(3) Gonzaga (32-22) vs. (2) UCLA (36-19)
11 a.m. PT/1 p.m. CT | Seibert Field | Minneapolis, Minn.
Watch: ESPN3.com | Live stats

PROBABLES
Friday, June 1: RHP Daniel Bies (7-4, 2.50) vs. RHP Jake Bird (7-4, 1.99 ERA)

Gonzaga Game Notes

WEEKLY RECAP
- Gonzaga dominated the WCC Tournament on the way to its first title since the league tournament moved to a four-team regional-style format in 2013.
- GU outscored opponents 34-5 in the three games, winning the title game 17-2 over Pepperdine. In that game, Jake Vieth went 4-for-6 with two homers and six RBI.
- The Zags opened the tournament with a 13-1 win over Loyola Marymount, and then dispatched Pepperdine 4-2 in the semifinal before facing the Waves again in the title game.
- Along with Vieth's Most Outstanding Player award, Austin Pinorini, Daniel Bies and Mac Lardner were all-named to the All-Tournament team.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
- Gonzaga is tied for the highest total of games decided by two runs or fewer with 30. The Zags are 7-11 in one-run games and 8-4 in two-run games.

PITCHING AND DEFENSE WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS
- In the three games GU played on the way to a WCC Tournament championship, the pitching staff combined for a 1.67 ERA and held opponents to a .140 batting average, while the defense committed just one error for a .991 fielding percentage.
- GU is ranked No. 6 in the nation with a 2.96 team ERA and No. 2 in the nation with a .985 fielding pct.

MORE DEFENSE
- The defense has been one of the best in the nation, and currently rank as the best of the 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament and second nationally with a .985 fielding percentage, just .0003 behind Yale.
- The Zags have committed just 30 errors all year, second in the nation behind only Yale's 25, and just one during the three games at the WCC Tournament.
- GU is also in the top 100 in double plays and double plays per game defensively.
- Catcher Austin Pinorini has been one of the best in the nation at throwing out baserunners, catching 18 of 42 would-be base stealers (43 percent).

BIES!
- GU's Friday starter all year long, the 6-foot-8 Daniel Bies has thrown three complete games this year, his most recent coming in a shutout of San Francisco that earned him one of his two Rawlings/WCC Pitcher of the Week Honors.
- Bies pitched his second complete game of the season in a 2-1 loss at Pacific. His first complete game came in a 4-1 win over Milwaukee earlier this year.
- Bies led the team in strikeouts and innings pitched, ranking 23rd in the nation with 115 strikeouts and 29th in the nation with a sub-1.00 WHIP of 0.98.

WCC CHAMPIONSHIP CHARGE
- Gonzaga posted 34 runs in three games at the WCC Tournament, including 17 runs in the title game. - For the three-game tournament, GU hit .378 as a team with six home runs and 12 doubles.
- Jake Vieth led the way, going 7-for-13 (.538) with two homers and seven RBI, while Austin Pinorini was also 7-for-13 (.538) with a homer and six RBI. Both of Vieth's homers came in a four-hit, six-RBI title game performance that won him Most Outstanding Player honors for the tournament.

HEATING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME
- Over the last 15 games, the Zags are 12-3 and hitting .312 as a team, including a .418 mark from Ernie Yake and a .417 mark from Jake Vieth. GU has outscored opponents 104-35 during the stretch.
- Five players have at least three homers, led by Nick Brooks' five, and at least 11 RBI, led by Vieth's 16.
- Ernie Yake has a team-high six doubles during that stretch, while six other Zags have at least three.

IS FRESHMAN, PLAYS LIKE SENIOR
- Redshirt freshman Ernie Yake has been on a tear over the last 15 games, raising his batting average from 38 points from .289 to a team-leading .327, going 28-for-67 (.418) with a .473 on-base percentage, team-high 14 runs scored and nine RBI. He's only struck out four times in the stretch.
- Yake leads the team with a .393 batting average (24-for-61) with two outs.
- A left-handed bat, Yake has also transcended the lefty-lefty matchup, hitting .368 (21-for-57) vs. LHP.
- Just as impressive, Yake's glove in the field has also been one of the best, posting just four errors in 128 chances this season at third base (.969).

SHUT THE DOOR
- Casey Legumina has been one of the best closers in the nation this year, ranking 17th with his school-record 13 saves on the year.
- Legumina hasn't just been lights out in the ninth inning as seven of this 13 saves have been at least 2.0 innings and all three of his wins have come in appearances of at least 2.0 innings. He also three 3.0-inning saves on the year.
- Legumina has 52 strikeouts in 47.1 innings on the year, and has walked just seven batters.

HOMER NOTES
- Nick Brooks found his power stroke over the last 15 games, posting a team-high five home runs in that stretch. He's second on the team with seven home runs on the year, despite playing in just 42 games and starting just 30 of 54.
- Jake Vieth leads the team with 10 homers on the year, including two crucial bombs in the WCC title game, a two-run shot that made the score 2-0, and a three-run shot that made it 6-2.

