Gonzaga Baseball Opens WCC Tournament vs. Saint Mary's on Thursday at 7pm

[TerpZag]

Baseball Opens WCC Tournament vs. Saint Mary's

Zags looking for third NCAA berth in last four years at WCCs


WEST COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
May 23-25 | Los Angeles, Calif. | Page Stadium
Live Video | Live Stats

Opening Round:
(2) Gonzaga (30-22) vs. (3) Saint Mary's (33-20)

GU Claims WCC 2-seed with LMU Series Win
- Gonzaga took the bookends of a regular-season-ending series at LMU last weekend, holding to Lions to a combined one run in those two wins.
- Nick Nyquist hit a solo home run and Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (7.0 IP) and Alek Jacob (IP) combined on a shutout.
- In the finale, GU scored two in the seventh, and got a great effort from a quartet of pitchers, including Jacob's second save of the series.

30 Wins Again
- Gonzaga hit the 30-win barrier for the fourth straight season and seventh time in the last nine years.
- During head coach Mark Machtolf's now 16 years at the helm, GU has won at least 30 games 10 times.

WCC Tournament History
- Gonzaga is making its sixth trip to the WCC Tournament in the seven-year history of the four-team format. That's the most of any team in the WCC.
- The Zags have won the WCC Tournament one time (2018), and will be looking for their third NCAA bid in the last four seasons.

Zags Roll Lamar in Non-Conference Series
- Gonzaga got on the bats to the tune of 41 runs in three games against visiting Lamar during its non-conference series and home finale last weekend.
- Josh Bristyan homered twice, including a Sunday grand slam, in just five total at-bats in the series, Ernie Yake had eight hits and six RBI, and Troy Johnston reached base nine times with five hits.
- Yake hit a solo home run in the 8th inning of Game 1 to break a 6-6 tie.
- Mac Lardner (7.0 innings) and Matthew Henckel (2.0 innings) combined on the Game 2 shutout.
- GU had two five-run innings in game three and eight of 22 hits were for extra bases. Jack Krauel added four RBI alongside Bristyan's grand slam.

Zags on the All-WCC Lists
- Gonzaga's RF Troy Johnston and RHP Alek Jacob were named to the All-WCC First Team and led a group of eight players recognized by the league.
- SS Ernie Yake and 1B Nick Nyquist were named to the Second Team.
- LHP Mac Lardner, 3B Brett Harris and CF Guthrie Morrison were named Honorable Mention.
- Mason Wells was named to the All-Freshman Team.

Jacob Does It All
- Sophomore righthander Alek Jacob was one of the best pitchers in the league during WCC play. He factored in the decision in 12 of GU's 18 league wins, posting a 5-1 record and seven saves.
- Starting out the year as a starter, but converting to the closer due to need, he has racked up 11 saves, leads the team with seven wins, and has 79 strikeouts in 73.2 innings pitched.
- Jacob was one of 45 players nationally named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
- Jacob is holding opposing hitters to a .202 batting average and has a 2.20 ERA on the year.
- In April, Jacob had his best month, compiling a 0.83 ERA with three saves and a 3-0 record across seven appearances with one start. He struck out 24 in 21.2 innings and held hitters to a .162 batting average for the month.

Iverson Finding the Right Stuff
- After a tough start to the season out of the bullpen, Nick Trogrlic-Iverson has been solid down the stretch of the season, starting four times and coming out of the pen eight times in his last 11 outings.
- In WCC play, he went 2-1 with a save in 11 appearances (2 starts), compiling a 2.01 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 22.1 innings of work.
- Most recently, he went 7.0 shutout innings at Loyola Marymount, getting the victory in a 1-0 GU win.
- Prior to that, he had a perfect game through the fifth inning against Lamar, with seven strikeouts, before the Cardinals got to him in the sixth.

.300
- Gonzaga has five everyday players hitting over the magical .300 mark on the year.
- Troy Johnston leads the way at .327 with a team-high 26 doubles -- one shy of the school record.
- Nick Nyquist is next at .317 and has a team-high 51 RBI and 24 walks.
- Guthrie Morrison is at .315 in his first year in a Zag uniform with a team-best 44 runs scored.
- Ernie Yake is at .305 and has struck out just 13 times in 213 at-bats, the third-best strikeout rate nationally.
- Brett Harris is hitting .302 after a 3-for-5 game in the series final at LMU. Harris hit .353 against the WCC.
- Daniel Fredrickson (.293) and Mason Marenco (.288) are all one great game away from crossing the .300 mark as well.

