In brief: Orioles decline on Hendrickson

Baseball: The Baltimore Orioles have declined left-hander Mark Hendrickson’s $1.2 million option for next season and will pay him a $200,000 buyout.

The 36-year-old Hendrickson (Washington State University) went 1-6 with a 5.26 ERA in 52 games with Baltimore this year.

Hendrickson was called upon from the bullpen mostly to face left-handed hitters, but he did start one game in 2010.

A former NBA player, Hendrickson broke into the majors in 2002 with Toronto. He also pitched for Tampa Bay, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida before signing with the Orioles before the 2009 season.

His career record is 57-74 over 320 games, including 166 starts.

Zags women earn ranking

Women’s basketball: For the first time in school history the Gonzaga University women’s basketball team begins the season ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll.

In the preseason poll released Tuesday, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 22, garnering 106 votes.

The Zags, who finished the 2009-10 season ranked 12th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, also received votes in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 released last Friday.

Gonzaga returns 10 letterwinners, including two starters, from the 2009-10 squad that made GU’s first appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 and which won its sixth consecutive West Coast Conference Championship.

Returning for the Bulldogs is back-to-back WCC Player of the Year, Courtney Vandersloot; reigning WCC Newcomer of the Year and a WCC preseason All-conference pick for 2010-11, Katelan Redmon; and Janelle Bekkering, a senior who played for the Canadian National Team at the FIBA World Championships last summer.

Gonzaga hosts Western Oregon University in its lone exhibition of the season at 2 p.m. Saturday.