Gonzaga (1-6) at BYU (2-5)
THURSDAY, FEB. 29 | 2 P.M. | MILLER PARK | PROVO
RHP Michael Cunneely (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Ben Hansen (2-0, 1.64 ERA)
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FRIDAY, MAR. 1 | 2 P.M. | MILLER PARK | PROVO
LHP Liam Paddack (0-1, 10.29 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Robison (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
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SATURDAY, MAR. 2 | 12 P.M. | MILLER PARK | PROVO
RHP Justin Feld (0-0. 3.38 ERA) vs. LHP Cutter Clawson (0-2, 8.31 ERA)
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Gonzaga (1-6) at Utah Valley (3-5)
MONDAY, MAR. 4 | 1:05 P.M. | UCCU BALLPARK | OREM
TBD vs. TBD
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LEADING OFF
- Gonzaga travels to BYU for a three-game series in Provo starting on Thursday. First pitch times are 2 p.m., 2 p.m., and 12 p.m. PST.
- Under
Mark Machtolf, Gonzaga holds a 29-22 advantage over BYU, winning seven out of their last ten since the 2020 season.
- Gonzaga and BYU will face of in a non-conference series for the first time since 2011 before the Cougars joined the WCC in 2012.
- Gonzaga will play one game at Utah Valley on Monday at 1:05 p.m.
- Gonzaga is 18-5 all-time against Utah Valley. They will square off for the first time since 2015 on Monday.
- Gonzaga is coming off of a loss at Austin Peay on Monday, 6-4.
- On Sunday, the Bulldogs pulled off a come-from-behind 9-8 win at No. 6 Vanderbilt.
Jordan Hamberg hit a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the seventh to cap off an eight-run inning for the Zags.
- Gonzaga's win at No. 6 Vanderbilt on Sunday snapped a 15-game losing streak to ranked opponents on the road. It also marked their highest-ranked win since 2022 at No. 2 Oregon State in Corvallis.
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Peyton Miller extended his hit streak to five games after a 1-for-4 performance on Monday. During that streak he is hitting 7-for-17.
BULLDOGS/COUGARS SERIES HISTORY
- Gonzaga and BYU will square off in their 52nd, 53rd and 54th meetings since 2000.
- Last season, Gonzaga secured the series win over BYU at home, winning games one and three.
- The Bulldogs own a 29-21 record over the Cougars under Head Coach
Mark Machtolf.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
- BYU is coming off a two-game skid at UC Davis after winning the series opener, 20-4. The Cougars opened the season with an 8-1 win against USC down in Mesa, Arizona before dropping three straight against Ohio State, Grand Canyon, and Cal.
- As a team, BYU is slashing .251/.345/.416 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs.
- Kuhio Aloy leads BYU in average (.370), hits (10), home runs (3), and RBIs (6). His three home runs are tied for second in the Big-12.
- BYU's pitching staff holds a 4.88 ERA so far this season, allowing 41 total runs over 59.0 innings pitched. Out of the bullpen, Mason Olson has yet to allow an earned run in four appearances and nine innings of work this season. As a collective, BYU has held opponents to a .206 batting average, with 61 strikeouts over 33 walks.
BULLDOGS/WOLVERINES SERIES HISTORY
- Gonzaga and Utah Valley will meet for the 24th time and first since 2015 Monday.
- The Bulldogs and Wolverines played for the first time in 2004 at the Banana Belt Baseball Classic in Lewiston, Idaho. Gonzaga's 21-0 win is still their largest margin of victory under the Machtolf era.Â
- In their last meeting, Gonzaga and Utah Valley played twice during the opening weekend of the 2015 season. The Zags won both games over the Wolverines.
- In Orem, Gonzaga is 3-1 all-time against Utah Valley. Their only loss came in a 21-17 offense-heavy battle that holds as the highest combined run total since 2000.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
- Utah Valley will host a three-game series against Portland Friday-Sunday before welcoming Gonzaga on Monday.
- Last weekend, Utah Valley dropped a four-game series to Saint Mary's in Moraga. The Wolverines' victory came in game three against the Gaels; a 9-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.
- Calyn Halvorson is slashing .500/.517/.769 through the first seven games of the season with 13 hits, two home runs, and eight RBIs. He is first in the WAC in average, sixth in slugging, third in hits, and sixth in total bases.
- Utah Valley's pitching staff has a 6.35 ERA heading into the weekend. Opponents are slashing .280/.379/.552 off the Wolverines.
ON DECK
- After their four-game stint in Utah, the Zags will return to Spokane for their 2024 home opener, a three-game series against Minnesota starting Mar. 7.
ZAGS UPSET NO. 6 VANDERBILT IN SERIES FINALE
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Jordan Hamberg lifted a seventh-inning grand slam to propel Gonzaga to a 9-8 victory in game three on Sunday. The Bulldogs put up eight runs in the inning after taking advantage of two Commodore errors.
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Daniel Sotelo shut the door on the Zags' comeback win with three innings, giving up just one run on three hits, striking out two and walking none.
- Gonzaga's bullpen combined for eight innings, surrenduring just three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks in Sunday's series finale.
- Gonzaga's win marks their highest-ranked win since 2022 when they defeated No. 2 Oregon State in Corvallis.
ABOUT THE 2024 SCHEDULE
- Gonzaga's 50-game spring slate includes 18 games at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field and eight games against teams who participated in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
- 12 of the 21 GU opponents in 2024 finished in the Top 150 in the NCAA's RPI rankings from last season.
MACHTOLF EYES 600TH WIN IN 2024
Â- Gonzaga Head Coach
Mark Machtolf enters his 21st season at the helm for the Bulldogs, currently holding 577 career wins since taking the reigns in the fall of 2003.
- Machtolf is just 23 wins from eclipsing 600. He currently holds the second-most wins in program history behind Steve Hertz, who has 637 (24 seasons, 1978, 1981-2003). Machtolf's .551 win percentage is third-highest in Gonzaga history behind Larry Koentopp's (1970-77) .677 and Jim Lawler's (1979-80) .667.
- Throughout his 20-year tenure, Machtolf has won 30 games in 13 of those seasons. One of those other seven was the 2020 season that was cut short by Covid.
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