BASE Looks to Take WCC Title in San Diego
5/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 18, 2016
Gonzaga Notes | San Diego Notes
Gonzaga at San Diego
May 19-21 | San Diego, Calif. | Fowler Park
May 19-21 | San Diego, Calif. | Fowler Park
| Thursday, May 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Live Video | |
| Friday, May 20 | 6:00 p.m. | Live Video | |
| Saturday, May 21 | 6:30 p.m. | Live Video |
ABOUT GONZAGA:
- The Zags are riding a six-game win streak after a 5-2 win over regional foe Washington State, clinching the season sweep versus the Cougars. Justin Vernia and Calvin LeBrun combined to two-hit the Cougars, Gonzaga's fewest hits allowed since 2011, while four runs in the second inning were the bulk of Gonzaga's offensive production. Pitching also starred in Gonzaga's recent sweep at LMU; starters Brandon Bailey and Eli Morgan each pitched complete games in Los Angeles with Bailey allowing one run in game one while Morgan shut out the Lions in the second. During the series finale, the Bulldogs scored three times in extra innings for a 9-7 win.
- Head coach Mark Machtolf is in his 13th season at the helm of the program. He's put together a 379-313-2 record (including this season's results) as manager and is the second in program history in terms of wins and third in win percentage (.548). He's also the second-longest tenured coach in program history behind Steve Hertz (24 years, 1978, 1981-2003). Before becoming head coach, Machtolf was an assistant for 13 years as well; this is his 26th season with Gonzaga baseball.
A BUNCH OF ROADIES:
- Gonzaga continues its season-ending 13-game road trip in Southern California with three games at San Diego and one at UC Santa Barbara next Monday. After their brief stop in Santa Barbara, they'll continue north to Stockton for the WCC Championships, which begin Thursday, May 26th at Banner Island Ballpark.
- The Zags are 21-11 in road games this year, sweeping three-game series at UTSA, Pacific, and LMU and two-gamers at Oregon and Washington State to go with series splits at Grand Canyon and Washington. They've also won a single-game series at Arkansas. Their 21 road wins are the tied with Kent State for the most in the nation, and they're the program's most since at least 2003.
- After returning from the WCC Championships, the Zags will have travelled 28,828 miles and made four trips out of the Pacific time zone this season. Of their 50 regular season games, 40 of them are away from Spokane with 36 being true road games. They've had two road trips of at least 13 games: this 13-game season-ender and a 15-game stretch to begin the year.
THERE'S STILL WORK TO DO:
- Even though the Zags are already guaranteed a berth at the WCC Championships, they aren't done yet as they chase a WCC regular season title. Gonzaga leads the conference with a 16-8 WCC record and sits one game ahead of both BYU and Saint Mary's, who are tied with a 15-9 conference mark. Two wins at San Diego would clinch at least a share of the WCC title, and a sweep would give the Zags the title outright. The Zags have two regular season WCC titles in program history, those coming in 2009 and 2013.
- Looking nationally, last weekend's sweep at LMU has boosted the Zags into numerous NCAA Tournament projects. Gonzaga's RPI sits at 36 (as of Wednesday, May 18) with three games at San Diego (RPI of 128) and one at UCSB (RPI of 21).
TURKEYS FOR EVERYONE:
- Gonzaga's pitchers have been great at stringing together three strikes all season, combining for 417 Ks in 46 games. They're second in the conference in strikeouts and are on pace to fan 453 batters, which would shatter the program's single-season record of 422 (they're already just six strikeouts away from breaking the mark). They do lead the conference and are 12th in the nation with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings, and their 2.37 staff strikeout/walk ratio also tops the conference.
- Two Zags are among the WCC's top four in strikeouts as junior Brandon Bailey has fanned 100 batters (second in the WCC, 16th in D1), and Morgan's sat down 90 (4th WCC, 34th D1). Both along with RHP Hunter Wells are among the WCC's Top 10 in strikeouts per nine innings as Bailey averages 11.34 Ks per nine (2nd WCC, 22nd D1), Wells fans 9.25 every 9.0 innings, (6th WCC, 115th D1), and Morgan fans 9.17 (7th WCC, 124th D1).
- Bailey's season K/9 ratio is the team's second-highest over the last eight years (min. 15 innings pitched), second only to sophomore RHP Gage Burland, who's fanned 26 in 19.0 innings for a 12.32 strikeouts-per-nine mark this year. His 100 strikeouts are also tied for the eighth-most in a single season in program history. He's only nine strikeouts shy of a place in the Top 5. Darin Blood has the school record with 144 Ks during the 1995 season; Steve Bennett is fifth with 109 in 2000.
