Mark Machtolf Makes History as Gonzaga Baseball Keeps Rolling
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Gonzaga baseball head coach Mark Machtolf receives a Gatorade shower after a 4-3 win over Pepperdine at Steve Hertz Field at the Patterson Baseball Complex. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics [/caption]
After another week of games, Gonzaga baseball (17-14, 6-3 WCC) continues to play a well-rounded brand of baseball. The Zags have now won four of their last five and 10 of their last 12 after taking two out of three from Pepperdine (10-22, 5-4 WCC) and sweeping a two-game midweek set with Washington (15-18, 6-6 Big Ten).
During this stretch, a historic milestone was reached while a portion of the pitching staff pieced together stellar efforts.
Vibes are high for the Bulldogs heading to a big weekend series against Portland, so what has driven even more success as of late?
Mark Machtolf Gets Career Win No. 638, Becomes All-Time Gonzaga Leader
After GU finished off its second victory over UW, head coach Mark Machtolf sits at 640 career wins. Saturday’s 4-3 win versus the Waves not only clinched the series, but Machtolf’s spot atop the mountain as he passed his predecessor, Steve Hertz, who secured 637 wins during his 24-year tenure in Spokane and is honored in the current stadium’s name.
Taking over in 2004, Machtolf was hired as an assistant on Hertz’s staff in 1987 when he graduated from Stanford. Over two decades later, the Zags’ current skipper has won WCC Coach of the Year five times and has taken five teams to the NCAA Tournament. 55 players that Machtolf has coached have been selected in the MLB Draft, including three who are on active big-league rosters: Troy Johnston (Colorado Rockies), Casey Legumina (Seattle Mariners), and Eli Morgan (Kansas City Royals).
Hertz was in attendance for Machtolf’s record-setting win, as the two stood together at home plate following the victory. Shortly after, when Machtolf went to address his team in shallow right field, third baseman Mikey Bell and catcher Jacob Wrubleski promptly gave their 61-year-old head coach a Gatorade shower.
Officially atop the history book 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Sm22eOqmCX— Gonzaga Baseball (@ZagBaseball) April 4, 2026
Bullpen Keeps Opposing Bats at Bay
Although Gonzaga dropped the series opener to Pepperdine 5-2, a welcome trend was initiated and then maintained throughout the week. Starter Zach Bowman allowed five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work, and although GU couldn’t complete the comeback, Mickey McClaskey certainly gave them a chance. The right-handed sophomore turned in 3 2/3 shutout frames, striking out five and allowing just three hits and a walk.
The bullpen didn’t have a bunch of pressure in the 9-2 victory the next day, as Justin Feld posted a dominant seven-inning outing with eight punchouts. But Garrett Gores was lights out as well for the final two frames, only allowing a single while he recorded strikeouts for five of the final six outs.
Karsten Sweum was solid on Machtolf’s historic day, going 5 2/3 frames and fanning eight with two runs allowed. Coming in to shut the door though was Erik Hoffberg, who earned his 13th career save as he finished off the final 3 1/3 innings of the contest with one run surrendered and four punchouts.
Making his first start since Feb. 27 against Oklahoma, Finbar O’Brien posted an admirable performance, tossing five frames of one-run ball. Relievers Landon Hood and Joe Thornton went on to steal the show, posting two scoreless frames apiece with eight combined strikeouts in the 9-2 win. The Huskies were no match for the heat out of the hand of the young right-handed Hood’s or the craftiness from the veteran southpaw in Thornton.
Saving its best for last, the bullpen stepped up with a heroic performance in the 8-5 victory over Washington, once starting pitcher Gabe Brabec was chased after allowing four runs in 1 2/3 innings. McClaskey came through again, delivering 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball before handing it off to Gores, who worked around four free passes in the final three innings to seal the sweep.
In total, the Zags’ pen logged a .89 ERA in 20 1/3 frames over their last five games with 25 strikeouts. That’ll play.
Bulldogs’ Hitters Etch Names on Conference Leaderboards
Gonzaga currently ranks second in the WCC in many offensive categories, so it makes sense for many of its hitters to be among the league leaders as well. Maddox Haley and Ricky Sánchez are bookending the top five of batting average, as Haley leads the pack, hitting .438 while GU’s shortstop sits in fifth place at .369. Those two are also the only qualified Bulldogs with OPS marks north of 1.000.
Ryder Young has driven in the third-most runs in the conference, totaling 29 RBI to this point. Fellow outfielder Noah Meffert and Sánchez aren’t far behind, with 23 and 22 runs batted in, respectively. Young and Meffert each have launched six big flies as well.
Haley is tied for the sixth-most homers in the West Coast with seven, but there isn’t much separation in the group, as the conference’s current leader sits at nine round-trippers. And contributing more than just dumping celebratory sports drink on their head coach, Bell is hitting .281 with an .893 OPS while Wrubleski is slashing .328/.403/.552 in 18 games played. After a sluggish start, second baseman Hudson Shupe, who received Preseason All-WCC honors, is now hitting a respectable .277 to go along with a .781 OPS.
On Deck
The Bulldogs will look to ride their momentum into a big home series against the Pilots (20-10, 6-3 WCC) this weekend. Portland has posted not just the best ERA in the WCC by a wide margin (3.31), but the seventh-best clip in the country. They have knocked off No. 21 Oregon twice over the last two weeks as well. A series win for GU would go a long way in the standings, similarly to the three-game set in San Diego that kicked off conference play.
