Friday, February 22
Northridge, Calif.
2 p.m.
Gonzaga University
at
CSUN
Photo by: Zachary Lucy
Baseball Hits Road to Northridge for Four Games
2/21/2019 3:02:00 PM | Baseball
Doubleheader Saturday between single games Friday and Sunday
Gonzaga (1-3) at CSU Northridge (2-2)
Northridge, Calif. | Matador Field
Live Video (GAME 1 ONLY) | Live Stats | Live Audio (CSUN Broadcast)
Friday, Feb. 22 | 2 p.m.
RHP Casey Legumina (0-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Walker Armstrong (0-0, 7.36)
Saturday, Feb. 23 | 10:30 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Game 1: RHP Alek Jacob (0-1, 7.50) vs. LHP Wesley Moore (0-0, 5.79)
Game 2: LHP Mac Lardner (0-1, 9.00) vs. LHP Isaiah Nunez (1-0, 3.00)
Sunday, Feb. 24 | 1 p.m.
LHP Justin Blatner (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Blake Sodersten (0-0, 4.15)
2019 Is Underway
- Gonzaga went 1-3 at the Collegiate Baseball Classic in Surprise, Arizona, to open the season. The Zags fell to Minnesota on Friday, No. 5/8 Oregon State on Saturday and New Mexico on Sunday, but defeated Minnesota on Monday.
- LHP Justin Blatner went 6.0 innings with 11 strikeouts in a career-best performance, allowing just two unearned runs on one hit with one walk.
- Newcomer Ryan Sullivan was 5-for-14 (.357) on the week, scoring five times and hitting one home run. INF Ernie Yake also had five hits and knocked in four runs in four games.
Bright Spots
- Along with Ryan Sullivan's five-hit week, newcomer Brett Harris started the final two games and reached four times with two hits, a walk and a HBP. He also drove in two runs and scored twice.
- Troy Johnston returned after missing most of last season with a hand injury to collect four hits with a team-high three doubles. He also had three RBI and reached twice via walk to collect a .353 on-base percentage.
- In the bullpen, Emory transfer Billy Dimlow threw 2.0 innings of shutout relief, allowing just one hit and striking out three.
- Left-handed Trent Schulte also returned after a late-season hand injury last year to throw 1.2 innings of shutout relief, allowing just one hit and striking out two.
Season Opening Notes
- The Zags return 20 players from 2018 (35 on roster).
- GU was selected as the preseason West Coast Conference favorite by the league's 10 head coaches. GU earned five first-place votes.
- RHP Casey Legumina and 3B Ernie Yake were named to the Preseason All-WCC Squad.
- Head coach Mark Machtolf is entering his 16th season at the helm of the program, and his 29th season on the Gonzaga coaching staff overall. He has a career record of 450-363-2.
Closer to Starter
- Friday starter Casey Legumina enters the season as a Preseason All-America Second Team selection by Collegiate Baseball.
- Legumina closed games for the Zags in 2018 to the tune of a school-record 13 saves.
- The Chandler, Arizona, native appeared in 26 games overall in 2018, finishing with a 3-3 record in 48.2 innings pitched. He had 52 strikeouts with only seven walks and recorded a 2.77 earned-run average on the year, while being named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list.
- Legumina was drafted in the 35th round by the Cleveland Indians in the 2018 MLB Draft.
2018 Recap
- GU went 33-24 last season and won the West Coast Conference Tournament title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. GU outscored its opponents 34-5 in three games at the league tournament.
- At the Minneapolis Regional, GU went 1-2 with a pair of losses to UCLA and a win over Canisius as the No. 3 seed.
- The NCAA bid marked GU's second in the last three seasons after earning an at-large bid in the 2016 season.
- It also marked the third straight year with a WCC title. GU won a share of the regular season title in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Pitching and Defense
- Gonzaga ranked in the top 10 in the nation in 2018 in both fielding percentage and earned-run average
- GU was No. 2 in the nation in fielding percentage at .984.
- The Zags ranked No. 9 in team earned-run average at 3.12.
More Pitching
- Along with Legumina making the leap from closer to starter, the Zags return two of the league's best from 2018 in Alek Jacob and Mac Lardner.
- Jacob, a sophomore right-hander, went 7-5 with a 2.88 ERA and .199 batting average against in his freshman season.
- Lardner, a junior left-hander, was 7-4 with a 2.95 ERA.
Offensive Production Returning
- Sophomore 3B Ernie Yake was the Zags' top threat on offense as a freshman in 2018. He hit a team-leading .322 with 76 hits, including 15 doubles, both team-highs. Yake struck out only 20 times in 236 at-bats.
- Senior C Austin Pinorini will also provide some offensive punch after turning in on down the stretch last season. He earned both WCC All-Tournament and NCAA All-Region honors, going 7-for-13 with a homer at the WCC Tournament and 4-for-10 at the NCAA Regionals.
New Faces
- SS Josh Bristyan comes to Gonzaga after a stellar career at Paradise Valley [Ariz.] Community College. He was named NJCAA Division II First Team All-American in addition to being named to the 2018 ABCA/Rawlings NJCAA Div. II Gold Glove Team, making him a two-time recipient of the award.
- RHP Nick Trogrlic-Iverson chose the Zags over pro ball after being drafted in the 15th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Oakville, Ontario native spent two seasons at Central Arizona College, going 8-3 on the season with six complete games. In 76.2 innings pitched, he posted a 2.35 ERA with 91 strikeouts and 20 earned runs.
Follow the Zags
- Follow all the action for Gonzaga women's tennis on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with @zagsbaseball or on GoZags.com.
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