- Junior RHP and closer Wyatt Mills leads the bullpen with 33 strikeouts in relief, and after a career-high seven strikeouts Tuesday at Washington State, LeBrun is second with 27. Burland leads the relievers with a 4.00 strikeout/walk percentage in relief appearances (12 Ks, 3 BBs), while Sam Hellinger's 2.78 K/BB mark is second. (25 Ks, 9 BBs).
PREVIOUSLY VERSUS THE TOREROS:
- Home teams have dominated the series between Gonzaga and San Diego recently. Neither has picked up a road series win since 2005 when the Zags took two of three off the Toreros in San Diego and USD returned the favor in Spokane later that year. Gonzaga won the series two games to one last year, picking up a 2-1 win during game two and 9-1 win in game three to clinch the series. They lost all three games the last time they were in San Diego for the 2014 season.
- 1B Taylor Jones leads the Gonzaga hitters with a .500 batting average vs. San Diego, going 6-for-12 with a double and pair of RBIs last year against the Toreros. Four of those hits came April 4 to equal a career high. 2B Justin Jacobs is hitting .273 vs. USD with three hits, two runs, and two RBIs, all of which came last year, too.
- On the mound, Burland and RHP Hunter Wells each have a 0.00 ERA against San Diego, Burland pitching 3.0 innings last year and Wells seeing one inning of work. Bailey is the only Zag pitcher with starting experience vs. USD, posting a 1-1 record. As a freshman in 2014, he gave up four runs in seven innings as USD won 4-1, but he bounced back with a strong start last year, holding the Toreros to just one run in 8.2 innings, striking out six and not issuing any free passes.
PITCHING LINES:
- Bailey's season strikeout totals have been covered already, but the junior is 11th among all active players and third among juniors with 253 career strikeouts, and he's tied for 15th overall with 22 career wins. The Broomfield, Colo., native is coming off his first complete game of the year (sixth of his career), allowing one run while striking out 10 at LMU. He's started 12 games this year, striking out at least five batters in 11 of them and allowing one run or fewer in nine; he's posted nine quality starts this year as well. The three-year ace has allowed just one earned run or fewer in seven of his eight conference starts.
- Saturday's starter RHP Eli Morgan has been just as good as Bailey lately, winning seven of his last nine starts while posting a 2.06 ERA since GU's series at UTSA in the middle of March. During that stretch, he twice set career highs in strikeouts while tossing three complete games and two shutouts, including last week's 11-strikeout, six-hit performance in LA. Those 11 Ks equaled the Rancho Palos Verde's native's career high. In conference play, Morgan is undefeated at 7-0 with a 66/15 strikeout-walk ratio, and batters are hitting just .227 off him. Since breaking into the Zags' starting rotation at the end of the 2015 season, Morgan's posted a 3.30 ERA in 16 starts; he's pitched 109.0 innings as a starter and allowed 40 earned runs in those starts.
- RHP Hunter Wells has re-emerged as the Zags' third starter after a run of five strong appearances April 17-May 10. During that run, he tallied a 0.93 ERA, pitched 6.0 innings twice, and only allowed one or zero earned runs. Last week at LMU, his stretch of limiting the runs ended, but Wells bounced back from a four-run fifth inning to pitch a perfect sixth for his fourth career six-inning outing. The junior from Spokane is sixth in the WCC with 9.25 strikeouts per nine innings, and he's fanned a total of 61 batters this year.
LAST GAME'S STARTING LINEUP:
| Pos. | No. | Name | Yr. | Notable |
| C | 27 | Joey Harris | Sr. | Caught 6 of 6 Toreros stealing last year, including 3 on April 2 (gm. 1) |
| 1B | 22 | Taylor Jones | Sr. | Tops WCC, 20th in D1 with 20 2B, 1st/5th with 0.44 per game |
| 2B | 37 | Justin Jacobs | Jr. | Reached base 10 times in last four games; team-best .449 ob% |
| 3B | 17 | Jeff Bohling | RJr. | Team leader in slugging (.541), runs (42), RBIs (42), 3Bs (4), HRs (7) |
| SS | 5 | Dustin Breshears | RSr. | Tied season high with three RBIs in 4-1 win at LMU May 13 |
| LF | 11 | Sam Brown | RJr. | 20-game on base streak ties career best; .406 ob% during streak |
| CF | 16 | Tyler Frost | So. | Averaging nearly an RBI per game; nine multi-RBI games |
| RF | 2 | Jace VanDeBrake | RFr. | .381 avg. with 8 Hs, 7 RBIs, two go-ahead RBIs at ORE, LMU |
| DH | 32 | Nick Brooks | RSo. | 4 HRs, 12 RBIs, .581 slugging in last 13 Gs (since 4/19 at WSU) |
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