Team Notes
- Gonzaga has played in five extra-inning games this season and is 4-1 overall.
- GU is 13-6 at home and 16-13 in true road games.
- Gonzaga has 116 doubles to just 61 for opponents, but has 39 total homers compared to 61 for opponents.
- GU is 12th nationally in doubles per game at 2.23 with Troy Johnston's 0.50 doubles per game, 3rd in the nation.
- Gonzaga is also good at taking pitches, getting HBPs 72 times on the year, in the top 50 nationally.
- GU has also struck out 80 less times than its opponents in total on the year.

Team Notes
- On the year, Gonzaga is hitting .303 as a team with runners in scoring position.
- Nick Nyquist has been on fire when it comes to driving in runs, going 28-62 (.452) with runners in scoring position. Josh Bristyan is 11-for-28 (.393) and Troy Johnston is 23-for-59 (.390) with RISP.
- Nyquist leads the way with 51 RBI on the season, while nine others have at least 16, including Johnston's 44, Pinorini's 34 and Yake's 29.

Offense Rolling
- Gonzaga has scored 10 or more runs 15 times this season, including a season-high 22 against Lamar two weeks ago.
- In 17 April games, GU hit .318 as a team, compared to hitting just .259 in the month of March.

Streaks
- Troy Johnston and Austin Pinorini each had team-best 21-game on base streaks broken last weekend.
- Ernie Yake has reached base in each of his last eight games and has a hit in each of his last three.

Spellacy Rising
- Michael Spellacy is coming off one of his best outings as a Zag with 3.1 shutout innings in last Sunday's win at LMU.
- Spellacy came on against No. 3 Oregon State and gave the Zags 2.1 scoreless innings with three Ks.
- Earlier this year, Spellacy earned his first-career save with a perfect ninth inning against Washington in a 5-4 win.
- Earlier in the league season, he took on a starting role at Portland and gave the Zags 6.0 innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits and striking out four with no walks.
- He pitched 2.0 innings of scoreless relief against Pacific, allowing just one base runner.
- Spellacy also went 5.0 innings of relief at Pepperdine on Saturday of that series, allowing just one run on four hits.
- Spellacy had a solid outing in his time on the mound at Texas A&M. In the second game of the series, he worked 3.2 shutout innings in relief.

Johnston, Nyquist, Morrison Tore Up April
- Gonzaga hit .318 as a team in 17 April games, bolstered by the combined batting average of .402 from the trio of Troy Johnston, Nick Nyquist and Guthrie Morrison.
- Johnston is tied for first in the NCAA in doubles with 22, 13 of which came in the month of April.
- Johnston has raised his batting average 55 points since April 1st (.286 to .341) by hitting .417 in April.
- Nyquist raised his batting average 74 points (.237 to .311) by hitting .383 in the month.
- Nyquist has slugged .783 and reached base at a .479 clip for an April OPS of 1.262.
- Nyquist has hit six homers, four doubles, a triple, scored 19 runs and knocked in 26 RBI -- courtesy of two five-RBI games -- in April.
- Morrison raised his batting average 56 points (.281 to .337) by hitting .402 in April.
- Morrison has a team-best 33 hits in the month with eight doubles, eight RBI and 19 runs scored.

Gonzaga Article Link

[TerpZag]

FROM SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE ATHLETICS:

BASE | Gaels Head to Stockton for the WCC Tournament


MORAGA, Calif. – The Gaels will hit the road this week for their third appearance in the WCC Tournament in the last four years. Their first matchup will take place on Thursday against the No. 2 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Schedule:

Thursday, May 23
3:00 PM Game 1: No. 1 Brigham Young vs No. 4 LMU TheW.tv
7:00 PM Game 2: No. 2 Gonzaga vs No. 3 Saint Mary's TheW.tv

Friday, May 24
12:00 PM Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2 TheW.tv
3:30 PM Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 TheW.tv
7:30 PM Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs Loser Game 4 TheW.tv

Saturday, May 25
3:00 PM Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 5 TheW.tv
Approx. 7:00 PM Game 7: If Necessary TheW.tv

