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Mark Machtolf is entering his seventh year at the helm of the Gonzaga University baseball program. Prior to being named head coach on Aug. 7, 2003, the Spokane native served 13 years as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs. Since being named head coach, Machtolf has posted a 180-143 record for a .557winning percentage, placing him second all-time in Gonzaga history. During his 19-year tenure with the Bulldogs, Machtolf has seen the program produce 78 All-West Coast Conference selections, including two WCC Players of the Year and two of the past three WCC Pitchers of the Year. He has also been part of coaching five All-America selections, six academic All-America honorees as well as seven Freshman All-America selections. Machtolf has been a part of 29 former Zags who were drafted by Major League Baseball, including nine in the top 10 rounds and 15 in the top 20, en route to 40 Bulldogs signing professional contracts. He has coached five former Bulldogs with MLB experience, including three-time All-Star and 2004 NL Rookie of the Year Jason Bay. Four formers Zags were on big league rosters at one point in 2009, led by Bay with the Boston Red Sox and now with the New York Mets, Mike Redmond with the Minnesota Twins and a pair of former Bulldogs who made their MLB debuts in pitcher Clayton Mortensen now with the Oakland Athletics and catcher Kevin Richardson with the Texas Rangers. Last season Machtolf led the Bulldogs to perhaps the best season in program history, earning the school's eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the program's inaugural West Coast Conference regular and Championships Series titles which earned Machtolf his first career WCC Coach of the Year honor. The Bulldogs had five players earn All-WCC accolades led by senior starting pitcher Matt Fields who was awarded WCC Pitcher of the Year and later garnered Collegiate Baseball All-American third team honors. The Zags posted a 19-10 win over Georgia Southern University at the NCAA Regional before falling in a pair of well played games to No. 2 national seed and regional host Cal State Fullerton and the University of Utah. Gonzaga went on to earn a No. 22 national ranking in Baseball America's final season poll after posting the school's third consecutive 30-win season for the first time since 1980-82. The 36 wins last year were the most by a Bulldog team since the 1990 season. Another program-best followed the season as a record five Zags were selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in June. Four Zags were taken in the first 25 rounds led by catcher Tyson Van Winkle who went from a 39th round selection in 2008 to a 10th round draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. This past season also saw a couple individual offensive records fall with Machtolf in charge of the GU offense as Ryan Wiegand became Gonzaga's all-time leader in hits, doubles and RBI and Van Winkle set the school-record with 27 doubles. The Bulldogs pitching staff also went on to produce the lowest team ERA in the WCC in addition to setting the school record for strikeouts in a season. The honors continued to come in July with pitcher Cody Martin receiving an invite to the Team USA National Team trials. The 2008 season saw Machtolf lead a Gonzaga squad to its second consecutive 30-win season, the first back-to-back 30-win seasons since 1980-81. Four Bulldogs were placed on the All-WCC teams including Martin who set the school record for saves in a season with nine. Martin was later named to two Freshmen All-America teams, becoming the third player to earn All-America accolades during the Machtolf head coaching era. In 2007, Machtolf guided the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the WCC and, as a result, a spot in the WCC Championship series against regular-season champion University of San Diego. Gonzaga's second-place finish was then its highest in WCC history as the Zags had not finished higher than fifth when the league played a non-divisional format. In 2007, the Bulldogs posted a 33-25 record, marking the most victories since the 1990 campaign. As a result of their 15-6 WCC record, the Zags' landed eight All-WCC selections, including WCC Pitcher of the Year and third team All-American Mortensen. The eight conference accolades tied a program high. In his first season as head coach, Machtolf guided Gonzaga to a 16-11 record in WCC play and a 24-27 overall record for the 2004 season. He also placed three players on the All-WCC first team including catcher Kiel Thibault, who was named the WCC Player of the Year. Under Machtolf's guidance the Bulldogs have become one of the top power-hitting teams in the country. In 2002, the Bulldogs set a school and WCC record for home runs with 92, finishing seventh in the nation in home-runs-per-game. Gonzaga slugger Nate Gold led the nation with 33 home runs en route to earning first-team All-America honors. In 1999, Gonzaga hitters smashed several offensive school records including home runs (82), runs scored (455), runs batted in (425) and hits per game (10.75). In the summer of 2006, Machtolf was named one of the assistant coaches for the USA Baseball Team. Under Machtolf's guidance, the National Team posted a 28-2-1 record, including going a perfect 8-0 at the Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) World Championships in Havanna, Cuba. The .919 win percentage for the season was the best ever posted by a USA Baseball collegiate team and the tournament win was the inaugural title for a USA Baseball National Team in Cuba. Machtolf was also instrumental in the construction of Gonzaga's new state-of-the-art facility, Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field which opened in 2007. Machtolf assisted with the guidance of the project that helped create the new home of Bulldog baseball. Machtolf entered the coaching ranks as the hitting coach at Gonzaga for the 1987-88 season and worked with the Zags until the completion of the 1990 campaign. Following one season as an assistant coach at Whitworth College, Machtolf accepted the head coaching position at Gonzaga Prep and coached through the 1995 season. In 1996, Machtolf returned to the Bulldog dugout as a volunteer coach and was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 1998 season. Prior to becoming head coach Machtolf's primary responsibilities were working with Zags hitters and coaching the infielders. He also served as Gonzaga's recruiting coordinator. A 1987 graduate of Stanford University, Machtolf was a member of the Cardinal 1987 College World Series championship team and was an All-CWS selection. A 4-year baseball letterman and two-year football letterman, Machtolf received his B.A. in history in 1987. He received a Masters of Education degree in 1990 from Spokane's Whitworth College. Machtolf and his wife Sheila have three sons, David (1994), Steven (1996) and Jack (1998).
During 19-year Gonzaga Tenure
180 - Career victories in six seasons as head coach .557 - Winning percentage ranks second in Gonzaga history 78 - All-West Coast Conference selections 35 - Former Zags signed to professional contracts 29 - Former Bulldogs drafted in the MLB Draft 15 - Former Zags drafted in the top 20 rounds of MLB Draft 16 - All-Academic WCC honors 9 - Former Zags drafted in the top 10 rounds of MLB Draft 7 - Freshmen All-America selections 6 - Academic All-America honors 5 - All-America selections 5 - Former Bulldogs with MLB experience 2 - WCC Players of the Year 2 - WCC Pitchers of the Year 2 - WCC Championship Series Appearances 1 - WCC Regular Season Championship 1 - WCC Championship Series Title 1 - MLB All-Star USA Baseball National Team assistant coach (2006) |
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