SENIOR PRODUCTION
- Seniors Branson Trube and Gunnar Schubert have been two of the most productive Zags this season, ranking first and second on the team in RBIs with 37 and 36, and are second and third in total hits with 62 and 60.
- Of Schubert's 37 RBI, 17 have come with two outs, on ahead of Trube's 16 for most on the team.

STREAKS
- Schubert had his GU season-high 25-game on-base streak snapped vs. Stanford, two games after his 17-game hit streak was snapped at Saint Mary's.
- Jake Vieth also had a recent 14-game hit streak snapped, while Ernie Yake also posted a 10-game hit streak earlier this season.
- Vieth also enters the NCAA Tournament on a 16-game on-base streak, third-highest on the team this year.

PATIENCE, MY FRIEND
- Jake Vieth is the most-patient Zag, leading the team with 34 walks, five more than Gunnar Schubert's total of 29. He also has 11 HBPs, second behind Carson Breshears' 16.
- Second on the team in batting average, Vieth's 45 free passes (walks + HBPs) have given him the highest OBP on the team at .424, 32 points higher than any teammate.

MIXED BAG OF HITTING NOTES
- Branson Trube and Ernie Yake lead GU with 21 multi-hit games, followed by 19 for Gunnar Schubert. - Schubert and Yake are each 5-for-10 (.500) with the bases loaded this season.
- Nick Brooks leads the team in hitting with two outs, going 17-for-40 (.425) in that situation.
- Schubert has also been fantastic with runners on any base when he comes to bat, going 37-for-105 (.352) when there's a Zag aboard.
- GU left fielder Isaac Barrera has a small sample size, but leads the team in batting average with runners in scoring position at .333 (6-for-18).

TEAM PITCHING NOTES
- Gonzaga pitching has been one of the best staffs in the nation this season, ranking 6th in ERA, , 7th in WHIP, 18th in shutouts, and 21st in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Gonzaga pitching has been stout in West Coast Conference action, allowing WCC hitters just a .242 batting average with a 2.76 ERA, the best marks in the league.
- GU pitchers have held opponents to just a .214 batting average with two outs on the season, including a .192 mark (20-for-104) from Lardner.
- The Gonzaga bullpen has collected 11 victories and 14 saves on the season.

JACOB DELIVERS
- Freshman Alek Jacob has been excellent in his true freshman season playing for his hometown team. A North Central High School grad just down the street from Gonzaga, the side-armer has a 2.94 ERA and held opponents to a team-best .196 batting average on the year.
- He's in the top 30 in the nation and tied with Daniel Bies for the team lead with a 0.98 WHIP.
- He has two complete games and pitched the bulk of the innings in three combined shutouts this year. - Jacob has 90 Ks, second on the team, and just 28 walks on the year.

LARDNER BRINGS SUNDAY BEST
- Left-handed Sunday starter Mac Lardner has been the back-end of a fantastic weekend rotation for the Zags, compiling a 2.67 ERA on the year with one complete game and seven wins, tied for the team lead.
- His complete game came in a 10-2 win over New Mexico State with a career-high 8 Ks against a team that came into the series hitting .327 as a team and a 33-16 record.

NEW LOOK GONZAGA:
- Gonzaga has 35 players on the 2018 roster: 21 returners (18 who saw action at least once last season) and 14 newcomers...three Zags redshirted last season.
- The Zags return four starting fielders (Jake Vieth, Gunnar Schubert, Daniel Fredrickson, and Troy Johnston)...furthermore, six other returners saw time in the starting lineup last season.
- From the rotation, RHPs Daniel Bies and Casey Legumina and LHP Mac Lardner all spent a significant part of 2017 as starters...LHPs Calvin LeBrun and Justin Blatner also each started one game.
- Of the newcomers, nine are freshmen and five are transfers...redshirt juniors Carson Breshears and Slade Heggen came to GU from Gonzaga, junior Austin Pinorini from Bellevue College, junior Taylor Davis from Lower Columbia College, and Matthew Henckel from Tacoma Community College.

LOOK BACK AT 2017:
- Gonzaga captured its second consecutive share of the West Coast Conference title last season, ending WCC play with a 20-7 record after sweeping BYU in the final series...the Zags shared the title with BYU and Loyola Marymount.
- Overall, GU went 33-20 in 2017...they reached the title game of the WCC Championship tournament.
- Head coach Mark Machtolf was named WCC Coach of the Year after leading the Zags to their fourth WCC title since 2009...he also picked up his 400th career victory in April 2017...he's No. 2 in Gonzaga history. and No. 6 in WCC history (third among active coaches) with 417 career wins.
- Junior RHP Eli Morgan picked up various All-America honors as well as Second Team All-Region and First Team All-WCC honors...five others received some sort of All-WCC accolades, including Daniel Fredrickson's Honorable Mention and Troy Johnston's All-Freshman Team designations.
- Morgan was one of six Zags selected in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft...in all, nine Bulldogs signed pro deals after the season.