Steve Bennett begins his seventh year as a member of the Gonzaga University coaching staff. Bennett was promoted to full-time pitching coach in the summer of 2008.
Under his guidance as the Bulldog pitching coach the past four seasons, Bennett has seen eight Gonzaga pitchers become All-West Coast Conference selections, three named All-Americans, three drafted by Major League Baseball and two named WCC Pitcher of the Year.
Bennett saw the pitching staff make big strides in 2009, posting the lowest ERA (4.44) in the WCC along with setting a school record for strikeouts (422). The GU staff was led by two of the nation[apos]s elite hurlers in Matt Fields and Steven Ames. Fields cruised through the 2009 season, dominating hitters every Friday night en route to being named the Zags second WCC Pitcher of the Year in the last three seasons. He later earned All-America third team honors by Collegiate Baseball before being drafted in the 22nd round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Ames matched Fields with eight wins and won some big games during the Zags WCC title run, earning the WCC Championship Series Most Outstanding Pitcher Award in Gonzaga[apos]s WCC Championships Series win that sent GU back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1981. Ames was then taken in the 17th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last season also saw sophomore Cody Martin set the school record for all-time saves and he later received an invitation to pitch at the Team USA National Team Trials this past June.
Under Bennett[apos]s guidance in 2008, Fields and Martin received All-WCC honorable mention honors. Martin also set a school record with nine saves and was named second team Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America and also earned third team All-Ping! Freshman team honors. In his first season serving as the pitching coach in 2007, Bennett had Clayton Mortensen earn the program[apos]s inaugural WCC Pitcher of the Year award along with third team All-American honors and was the 36th overall draft pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
A 2000 graduate of Gonzaga, Bennett was a 4-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs appearing in 54 games over his career. He earned WCC honorable mention as a freshman, was selected second-team All-WCC as a junior and was drafted by the New York Mets in the 28th round after his senior season. Bennett chose to return to the Bulldogs for his fifth year where he earned first-team All-WCC. He then went on to play four years in the Mets organization, reaching as high as the AA level.
The native of Helena, Mont., married the former Abby Cullen, an assistant volleyball coach for the Bulldogs in July, 2008. The Bennett[apos]s welcomed their first child, Cullen, in July of 2009.
