Baseball Hosts Portland in Key West Coast Conference Series Matchup

Friday, April 19

Spokane, Wash.

6 p.m.

Gonzaga University

Portland

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Baseball Hosts Portland in Key West Coast Conference Series Matchup

4/18/2024 12:00:00 PM | Baseball

Gonzaga Notes Portland Notes

Gonzaga and Portland will battle for first place in the WCC

LEADING OFF

- Gonzaga is coming off a midweek loss at #16 Oregon on Tuesday in Eugene. The Ducks prevailed in a 14-9 win over GU.

- Last weekend, the Zags swept San Francisco in a three-game series on the road, defeating the Dons 2-1, 8-0, 3-0.

- Gonzaga's seven-game win streak was snapped on Tuesday, their longest win streak since 2022 (W9).

- Mark Machtolf won his 300th WCC game on Sunday to become just the second WCC coach in history to reach that mark.

- The Zags are 10-2 to open WCC play for the first time under Head Coach Mark Machtolf.

- The Gonzaga pitching staff combined to allow just one run in the USF series while collecting 30 strikeouts.

- Gonzaga starters combined for 20 1/3 shutout innings against San Francisco, allowing just nine hits and striking out 24.

- Tommy Eisenstat has multiple hits in five straight games, going 11-for-17 with six RBI and eight runs scored in that stretch.

- Liam Paddack was named WCC Pitcher of the Week on Monday after a seven-inning shutout performance (10 K) last Saturday.

- Over his last three starts, Miles Gosztola has combined for 17 1/3 innings, allowing just four runs while striking out 24.

SCOUTING THE PILOTS

- Portland is coming off a midweek loss at Washington on Tuesday. The Huskies allowed just two Pilot hits in an 11-2 win.

- Last weekend, Portland took two games from San Diego at home, winning the series 4-10, 5-1, 13-4.

- Portland currently sits in first place in the West Coast Conference with an 8-1 record.

- Portland's .290 team batting average is third in the WCC. They lead the conference in doubles (78) and are third in hits (348).

- Pitchers Sam Stuhr and Nick Brink hold the top two WCC marks in strikeouts with 72 and 71, respectively.

- The Pilot weekend rotation (Brink, Gaston, Stuhr) is a combined 15-4 this season with 181 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.09.

- Portland's team fielding percentage (.964) is last in the conference.

ON DECK

- The Zags will make a day trip to Pullman to face Washington State for the final time this season on Tuesday, April 23.

ZAGS SWEEP SAN FRANCISCO ON THE ROAD

- Gonzaga earned its third West Coast Conference sweep of the season after defeating San Francisco 2-1, 8-0, 3-0 last weekend.

- The Zags are 10-2 to open WCC play for the first time under Mark Machtolf and have swept back-to-back conference series.

- Gonzaga has won seven straight games, sweeping Santa Clara, defeating Washington St. and sweeping San Francisco.

- In the final two games of the USF series, GU recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since April of 2021.

- During that 2021 season, Gonzaga achieved the back-to-back shutout feat twice (9-0, 6-0 vs. Pacific and 9-0, 10-0 vs. WSU/PEP).

- All three GU starters (Justin Feld, Liam Paddack, Miles Gosztola) earned wins, each pitching at least six shutout innings.

- The lone San Francisco run came on a home run in the ninth inning of game one on Friday.

PADDACK EARNS WCC PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONOR

- Liam Paddack was named West Coast Conference pitcher of the week on Monday, the second weekly honor for GU this season.

- At San Francisco on Saturday, Paddack threw seven shutout innings, scattering three hits and striking out a season-high ten.

- Paddack has recorded wins in his last two starts, comibining for 12 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out 12.

PITCHING STAFF DOMINANCE ON THE HILLTOP

- Gonzaga's pitching combined to allow just one run in their series sweep over San Francisco last weekend.

- The Zags' starting pitchers combined for three shutout apperances of 20 1/3 total innings, nine hits allowed and 24 strikeouts.

- As a staff, Gonzaga struck out 30 San Francisco hitters in the series.

