Gonzaga (9-13, 2-1 WCC) vs. Pacific (10-16, 0-3 WCC)
FRIDAY, MARCH 28 | 6 P.M. | PATTERSON BASEBALL COMPLEX & COACH STEVE HERTZ FIELD | SPOKANE
SATURDAY, MARCH 29 | 6 P.M. | PATTERSON BASEBALL COMPLEX & COACH STEVE HERTZ FIELD | SPOKANE
SUNDAY, MARCH 30 | 1 P.M. | PATTERSON BASEBALL COMPLEX & COACH STEVE HERTZ FIELD | SPOKANE
- Gonzaga kicks off a seven-game homestand this weekend, hosting Pacific Friday-Sunday.
- The Bulldogs and Tigers will play in their 49th, 50th,and 51st all time meetings.
- Gonzaga has won the last 12 of their last 13 meetings and seven in a row at home.
- The Bulldogs' .982 fielding percentage leads the WCC and ranks ninth in the NCAA.
- Gonzaga's infield has turned 21 double plays this season (2nd in WCC, 27th in NCAA).
- In 2024, Gonzaga took two of three against the Tigers in Stockton (11-7, 2-8, 10-9).
- Pacific was swept by Portland to open WCC play last weekend (9-14, 4-8, 0-8).
- In 2024, Pacific went 11-44 (5-19 WCC) and finished 9th in the WCC standings.
- Under Machtolf, the Zags are 317-203 against West Coast Conference opponents.
- Gonzaga has won seven of its last eight games dating back to March 14.
- Over their last eight games, all seven GU starters have thrown at least six innings and have earned five of the seven winning decisions.
- In the West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, Gonzaga was picked to finish third behind San Diego and Portland. Just five points are what separated Portland (2nd), Gonzaga (t-3rd), Santa Clara (t-3rd), and Saint Mary's (5th).
- Gonzaga is coming off a 21-32 (14-10 in WCC play) season and a third-place finish at the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas in 2024.
- This season, the Bulldogs return five of their starting eight position players, two of their three regular rotation starters, and three of their high-leverage bullpen arms. Six of Gonzaga's top seven hitters from 2024 also return this season.
- Gonzaga returns all six All-WCC honorees from 2024:
Tommy Eisenstat,
Justin Feld,
Miles Gosztola,
Erik Hoffberg,
Payton Knowles, and
Vincent Temesvary.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- Pacific has lost each of their last six games and is coming off a sweep by Portland to open WCC play (9-14, 4-8, 0-8).
- INF Jake Tandy's .368 batting average, three home runs, and 17 runs scored each lead the Tigers offensively.
- Tandy ranks fifth in the West Coast Conference in average, eighth in slugging (.553) and sixth in OPS (.990).
- 1B JT Waldon is tied for fourth in the WCC in RBI (22) and eighth in hits (29).
- Through 26 games, Pacific is batting .233 and are averaging 5.0 runs per game and 7.5 hits per game.
- The Tiger pitching staff has combined for a 6.11 ERA, striking out 188 batters over 222.1 innings pitched.
- In 2024, Pacific finished with a 11-44 overall record, including a 5-19 record in WCC play (ninth place).
- Saturday starter Adan Perez has four wins already this season, leading the WCC and tied for 21st in NCAA D-I.
SEVEN OF EIGHT
- After a stretch of eight consecutive losses, Gonzaga has won seven of their last eight games, all on the road.
- During those eight games, GU pitching has combined for a 3.38 ERA with 57 strikeouts over 28 walks (72.0 IP).
- Gonzaga starting pitchers are 6-0 with a 3.19 ERA, combining for 53.2 innings (average of over 6.2 IP per start).
- Offensively, the Zags are batting .257 during that stretch and are 14-for-17 on stolen bases.
ROAD WARRIORS
- A typical scene early in Gonzaga baseball seasons, the Bulldogs are coming off a long road trip and will host a game at Patterson Baseball Complex for the first time since March 5.
- GU will play their next seven games at home, including big WCC series against Pacific and San Francisco.
- Over the 12-game road trip, the Bulldogs went 7-5, including wins in seven of their last eight games.
GOOD THINGS COME IN PAIRS
- Gonzaga's defense has turned 21 double plays this season, ranking second in the WCC and 27th in NCAA D-I.
- The Bulldogs' 0.95 double plays per game also ranks second in the WCC and 19th in NCAA Division-I.
- Over the last eight games, Gonzaga has turned nine double plays.
NEARLY FLAWLESS DEFENSE
- GU's .982 fielding percentage ranks ninth in the nation, while their 14 total errors are tied for fourth-fewest.
