Gonzaga baseball heads into final stretch with eye on West Coast Conference title

May 8—Gonzaga's baseball team regrouped and reignited its bats earlier this week. Confidence restored, the Zags head into their penultimate West Coast Conference series with their sights set on a championship.

Gonzaga (29-17, 16-5 WCC), with a three-game lead atop the conference standings, visits second-place San Francisco (22-24, 13-8) for a three-game set this weekend, starting at 2 p.m. Friday. GU can wrap up its first regular-season conference title since 2022 with a series win.

"Going to San Francisco is obviously going to be a big one, and I think we're all geared up for it," star third baseman Mikey Bell said after GU raced past Washington State 10-5 on Monday in Spokane.

The Bulldogs, ranked 54th nationally in the RPI, are looking to add another major accomplishment in what's already been a memorable season. Behind an ultra-productive lineup, Gonzaga set a program record with 14 consecutive wins before a bumpy stretch last week.

The team dropped a narrow midweek game at No. 13 Oregon, then lost a WCC series for the first time this year, falling twice at home to Santa Clara. The Zags averaged 9.5 runs on 13 hits per game during their streak, but were limited to 4.25 runs on 8.5 hits per game last week.

GU got back on track, piling up 18 hits and using a seven-run sixth inning to complete a season sweep of its rivals from the Palouse.

"It was only a matter of time before we started swinging it again," top hitter Maddox Haley said. "(Last) weekend wasn't great for our bats. ... It's good for us to go and swing it a little bit going into these last couple games. It's just mentality."

The Zags have enjoyed a hitter's mentality, boasting a .305 combined batting average — 28th nationally — with dangerous bats throughout the lineup.

"There's not one guy that can't change the game with one swing," Haley said. "Our whole lineup can do damage."

Haley, a juco transfer designated hitter/outfielder, paces the group with a .384 average and .696 slugging percentage. He's hit 10 homers and 13 doubles with just 19 strikeouts. The junior from San Diego set a program record with a 29-game hitting streak before an 0-for-13 stretch last week, but he broke the slump with a pair of knocks Monday.

"It wasn't about having a hot streak. I wanted to be consistent," Haley said. "I just wanted one a game, I wanted that one knock to help my team. If I can produce or score and get an RBI, that was the focus. It was about being the consistent player I wanted to be. I didn't know I was going to hit .400, but I'd like to think that one a day — getting on base, helping the team out, that's what I wanted to do."

Bell, the reigning WCC Player of the Year, has been at his best down the stretch. The junior is on a 17-game hitting streak. He's batting .506 with 19 RBIs, 11 doubles and only eight strikeouts during that stretch. For the season, Bell is hitting .362 with team highs in runs (44) and doubles (20).