THURSDAY, APRIL 17 | 6:30 P.M. | GREAT PARK | IRVINE, CALIF.
FRIDAY, APRIL 18 | 6:30 P.M. | GREAT PARK | IRVINE, CALIF.
SATURDAY, APRIL 19 | 1 P.M. | GREAT PARK | IRVINE, CALIF.
- Gonzaga is back on the road this weekend, traveling to USC for a three-game series.
- The Bulldogs will take a break from WCC play to face USC and #6 Oregon State.
- The Bulldogs are off to their best start in WCC play in program history (10-2).
- Last weekend, the Zags took two out of three games at Santa Clara (9-1, 7-4, 5-7).
- Gonzaga has won 15 of their last 18 games, including 11 out of their last 13.
- GU meets USC for the second consecutive season after a 35-year hiatus.
- The Bulldogs' .976 fielding percentage leads the WCC and ranks 38th in the NCAA.
- Gonzaga's infield has turned 28 double plays this season (2nd in WCC, 58th in NCAA).
- The Zags own a 1.40 WHIP, leading the WCC and ranking 52nd in NCAA Division-I.
- USC took two of three against Penn State last weekend before falling to Hawaii 5-4.
- In 2024, USC went 31-28 (17-12 Pac-12) and finished fourth in the Pac-12 standings.
- 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 TROJANS
- Southern California took two out of three against Penn State last weekend and are fourth in the Big Ten standings.
- Two-way player Ethan Hedges leads USC in average (.390), home runs (11), hits (53), runs (37) and saves (8).
- Thursday starter Caden Hunter is 6-1 with a 3.33 ERA, ranking 49th in the country with 59 strikeouts.
- Through 36 games, Southern Cal. is batting .283 and is averaging 6.4 runs per game and 9.8 hits per game.
- The Trojans pitching staff has combined for a 5.04 ERA, striking out 339 batters over 318.0 innings pitched.
- In 2024, USC finished with a 31-28 overall record, including a 17-12 record in Pac-12 play (fourth place).
SHUUUUPE
-
Hudson Shupe continues to lead GU on offense and ranks among the best in the nation in numerous categories.
- Shupe is listed as the 17th toughest batter to strike out, touting a K% of 6.8% (1 strikeout every 14.7 at bats).
- Shupe's 51 hits rank third in the WCC and 94th in the nation, while his 1.59 hits/game ranks 31st (leads WCC).
- Shupe's .386 average is second in the WCC and 83rd in the country.
- Shupe leads the WCC with 96 assists and is second in fielding double plays (24).
BELL EARNS GONZAGA'S SECOND STRAIGHT WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOD
-
Mikey Bell was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week on April 7.
- Bell batted 8-for-13 across four games, including a 7-for-9 (.778) performance in Gonzaga's sweep of San Francisco, where he compiled a 2.068 OPS.Â
- On April 4, Bell was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI and a run scored.Â
- On April 5, he picked up two more hits in a 2-for-3 outing, adding two runs and an RBI before capping it off with a 3-for-3 day on April 6, clubbing a home run and driving in the go-ahead run with a single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
HANKINS TABBED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
-
Josh Hankins was named WCC Player of the Week on March 31, the first weekly award for Gonzaga this season.
- In four games last week,
Josh Hankins batted 10-for-16 (.625) with six runs scored, three RBI, three doubles, a home run, and two stolen bases, combining for a 1.632 OPS.
- In Tuesday's win over Washington State, Hankins went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI.
- In Friday's 8-1 win over Pacific, he went 2-for-2 and clubbed his first home run of the season before a 3-for-5 performance on Saturday.
- In the finale, Hankins extended his hit streak to eight games, adding two runs scored with a hit.
BULLDOGS SWEEP TIGERS
- Gonzaga completed the three-game sweep of Pacific last weekend, defeating the Tigers 8-1, 13-4, and 10-0 (7).
- During that series, GU batted .370 and recorded a team OPS of 1.090 with a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen bases.
- The pitching staff combined for a 1.80 ERA with the Tigers hitting just .140.
ZAGS TAKE ROUND ONE OVER WAZZU
- In their first of four midweek meetings this season, Gonzaga defeated Washington State 4-1 on Tuesday.
-
Gabe Brabec threw 6.2 strong innings, surrendering WSU's only run in the bottom of the first inning.
-
Kai Francis earned his first career save, pitching 2.1 perfect innings while striking out two.
-
Josh Hankins continued his hot hitting, bumping his average up to .244 after a 4-for-5 performance Tuesday.
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.
BUCKLEY MAKES HISTORY AT BAYLOR
-
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.
Â
-GoZags.com-
