Tuesday, March 21
Spokane, Wash.
6 p.m.
Gonzaga University
vs
Washington State
Zags Host In-State Rival Washington State for Midweek Matchup Tuesday
3/20/2023 1:36:00 PM | Baseball
GU is 12-3 against WSU since 2016; Has won five of last six meetings
SPOKANE, Wash. – Coming off a 4-1 week that concluded with a three-game sweep of San Francisco to open West Coast Conference play, Gonzaga Baseball (6-12, 3-0 WCC) plays host to Washington State (14-5, 3-3 Pac-12) in a non conference midweek matchup at Coach Steve Hertz Field at Patterson Baseball Complex on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Tuesday's matchup between the Bulldogs and Cougars is the first of three between the regional rivals this season, with a rematch in Spokane on April 18 and a final game in Pullman on May 2. The two teams split a two-game season series last year, with the Bulldogs dominating Game One in Spokane 12-0 before WSU snapped a five-game losing streak to GU with a 6-5 win at Bailey-Brayton Field.
The Bulldogs started the season 1-11 but have won three straight and five of their last six, looking to keep building momentum after a grueling 15-game stretch to open the season that included four multi-game series against Top-60 RPI opponents – Texas Tech, Grand Canyon, Tennessee, UC Irvine – with three on the road. They're off to a hot start in WCC play, averaging 15 hits and 8.7 runs per game over the last weekend while holding San Francisco to 2.67 runs a game in the same span.
Meanwhile, the Cougars are on a two-game losing streak for the first time this season after falling to Oregon on Saturday and Sunday in a three-game Pac-12 series in Pullman. They entered Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Top 25 at No. 20 on Monday after a series win over No. 15 Oregon State in Corvallis lifted them to 13-2 on the season, but went 1-3 last week with the two losses to the Ducks and a midweek setback to San Francisco at home. Head Coach Brian Green's squad was picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll, but is 3-3 in six conference games against the two teams picked to finish No. 2 and No. 5 in the league, respectively.
Last season, Head Coach Mark Machtolf's Bulldogs earned a program-best No. 10 ranking and their second straight year with a win in the NCAA Tournament — the first time in program history they've done so under the current format — after appearing as a #2 seed in the 2022 Blacksburg Regional. The Zags are defending WCC Regular Season Champions and picked by the league's coaches to repeat for the second straight season after matching their best record in conference play (20-7) the past two seasons.
Tuesday's matchup will be broadcast via SWX locally and WCC Network on Stadium out-of-region, with first pitch set for 6 p.m . Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
GONZAGA (6-12, 3-0 WCC) VS. WASHINGTON STATE (14-5, 3-3 Pac-12)
Patterson Baseball Complex | Spokane, Wash.
March 21, 6 p.m | Live Stats | Stream | Tickets
ALL-TIME SERIES
- Of the 12 current Pac-12 institutions, GU has faced Washington State the most, with an 88-127 all-time record in the series. Since 2016, GU is 12-3 against the Cougars – they've faced each other multiple times in each season since 2000.
- Since 2003, the series is tied up at 32-32 -- Mark Machtolf is 28-29 against the Cougars in his 20 years as GU Head Coach.
LAST TIME OUT
- Gonzaga opened up WCC play with a three-game sweep of San Francisco at home, averaging 15 hits and 8.7 runs per game while pulling away late in each game behind solid starts on the mound from Wild, Rutherford and Mueller.
- GU plated six unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth frames to take control late in a 10-4 win in the opener, with Wild throwing a career-high 8.0 innings with 12 punchouts.
- The Dons took a 7-5 lead in the top of the eighth in game two, but timely RBI singles from Apodaca and Kalmer provided three runs in the bottom of the frame and Mullan kept USF off the board in the ninth to seal the series win.
- GU completed the sweep with a 8-2 win in the finale thanks to another big day from Stem - who went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI – and an eight-frame start from Mueller, who struck out seven while only being tagged for three hits and one earned run.
