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Bulldogs Head To Fullerton For NCAA Regional
May 27, 2009
NCAA Regional Notes in PDF Format
NCAA Regional Probable Bulldog Lineup THIS WEEKEND: Gonzaga University heads to Fullerton, Calif. for the NCAA Regional, matching up with Georgia Southern University at 3 p.m. in Friday's opening game of the four-team double elimination tournament hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The No. 3 seeded Bulldogs open play against the No. 2 seeded Southern Conference Tournament champion Eagles while the second game on Friday will see No. 4 seeded University of Utah match up with national No. 2 seed Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS LIVE: Each NCAA Tournament game will be available via Gametracker on the internet at http://www.gozags.com. Games will also be audio streamed and on the radio at 1510 AM with Tom Hudson and former Gonzaga head coach Steve Hertz calling the action. THE ZAGS AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: This Friday's matchup against Georgia Southern University will mark Gonzaga University's eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament and first appearance since 1981. The Bulldogs dropped their first two games of that 1981 season but were one game away from reaching the Super Regionals in 1978 and 1980. The Zags own a 7-14 all-time mark in NCAA Tournament play. HOW THEY GOT HERE: Gonzaga University earned the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament from the West Coast Conference by sweeping Loyola Marymount University in the best-of-three game series last weekend at Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field in Spokane. Gonzaga won 4-3 in Friday's opener then got a three-home-run 8-RBI performance from Ryan Wiegand in the 14-3 series-clinching win Saturday. ON DECK: The winner of the Fullerton Regional this weekend will play the winner of the Louisville Regional in a best-of-three series next weekend that will award a trip the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. BULLDOGS BACK IN NATIONAL POLL: After claiming its first ever West Coast Conference title over last weekend, Gonzaga University moved back into the national rankings for the second time this season, appearing at No. 19 in the latest Baseball America national poll. It is the highest ranking that the Bulldogs have received since the 1981 team reached a No. 9 ranking. Last week the Zags beat No. 27 Washington State University 8-7 and then beat Loyola Marymount University in the first two games of the WCC Championship Series. It is the second time that Gonzaga has appeared in the top-25 this season, earning a No. 22 ranking by Baseball America on Apr. 13. ZAGS POST THIRD STRAIGHT 30-WIN SEASON: Gonzaga University's 6-4 win over Saint Mary's College May 3 was its 30th win of the season, marking the Bulldogs third consecutive 30-win season. It is the first time that Gonzaga has accomplished the feat since the 1980-82 teams each recorded at least 30 wins. The 35 wins by the Zags this season is the most by a Gonzaga club since the 1990 team finished with 37 wins. MACHTOLF NAMED WCC COACH OF THE YEAR: Gonzaga University head coach Mark Machtolf, in his sixth season as head coach and 19th season overall at GU, receives his first career Coach of the Year honor after leading the Bulldogs to their inaugural WCC regular season title. This year's squad posted wins against No. 10 University of Missouri twice, No. 26 Pepperdine University twice and against No. 21 University of San Diego twice while posting series wins in all but one WCC series. The Bulldogs also reached the 30-win plateau for the third consecutive season, marking the first time that has happened at Gonzaga in over 25 years. Machtolf also had the Zags earn their first national ranking since 2006, earning a No. 22 ranking by Baseball America in mid-April. He owns the second highest winning percentage (.559) and third highest win total in school history (179). FIELDS NAMED WCC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Matt Fields became the second Bulldog ever to earn WCC Pitcher of the Year after Clayton Mortensen took home the award in 2007. Fields compiled a 7-1 overall record in the regular season and a 5-0 mark in WCC play. He also finished the regular season second in both overall ERA (2.89) and fourth in conference games only ERA (2.79). The Zags Friday night starter also led the team with 66 strikeouts and recorded two WCC/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week awards during the season. Fields was also placed on the All-WCC team to notch his second career All-WCC honor after earning All-WCC honorable mention last season. ABOUT THE GEORGIA SOUTHERN EAGLES: Georgia Southern University will be making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in seven