces Pacific with 27 RBIs and seven home runs. Twenty-one of his 50 hits have gone for extra bases. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .266, which is tied for seventh in the WCC.
• Right hander Will Lydon is tied atop the West Coast Conference with 12 games started. He has a 5.07 ERA in 71 innings. The sophomore has a 1-8 record on the mound, with a complete game performance this season. His 54 strikeouts are a team-high. Right hander Sean Bennetts has a 1-5 record with a 5.01 ERA in 46.2 innings and 12 appearances. Michael Benson and Jake Jenkins, both right handers, have both won multiple games on the mound. Benson is 2-3 with a 5.11 ERA in 56.1 innings, while Jenkins is 3-6 with a 7.12 ERA in 54.1 innings. Right hander and closer Vince Arobio is fourth in the conference with seven saves this season. He has made 19 appearances and held opponents to .207 batting. Right hander Mike Hager is fifth in the WCC with 22 appearances. He is 1-3 with 5.06 ERA.

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES
Infielder Taylor Jones has roared into the starting lineup, hitting .424 (39x92) since breaking into the lineup 23 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, topping all hitters with a .478/.500/.710 slash line in conference play. He's added 14 RBIs and 12 runs against WCC opponents, among the squad's top three in both categories. Just as importantly, he's given the Zags solid defense at first base with a .988 fielding percentage in WCC play and the ability to collect both high and low throws to the bag. After finally meeting the NCAA's minimum requirements on plate appearances and games played, Jones is also 12th in the nation with a .396 batting average and 40th with a .632 slugging percentage. He leads the conference in both categories.

TAKING THE BULL BY THE HORNS
Much of the Bulldogs' late-game success hitting the ball (they're outscoring opponents 92-49 past the sixth inning and 61-23 in innings 8 and 9) has come thanks to their ability to hit opposing bullpens. Gonzaga has hit .285 against non-starting pitchers this season and billed them for 106 runs (84 earned) in 152.2 innings, a 4.95 ERA. More than half of GU's walks (76 of 151) 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 six times this season, and all six times came against relief pitching. Last week, the Zags scored six runs off the Bruins' bullpen in 9.1 innings, but only two of those runs were earned.

STARTING LINES
Gonzaga will send RHPs Andrew Sopko, Brandon Bailey, and Eli Morgan to the mound this weekend...Sopko is 7-4 on the year, going 5-1 in his last six starts. He saw a five-game win streak snapped May 1 at UCLA, allowing three runs (two earned) in 5.0 innings while striking out four. In his last six outings, Sopko's posted a 1.63 ERA, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in 38.2 innings with 36 strikeouts. Throughout the entire year, he's allowed two or fewer earned runs in 10 of his 12 starts and has seven quality starts. He's one of four pitchers in the WCC with seven wins and sixth in ERA...Bailey threw 7.0 scoreless innings May 2 at UCLA, keeping the Zags in a 1-1 ballgame before they scored five in the seventh inning. The Friday night starter to begin the year, Bailey was pushed off-schedule by strep throat against Saint Mary's; he bounced back from the sickness to throw his first complete game shutout against the Gaels April 12, allowing just four hits and striking out nine. The ace already has seven ultra-quality starts of 7.0+ innings pitched and two runs or less allowed...Morgan will be making his second career start after going 5.1 innings and allowing four earned runs in his first May 3 at UCLA. In that start, he stretched a scoreless-inning streak to 14.0 before ceding his first run in nearly two months. His longest outing of the year is 5.2 innings in relief at UC Davis Feb. 22, but he also went 5.1 at Tulane March 8 in addition to last week's start.

GUNSOLUS ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Third baseman Mitchell Gunsolus earned Capital One Academic All-District honors Thursday. A senior, Gunsolus has posted a 3.45 GPA as a business major and will graduate on Sunday with his bachelor's degree. His season achievements have been listed elsewhere in these notes, but he will also end his GU career among the top 10 in school history with at least 107 walks and at least tied for third with 13 career triples.

SENIORS AND MOMS AND GRADS, OH MY!
As mentioned, five seniors - Abbruzza, Bigelow, Gunsolus, Cory LeBrun, and Peterson - will be honored for their hard work towards GU baseball for the last three to five years. Both Bigelow and LeBrun are working on Master's degrees, but Abbruzza, Gunsolus, and Peterson will all be receiving their Bachelor's degrees Sunday morning at Spokane Arena. Additionally, Sunday is Mother's Day, and the Gonzaga baseball team will honor their moms and all moms in attendance before the Senior Day ceremony.

BAILEY PITCHER OF THE WEEK...AGAIN
For the third time this season, Brandon Bailey was named WCC Rawlings Pitcher of the Week after shutting out the Bruins for 7.0 innings. He used his four strikeouts well, stranding eight runners during and keeping the Zags even with the second-ranked squad. His other two Pitcher of the Week awards also came when he had shutout starts: March 6 he went 8.0 innings while allowing just three hits and fanning 10 at Tulane, and on April 12 he bounced back from strep throat for his first career complete game shutout, holding to the Gaels to four hits while striking out nine. No other pitcher has earned the award three times (San Diego's David Hill has won it twice), but Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. has three Player of the Week awards.

TWO OUT, SO WHAT?
All six of the Zags' runs in their 6-1 win over #2 UCLA last Saturday came with two outs. Throughout the year, Gonzaga has posted 82 two-out RBIs, 41.5% of their 200 total RBIs. Their opponents, however, only have brought in 38 runs with two outs. As a team, the Zags are hitting .259 (124x478) with two outs, and they've drawn 40 two-out walks and were hit by 12 pitches for an on-base percentage of .332. Mitchell Gunsolus' .339 two-out batting average is tops on the team, and he's also drawn eight two-out walks and been plunked once with two down. Three other Zags that see regular playing time are hitting .300 or better in that situation.