Midnight Madness: what college basketball fans long for from April to November. It’s the beginning of the best time of the year—College Basketball Season. The schedule for the Tip-Off Marathon was released yesterday, and GU made the cut.

Gonzaga guard, Kevin Pangos, fights for the ball against WVU in the NCAA Tournament this past March.

For the second straight year, Gonzaga will begin the night, which begins at 12am EST on November 13^th. Of course it is exciting that the Zags get to play the first game of the year on ESPN, at home nonetheless, but what really makes this game stand out is that it will pick up right where the season left off—for West Virginia that is.

In March, the Bulldogs took on the challenge of poor seeding in the NCAA Tournament and travelled to Pittsburgh to face nearby West Virginia. Of course GU came out on top, but the great story is that now, the Mountaineers will get to see Gonzaga do what they do best, win at home in front of one of the best crowds in the nation.

While WVU will look for revenge in the rematch, the Bulldogs will aspire to make another bold statement against the Mountaineers. It may be several months away, but don’t count out this first game being one of the best games in the 24 hour marathon hosted by ESPN.

With the 60^th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Robert Sacre, a seven foot center out of Gonzaga University. Okay, here’s the real deal.

Rob Sacre and the legendary Reggie Miller joke around before the NCAA tournament in March

Congratulations to Rob for making it to the next level. That is quite the accomplishment, and a hard earned pick that numerous athletes never even come close to. With that being said, Sacre was the last player to be drafted on Thursday. I honestly didn’t even think he would get drafted, so kudos to him for surpassing my expectations, and I’m pretty sure many others as well.

The thing is, before the 2011-2012 season, I thought for sure Big Rob would be a force to reckon with, would easily make it professionally, and would be a solid NBA pick, but after this winter, I was convinced he would have to attempt an overseas career if he wanted to continue playing basketball. The guy has the physical body to play the game, and is a great free throw shooter, but for his size, he does not do what he needs to in the paint to be effective.

Also, I don’t think Rob is athletic enough to play against a lot of these guys in the NBA. He is a very fundamental player—not exactly the essence of the NBA—and he takes too long to react in the paint offensively; another issue if he wants to be a presence on the court.

When my dad asked me a few days ago what I thought would happen with Rob as far the draft was concerned, I said there is no way he gets drafted. “He needs to go play in Europe and maybe he will develop after two or three years and then can make in in The League, but as of now, he’s not ready.”

Clearly, the Lakers didn’t have the same take on Rob. Good for him, good for them. (I really don’t like the Lakers, so honestly I’m not thrilled Rob is destined to wear purple and gold.) On a side note, we can all remember the last time LA had a Zag on their roster—Adam Morrison won two titles with them, while riding the pine.

Let’s hope Rob can blossom into a well-rounded NBA player and show the world what can come out of a lot of hard work in Spokane.

After a spectacular sophomore season for the Bulldogs, Marco Gonzales racked in numerous honors and recognitions for his outstanding play on the mound, at the plate, and in the field. The Colorado native was a top three-finalist for The College Baseball Hall of Fame’s John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, which honors the most elite two-way players in the nation at the collegiate level. Gonzales also was named to the WCC all first team and Pitcher of the Year.

After a stellar sophomore season, Marco Gonzales earned national attention

It was announced this week that Gonzales was not done bringing in the accolades, as he was named to Baseball America’s first team All-American roster. After an 8-2 season on the mound, in which his ERA was only 1.55, he also hit a solid .325, while starring at first base. Gonzales earned a spot on the second team All-American roster by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and the Louisville Slugger third team All-American squad.

Marco isn’t finished with the national recognition however, as he is spending his summer playing for Team USA’s Collegiate team. The squad is based in North Carolina, and will spend a few weeks training and playing games against local MLB farm teams, before heading to Cuba in early July for a five game series. After Havana, the squad will cross the Atlantic for more international competition in The Netherlands. Numerous nations will participate in the 8 day series in Haarlem, The Netherlands.

Congratulations to Marco for doing such big things for himself, the Zags, and his country!

