Riding a recent hot streak to open West Coast Conference play, Gonzaga Baseball heads to Malibu, Calif. this weekend for a three-game set with Pepperdine (5-13, 0-3 WCC).

The Bulldogs (7-12, 3-0 WCC), one of two teams that remain undefeated in WCC play along with Portland, are riding their longest win streak of the season after winning their last four and six of their last seven. GU started the season 1-11 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.

The Waves are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak and pick up their first conference win this weekend after being swept by Portland. They've been led by senior outfielder Ryan Johnson, has a batting average of .365 and a team-high 18 RBI and 12 walks. Some of their most-used pitchers this season include Jack Chester (2.25 ERA, 9.0 IP), Shane Telfer (2-0, 2.89 ERA, 28.0 IP) and Brandon Llewellyn (0-2, 10.8 ERA, 20 IP). 

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.

This weekend's action will be broadcast via WCC Network on Stadium, with first pitch set Friday set for 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 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 (7-12, 3-0 WCC) VS. PEPPERDINE (5-13, 0-3 WCC)
Eddy D. Field Baseball Stadium | Malibu, Calif.
March 24, 3 p.m | Live Stats | Stream 
March 25, 1 p.m | Live Stats | Stream
March 26, 1 p.m | Live Stats | Stream

PROBABLE STARTERS
GAME ONE - 3 p.m.
RHP Owen Wild (4.80 ERA, 1-2, 30 IP, 39 K) vs.TBA
GAME TWO - 1 p.m.
RHP Jacob Rutherford (4.60 ERA, 2-0, 29.1 IP, 25 K) vs.TBA
GAME THREE - 1 p.m.
LHP Matthew Mueller (2.81 ERA, 1-1, 16.0 IP, 19 K) vs.TBA

SERIES AT A GLANCE
Since 2000, Gonzaga leads the all-time series with Pepperdine 41-36 and has won four of the last six meetings and two straight series. In 2022, the Zags lost 5-7 in the series opener in Spokane before winning the next two, 7-2 and 7-4, to take the series.

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.
- In a midweek matchup in Spokane on Tuesday, the Bulldogs jumped on Washington State starter for a five-spot in the first inning before plating runs in six of the next seven innings to stay ahead of the Cougars (14-6, 3-3 Pac-12) for a 12-7 finish.

ZAGS SWINGING HOT BATS
As a team, GU batted for a .349 average over its last six games–  Enzo Apodaca (.462), Brock Bozett (.435) and Sam Stem (.435) all have paced a Zags lineup that is averaging 13.8 hits and 8.7 runs per game in that span. Stem led the Zags in hits (8) and RBI (6) in their series with the Dons before driving in a career-high four runs along with his second homer of the season against Washington State.
After not appearing in the Zags' home-opening series against UC Irvine, Bozett played his way back into the lineup with a seven-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 18 times in the 11 games he's started.
Brian Kalmer, the Zags' batting average leader and most proficient slugger (.370, .778) has driven in a team-leading nine runs on 11 hits over his last six appearances, with a team-high eight homers on the season. He currently ranks No. 35 in the nation in RBI per game (1.44) and No. 48 in total RBI (26).

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.

MULLAN MOVES TO CLOSER ROLE
LHP Bradley Mullan pitched 10.2 IP over four appearances in the last 10 days, 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, and struck out three in the final frame of GU's midweek win over Washington State.
In those four appearances -- all of which were closing the game or heading into extra innings -- Mullan touts a 1.69 ERA with 11 strikeouts.

PINALES AND COBALLES STAY HOT
- Savier Pinales is batting .500 over his last four, extending his on-base streak to 11 games on Tuesday after returning to the lineup following an 0-for-16 start to the season. He's racked up 17 hits in those 11 games, six of them extra-base hits.
- Connor Coballes has gotten on base in nine straight games and scored at least one run in each while striking out only three times 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 first two starts. In his three starting appearances, Rutherford carries a 3.00 ERA with 19 punchouts over 21 innings of work.
- 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.