seasons, finishing the regular season with a 42-15 overall record after sweeping its way through the Southern Conference tournament to earn the conference's automatic berth. Gonzaga University has never faced the Eagles. On the mound GSU is led by junior right hander Chris Mederos who owns a team-best 11-1 record and recorded 112 strikeouts in 93.1 innings. Catcher Griffin Benedict paces an Eagle club with a .401 average with 11 home runs and 61 RBI. Head coach Rodney Hennon is in his 10th season at Georgia Southern and owns a 370-231 record at the school. ABOUT THE CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS: The national number two seeded Cal State Fullerton will be making its 18th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and owns a 42-14 overall record after finishing second in the Big West Conference. Cal State Fullerton owns a 7-3 all-time record against the Gonzaga University with the last meeting coming in 1995. Outfielder Josh Fellhauer leads the Titans with a .391 batting average while first baseman Jared Clark paces the club with 70 RBI. Head Coach Dave Serrano is in his second season at CSF and owns a 83-36 record at the school. ABOUT THE UTAH UTES: The University of Utah enters the NCAA Tournament with a 26-29 overall record after winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament Title to earn the automatic berth. The Utes beat San Diego State University 9-3 last Saturday to claim their first every conference tournament title. Gonzaga University owns a 8-1 all-time record against the Utes as the two teams split a two-game series played in Spokane, Wash. earlier this season. Utah took game one 16-9 before the Zags earned the split with a 3-2 game two win. Infielder Nick Kuroczko leads the Utes with a .349 batting average and catcher C.J. Cron owns team-highs with nine home runs and 52 RBI. Head coach Bill Kinneberg is in his sixth season at Utah and owns a 153-174 record at the school. FIVE ZAGS EARN ALL-WCC ACCOLADES: Five Gonzaga University players earned All-West Coast Conference honors this season. Matt Fields, Anthony Synegal, Ryan Wiegand and Tyson Van Winkle were each placed on the All-WCC team while Steven Ames received All-WCC honorable mention. Fields earns his second career All-WCC honor while Wiegand picks up his second career All-WCC honor after earning first team honors his sophomore season. Synegal and Van Winkle both enjoyed breakout years to each record their first career All-WCC honor. Ames earned All-WCC honorable mention honors after matching Fields with a 7-1 record and leading the team with two complete games in his first season with the Zags. FRIDAY NIGHT FIELDS: Senior right-handed starting pitcher Matt Fields owns a 8-1 record and posted a 5-0 mark in West Coast Conference play. Fields picked up two WCC Pitcher of the Week awards this season after earning wins over #26 Pepperdine Apr. 3 and after his first career complete-game shutout against Saint Mary's College May 1. He has matched his career-high of eight strikeouts three times this season, (Nevada - 2/20, Pepperdine - 4/3 and 5/1). He enters the NCAA Tournament with the WCC's second lowest ERA (2.89) and leading the Zags in ERA and strikeouts (73) and is second in innings (88.0). The 2008 All-WCC honorable mention selection posted a team-best eight wins and finished with 3-1 record as the Friday starter last season. WIEGAND SITS ATOP THE RECORD BOOKS: Gonzaga University senior first baseman Ryan Wiegand became Gonzaga's all-time hits leader May 1 against Saint Mary's College, picking up three hits to pass Eric Rodland's top mark of 269. Earlier this season, he became the school's all-time leader in RBI and doubles. The San Diego native passed Jeff Hainline's career top RBI mark of 186 and Jerrod Wong's top doubles mark of 60 with his double and two RBI at the University of Portland Apr. 18. This season he has driven in a team-high 53 RBI, the second straight season he has recorded 50+ RBI, and is second on the team with 21 doubles. He also enters the weekend second all-time in at-bats (834), fourth in games played (210) and sixth in walks (113). WIEGAND's BIG DAY LEADS THE WAY TO WCC TITLE: Ryan Wiegand had a record-breaking performance for the Gonzaga University in its 14-3 West Coast Conference Championship Series clinching rout of Loyola Marymount University last Saturday. The senior first baseman launched a WCC Championship Series record three home runs and drove in eight runs to tie the record for most RBI in a WCC Championship Series game. His nine total RBI in the two-game series also set a new record for RBI in a WCC Championship series. Wiegand finished the game 3-for-5 with four runs scored including his third grand slam of the season, tying the school-record for grand slams hit in a season. VAN WINKLE LEADING THE WAY: Gonzaga University junior