2021 WEST COAST CONFERENCE BASEBALL NCAA EUGENE REGIONAL NOTES | JUNE 3, 2021 @WCCsports | #WCCsports Contact: Ryan McCrary | @RyMac_26 WCCsports.com Asst. Commissioner Communications | [email protected] WCC BY THE NUMBERS 8 11 2014 Shutouts for Gonzaga - No. 2 NCAA Regional Berths Last WCC Super Regional among 2021 NCAA leaders for Gonzaga Pepperdine (at TCU) 2021 WCC BASEBALL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS WCC NCAA REGIONAL NOTES 2021 EUGENE REGIONAL SCHEDULE H Gonzaga enters the weekend ranked No. 22 in the USA Today FRIDAY, JUNE 4 Coaches Top-25 national poll (5/31). The Zags rose as high as G1 - Central Conn. State vs. Oregon ESPN3 2:00 p.m. No. 14 in the D1Baseball.com top-25 rankings - the best for the G2 - LSU vs. Gonzaga ESPN3 7:00 p.m. program since 1980 when they rose to No. 9 in the Collegiate SATURDAY, JUNE 5 Baseball standings. G3 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 TBD 1:00 p.m. H Three WCC student-athletes earned a spot on the 2021 Colle- G4 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 TBD 7:00 p.m. giate Baseball All-America roster. WCC Pitcher of the Year Alek SUNDAY, JUNE 6 Jacob (Gonzaga) was named to the second team, while WCC G5 - Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 TBD 3:00 p.m. Player of the Year Thomas Luevano (San Diego) collected third G6 - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 TBD 7:00 p.m. team honors along with WCC Defensive Player of the Year Brett Harris (Gonzaga). *MONDAY, JUNE 7 G7 - Rematch of Game 6 TBD 7:00 p.m. H Gonzaga infielderBrett Harris was named a finalist for the *If necessary game 2021 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable Gonzaga Ready for 11th NCAA Postseason achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, Gonzaga is set to make its 11th NCAA Postseason appearance character and competition. and third since 2016 when it opens the Eugene Regional Friday night against No. 3 seed LSU. The Zags are making their fourth H Gonzaga shortstop Ernie Yake was a semifinalist for the Brooks postseason appearance under the direction of head coach Mark Wallace Award, presented to the nation’s top shortstop. Machtolf. The Bulldogs are a No. 2 seed for the first time after H WCC programs ranked among the top-25 among national earning No. 3 seeds in 2018 (1-2), 2016 (1-2) and 2009 (1-2). Division I leaders in several categories this season. No. 22 Zags Win Fifth WCC Championship Batting Average: 23. San Diego (.299); Double Plays: 11. Pacific Gonzaga blasted San Diego 10-0 in game one of the final WCC (47); Doubles per Game: 8. San Diego (2.29); Fielding Percentage: series of the regular season to claim the program’s fifth regular 8. Gonzaga (.982), 18. San Diego (.979); Hit by Pitch: 6. Gonzaga season championship (5/27). With the WCC Baseball Champi- (96), 10. San Diego (87); Home Runs/Game: 19. Pepperdine (1.40); onship on hiatus due to COVID, the Zags claimed the automatic Sac Flies: 3. San Diego (35), 14. San Francisco (31); Scoring: 26. San qualifier into the NCAA Regional. The Bulldogs finished the season Diego (7.3); Shutouts: 2. Gonzaga (8); Stolen Bases: 12. San Fran- 33-17 overall, 20-7 in WCC action. cisco (92); Steals/Game: 20. San Francisco (1.74); Strikeout/Walk: 24. Saint Mary’s (2.97); WHIP: 16. Saint Mary’s (1.25) - as of 5/30/21 Last Postseason Run for the Bulldogs Gonzaga competed in the 2018 NCAA Minnesota Regional and H San Diego’s Rich Hill ranks ninth among NCAA active coach- dropped a tough 6-5 decision to No. 2 UCLA in the opener. The ing wins leaders with 1,079 in 34 seasons. San Francisco’s Nino Bulldogs bounced back to seize a 8-2 win against Canisius before Giarratano has 623 in 23 seasons. Gonzaga’s Mark Machtolf has falling to the Bruins 10-4 to wrap up the 10th postseason run in 520 victories in 18 seasons, while BYU’s Mike Littlewood has 424 program history. The Bulldogs finished the year 33-24, 16-11 in WCC in 15 seasons. play and won their first WCC Tournament title. FOLLOW THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE 2021 West Coast Conference Baseball 1 MEET THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE WCC NOTABLES LEGACY OF HOOPS SUCCESS TITLE COUNT... SINCE 2019 H Gonzaga played in its second NCAA Consider the following... Championship game since 2017 H Pepperdine won the 2021 NCAA Men’s H The Zags earned the fourth No. 1 seed Golf Championship in program history - all coming since 2013. H Santa Clara Women’s Soccer won the H The Bulldogs improved to 38-22 all-time 2020 NCAA Championship in the NCAA Tournament (23 trips), 35-20 H BYU Women’s Cross Country won the under head coach Mark Few (21 trips) 2020 NCAA Team Championship H Gonzaga is one of just two programs to H BYU’s Conner Mantz won the 2020 win