ZAGS SWINGING HOT BATS
- As a team, GU batted for a .340 average in two road matchups with Minnesota and three at home with San Francisco – Brock Bozett (.500), Enzo Apodaca (.455) and Sam Stem (.450) all paced a Zags lineup that averaged 13.6 hits per game over the last week. Stem led the Zags in hits (8) and RBI (6) in their series with the Dons, batting .571 over three games.
- After not appearing in the Zags' home-opening series against UC Irvine, Bozett played his way back into the lineup with a six-game hit streak, including back-to-back three-hit performances against the Gophers on March 15 and the Dons on March 17 with multiple runs in both games. Bozett has gotten on base 17 times in the 10 games he's started.
- Brian Kalmer, the Zags' batting average leader and most proficient slugger (.355, .724) drove in a team-leading seven runs on eight hits over that stretch. He currently ranks No. 35 in the nation in RBI per game (1.44) and No. 48 in total RBI (26), with a team-high seven homers on the season.
PITCHERS PICKING UP STEAM
- GU's pitching has made strides as well, with freshman LHP Matthew Mueller striking out 16 over 13 combined innings in his first two starts on Tuesday and Sunday and RHP Owen Wild (8.0 IP, 4 ER, 12 K) and RHP Jacob Rutherford (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 K) both remaining effective as a Friday-Saturday duo. Rutherford carries a 3.00 ERA as a starter, and Wild has struck out 27 over his last 18.2 innings of work.
- Freshman RHP Everett Swaim notched career-highs in his first career start with five scoreless innings and 8 punchouts against Minnesota on Wednesday.
- LHP Bradley Mullan pitched 8.2 IP over three relief appearances last week without being tagged for a run, including a career-high six scoreless frames against Minnesota to help keep the Zags afloat in extra innings. He earned his first win of the season after closing out GU's series-sealing 8-7 win on Saturday.
PINALES AND COBALLES STAY HOT
- Savier Pinales batted .538 over the weekend, extending his on-base streak to 10 games after returning to the lineup following an 0-for-16 start to the season. He's racked up 15 hits in those 10 games, four of them doubles.
- Connor Coballes has gotten on base in eight straight games and scored at least one run in each while striking out only twice in that span. He ranks No. 26 among the toughest batters to strike out in the nation. After hitting just one double in the 2022 season, he has hit 4 through 18 games in 2023.
RUTHERFORD KEEPS ROLLING
- R-Jr. RHP Jacob Rutherford is 2-0 on the season, pitching his way into a Saturday starting role for the Zags and posting career-best numbers against high-caliber offenses in his last first two starts.
- A week after posting career high in innings pitched (6.0) and strikeouts (6) against a loaded Tennessee lineup in his first career start on March 4, Rutherford bested both against an Anteaters offense that was averaging 11.1 runs and 11.7 hits per game over its last seven. The 6-1 righty held UCI to just two earned runs on six hits over a full nine innings while posting a new career high in strikeouts with seven, ending the game with six consecutive scoreless frames to put the Zags in position to go ahead late. He tossed four innings that ended without a UCI runner getting on base, only walking two batters in the entire outing.
- Prior to Rutherford's performance, the Zags hadn't gotten a complete game from a pitcher since 2021, when RHP Alek Jacob threw a nine-inning shutout against LSU in the NCAA Tournament.
SEASON-OPENING NOTES
- Gonzaga was picked to win its third straight WCC Crown in the 2023 Coaches' Poll, receiving 6 of 10 first-place votes. San Diego, which won the 2023 WCC Tournament to get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, earned the other four.
Since 2016, GU has the most regular-season conference wins (115), the highest regular season conference winning percentage (.691), the most WCC Tourney appearances (5), Regular or Tournament Championships (5) and Regional appearances (4) among West Coast Conference teams.
- The Zags return 22 players from 2022 (38 on roster).
- Four GU pitchers were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft -- Gabriel Hughes (10th overall), Trystan Vrieling, William Kempner and Brody Jessee.
-A league-leading four Zags were named to the WCC Preseason Team, with Grayson Sterling, Savier Pinales, Cade McGee and Owen Wild all earning nods.
