Gonzaga (2-8) at Arizona State (9-4)
FRIDAY, MARCH 7 | 5:30 P.M. PST | PHOENIX MUNICIPAL STADIUM | PHOENIX, ARIZ.
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LIVE STATS
RH Gabe Brabec (0-2, 9.00 ERA) vs. LH Ben Jacobs (0-0, 6.60 ERA)
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SATURDAY, MARCH 8 | 5:30 P.M. PST | PHOENIX MUNICIPAL STADIUM | PHOENIX, ARIZ.
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LH Miles Gosztola (0-4, 9.00 ERA) vs. RH Ben Jacobs (1-0, 4.76 ERA)
SUNDAY, MARCH 9 | 1 P.M. PST | PHOENIX MUNICIPAL STADIUM | PHOENIX, ARIZ.
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RH Justin Feld (0-2, 9.00 ERA) vs. ASU TBD
LEADING OFF
- Gonzaga opens a three-game series at Arizona State in Phoenix, Ariz., on Friday.
- The Bulldogs and Sun Devils will meet for the first time since 2016, where they squared off twice in the NCAA Fort Worth Regional, splitting their two meetings.
- This weekend concludes a sequence of three consecutive Big 12 series for GU.
- After this series, the Zags will face Utah Tech on the road in a Tuesday midweek.
- Under Machtolf, the Bulldogs are 42-64-1 vs. Big 12 opponents.
- GU is on a four-game skid, falling in a sweep to BYU and a midweek to Seattle U.
- ASU is coming off a series loss to Minnesota and a midweek win over UNLV.
- 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.
- Arizona State finished the 2024 season with a 32-26 record, including a 17-13 record in Pac 12 play, finishing fifth in the regular season standings.
- 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.
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Mark Machtolf enters the week with 599 career wins, which is second-most in GU history. Steve Hertz owns the all-time record with 637 career wins.
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
- Arizona State is coming off a 1-2 weekend at home vs. Minnesota, winning the finale 8-7 after 7-6 and 6-4 losses.
- In their second home midweek of the season, the Sun Devils defeated UNLV 7-0 on Tuesday.
- OF Kien Vu's .327 batting average is the highest among qualified hitters for ASU. He also leads the team in hits (16), runs (15), and stolen bases (8-for-10).
- Through 13 games, the Sun Devils are batting .282 and are averaging 7.5 runs/game and 9.2 hits/game.
- Arizona State's pitching staff has combined for a 5.00 ERA, striking out 143 batters over 117.0 innings pitched.
- In 2024, Arizona State finished with a 32-26 overall record, including a 17-13 record in Big 12 play.
- Saturday starter Jack Martinez's 4.76 ERA leads the team among starters. His 25 strikeouts rank second in the Big 12 and his 17.0 innings pitched are the seventh-highest total in the conference.
- Friday starter Ben Jacobs has 20 strikeouts on the young season, ranking seventh in the Big 12.
- Arizona State is stealing 2.85 bases per game, a mark that ranks 14th in the nation.
ZAGS COMPLETE BIG 12 SEQUENCE THIS WEEKEND
- Gonzaga will travel to Arizona State this weekend in their third-consecutive series against Big 12 teams.
- The Zags and Sun Devils will face off for the first time since 2016 in the NCAA Fort Worth Regional.
- Gonzaga faced Baylor in Waco, Texas two weeks ago before hosting BYU in Spokane last weekend.
GORES HAS CAREER-HIGH DAY IN FIRST D-I START
- Despite the midweek loss to Seattle U,
Garrett Gores threw six strong innings in his first ever Division-I start.
- After surrendering a leadoff home run in the first, Gores settled in to allow just one more run in his final inning, leaving the game with a 6-2 lead before the Redhawks stormed back later in the game.
- In each of his last two outings, Gores has struck out a career-high five batters while allowing just two runs on six hits.
ON THESE DATES
- GU has won three straight games on March 7, including a home win over Minnesota in 2024.
- In 2022, No. 15 Gonzaga completed a series sweep over No. 6 Oklahoma State in Stillwater with a 2-1 win.
- In that win over OSU, Trystan Vrieling threw 5.0 innings, allowing just one unearned run on two hits while striking out a career-high 13 Cowboy batters.
- Gonzaga is 9-3 over their last 12 games on these dates, most recently clinching a series win over Minnesota on March 9, 2024.
SHUPE OFF TO A HOT START IN 2025
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Hudson Shupe is batting .425 over the first three weeks of the season, including a 7-for-10 weekend at Baylor.
- Shupe's .425 batting average ranks second among WCC hitters and ranks just out of the Top 100 in Division-I.
ZAGS COMPLETE COMEBACK IN FINALE AT BAYLOR
- Gonzaga scored twice in the ninth and once in the tenth to defeat Baylor 8-7 on Sunday in Waco, Texas.
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Hudson Shupe was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, scoring the winning run in the top of the tenth.
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Erik Hoffberg earned his first career win, throwing four innings in relief. (W, 4.0 IP, H, 2 R, 3 K, 4 BB).
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Michael Cunneely sealed the win with his second save of the season, striking out one over a scoreless inning.