In the wake of losing several athletes over the past few seasons as transfers, Gonzaga finally received one in return. Redshirt junior Drew Barham left Memphis to join the Bulldogs for the upcoming basketball season.

The 6’7 forward earned his undergraduate degree from Memphis, and thus is eligible to play immediately upon arriving at GU. He has been granted two years of playing on the Zags’ roster. Barham plans to enroll in Gonzaga’s graduate program during the remainder of his career.

On the third and final day of the MLB 2012 Amateur Draft another Zag joined the ranks of professional baseball. Senior pitcher, and Spokane native, Tyler Olson was picked by the Oakland A’s in the 17^thround.

Tyler Olson was drafted by the Oakland Athletics

The left handed starter, who led off the pitching rotation for GU, was the 529^th overall pick. Olson ended the season with a 2.77 ERA and a 5-4 record. He made 15 appearances on the mound for the Bulldogs and tallied 90 K’s.

After finishing his four years at Gonzaga, Royce Bolinger had high hopes for moving on to the next level of baseball. His dream came true as the Texas Rangers selected the center fielder in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball Draft Tuesday.

Royce Bolinger tallied 51 RBI's and 11 home runs for GU this year

As an Arizona native, Bolinger spent four years at school in Spokane, where he led the Zags and WCC in his final season as the top offensive producer in nearly every category. As it turns out, he may just end up back in Spokane for his MLB debut. The Spokane Indians, a summer short-season single ‘A’ team, is affiliated with the Texas Rangers. There is a good chance that the new rookie for the squad, who was the 216^th overall pick, could land himself back in Spokane for his first year with the Rangers.

Bolinger hit .392 for the year with the Bulldogs, and was the ninth pick for Texas in the 2012 draft.

For his second straight season, two-way all-star sophomore Marco Gonzales earned the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year award. As one of the finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, which honors the nation’s best player, he is the only two-way man to make the list. Gonzales finished the season with an overall WCC record of 4-1 and the 15^thbest ERA in the country at 1.51.

Marco Gonzales stood out among the rest in WCC awards

As part of the 25 man All-WCC First Team roster, Gonzales is joined by seniors Royce Bolinger and Alex Stanford, along with junior Clayton Eslick. Senior pitcher Tyler Olson and junior short-stop Steven Halcomb were given Honorable Mention.

Bolinger, who was the primary center-fielder for the Bulldogs, led the league, and team, with a .392 batting average. The Arizona native was at the top of almost every conference statistic this season. As the senior second-baseman, and his first year as a starter, Alex Stanford had quite the offensive season. He racked up a .341 conference batting average, while gathering 31 RBI’s on the year. In his junior season, Eslick was all over the field on defense; as he was found playing first, second, third, and left field throughout the year. He began the season as the DH for the Zags, and maintained his role in the clean-up spot for most of the season with a .340 batting average and the second highest OBP in the league at .495.

While these gentlemen where honored for their work on the field, it is also important to recognize the team members who made the WCC All-Academic roster as well. Gonzales earned a slot on the honorary academic list with a 3.34 GPA. He was joined by senior catcher Maxx Garrett who accumulated a 3.54 grade point average. Andy Hunter, another two-way player for the Bulldogs, is a senior who finished his career with a 3.48GPA.

It was a long spring for the Zags, but they sure were successful on and off the field. Congratulations on a great season and for finishing out the year with a 34-22 record.

After a statement victory Friday night, the Bulldogs bulldozed through Saturday and Sunday with wins to move into third place in the conference with an overall record of 32-21. In the second game of the three match series, GU racked up a 5-3 win, and then closed out the weekend with close 7-6 edge over Portland.

In Saturday’s win, sophomore starter Marco Gonzales whipped out eight innings, just as Tyler Olson did Friday. He let up two earned runs, but helped himself out as he led off the GU batting order and drove in one run. Gonzales tossed eight strikeouts in his stint on the mound.

