Gonzaga's Patterson Baseball Complex

The Gonzaga baseball team has played 25 games so far this season, 19 of them on the road. However, six of the last seven have been at home, all six were victories.

Gonzaga beat nationally ranked UC Irvine in the home opening series for the Bulldogs March 25^th through 27^th.  In a great pitching weekend, the Zags won 4-1 Friday, and 3-0 both Saturday and Sunday.

This past weekend, New Mexico came to Spokane, and probably wishes they hadn’t. The bats came swinging hard for the Bulldogs who defeated the Lobos 3-0 Friday night, 17-4 on Saturday, and 6-2 Sunday afternoon.

In between the two weekend series, Gonzaga travelled down to Pullman, Wash. to take on the Cougars of WSU. Last Tuesday, in a highly offensive game, the Cougs beat the Zags 17-11. Tonight the Bulldogs will try to defend their perfect home record while seeking revenge against Washington State. First pitch is at 6pm.

It appears playing at home has been a nice advantage for the baseball team. With the first 18 games of the season being on the road, the Bulldogs struggled to find a rhythm. The 0-5 start of the season looked to be a grim beginning for Gonzaga. After last season’s 20-36 record, it looked to be a similar season for the baseball team.

If you look at the first five opponents though, Gonzaga went to Fresno, California to play Oregon State and Fresno State in three weekend games. The two teams have combined for three College World Series titles in the past five years.

Then, the Bulldogs travelled to College Station, Texas to face the Aggies of Texas A&M. The Aggies are one of the premier baseball teams in the country year in and year out. The Zags played very well in College Station, and managed their first win in the final game of the series.

From that point on, the Zags posted nine more wins on the road. Those victories came against big name schools like Notre Dame, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota, as well as a sweep at University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif.

Excellent pitching from juniors Ryan Carpenter and Tyler Olson has led the way for the Bulldogs success. Freshman starting pitcher, Marco Gonzales has shown his tremendous talent. Gonzales typically starts at first base when he is not pitching, exposing his versatility and positive addition to the team this year.

Offensively, several Zags have produced excellent numbers. Tyler Chism, a senior, has hit they cycle this season, as well as racking up three homeruns. Leading the Gonzaga offense is sophomore Billy Moon. The Spokane native is hitting .415 and leads the team with 20 RBI’s. Junior Royce Bollinger has 18 RBI’s and is second on the team with a .337 batting average.