Patrick Donovan and the Zags will look for their third straight win when they head to Fresno, Calif.

March 6, 2005

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WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE: The Gonzaga University baseball team will continue their road trip as they head to Fresno, Calif. for the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic. On Monday the Zags will square off against Dallas Baptist University in a 4 p.m. game. On Tuesday the Bulldogs will go to battle with Pennsylvania State University in a 4 p.m. game and on Wednesday GU will compete against Monmouth University in a 4 p.m. game. GU will also play on Thursday, Friday and Saturday against an opponent to be determined by wins and losses in the tournament. The remainder of the field includes the host Fresno State University, the University of San Francisco, Southern Utah University and the University of Pennsylvania.

LAST TIME OUT: Gonzaga University went 2-2 at the Banana Belt Baseball Classic in Lewiston, Idaho. The Bulldogs opened the tournament with a 9-0 loss to Pacific Northwest rival Washington State University. Freshman third basemen Darin Holcomb went 2-for-4 and was the only Zag with multiple hits. On Saturday, the Zags were defeated by host Lewis-Clark State College 7-1. Junior catcher Kiel Thibault was the offensive leader for the Zags as he went 2-for-4 with one double and one triple. The Bulldogs' bats came alive in a 13-1 win over the University of Portland on Saturday. Holcomb was the offensive leader for the Zags as he went 3-for-5 with four RBI, one double and two home runs. Junior Patrick Donovan gave a strong performance on the mound for the Bulldogs allowing one run on four hits and struck out nine in eight innings of work. In the second game on Saturday the Zags handed Utah Valley State College a 15-1 loss. Senior Jeff Culpepper provided a lot of excitement for the crowd with his grand slam home run in the fourth inning. Culpepper went 2-for-3 with four RBI and one home run. Jay Bryner pitched six scoreless innings allowing three hits while striking out five.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS: Dallas Baptist University enters the week with a 7-6 record. This will be the first meeting in program history between Gonzaga University and the Patriots. Cody Montgomery leads the offensive charge for the Patriots with a .385 batting average and a team leading 20 hits. The pitching rotation is led by Jereme Wilson who is 1-0 with an ERA of 3.00.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS: Monmouth University enters the week with a 0-3 record. This will be the first meeting between Gonzaga University and Monmouth. Nick Massari leads the Hawks offense with a .545 batting average and a team leading three hits and four RBI. Brad Brach leads the pitching rotation with a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 3.60.

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: The Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions enter the week with a 1-3 record. Gonzaga University is 1-0 all-time against the Nittany Lions. Penn State's offense is led by Matt Lewis who is hitting .533 with a team leading eight hits and four RBI. On the mound for the Nittany Lions, Craig Clark leads the way with his 3.00 ERA.

HOLCOMB'S HOT BAT: Gonzaga University freshman third baseman Darin Holcomb has been hot at the plate. Holcomb went 6-for-18 with four RBI, one double and two home runs at the Banana Belt Baseball Classic last week, including a 3-for-5, four RBI one double and two home run performance against the University of Portland. His performance has earned his a West Coast Conference player of the week nomination.

TOURNAMENT GAMETRACKER: Fresno State University will provide Gametracker stats for all baseball games at the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic. Fans can click on www.gobulldogs.com to access the Gametracker feature. Simply go to the Fresno State baseball home page and click on the Pepsi/Johnny Quick 2005 link and choose the game you wish to follow.

HOME RUN DERBY: Gonzaga University seemed to be in a home run derby on Saturday. The Bulldogs had three players hit at least one home run in each game. Darin Holcomb hit two against the University of Portland, Kiel Thibault and Bobby Carlson each had one. Against Utah Valley State College Mike Terry hit two home runs, Aaron McGuinness had one and Jeff Culpepper hit a grand slam home run.

NO REST FOR THE WEARY: Gonzaga University is in the middle of one of the toughest parts of its schedule. The Zags have played four games over the past three days, and will now play six games over the next six days at the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic in Fresno, Calif.

