Knowing they were already one of the 64 teams in the 2009 NCAA Division I baseball championship field took much of the suspense out of Monday morning’s television viewing for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Still, the Zags couldn’t help but expel a collective cheer – tinged with both relief and excitement – upon learning they will head to Fullerton, Calif., later this week to take on Georgia Southern in the opening round of one of 16 four-team NCAA Regionals scattered across the country.

Ryan Wiegand can’t deny it: There’s more satisfaction in a 425-foot RBI than one that travels barely 100 feet. Especially when there’s a trip to the NCAA tournament attached.

Gonzaga University clinched its first-ever West Coast Conference baseball title with a 14-3 victory over Loyola Marymount University on Saturday. The win sends the Zags to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1981.

The publicity photo you never see is the one snapped in April with the baseball diamonds at either Gonzaga or Washington State freshly blanketed in white after an out-of-left-field snowstorm. As a recruiting come-on, it’s more of a chase-away. A bat rack is no place for a scoop shovel.

Is there such a thing as a time-delayed hunch? Gonzaga coach Mark Machtolf, rarely one to fiddle with his lineup, picked an interesting time to do so, springing freshman Chris Sturdivant from the bench Friday night for the opening game of the Bulldogs’ title-deciding West Coast Conference baseball series against Loyola Marymount.

Mark Machtolf allowed that he may have stayed with starting pitcher Matt Fields “a batter too long” on Friday night, though upon reflection, the timing may have been just right for his bullpen. Protecting the narrowest of leads with the highest of stakes, Gonzaga relievers Reedy Berg and Cody Martin put away eight of the last nine Loyola Marymount batters to preserve a 4-3 victory at Patterson Baseball Complex and clinch a spot in next week’s West Coast Conference championship series.

Gonzaga University’s Mark Machtolf and Washington State’s Donnie Marbut both had reasons for concern when their teams’ college baseball schedules were finalized over the winter – especially with the way their league seasons were to play out. Machtolf’s Bulldogs were looking at playing four of their first five three-game series against West Coast Conference foes on the road. Marbut’s Cougars were facing a similar challenge, having to go on the road to play three of their first five series against Pacific-10 Conference opponents.

Washington State pounded out a season-high 18 hits and routed USC 13-3 in Pac-10 Conference baseball Saturday in Los Angeles, evening the series at 1-1. WSU (20-18, 9-5) moved into a tie with Oregon State for second place. USC (21-18, 10-7) is one-half game behind WSU and OSU.

Gonzaga University baseball fans had much to cheer about Monday at Patterson Baseball Complex. Ryan Wiegand hit his second grand slam of the season, and Ernesto Ortiz went 3 for 5, which featured three doubles, and scored three times.

There was a time in the 1980s and early ’90s when the Gonzaga-Washington State baseball rivalry was as intense, entertaining and meaningful as any in the Pacific Northwest. The schools shared membership in the Pacific-10 Conference’s North Division and featured of colorful and highly animated coaches in GU’s Steve Hertz and WSU’s Bobo Brayton.