MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels will travel north this weekend to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a three-game series.

SCHEDULE
Game #43
Saint Mary's Gaels (25-17, 10-8 WCC) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-17, 15-6 WCC)
Friday, May 3, 6:00 p.m.
Spokane, Wash. –– Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field
Watch  
Live Stats

Game #44
Saint Mary's Gaels (25-17, 10-8 WCC) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-17, 15-6 WCC)
Saturday, May 4, 6:00 p.m.
Spokane, Wash. –– Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field
Watch
Live Stats

Game #45
Saint Mary's Gaels (25-17, 10-8 WCC) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-17, 15-6 WCC)
Sunday, May 5, 12:00 p.m.
Spokane, Wash. –– Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field
Watch
Live Stats

SCOUTING REPORT
The Gaels have a 25-17 record this year and they are 10-8 in WCC competition. SMC has won four of their last six games including two wins against LMU and two wins against San Diego to improve to ten conference wins. The Saint Mary's offense has been on a roll as of late and over the last two series, they have outscored their opponents 46 runs to 20 with almost half of those runs coming from the 20-0 shutout of the Toreros in the series opener. The Gaels are hitting a collective .284 average compared to their competition (.245). The defense has also been spot on for SMC as they are tied with Pepperdine for second in the conference for highest fielding percentage in conference play (.980) behind Gonzaga.

On the mound, junior Carlos Lomeli has had a breakout season and is continuing to post impressive numbers. With a record of 6-2 through 60.0 innings pitched, Lomeli has only given up six walks all year and has not given one up in 28.1 innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.67) is ranked first in the conference and 22nd nationally. He also has a walk-per-nine-innings ratio of 0.90 which is ranked first in the conference and seventh in the country. Freshman Tyler Thornton delivered another shutdown performance on Friday, tossing 6.0 IP of two-hit ball, allowing no runs and no walks while striking out five Toreros. Thornton lowered his ERA to 2.31 (the lowest of any starter in the WCC with six or more starts) and he has not allowed a run in 15.1 innings. He has also struck out 18 batters and has allowed just four hits during that time.

Junior Joe Vranesh has been leading the Gaels offensively all season and he currently has a batting average of .318. Vranesh is on a nine-game hitting streak since April 13 and he has reached base in the last 14 consecutive games including walks. He has also reached base in all but four games this year. With a slugging percentage of .623 and an on-base percentage of .432, Vranesh has the highest OPS on the team (1.055). His slugging percentage is good for second in the conference. Vranesh has also hit home runs in the last two conference series and he has hit at least one home run in four of the six conference series this season. Freshman Bryce Willits has also been hot at the plate for SMC and has the highest batting average on the team and in the conference at .378, which is ranked 56th in the nation.

GONZAGA
The Bulldogs have a 24-17 record this season and are 15-6 in conference play, which is good for second place in the WCC. They are on a five-game winning streak after winning midweek matchups against Washington State and Oregon State as well as sweeping San Francisco in a three-game set over the weekend. Gonzaga leads the conference with a batting average of .290 against WCC opponents and they are recording a .282 average for the whole season. The Bulldogs have a total of 30 home runs on the season and 13 in conference play, seven of which they recorded last weekend against USF. Gonzaga also leads the WCC with a team slugging percentage of 0.425.

On the mound, sophomore Alek Jacob leads the team with an ERA of 1.79 through 60.1 innings pitched. Jacob has made 18 appearances and started in three games this season with a win-loss record of 6-3. He has allowed only 12 earned runs this season and just 39 hits while striking out 64 batters. Jacob leads the team and the conference with four saves against WCC-opponents and eight saves total. Freshman Mason Wells has been an efficient addition to the Bulldogs rotation with a 1.17 WHIP through 52.2 innings pitched. He has recorded two complete games this year and has only allowed 36 hits thus far.

Junior outfielder Troy Johnston is leading the Bulldogs with a batting average of .341 and an OPS of 1.010. Johnston had a productive week last week, as he hit 10-for-17 (.588) across four wins with five home runs, nine runs scored, and 12 RBI. In Tuesday's win against WSU, he went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. On Friday versus USF, Johnston hit 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, five RBI and three runs scored. He leads the team with a .618 slugging percentage and is second on the team with seven home runs behind senior Nick Nyquist who has nine. Nyquist is second among the Bulldogs in batting average (.311) and slugging percentage (.605).

#GaelsRise – For ticket information to all home baseball games, call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link here to purchase your seats now.