SCOUTING REPORT
The Gaels ended the season on a high-note as they won the series against Pepperdine in the final weekend of the year. Saint Mary's won the last two games of the series, with the win in game two securing their position WCC Tournament. Following a strong series, the team is ranked first in the conference and 57th in nation in batting average (.287) and second in the WCC with a win-loss percentage of 0.623 behind BYU. SMC is ranked first in the conference and 20th nationally with a fielding percentage of 0.979. Saint Mary's pitching also continues to dominate as they are ranked first in the WCC and 15th in the nation with a WHIP of 1.24. They are also ranked first in the conference and 10th in the country with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.98. The Gaels are also ranked first in the WCC and 36th nationally with 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Gaels raked in the All-Conference awards on Monday after the completion of a number of impressive season performances. Tyler Thornton was named Freshman of the Year and to the All-WCC First Team and the All-WCC Freshman Team. Thornton amassed a 9-2 record in 12 starts (70.1 innings pitched) and his 2.56 earned run average is the lowest of any starter on the team. He is ranked 11th in the country and first in the West Coast Conference in hits allowed per nine innings (5.37) and his nine wins are tied for the 12th-most in the nation (first in the WCC). Joining him on the Freshman team is Bryce Willits, who leads the team with a .341 batting average and, in 138 at-bats, has collected 14 RBI, nine doubles, and two homeruns. He also has a .397 on-base percentage and an .846 OPS (.449 slugging). Joining Thornton on the First Team are juniors Joe Vranesh and Ken Waldichuk. Sophomore Carlos Lomeli was named to the All-WCC Second Team and junior Ryan Novis, junior Kevin Milam, and Willits were all named honorable mentions.

Sophomore right-hander Carlos Lomeli put together an impressive performance at Pepperdine on Sunday, delivering the series victory and his second WCC Pitcher of the Week Award. Lomeli shut down the Waves in Malibu, tossing 8.0 innings, allowing no runs and just two hits while striking out five and walking three. He had retired seven-straight to end the seventh and he did not give up his second hit until the eighth. Lomeli has given up just two runs and 10 hits in his last 21.0 innings of work. Saint Mary's now has 10 weekly awards which is five more than the school with the second-most (BYU) and they have had at least one player win the award in each of the last three weeks. Saint Mary's now has 10 weekly awards which is five more than the school with the second-most (BYU) and they have had at least one player win the award in each of the last three weeks.

GONZAGA
The Gonzaga Bulldogs ended the regular season in second place in the the WCC with a record of 18-9 in conference play. During the last weekend of the season, Gonzaga took the series win over the Loyola Marymount Lions after winning in both the series opener and the series finale. The team only lost two series against conference opponents this season, Saint Mary's and Pepperdine, while they swept USF and Portland for their only WCC-sweeps of the year. Gonzaga leads the conference with a 0.424 slugging percentage and they are also first in the WCC in total doubles (116) and triples (15). Last time the Gaels and the Bulldogs met was in early May and SMC won the series with wins in the first and third games.

On the mound, junior Nick Trogrilic-Iverson has been a prominent starter for the Bulldogs this season and has recorded 25 appearances with six starts. Iverson has an ERA of 4.52 and a record of 4-2 through a total of 61.2 innings pitched. He held opponents to a .278 batting average and ended the season with a 1.37 WHIP. Sophomore Jacob Alek has been Gonzaga's star reliever as he posted a 2.20 ERA and a WHIP of 1.13. Through 73.2 innings, he has posted a 7-3 record with 11 saves and three starts. Batters are hitting just .202 against Alek this year and he has only given up 18 earned runs thus far. The pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 4.88 and they have pitched three shutouts as a team.

Junior Troy Johnston leads the team with a batting average of .327 and he has the second-most hits on the team (68). He has played and started in all 52 games for the Bulldogs this season and has recorded a total of 44 RBI and a slugging percentage of .601. He has the second-most home runs on the team (9) and the most doubles (26) by a margin of 10. He is also ranked first in the conference and third in the nation with an average of 0.50 doubles per game. Senior Nick Nyquist has the second-highest batting average on the team (.317) and leads GU with a total of 10 home runs. He also has the second-highest OPS on the team with a slugging percentage of .584 and an on-base percentage of .410.

BYU
The BYU Cougars ended the season with a 19-8 conference record, good enough for first place in the WCC. In their last weekend of the regular season, the Cougars took their seventh conference win of the year over Santa Clara when they won the final two games of the season. BYU has three sweeps this season during conference play against Saint Mary's, Portland, and Pacific and they have only lost one WCC-series all year (San Diego). The Cougars have the highest on-base percentage in the conference (0.385) which is ranked 49th in the country. They are also first in the conference in double plays (47) and double-plays-per-game (0.92). The last time that the Gaels and the Cougars met was in late March, and Saint Mary's was swept by BYU in Provo.