its NCAA Tournament opener in each Men’s Cross Country individual title of the last 12 seasons (Kansas) H BYU Men’s Cross Country won the 2019 H NCAA Championship & the BYU Women WCC Men’s Basketball Active were national runner-ups Postseason Streaks: H BYU Volleyball was ranked No. 1 for 11 Gonzaga: 22 seasons; Saint Mary’s: 14 seasons consecutive weeks in 2018 Gloria Nevarez, H Three teams achieved a top-5 ranking H The 2020-21 season marked the 10th WCC Commissioner H Nine teams achieved a top-10 ranking straight year at least four WCC programs H 13 teams achieved a top-25 ranking have competed in the postseason. The Meet the Commish Since 2017 WCC Fall Programs have won conference record is seven (2 NCAA, 2 NIT, 3 CIT) established in 2014. The West Coast Conference Presidents’ 33 NCAA Tournament Matches... Council has selected Gloria Nevarez to H Men’s Soccer: 5 #WCCHOOPS IN THE... serve as the fourth full-time Commissioner H Women’s Soccer: 11 NAISMITH HALL OF FAME in the 66-year history of the West Coast H Volleyball: 17 COACHES Conference. H Volleyball Final Four: 2018 BYU Al Duer - Pepperdine* H NCAA Cross Country Runner-Ups Pete Newell – San Francisco*/LMU Nevarez, who started her post at the Men: 2018 - BYU; 2017 - Portland Eddie Sutton – San Francisco WCC in March of 2018, is one of 10 fe- Women: 2017 - USF; 2019 - BYU Jerry Tarkanian – UNLV male conference commissioners serving Phil Woolpert – San Francisco in Division I Athletics and is the first Latin H From 2016-19, the WCC sent multiple American woman to ascend to the com- teams to the NCAA Postseason in ALL PLAYERS missioner’s chair in Division I. of its sponsored Fall Sports: M/W Cross Dennis Johnson – Pepperdine Country, M/W Soccer & Volleyball. K.C. Jones – San Francisco Nevarez joins the WCC after spending Steve Nash – Santa Clara the last eight years with the Pac-12 where “BOXING OUTSIDE OUR Bill Russell – San Francisco she served as the senior associate com- WEIGHT CLASS...” John Stockton – Gonzaga missioner and senior woman administra- The WCC owns a proud tradition of suc- *Coached at member institutions before the creation of the WCC tor overseeing all Pac-12 championships cess across the board in multiple sports. with the exception of football. The Pac- Consider the following... #WCCHOOPS IN THE... 12’s primary liaison for men’s basketball, Since 2014 the WCC has turned in 10 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL Nevarez played a comprehensive role NCAA Championship Runner-Up finishes HALL OF FAME overseeing officiating, scheduling, in eight sports COACHES television issues management, event 2021 Women’s Tennis (Pepperdine) Al Duer - Pepperdine* management and the student-athlete 2021 Men’s Basketball (Gonzaga) Pete Newell – experience. 2019 Women’s XC (BYU) San Francisco*/Loyola Marymount While at the Pac-12, Nevarez played a 2018 Men’s XC (BYU) Eddie Sutton – San Francisco key role in the creation and execution 2018 Women’s Tennis Singles (Pepperdine) Phil Woolpert – San Francisco 2017 Women’s XC (San Francisco) of league expansion, taking the Pac-12 2017 Men’s XC (Portland) PLAYERS membership from 10 schools to 12, and 2017 Beach Volleyball (Pepperdine) K.C. Jones – San Francisco the launch and development of the Pac- 2017 Men’s Basketball (Gonzaga) Bill Russell – San Francisco 12 Networks. In addition, Nevarez moved 2014 Women’s Volleyball (BYU) John Stockton – Gonzaga basketball championships to Las Vegas (men’s) and Seattle (women’s) and was #WCCHOOPS IN THE... #WCCSPORTS ALUMNI REPORT instrumental in creating a six-conference FIBA HALL OF FAME H Portland’s Megan Rapinoe won the 2019 men’s basketball officiating consortium, Pete Newell – LMU/San Francisco FIFA Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards which includes the Pac-12 and West Bill Russell – San Francisco H Santa Clara’s Julie Ertz won the 2019 Coast Conference. USWNT Player of the Year award H Santa Clara’s Steve Nash inducted into A veteran athletics administrator with the Naismith Hall of Fame (2018) more than 25 years of experience in Divi- sion I, Nevarez has served on campus at ABOUT THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE Oklahoma (2007-10) as the Senior Wom- The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to an Administrator, California (1999-01) become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate where she served as the Assistant Ath- athletics, with 15 conference-sponsored sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basket- letic Director for Compliance and Legal ball, women’s beach volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s and at San Jose State (1998-99) as the golf, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis first full-time director of compliance.