'MADE-FOR-RPI' SCHEDULE
- 13 of GU's 19 opponents in 2023 finished last season in the Top 150 in the NCAA's final RPI ranking, with two of those opponents — Tennessee and Oregon State — finishing No. 1 and No. 2 in those final rankings before hosting NCAA Regionals.
- After four games with the Raiders, GU faced Grand Canyon and Ohio State in Phoenix before hosting UC Irvine and heading to Minnesota for multiple games each before entering WCC play.
- Other highlights include a three-game series with 2022 College World Series Runner-Up Oklahoma in Spokane and a two-game midweek matchup with Oregon in Eugene.
- Zags will have a pair of crucial home series back-to-back with BYU (March 30-April 1) and 2022 WCC Tournament Champions and NCAA Regional qualifiers San Diego (April 6-8) coming to Patterson.
- A road trip to Corvallis, Ore. for two midweek games with Oregon State is up next on April 10-11, marking the 13th and 14th time they've squared off in the last five years. The Zags went 1-3 against the Beavs in 2022, dropping a pair of neutral site games in Surprise to start the year but splitting a pair on the road, with GU's 13-6 win becoming their highest-ranked win in history.
OWEN WILD, PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
- Gonzaga RHP Owen Wild was named a Preseason Second Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the outlet announced.
- The honor makes it back-to-back years that a GU pitcher picks up preseason All-America honors from the outlet after Gabriel Hughes did the same in 2022.
Initially appearing as a reliever last spring before taking over as a starter in the absence of William Kempner due to injury, Wild gained momentum as the season went on, accumulating a 9-1 record to go with a team-best 3.03 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 16 appearances. Wild's breakout year culminated in an All-Blacksburg Regional Team nod after pitching six shutout innings of relief to help cue a Bulldogs rally in an NCAA Tournament game against Wright State, as well as All-WCC Tournament and All-WCC Honorable Mention honors.
-Wild's .900 career winning percentage entering 2023 is the highest of any GU pitcher with at least 10 games of record, and the fourth-highest in a single season.
30 WINS AGAIN IN 2022
Gonzaga surpassed 30 wins for the sixth straight full season and ninth time in the last 11 seasons in 2022, finishing the season with a 37-19 overall record. During head coach Mark Machtolf's now 20 years at the helm, GU has won at least 30 games 12 times.
Tuesday's matchup between the Bulldogs and Cougars is the first of three between the regional rivals this season, with a rematch in Spokane on April 18 and a final game in Pullman on May 2. The two teams split a two-game season series last year, with the Bulldogs dominating Game One in Spokane 12-0 before WSU snapped a five-game losing streak to GU with a 6-5 win at Bailey-Brayton Field.
The Bulldogs started the season 1-11 but have won three straight and five of their last six, looking to keep building momentum after a grueling 15-game stretch to open the season that included four multi-game series against Top-60 RPI opponents – Texas Tech, Grand Canyon, Tennessee, UC Irvine – with three on the road. They're off to a hot start in WCC play, averaging 15 hits and 8.7 runs per game over the last weekend while holding San Francisco to 2.67 runs a game in the same span.
Meanwhile, the Cougars are on a two-game losing streak for the first time this season after falling to Oregon on Saturday and Sunday in a three-game Pac-12 series in Pullman. They entered Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Top 25 at No. 20 on Monday after a series win over No. 15 Oregon State in Corvallis lifted them to 13-2 on the season, but went 1-3 last week with the two losses to the Ducks and a midweek setback to San Francisco at home. Head Coach Brian Green's squad was picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll, but is 3-3 in six conference games against the two teams picked to finish No. 2 and No. 5 in the league, respectively.
Last season, Head Coach Mark Machtolf's Bulldogs earned a program-best No. 10 ranking and their second straight year with a win in the NCAA Tournament — the first time in program history they've done so under the current format — after appearing as a #2 seed in the 2022 Blacksburg Regional. The Zags are defending WCC Regular Season Champions and picked by the league's coaches to repeat for the second straight season after matching their best record in conference play (20-7) the past two seasons.