NOTES ON GONZAGA POSITION STARTERS

Bobby Carlson, Junior, 1B: Gonzaga University first baseman Bobby Carlson is currently hitting .240 with 12 hits, three doubles and five RBI.

Scott Campbell, Junior, 2B: Gonzaga University junior second baseman Scott Campbell is hitting .315, with 14 hits, three doubles and is third on the team with 10 RBI.

Aaron McGuinness, Sophomore, SS: Aaron McGuinness is second on the team in hitting with a .366 batting average, has 15 hits and five RBI for Gonzaga University.

Darin Holcomb, Freshman, 3B: Gonzaga University freshman third baseman Darin Holcomb went 3-for-5 with four RBI, one double and two home runs in the 13-1 win against the University of Portland. Holcomb is now hitting .320 with 16 hits, eight RBI and a team leading five doubles.

Kiel Thibault, Junior, C: Gonzaga University junior catcher Kiel Thibault is hitting .340 with 16 hits, three doubles, one triple, two home runs and 10 RBI.

Will Ayala, Freshman, LF: Will Ayala is hitting .250 with 10 hits, one double and five RBI while batting in the number eight spot for Gonzaga University.

Jackson Brennan, Junior, CF: Jackson Brennan is the lead-off hitter for Gonzaga University and is hitting .357 with 15 hits, four RBI and is tied for second on the team in doubles with four.

Jeff Culpepper, Senior, RF: Gonzaga University's lone senior on the roster, Jeff Culpepper is leading the Bulldogs in hitting with a .435 batting average. Culpepper recorded his first collegiate grand slam home run Saturday against Utah Valley State College. Culpepper leads the team in hits with 20 and is tied for the lead on the team with 15 RBI.

Shawn Wayt, Freshman, DH: Shawn Wayt is batting .147 with five hits. Wayt also serves as a relief pitcher for Gonzaga University.

Mike Terry, Freshman, DH: Mike Terry splits time in the DH spot for Gonzaga University with Shawn Wayt. Terry is batting .333 with six hits, two home runs and five RBI.

ZAGS CLOSING IN ON HOME OPENER: Gonzaga University is now two weeks away from playing its 2005 home opener as the Bulldogs will host Saint Mary's College on March 18-20 for a three-game West Coast Conference series at Avista Stadium. When the Gaels come to visit Spokane, Gonzaga will have played 19 games on the road out of a 55-game schedule. Prior to getting underway at Avista Stadium, the Bulldogs will travel to Fresno, Calif. this week for the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic, then will take a week off before playing its WCC opener at Avista Stadium. After the 19-game road trip the Zags will enjoy back-to-back three-game series' at home against Saint Mary's and the following weekend against Loyola Marymount University. Gonzaga will play its 2005 home games at Avista Stadium, home of the Northwest League Spokane Indians, the short-season farm club of the Texas Rangers.

SKIPPER Mark Machtolf: Considered one of the Top 10 rising stars in the Division I coaching ranks by Baseball America in its 2000 publication, Mark Machtolf now enters his second season at the helm of the Gonzaga baseball program. Machtolf, an 11-year assistant at Gonzaga, was officially handed the coaching reigns on August 7, 2003, from 24-year head coach Steve Hertz who moved into an administrative position at the school. During his 11 years as an assistant, Machtolf coached the Bulldogs hitters and outfielders as well as serving as the Bulldogs recruiting coordinator. Under his guidance Gonzaga became one of the top power hitting teams in the nation, setting a West Coast Conference and school record with 92 home runs in 2002, the seventh best home run per game average in the nation. Machtolf also coached Bulldogs slugger Nate Gold who led the NCAA with 33 home runs in 2002 en route to All-American honors. A 1987 graduate of Stanford University, Machtolf was a member of the Cardinal's 1987 College World Series championship team and was an All-CWS selection. A 4-year baseball letterman and 2-year football letterman he graduated from Stanford in 1987.

2005 GAMETRACKER AVAILABLE: Gonzaga will once again have GameTracker statistics available for selected games during the 2005 baseball season. Fans can go to www.gozags.com and click on the baseball schedule to see which road games are available throughout the season. Gonzaga will once again carry all 20 home games on GameTracker.