- The one allowed run is tied for the lowest in a three-game series under Head Coach Mark Machtolf.

MACHTOLF NOTCHES 300TH WEST COAST CONFERENCE WIN

- Head Coach Mark Machtolf earned his 300th West Coast Conference win on Sunday at San Francisco.

- Machtolf becomes just the second coach in WCC history to reach 300 (Rich Hill, USF/USD).

- Machtolf is the only active WCC coach with at least 100 conference wins.

- Now in his 21st season, Machtolf is the third-longest tenured WCC coach in history (Rich Hill, 28 yrs and Nino Giarratano, 24 yrs).

- Entering 2024, Machtolf's WCC win percentage (.613) is 12th all-time, yet he owns over 100 more wins than any of the other 11.

WHERE WE CURRENTLY RANK IN THE WCC

- Payton Knowles has the sixth-highest batting average in the West Coast Conference (.333).

- Justin Feld is third in the WCC in ERA (3.22), eighth in opposing batting average (.239), and third in earned runs allowed (13).

- Liam Paddack is third in the WCC in opposing batting average (.207), fifth in strikeouts (54), and ninth in innings pitched (43.1).

- Erik Hoffberg is tied for second in the WCC in saves with 4, while Daniel Sotelo is tied for fifth with 3.

- As a team, Gonzaga is fourth in fielding percentage (.975) with the lowest error total with only 28 this season.

ZAGS FEELING 22

- Gonzaga more than doubled their season high run production in a 22-7 win over Washington State on Apr. 9.

- The Zags scored 14 runs in a 45-minute first inning, batting through their entire lineup before the first out was finally recorded.

- Gonzaga's 22 runs is the second-highest single game total under Mark Machtolf (23 - 2010 vs. Utah Valley).

PROTECTING THE HOME TURF

- After eighth-straight win at Patterson Baseball Complex on Apr. 9, Gonzaga is 9-1 and is off to its best start at home since 2011.

- Gonzaga is 6-0 at home to begin WCC play for the first time since joining the conference in 1996.

- Since the Patterson Complex opened in 2007, Gonzaga owns a .653 win percentage and a .690 WCC win percentage at home.

GOSZTOLA TABBED WCC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

- Miles Gosztola earned Gonzaga's first West Coast Conference weekly award after being named Freshman of the Week on Apr. 8.

- Gosztola struck out 16 batters over two starts that week, including a career-high nine in the series finale against Santa Clara.

- On Sunday, Apr. 7, Gosztola threw seven strong innings, scattering just one run on five hits while walking one lone batter.

- In his start at No. 5 Oregon State on Apr. 2, seven of Gosztola's first nine outs came via the strikeout.

ZAGS SWEEP THE PRESEASON WCC #1

- Gonzaga picked up their second West Coast Conference sweep of the season after defeating Santa Clara 6-1 Apr. 7.

- The Zags have now swept Santa Clara eight times since 2000, the second-most of any 2024 WCC opponent (Portland, 15 times).

- With the sweep, Gonzaga is 7-2 to begin WCC play for the fourth straight season.

- Payton Knowles led the Zag offense over the weekend, racking up eight hits with an impressive .667 average, clubbing his first home run of the season while slugging 1.167 with three doubles to go along with his home run.

- In Sunday's finale, Jordan Hamberg went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, two walks while driving in three and scoring twice.

- The Gonzaga pitching staff combined for a 2.00 ERA over the weekend, allowing just six total earned runs over 27.0 innings pitched, striking out 30 Santa Clara batters (avg. 10 K/9).

ZAGS SWEEP TO OPEN WCC PLAY

- For the fourth straight season, Gonzaga opened WCC play with a three-game sweep after defeating LMU 8-6, 7-6, and 10-5.

- LMU is the fourth different team Gonzaga has swept to open WCC play since 2021, (USF in 2023, Pacific in 2022, SCU in 2021).

- Gonzaga has not lost their first home WCC series since 2015 and are 20-4 in their first home WCC series over those eight seasons.