On the mound, Justin Sterner has been the top starter for the Cougars as he has posted a 2.92 ERA through 15 appearances and 13 starts. He has an 8-3 record through 71.0 innings pitched and is holding opposing batters to a .215 average. He has given up just 23 earned run this season while striking out 71 batters and allowing just 23 walks. Sterner has also given up just one home run all year. In the relief position for BYU, Reid McLaughlin has pitched in 24 appearances and has posted an ERA of 2.72. WIth a record of 7-1 through 49.2 innings, McLaughlin has only allowed 15 earned runs while holding opposing batters to a .243 batting average. He has recorded four saves this season which is tied for most on the team with Drew Zimmerman.

Brock Hale leads the team with a .340 batting average, has played and started in all 51 games for the Cougars this season, and was named the WCC Player of the Year. He has recorded a team-high, 11 home runs this season and 44 RBI to combine for a .589 slugging percentage. Hale also has the second-highest on-base percentage among the Cougars (.467) while leading the team in total hits (67). Jackson Cluff is also hitting productively for BYU with a batting average of .340 and a slugging percentage of .539. Cluff is also ranked first in the conference and 56th in the nation with an on-base percentage of 0.473. He is also ranked first in the WCC with an average of 1.10 runs batted in per game. Cluff's on-base percentage is also helped by the fact that he is ranked first in the conference with 37 walks on the season.

LMU
The Loyola Marymount Lions ended the season with a record of 15-12 in the WCC which put them in fourth place. In their final series of the regular season, the Lions dropped the series to Gonzaga after winning only one game. The Lions picked up series wins against San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, and Pacific, while also sweeping Santa Clara this year. LMU has the lowest ERA in the conference (3.61), which is good enough for 27th in the nation. They are also ranked first in the conference with a total of 71 stolen bases this season and an average of 1.37 per game. The last time that the Gaels and the Lions met was in mid-April, when the Gaels took the series after winning both the series opener and the series finale.

On the mound, senior Codie Pavia has been dominant for the Lions with an ERA of 1.78 through 13 appearances and was named the WCC Pitcher of the Year. Pavia has a record of 6-5 through 81.0 innings pitched and has been holding opposing batters to a .230 average. He has only allowed 17 earned runs this season while striking out 73 batters and walking just 16. He also has a WHIP of 1.06 and is one of only two pitchers on the team to have pitched a complete game this season. Sophomore Nick Frasso has been an efficient reliever for the Lions with an ERA of 2.68 through 14 appearances and 47.0 innings pitched. He has a 0.91 WHIP and has recorded the second-highest number of saves (6) on the team.

Offensively for the Lions, junior Trevin Esquerra has the highest batting average on the team (.320) as well as the highest slugging percentage (.627) which has him ranked second in the conference. He has a total of 15 home runs this season which is ranked third in the conference and 36th in the country, while also recording 17 doubles and 53 RBI. He has also played and started in every game for LMU this season. Senior Brandon Shearer is another top producer for LMU as he has a batting average of .315 with a total of 64 hits on the season. His on-base percentage (.408) is the second-highest on the team and he is the only other Lion besides Esquerra to have played and started in every game this season.

St. Mary's Athletics Link

[sittingon50]

SMC with a 5 spot in the top of the 1st. Not good.

[TerpZag]

St. Mary's defeats Gonzaga this evening 7-3...

Zags will play BYU tomorrow at noon in a loser out game...

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=263630

[TerpZag]

Baseball Downed in WCC Tournament Opener

Zags unable to overcome SMC’s 5-run 1st inning


St. Mary's 7 - Gonzaga 3 Final Box Score Link


STOCKTON, Calif. – Gonzaga baseball wasn't able to dig its way out of an early hole, falling 7-3 to Saint Mary's in first round play at the West Coast Conference Tournament Thursday in Stockton, Calif.

A five-run first inning for Saint Mary's (34-20) put Gonzaga (30-23) at deficit that it couldn't overcome despite clawing back to within two runs at one point. The loss moves the Zags to loser-out play against top-seeded BYU, who was defeated by LMU in the other first round game. The Gaels and Lions will play for a chance to move on to the WCC final.

Gonzaga starter Nick Trogrlic-Iverson, lasted 6.0 innings, but gave up seven runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Taylor Davis came on to start the seventh and was excellent, working three shutout innings and giving up just two hits with one strikeout and one walk.

On offense, Guthrie Morrison and Daniel Fredrickson had two hits each, while Troy Johnston doubled, scored and knocked in a run. The double was his 27th of the season, which ties a school single-season record.

The Gaels jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Gonzaga's Trogrlic-Iverson settled in and put up three straight shutdown innings before the offense got going.

