One Last Regular Season Game for Gonzaga
5/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 22, 2016
Gonzaga at UC Santa Barbara
May 23 | Santa Barbara, Calif. | Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
May 23 | Santa Barbara, Calif. | Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
| Monday, May 23 | 3:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video |
ABOUT GONZAGA:
- With two wins at San Diego over the weekend, Gonzaga clinched a share of the WCC regular season title, the third in program history. On Thursday, May 19, the Bulldogs used a four-run eighth inning to stun the Toreros 7-6, eliminating the hosts from WCC Championship contention. The next day, GU picked up a share of the league title with an 8-0 win and a second consecutive shutout from RHP Eli Morgan. On Saturday, San Diego leapt out to a 6-0 lead and held on, preventing the Bulldogs from claiming the league crown outright.
- Head coach Mark Machtolf is in his 13th season at the helm of the program. He's put together a 381-314-2 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.
- THINK OF ALL THE MILES WE'RE GETTING!:
- Gonzaga wraps up a season on the road with a single game at UC Santa Barbara. The contest caps a stretch of 13 road games to end the regular season, the Zags' second-longest road trip of the year. After a layover in Santa Barbara, the Bulldogs continue north to Stockton for the WCC Championships, which begin Thursday, May 26th, at Banner Island Ballpark.
- The Zags are 23-12 in road games this year, sweeping a three-game series at UTSA, Pacific, and LMU and two-gamers at Oregon and Washington State to go with a series win at San Diego and splits at Grand Canyon and Washington. They've also won a single-game series at Arkansas. Their 23 road wins are tied with Wright State for second-most in the nation (Bryant leads D1 with 24), and they are 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.
WCC CHAMPIONS...AND CHAMPIONSHIPS:
- The Zags clinched a share of the WCC regular season title in San Diego, tying BYU and Saint Mary's with an 18-9 conference mark for a three-way deadlock atop the conference ladder. While all three clubs will share the regular season title, the Gaels have the top seed at the conference tournament and BYU takes the No. 2 seed. Gonzaga's the third seed and Pepperdine is fourth. The Zags will begin the 2016 WCC Championship with a 7:00 p.m. contest on Thursday, May 26, against the Cougars.
- Gonzaga now has three WCC regular season titles after winning the league pennant outright in both 2009 and 2013. This is also their third berth to the WCC Championships, a four-team tournament to decide which club gets the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the fourth year of the WCC Championships as the Zags were the top seed in its first year (2013) and were the three-seed one year later.
- Looking nationally, the Zags have the 30th-best RPI in Division I, leading BYU by 17 spots and Saint Mary's by 41. This final game at UC Santa Barbara (RPI of 21) will be one last chance for the Zags to pick up a Top 25 win and solidify their bid for an NCAA Regionals berth. They haven't been to the NCAA Regionals since 2009, when they won the WCC Series two games to none over Loyola Marymount in Spokane.
TURKEYS FOR EVERYONE:
- Gonzaga's pitchers have been great at stringing together three strikes all season, combining for 436 Ks in 49 games. They're second in the conference in strikeouts and have already broken the program record for Ks in a season, which fell Thursday night in San Diego. The Bulldogs lead the conference and are 15th in the nation with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings, and their 2.30 staff strikeout/walk ratio also tops the conference (figures and rankings as of May 20).
- Two Zags are among the WCC's top four in strikeouts as junior Brandon Bailey has fanned 103 batters (second in the WCC, 15th in D1), and RHP Eli Morgan's sat down 90 (4th WCC, 45th D1). Both along with RHP Hunter Wells are among the WCC's Top 10 in strikeouts per nine innings as Bailey averages 10.99 Ks per nine (2nd WCC, 29th D1), Wells fans 9.25 every 9.0 innings, (6th WCC, 114th D1), and Morgan fans 9.17 (7th WCC, 121st D1) (again, figures and rankings as of May 20).
- 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 103 strikeouts are seventh-most in a single season in program history, and he's only six 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 35 strikeouts in relief, and after a career-high seven strikeouts May 17 at Washington State, LHP Calvin LeBrun is second with 28. Burland leads the relievers with a 4.00 strikeout/walk ratio in relief appearances (12 Ks, 3 BBs), while RHP Sam Hellinger's 2.17 K/BB mark is second. (26 Ks, 12 BBs).
JUST REACH, BABY:
- Gonzaga did a solid job of taking first base in San Diego, reaching base 51 times in 131 opportunities for an on base percentage of .389. Eight of the Zags' nine starters drew either a walk or a hit by pitch from the Toreros' pitching staff, topped by Nick Brooks' two walks and two HBPs. His .500 on base percentage led the team, but both Justin Jacobs and Taylor Jones were right behind the redshirt sophomore with .467 on base percentages; Jones posted five hits and walked twice while Jacobs collected four base knocks, walked twice, and was hit once.
- On the year, Jacobs leads the team with a .451 on base percentage and entered last Friday's game with the third highest mark in the WCC. Five Zags have OBPs of .400 or better this season, including Joey Harris' .422, which is second on the team and 152 points higher than his batting average. The senior catcher has drawn 21 walks and has been plunked by 13 pitches on the year. Jones (.405), Sam Brown (.401), and Brooks (.400) are also at or above .400 on the year. Brown, the leadoff hitter, leads the club with 30 walks.
PITCHING LINE:
- RHP Justin Vernia will be making his sixth start of the year and second in six days after also starting May 17 at Washington State in Pasco, Wash., Against the Cougars, he pitched 4.1 innings and equaled a season high five strikeouts while allowing two runs on two hits, both marks are his best in a start this season. Between a start at Saint Mary's March 25 and the one against the Cougars, Vernia made four relief appearances, including scoreless outings at Pacific and at home against Portland. Vernia started out his GU career with two quality starts, allowing two earned runs - three total - in 7.0 innings of work Feb. 20 at Grand Canyon, suffering an unfortunate loss as the Zags were held scoreless. He also tossed 6.1 innings of two-run ball Feb. 27 versus Bradley, striking out five.
- An Issaquah, Wash. native, Vernia was the staff ace at Tacoma Community College for the last two years. He went 22-0 during his two-year JC career, posting a 1.46 career ERA and 141 strikeouts. Last year as a sophomore, he went 11-0 and pitched 84.1 innings in thirteen starts, posting a strikeout-walk ratio of 5.47 (82 strikeouts to 15 walks).
LAST GAME'S STARTING LINEUP:
| Pos. | No. | Name | Yr. | Notable |
| C | 27 | Joey Harris | Sr. | Hit .385 with 5 RBIs and .429 on base percentage in San Diego |
| 1B | 22 | Taylor Jones | Sr. | Led team with .417 avg., five hits, three XBH (2 2B, 1 HR) at USD |
| 2B | 37 | Justin Jacobs | Jr. | .357 avg., .486 on base percentage in last nine games |
| 3B | 17 | Jeff Bohling | RJr. | Team leader in slugging (.531), runs (44), 3Bs (4), HRs (7) |
| SS | 5 | Dustin Breshears | RSr. | Only Zag to start all 101 games over last two seasons |
| LF | 11 | Sam Brown | RJr. | 23-game on base streak is 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. | Nine multi-hit, six multi-RBI games in first season of play |
| DH | 32 | Nick Brooks | RSo. | 5 HRs, 15 RBIs, .600 slugging in last 16 Gs (since 4/19 at WSU) |
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