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.
BRABEC DEALS IN DIVISION-I DEBUT
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Gabe Brabec made his first Division-I start in game one at Baylor, throwing five strong innings.
- Although a no decision, Brabec allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven while walking just three.
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.
BULLPEN SHINES DESPITE SERIES LOSS AT UC DAVIS
- Despite dropping their season-opening season, Gonzaga's bullpen made a strong showing over UC Davis.
- Bulldog relievers combined for 11 and two-thirds innings, scattering six hits and just two runs while striking out ten and walking six.
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Ryan Hernandez appeared twice in the UC Davi series, combining for two and two-thirds innings without allowing a baserunner. The Cal Baptist graduate transfer needed just 27 total pitches, striking out two.
- In his lone relief appearance,
Finbar O'Brien threw two and two-thirds of shutout baseball, allowing just one baserunner on a walk while striking out two in game two.
- In the season opener,
Michael Cunneely threw four innings to close out a 6-1 win, picking up his first career save after allowing just one run on four hits and striking out four.
GRAHAM QUIETS AGGIE BATS IN SEASON-OPENING WIN
- In just his fourth-career start, RHP
Payton Graham threw five scoreless innings on Feb. 14 at UC Davis to earn his first win of the 2025 season.
- Graham allowed just two hits while striking out seven and walking two, paving the way for a four-inning save from
Michael Cunneely.
- In his final inning of work, Graham struck out the side on 15 pitches to qualify for the win in the fifth.
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
- Last season, Eisenstat led the Bulldogs in seven offensive categories, including average (.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.
FEBRUARY BASEBALL IN SPOKANE
- This season, Gonzaga will set a record for the earliest date played at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field.
- On Feb. 27, the Bulldogs will play their home opener against BYU, continuing the series Feb. 28 and March 1.
- The Zags last played at Patterson in February back in 2008 against BYU, opening their home schedule on Feb. 28 that year.
MACHTOLF CLOSING IN ON 600
- Head coach
Mark Machtolf enters 2025 with 597 career wins on his resume over 21 seasons leading Gonzaga.
- This season, he aims to become just the second coach in Gonzaga baseball history to eclipse 600.
- His 597 wins are second-most and 40 shy of Steve Hertz, who won 637 over 24 seasons (1978, 1981-2003).
- Machtolf's .543 career win percentage is third-highest among all Gonzaga baseball head coaches.
- In 2024, Machtolf reached 300 wins in WCC play, becoming the second coach in WCC history to do so.Â
IMPACT TRANSFERS
- Gonzaga's 2025 roster includes five transfers from four-year colleges: two pitchers and three position players.
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Cooper Ciesielski (OF) spent two seasons at UT Permian Basin, batting .349 with nine home runs and 46 RBI.
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Luca DiPaolo (C) arrives from Southern Cal., batting .107 in limited action over two seasons for the Trojans.
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Ty Yukumoto (INF) spent three seasons at Pacific University (OR), batting .329 with 156 hits and 75 RBI.
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Jared Glenn (RHP) spent two seasons at Arizona St. in '21-'22, appearing at the 2021 Austin Regional for ASU.
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Ryan Hernandez (LHP) is a gradute transfer from Cal Baptist, holding a career 2.50 ERA over 44 appearances.
ABOUT THE 2025 SCHEDULE
- Gonzaga's non-conference slate features teams from five different conferences, including five teams from the Big 12 and Big Ten. For the second straight season, the Bulldogs will not play any neutral site games during their non-conference schedule.
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Mark Machtolf is 408-315-1 all-time against the 2025 slate, including a 315-202 record against WCC opponents.
- Gonzaga's 2025 schedule spans six different states: Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Arizona, Texas.
- Among the 2025 opponents, GU will face Baylor and Utah Tech for the first time under
Mark Machtolf.
GONZAGA TO JOIN THE PAC-12
- Gonzaga is headed to the Pac-12 Conference in all sports beginning July 1, 2026.
- The Zags will join Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State.
- Of the eight current members, five schools compete in baseball: Gonzaga, Oregon State, Washington State, Fresno State, and San Diego State.
- The final RPI rankings for those five teams from the 2024 season...
18. Oregon State 172. Gonzaga
176. Fresno State 194. Washington State
235. San Diego State
ZAGS IN THE PROS
- MLB Spring Training kicks off this week with six former Zags reporting to big league camps.
- Brett Harris, Gabe Hughes, Alek Jacob, Casey Legumina, Wyatt Mills, and Eli Morgan will report to spring training.
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Liam Paddack is the most recent Zag to be drafted, selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 18th round (2024).
- Four former Bulldogs played in the big leagues in 2024: Gonzales, Eli Morgan, Alek Jacob, and Brett Harris.
- Two former Zags made MLB Playoff rosters in '24: Morgan (Cleveland Guardians) and Jacob (San Diego Padres).
- On Nov. 20, Eli Morgan was traded from the Guardians to the Chicago Cubs for prospect Alfonsin Rosario.
- After one season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Marco Gonzales elected free agency and will enter 2025 unsigned.
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