Rain, sleet, snow, all is welcome in Spokane as long as the Zags keep winning.

For the third weekend in a row, I sat through horrid weather and wind for multiple hours. It’s okay though, the Gonzaga baseball team came away with their third series sweep at home in as many weekends.

The Bulldogs knocked off University of San Diego 10-2 Friday, 3-1 Saturday, and 11-6 on Sunday.

Obviously the Zags (19-9-1, 3-0) are playing some pretty good baseball. They are 9-2 in the past three weeks of the season. While excellent pitching, productive offense, and solid defense have all contributed to the Bulldog’s success, there are a few other things that I think have sparked the Zags toward victory.

The past three weekend series have been at Gonzaga’s own Patterson Baseball Complex. The teams that have travelled to Spokane to play the Zags were UC Irvine, New Mexico, and University of San Diego. All of these teams are from warm weather climates that tend to play ball in nice sunshine and temperatures most of the season.

Well, Spokane has had like one nice day in the last five months, so the Bulldog’s baseball team is rather used to temperatures in the forties, gusty winds, and the secret weapon that comes out every series: precipitation.

Snow, hail, and rain; these three elements from Mother Nature have come to visit just like the Anteaters, Lobos, and Toreros. The less than favorable precipitation may or may not have really helped the Zags earn these wins, but it sure seems like the bad weather only helped Gonzaga.

Along with this idea is that the last two losses for the Bulldog’s have come to WSU. The Cougars play in nearly the same weather as the Zags, so the elements were not exactly and advantage for Gonzaga against their regional rival.

The Bulldogs are used to the cold and nasty weather, and are quite frankly, happy to be playing in it. If it weren’t for games, this weather would be keeping the Zags inside playing the unfavorable indoor version of their game for practice. The visiting teams, however, are taken aback by the frigid “spring” temperatures and falling elements from the sky.

In Sunday’s game, as rain sputtered down from the clouds, and nearly 20mph winds swept through Spokane, Gonzaga’s bats came alive.

Billy Moon nailed a three run homer in the bottom of the first inning giving the Zags an early 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, Moon was credited another RBI.

Designated hitter Clayton Eslick drove in two runs with his double in the second. In the fourth inning, Eslick’s hit to left field allowed two more runs to score for the Bulldog’s as the left fielder fumbled the pop-up.

Freshman pitcher Marco Gonzales received the win for the Zags. He threw 6 2/3 innings only allowing one run.

Gonzaga heads to Pullman Tuesday to play the Cougars in the final of three mid-week matchups between the two schools. The first pitch is at 5:30pm at WSU.

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.