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Steve Bennett begins his fifth year as a a member of the Gonzaga University coaching staff. Bennett was promoted to full-time pitching coach in the summer of 2008. Under Bennett's guidance as the Bulldog pitching coach the past two seasons, the Zags have produced five All-West Coast Conference selections and two All-Americans on the mound. In 2008, pitchers Matt Fields and Cody Martin received All-West Coast Conference 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's inaugural WCC Pitcher of the Year award. Mortensen was also named third team All-American and was the 36th overall draft pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. 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. |
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