College baseball notes: Gonzaga can still win West Coast Conference title

In order to repeat as the West Coast Conference regular-season champions, the Gonzaga Bulldogs need to change some things up. Specifically, they need some change-ups.

Ace pitcher Eli Morgan and solid No. 2 starter Justin Vernia both rely on the off-speed pitch – Morgan’s is practically unhittable – but struggled with command in the team’s most recent series, against Saint Mary’s.

Each pitcher allowed seven runs in eventual losses, halting GU’s eight-game winning streak and leaving the Zags at third place in the conference.

“They’ve been so good all year,” said GU coach Mark Machtolf. “I’m hoping it’s just the law of averages. You can’t be that good every single time out. I’m hoping it’s just baseball and they get back to where they were.”

The good news for GU (26-16, 15-6 WCC) is that the two teams ahead of them in the standings, Loyola Marymount (29-15, 17-4) and BYU (31-14, 16-5), are the teams left on the schedule and both will travel to Spokane. That means the Zags still control their own destiny in the title race, and if they can reel off another winning streak will repeat as conference champions.

First up is No. 23 LMU.

“They’re a really scrappy team,” Machtolf said. “They’re older, have a lot of veteran players and their starting pitching is really, really solid. Probably the best we’ve seen. We need to continue to swing the bats well and our starting pitching has to be better than it has been the last couple weeks.”

After a nonconference matchup against Washington State, the Zags will finish off the WCC season against BYU and conference Player of the Year favorite Brock Hale, a powerful hitter who has an on-base percentage of .459 and a slugging percentage of .621.

Machtolf has a veteran group that has been in a pennant race before. He said that experience can be helpful, but the Zags can’t worry about a repeat.

“Throughout the year we’ve downplayed the race or this or that,” Machtolf said. “The goal is always to win the conference and we don’t run from that, but we talk about controlling what they can control and not looking around to see who beat whom.”

Cougars hit their stride

Washington State has improved rapidly over the last month, winning three consecutive series against Pac-12 opponents after losing their first four series against members of their own conference.

Now comes the hard part.

While WSU won series against then-No. 30 Washington and defending Pac-12 champion Utah during its recent run, the final three teams the Cougars will face are currently atop the conference standings.

The Cougars (22-22, 8-13 Pac-12) are now ninth in the 11-member conference (Colorado does not have a baseball team). They will end the season with series against UCLA (24-21, 13-8), No. 12 Stanford (31-13, 13-8) and No. 1 Oregon State (38-4, 21-3).

WSU has 20 newcomers this season, and the youngsters have shown they are growing into Pac-12 players. With a strong finish this year, they can show themselves ready to finish in the top half of the conference or better in the near future.

“We’re certainly going in the right direction,” coach Marty Lees told reporters after the final win over the Ducks. “Three quality teams we’ve won series (against). Right now, we’ve just got to play one game at a time. I’m very proud of the fact they refuse to give up, and that’s why they are where they are right now.”