catcher Tyson Van Winkle has swung a hot bat for the Zags all season long, currently posting team-highs in hitting (.361), hits (78), doubles (24) and slugging (.542). He is second on the team with RBI (53) and is fourth with five home runs. He has started every game behind the plate and finished the regular season leading the WCC in doubles and fifth in hitting. His 24 doubles are just one behind one behind Jim Carnell's 1981 record for most doubles in a season by a Zag with 25. This season Van Winkle has claimed two WCC Player of the Week awards as well as an WCC April Player of the Month award. DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO: Senior lead-off hitter Evan Wells and junior centerfielder Drew Heid have continued to be the sparks atop the Gonzaga University lineup. Wells has scored multiple runs in a game 16 times this season including matching his career-high with four runs scored against University of Utah Mar. 24. He finished the regular season second in the West Coast Conference in hit-by-pitches (18), fourth in walks (30) and in runs scored (53) and seventh in stolen bases (12-for-14). The 2008 All-WCC Honorable Mention selection also leads the club in on-base percentage (.450). Heid meanwhile is second on the team in hits (77) and in hitting (.350) and leads the WCC with eight triples, the second most in Gonzaga single season history, trailing Larry Patterson's 1977 record of 12. The 2008 All-WCC selection from a year ago has also scored 41 runs, driven in 37 runs and stolen nine bases while hitting out of the two-hole this season. PROSZEK PRODUCING IN BOTH ROLES: Gonzaga University senior pitcher A.J. Proszek had an impressive season both out of the bullpen and in a starting role for the Zags this season. Proszek started the season working out of the bullpen, allowing just four runs in eight appearances before stepping into a starting role at the University of Portland Apr. 18. He has gone seven innings in three of his four starts this season earning a no-decision at Portland before earning the series-clinching win over Saint Mary's College May 3. Proszek owns the team's second-best ERA (3.09) along with a 2-1 record and three saves. SYNEGAL STEPPING UP: Senior outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Synegal has made the most of his final season with the Zags. The Hollister, Calif. native has been the quiet assassin in the Bulldogs potent offense, producing a team second-best six home runs along with 32 RBI and a .500 slugging percentage. All six of his homers have come in West Coast Conference play, good for second in the WCC and eventually led to his first ever All-WCC first team selection. Earlier this season he produced an eight-game hitting streak and the only multi-home run game for the Zags this season (Apr. 17 at Portland). ANNOUNCING THEIR PRESENCE WITH AUTHORITY: Gonzaga University freshmen shortstop Ernesto Ortiz and starting pitcher Ryan Carpenter have both made immediate impacts for the Bulldogs in their first collegiate seasons. Ortiz produced a team-best 12-game hitting streak to start the season and enters the weekend third on the team in doubles (14). His two-out two-run double brought home the go-ahead runs in the Apr. 11 4-2 win over #21 University of San Diego. Carpenter has earned his sixth win of the season this past Tuesday against Washington State University after last posting a win Apr. 17 with four scoreless innings of relief against the University of Portland. He has recorded eight or more strikeouts three times this season including a career-high 10 strikeout performance against Utah Valley University Mar. 14. The Peoria, Ariz. native enters the weekend third on the team in strikeouts (62), third in wins (6) and in innings (61.2). WELLS AWARDED ESPN ACADEMIC HONOR: Gonzaga University senior second baseman Evan Wells has been named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII First Team. Wells is now eligible to earn Academic All-America honors. The Bulldogs lead-off hitter the past three seasons owns a 3.90 GPA and is among the leaders in the West Coast Conference in walks, on-base percentage and runs scored. Wells is a soon to be three-time WCC All-Academic selection and is set to graduate this May with a degree in journalism. MARTIN NAMED TO NCBWA MIDSEASON STOPPER WATCH LIST: Gonzaga University sophomore pitcher Cody Martin has been named to the 2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Mid-season Stopper of the Year Watch List. Forty-five players have been named to the watch list for the fifth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, May 27, prior to start of NCAA regional tournament competition. The NCBWA's All-America Committee will then select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced in early June.
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