It was junior utility player Clayton Eslick, who brought the offense; going 2-3 at the plate, while scoring two runs. Eslick started at third base on the defensive end, but has played first, second, left field, and has been assigned designated hitter this season.

Steven Halcomb, Alex Stanford, and Maxx Garrett also notched RBI’s for the night, as Stanford, Billy Moon, and Alex Bonczyk crossed home plate to put runs up on the board.

Teammates Marco Gonzales and Clayton Eslick welcom back Royce Bolinger after he crushed a three run homer

On Sunday, which was senior day for the Bulldogs, Andy Hunter followed the lead of Olson and Gonzales in staying on the mound into the eighth inning. While he was credited with all six earned runs, he managed the win. In his last home game at Patterson Baseball Complex, Hunter did all he could manage to do, lasting eight and a third innings, while DHing for the team. He earned two hits and an RBI, as he moved to 4-2 as a starter.

The other offense was provided by fellow senior honoree, Royce Bolinger as he cleared the fence and the bases with a three run homer in the fourth inning. Bolinger racked up three hits in his last game in Spokane. He finished the night with four runs batted in. Garrett, the senior catcher, drove in a teammate, as did Bonczyk, the junior center fielder.

Gonzaga will face BYU in Provo next weekend to close out WCC play, but first they will head 70 miles south to Pullman to take on regional rival Washington State, on Tuesday. The two teams are making up a game that rained out earlier in the season. It’s time to take four games from the awful Cougar mascot.

After a weekend of losses in nonconference play and  the first week of summer break this past week, the Zags got back on track with a big win over Portland in the first game of a three game series. Friday night the Bulldogs took down Pilots 12-4.

Tyler Olson pitched eight innings giving up only one run

Tyler Olson started on the mound for the Zags tossing eight innings, while earning eight K’s and only giving up one earned run. His stint limited Portland to only five hits and one walk—quite a night for the senior hurler, who is now 5-3 on the year.

On the offensive end, the Gonzaga bats were alive as they collected 17 hits. Senior second basemen Alex Stanford was a perfect 4-4 from the plate, with three RBI’s. Senior catcher Maxx Garrett also drove in multiple runs with his 2-5 effort.  Junior Clayton Eslick was a solid 2-3 with one run batted in. Five other Bulldogs drove in teammates: Marco Gonzales, Steven Halcomb, Andy Hunter, Mitchel Gunsolus, and Alex Bonczyk.

Gonzaga, now 30-20 for the season and 12-10 in WCC play face Portland at home Saturday at 3pm.

Gonzaga's Marco Gonzales threw 11 inning while striking out 15 against LMU

Saturday day night was a big night for WCC baseball. Gonzaga hosted LMU for the first ever ESPN network televised baseball game of the conference. At 7pm one of the most incredible performances of the season began on ESPNU.

Gonzaga sophomore Marco Gonzales and Loyola Marymount freshman Trevor Megill had one of the ultimate pitching duals. Megill is an early enrollee for the Lions, and showed a spectacular outing for seven innings as he struck out eight and did not give up an earned run.

Gonzales did something nearly unimaginable. He threw eleven innings—eleven! In his start, a no-decision I might add, the kid earned fifteen K’s, did not give up one earned run, had no walks, and threw 139 pitches. He was on fire, in the national spotlight. The WCC, Gonzaga, and anyone watching, couldn’t have asked for a better performance on the inaugural West Coast Conference-ESPN network opening night.

Even with Marco having the night of his life, it took pinch hitter Payden Cawley Lamb, to end the game in the bottom of the twelfth, as he hit a shot  into center field to bring home Andy Hunter for a 1-0 victory. Zach Abbruzza earned the win for the Bulldogs, tossing 22 pitches in the twelfth inning and striking out two.

It was electrifying. It is a wonder how one can freeze in Spokane for over three hours with no runs to be scored in that time period only to be on cloud nine moments later when one of the most incredible pitching performances one could witness in college baseball was rewarded with a win.

If Saturday’s game wasn’t a momentum builder, then I don’t know what is. Look for the Zags to take the series Sunday as they are now split with the Lions 1-1.