Tuesday's matchup will be broadcast via SWX locally and WCC Network on Stadium out-of-region, with first pitch set for 6 p.m . Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
GONZAGA (6-12, 3-0 WCC) VS. WASHINGTON STATE (14-5, 3-3 Pac-12)
Patterson Baseball Complex | Spokane, Wash.
March 21, 6 p.m | Live Stats | Stream | Tickets
ALL-TIME SERIES
- Of the 12 current Pac-12 institutions, GU has faced Washington State the most, with an 88-127 all-time record in the series. Since 2016, GU is 12-3 against the Cougars – they've faced each other multiple times in each season since 2000.
- Since 2003, the series is tied up at 32-32 -- Mark Machtolf is 28-29 against the Cougars in his 20 years as GU Head Coach.
LAST TIME OUT
- Gonzaga opened up WCC play with a three-game sweep of San Francisco at home, averaging 15 hits and 8.7 runs per game while pulling away late in each game behind solid starts on the mound from Wild, Rutherford and Mueller.
- GU plated six unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth frames to take control late in a 10-4 win in the opener, with Wild throwing a career-high 8.0 innings with 12 punchouts.
- The Dons took a 7-5 lead in the top of the eighth in game two, but timely RBI singles from Apodaca and Kalmer provided three runs in the bottom of the frame and Mullan kept USF off the board in the ninth to seal the series win.
- GU completed the sweep with a 8-2 win in the finale thanks to another big day from Stem - who went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI – and an eight-frame start from Mueller, who struck out seven while only being tagged for three hits and one earned run.
ZAGS SWINGING HOT BATS
- As a team, GU batted for a .340 average in two road matchups with Minnesota and three at home with San Francisco – Brock Bozett (.500), Enzo Apodaca (.455) and Sam Stem (.450) all paced a Zags lineup that averaged 13.6 hits per game over the last week. Stem led the Zags in hits (8) and RBI (6) in their series with the Dons, batting .571 over three games.
- After not appearing in the Zags' home-opening series against UC Irvine, Bozett played his way back into the lineup with a six-game hit streak, including back-to-back three-hit performances against the Gophers on March 15 and the Dons on March 17 with multiple runs in both games. Bozett has gotten on base 17 times in the 10 games he's started.
- Brian Kalmer, the Zags' batting average leader and most proficient slugger (.355, .724) drove in a team-leading seven runs on eight hits over that stretch. He currently ranks No. 35 in the nation in RBI per game (1.44) and No. 48 in total RBI (26), with a team-high seven homers on the season.
PITCHERS PICKING UP STEAM
- GU's pitching has made strides as well, with freshman LHP Matthew Mueller striking out 16 over 13 combined innings in his first two starts on Tuesday and Sunday and RHP Owen Wild (8.0 IP, 4 ER, 12 K) and RHP Jacob Rutherford (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 K) both remaining effective as a Friday-Saturday duo. Rutherford carries a 3.00 ERA as a starter, and Wild has struck out 27 over his last 18.2 innings of work.
- Freshman RHP Everett Swaim notched career-highs in his first career start with five scoreless innings and 8 punchouts against Minnesota on Wednesday.
- LHP Bradley Mullan pitched 8.2 IP over three relief appearances last week without being tagged for a run, including a career-high six scoreless frames against Minnesota to help keep the Zags afloat in extra innings. He earned his first win of the season after closing out GU's series-sealing 8-7 win on Saturday.
PINALES AND COBALLES STAY HOT
- Savier Pinales batted .538 over the weekend, extending his on-base streak to 10 games after returning to the lineup following an 0-for-16 start to the season. He's racked up 15 hits in those 10 games, four of them doubles.
- Connor Coballes has gotten on base in eight straight games and scored at least one run in each while striking out only twice in that span. He ranks No. 26 among the toughest batters to strike out in the nation. After hitting just one double in the 2022 season, he has hit 4 through 18 games in 2023.