ZAGS TAKE ROUND ONE OVER WAZZU
- In their first of four midweek meetings this season, Gonzaga defeated Washington State 4-1 on Tuesday.
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Gabe Brabec threw 6.2 strong innings, surrendering WSU's only run in the bottom of the first inning.
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Kai Francis earned his first career save, pitching 2.1 perfect innings while striking out two.
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Josh Hankins continued his hot hitting, bumping his average up to .244 after a 4-for-5 performance Tuesday.
STEM'S LATE HOMER LIFTS ZAGS OVER WAVES IN GAME TWO
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Sam Stem entered as a pinch runner late in Saturday's game at Pepperdine, but would end up hitting the go-ahead home run in the top of the tenth inning to seal Gonzaga's 5-3 win.
- The home run is Stem's first of the season and ninth of his career. His last long ball came against Portland in the Bulldogs' final game of the 2024 season.
ON THESE DATES
- On March 28, 2016, GU battled Washington in an 8-6 extra-inning win at Husky Ballpark. Wyatt Mills threw four shutout innings in relief to earn the victory for the Bulldogs.
- Gonzaga has not won a game on March 29th since 2014 when they defeated LMU 10-5 behind seven strong innings from Taylor Jones.
- On March 30, 2018, Alek Jacob and Casey Legumina (now each on MLB rosters), combined for a 3-0 shutout of Saint Mary's in Moraga. Jacob threw 7.2 innings, allowing just three hits before Legumina entered for the save.
MACHTOLF ECLIPSES 600, THEN 601, 602, 603
- After an eight-game losing skid that kept Gonzaga Head Coach
Mark Machtolf at 599 career wins, the Bulldogs held on for a 4-3 win over Washington on March 14 despite a late ninth-inning rally by the Huskies.
- Machtolf becomes the second coach in Gonzaga and West Coast Conference history to eclipse 600 wins.
- His win total ranks second in GU history behind Steve Hertz, who holds the high mark with 637.
- GU caught a stride after Machtolf's 600th win, rattling off wins in their next three games to open a four-game streak heading into West Coast Conference play.
STARTING PITCHING KEYS ZAGS 4-0 WEEKEND
- Gonzaga starting pitchers combined for 27.0 innings, 19 hits, 12 runs, and 22 strikeouts over the perfect 4-0 weekend, with each earning the winning decision in their respective starts.
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Finbar O'Brien made his second career start on Friday, pitching six innings while allowing just three runs on six hits and striking out five to earn his first career win.
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Miles Gosztola dominated in game two on Saturday, facing the minimum through three innings, not allowing a hit through five, and keeping UW scoreless until the last pitch of his outing. His eight strikeouts were one shy of a career high.
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Justin Feld was next on Sunday, pitching seven strong innings while striking out five in his longest start of 2025.
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Gabe Brabec completed the weekend with a seven-inning outing against Seattle U, striking out four while allowing just one run through the first five innings.
BUCKLEY MAKES HISTORY AT BAYLOR
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Ethan Buckley, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, made history on Feb. 23 at Baylor by becoming the first ever South African native to play NCAA Division-I baseball.
- While others have played Major League Baseball, Buckley is now the first South African to play collegiately at the Division-I level.
- Buckley transferred to Gonzaga last fall from Linn-Benton Community College.
SHUPE FIRST TO HOMER AGAIN
- For the second straight season, INF
Hudson Shupe hit the first Gonzaga home run of the year.
- On Feb. 16, Shupe hit a one-out solo home run at UC Davis to break the ice for the Zags.
- In 2024, Shupe hit the first pitch of the season out to right field at UCLA, also on Feb. 16.
ZAGS PICKED THIRD IN WCC PRESEASON POLL
- Gonzaga was picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll on Feb. 6.
- The Zags accumulated 44 points, resulting in a tie for third with Santa Clara.
- San Diego topped the Preseason Poll with 64 points and eight first-place votes.
- Just five points separated the poll's second-place and fifth-place teams.
PAIR OF ZAGS PICKED PRESEASON ALL-WCC
- Eisenstat led the Bulldogs in seven offensive categories in 2024: avg (.301), runs (34), hits (58), and RBI (30).
- Eisenstat also earned West Coast Conference Honorable Mention with one WCC Player of the Week honor.
- Feld is Gonzaga's leading returner in seven pitching categories.
- Amongst WCC ranks, Feld's 4.16 was tenth last season while allowing the fourth-fewest total earned runs (29). - Feld struck out 62 batters over 62.2 IP, averaging just under nine strikeouts per nine and was the second of five Bulldogs to earn All-WCC Honorable Mention in 2024.
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