In the bottom of the fourth, GU put up a three-spot with RBI doubles from Johnston and Brett Harris, as well as an RBI groundout from Daniel Fredrickson.

SMC answered right away with two in the fifth inning, and then held the Zags to a scoreless bottom despite two baserunners on with one out.

GU wasn't able to put more than one runner on base in any of the final four innings.

Gonzaga will take on top-seeded BYU on Friday at Noon in loser-out action at the WCC Tournament. Links to live coverage will be available at GoZags.com.

Gonzaga Article Link

[sittingon50]

Zags win.


You'll never guess why BYU lost? They play in a crappy league!
(per the BYU Board)


Death, taxes & predictable excuses.

[TerpZag]

Baseball Grabs 3-1 Win Over BYU

GU will face loser of SMC/LMU tonight at 7:30 p.m.


Gonzaga 3 - BYU 1 Final Box Score Link


STOCKTON, Calif. – Gonzaga baseball survived its first loser-out game of the day in a 3-1 win over BYU on Friday afternoon at the West Coast Conference Tournament in Stockton, Calif.

Gonzaga starter Mac Lardner pitched one of the best games of his standout career, going 8.0 innings of one-run ball to lead the Zags (31-23) to the elimination-avoiding win over 24th-ranked BYU (36-17). GU will play one more game on Friday, taking on the loser of the LMU/Saint Mary's winner's bracket game.

"Mac was outstanding, he's pitched in a lot of big games and that was another one," assistant coach Brandon Harmon said. "He worked both sides of the plate well, and was exactly what we needed. You have to minimize at-bats and you have to keep the count in your favor. We got punched last night, and this was a big response from our guys."

Lardner threw 8.0 innings, allowing just one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk for his sixth win of the season. Closer Alek Jacob came on and pitched a clean ninth to get his 12th save of the year.

Three Zags had two hits each, including Ernie Yake, Brett Harris and Isaac Barrera. Yake's day included a home run, while Barrera had an RBI.

After BYU posted a run in the top half of the first inning, GU answered with a leadoff solo home run from Yake to tie it at 1-1.

As Lardner was cruising on the mound through the next four innings, the Zags added a run with a clutch two-out single from Isaac Barrera in the fifth inning.

GU added another in sixth when Daniel Fredrickson laid down a safety squeeze bunt and Troy Johnston slid around the tag to score and make it 3-1 Zags.

Gonzaga will move on to the night game Friday at 7 p.m. at the WCC Tournament, where GU will face the loser of the LMU-Saint Mary's afternoon game. Links to live coverage will be available at GoZags.com.

Gonzaga Article Link

[TerpZag]

LMU defeats SMC 3-2...

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=263632&statmonitr=bcs

Gonzaga will play St. Mary's later this evening in a loser out game...

[TerpZag]

Baseball Wraps Season with 4-3 Loss to Saint Mary’s

GU ends season with 31-24 record


St. Mary's 4 - Gonzaga 3 Final Box Score Link


STOCKTON, Calif. – Gonzaga's comeback attempt came up just short in a 4-3 loss to Saint Mary's at the WCC Tournament on Saturday in Stockton, Calif.

GU (31-24) went down 4-1 in the seventh, but came back to get within one before Saint Mary's (35-21) was able to finish it.

GU starter Alek Jacob pitched well in his second appearance of the day. After earning the save with a clean ninth in the Zags' early game, Jacob made the start and went 4.0 innings, allowing just one run on three hits with seven strikeouts. Michael Spellacy went the next 2.2 innings and gave up three runs on three hits, and Daniel Naughton pitched a perfect final 1.1 innings with one strikeout.

Gonzaga got the run's first game right off the top, plating one run on three hits in the first inning. Johnston ripped a two-out solo home run, his 10th of the season. GU added two more two-out hits in the frame, but stranded the runners.

Saint Mary's came back with a run in the bottom of the first, but Jacob was able to put up three straight scoreless innings to finish his day. Spellacy came on in the fifth and promptly put up a 1-2-3 frame to keep the score tied at 1-1.

After SMC got a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to take a 4-1 lead, GU answered with two of its own in the top of the eighth. Fredrickson drove home the first run with a double, and then later scored when Saint Mary's made an error to cut it to 4-3.

Naughton came on and was superb in finishing the seventh and working a nice eighth with one strikeout to keep GU within one going into the final at-bat.

Gonzaga's season comes to a close with their fourth consecutive 30-win season and sixth appearance in the seven years of the current format of the WCC Tournament.

Gonzaga Article Link