RUTHERFORD KEEPS ROLLING
- R-Jr. RHP Jacob Rutherford is 2-0 on the season, pitching his way into a Saturday starting role for the Zags and posting career-best numbers against high-caliber offenses in his last first two starts.
- A week after posting career high in innings pitched (6.0) and strikeouts (6) against a loaded Tennessee lineup in his first career start on March 4, Rutherford bested both against an Anteaters offense that was averaging 11.1 runs and 11.7 hits per game over its last seven. The 6-1 righty held UCI to just two earned runs on six hits over a full nine innings while posting a new career high in strikeouts with seven, ending the game with six consecutive scoreless frames to put the Zags in position to go ahead late. He tossed four innings that ended without a UCI runner getting on base, only walking two batters in the entire outing.
- Prior to Rutherford's performance, the Zags hadn't gotten a complete game from a pitcher since 2021, when RHP Alek Jacob threw a nine-inning shutout against LSU in the NCAA Tournament.
SEASON-OPENING NOTES
- Gonzaga was picked to win its third straight WCC Crown in the 2023 Coaches' Poll, receiving 6 of 10 first-place votes. San Diego, which won the 2023 WCC Tournament to get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, earned the other four.
Since 2016, GU has the most regular-season conference wins (115), the highest regular season conference winning percentage (.691), the most WCC Tourney appearances (5), Regular or Tournament Championships (5) and Regional appearances (4) among West Coast Conference teams.
- The Zags return 22 players from 2022 (38 on roster).
- Four GU pitchers were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft -- Gabriel Hughes (10th overall), Trystan Vrieling, William Kempner and Brody Jessee.
-A league-leading four Zags were named to the WCC Preseason Team, with Grayson Sterling, Savier Pinales, Cade McGee and Owen Wild all earning nods.
'MADE-FOR-RPI' SCHEDULE
- 13 of GU's 19 opponents in 2023 finished last season in the Top 150 in the NCAA's final RPI ranking, with two of those opponents — Tennessee and Oregon State — finishing No. 1 and No. 2 in those final rankings before hosting NCAA Regionals.
- After four games with the Raiders, GU faced Grand Canyon and Ohio State in Phoenix before hosting UC Irvine and heading to Minnesota for multiple games each before entering WCC play.
- Other highlights include a three-game series with 2022 College World Series Runner-Up Oklahoma in Spokane and a two-game midweek matchup with Oregon in Eugene.
- Zags will have a pair of crucial home series back-to-back with BYU (March 30-April 1) and 2022 WCC Tournament Champions and NCAA Regional qualifiers San Diego (April 6-8) coming to Patterson.
- A road trip to Corvallis, Ore. for two midweek games with Oregon State is up next on April 10-11, marking the 13th and 14th time they've squared off in the last five years. The Zags went 1-3 against the Beavs in 2022, dropping a pair of neutral site games in Surprise to start the year but splitting a pair on the road, with GU's 13-6 win becoming their highest-ranked win in history.
OWEN WILD, PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
- Gonzaga RHP Owen Wild was named a Preseason Second Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the outlet announced.
- The honor makes it back-to-back years that a GU pitcher picks up preseason All-America honors from the outlet after Gabriel Hughes did the same in 2022.
Initially appearing as a reliever last spring before taking over as a starter in the absence of William Kempner due to injury, Wild gained momentum as the season went on, accumulating a 9-1 record to go with a team-best 3.03 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 16 appearances. Wild's breakout year culminated in an All-Blacksburg Regional Team nod after pitching six shutout innings of relief to help cue a Bulldogs rally in an NCAA Tournament game against Wright State, as well as All-WCC Tournament and All-WCC Honorable Mention honors.
-Wild's .900 career winning percentage entering 2023 is the highest of any GU pitcher with at least 10 games of record, and the fourth-highest in a single season.
30 WINS AGAIN IN 2022
Gonzaga surpassed 30 wins for the sixth straight full season and ninth time in the last 11 seasons in 2022, finishing the season with a 37-19 overall record. During head coach Mark Machtolf's now 20 years at the helm, GU has won at least 30 games 12 times.
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