USF (12-9, 1-2 WCC) at Gonzaga (11-10, 3-0 WCC)
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Venue: Patterson Baseball Complex & Washington Trust Field
 
Game 1: Friday, Mar. 24  First Pitch: 6 p.m.  TV/Video: TheW.tv  Stats: Gametracker
USF: RHP Grant Goodman (2-1, 4.97)
GON: RHP Eli Morgan (3-1, 1.95)
 
Game 2: Saturday, Mar. 25  First Pitch: 3 p.m. TV/Video: TheW.tv  Stats: Gametracker
USF: RHP Daniel Slominski (1-1, 2.97)
GON: Justin Vernia (3-1, 2.01)
 
Game 3: Sunday, Mar. 26  First Pitch: 12 p.m. TV/Video: TheW.tv  Stats: Gametracker
USF: RHP Benji Post (3-0, 2.42)
GON: TBD
 
Complete Game Notes [PDF]
 
First Pitch
USF (12-9, 1-2 WCC) travels to the Pacific Northwest for a three-game West Coast Conference series at Gonzaga (11-10, 3-0 WCC) this weekend. The series opener will start at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 3 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and a 12 p.m. matinee in the series finale on Sunday. The Dons are coming off a 7-1 win over Nevada on Tuesday after dropping two of three against Loyola Marymount in their first WCC series this past weekend. The Zags split a pair of nonconference games with No. 22 Washington this week, which came on the heels of a series sweep of Pacific in their first WCC action of the year.  
 
The Dons At a Glance...                                       
LAST TIME

• Defeated Nevada, 7-1, in midweek action this past Tuesday at Benedetti Diamond
• RHP Benji Post improved to 3-0 on the year with two innings of shutout ball in relief of freshman Grant Young
• USF took a 6-0 lead after the fourth inning behind RBI doubles by Nico Giarratano, Allen Smoot and Matt Sinatro
• Sinatro went 2-for-3 with three runs scored on the day, while Riley Helland collected a season-high three hits and scored a pair of runs and Ross Puskarich drove in a season-best three runs

 
WHO'S HOT?
Senior OF Harrison Bruce leads the club hitting .391 (9-for-23) over the last 10 games, scoring six runs, driving in five and going a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts over that span.  Meanwhile, junior IF Ross Puskarich is hitting .348 (16-for-46) with nine RBI. On the mound, senior RHP Joey Carney has only allowed one earned run in his last seven innings of work, collecting two wins and striking out five during that stretch.  
 
IT'S A WALK-OFF... IN ULTIMATE FASHION
Brady Bate's walk-off grand slam to lift the Dons to a 4-0 win over LMU this past Saturday was the Dons' first walk-off homer since Zack Turner's against San Jose State on Apr. 30, 2013. It was also the last USF grand slam since Nick Balog connected against Saint Mary's on May 26, 2012. It was Bate's second long ball of the year. 
 
MIROGLIO ON JOHNNY BENCH WATCH LIST  
Redshirt junior catcher Dominic Miroglio was among the group named to the initial Johnny Bench Award watch list. The award goes to the top collegiate catcher in Division I baseball each year. Miroglio was the only representative from the WCC upon initial release. The list will be narrowed down to semifinalists on May 17 with the finalists announced on June 5.
  
Scouting Report
 
About Gonzaga
The Zags come into the weekend having won five of their last six after splitting with No. 22 Washington in a pair of midweek games this week. Gonzaga posted two notable wins over Duke in the Sanderson Ford College Preseason Classic in February, before following that up with victories over UCLA, Cal and No. 7 Cal State Fullerton before sweeping Pacific at home in their WCC opener. As a team, the Zags rank in the middle of the WCC in most hitting and pitching categories, but have proven to be the conference's top defensive club this year, boasting a .980 fielding percentage. Senior IF Justin Jacobs ranks sixth in the WCC with a .346 batting average, while junior OF Tyler Frost ranks second in the conference in RBI (18) and tied for third in home runs (5). On the mound, Friday starter RHP Eli Morgan carries a 1.95 ERA into the series, which is fourth-best in the WCC, and boasts a conference-low .150 batting average against to go along with a WCC-leading 54 strikeouts. 
 
Series History with Gonzaga
USF holds a 33-29 advantage in the series during Nino Giarratano's 18-year tenure. The Dons have taken 2 of 3 in each of the past two years, but the Zags won 6 of 8 meetings prior to that. USF topped Gonzaga, 8-5, in the Dons' first and only trip to the WCC Tournament in 2013. Both teams have posted four-game winning streaks over one another since 1999.

Last Time Out
The Dons needed to bounce back from a quiet offensive day on Sunday and did so in a major way by racking up seven runs on 13 hits on visiting Nevada. Sunshine drenched the field instead of rain and the Dons made the most of it. USF jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings as the hits just kept coming. The first run only took two batters as Matt Sinatro led off with a single and then promptly stole second. Nico Giarratano cashed in as he doubled down the right field line to put the Dons up 1-0. The game really opened up in the second inning when Sinatro doubled home Riley Helland to make it 2-0. Allen Smoot would double home Sinatro and ultimately be singled home himself by Ross Puskarich. Puskarich would then break the game wide open in the fourth inning. With Sinatro at second and Helland at third, he would rip a single up the middle to put USF up 6-0. Freshman Grant Young got the start – the first of his collegiate career – and went two innings without allowing a run and striking out three. Benji Post would follow and pick up the win with two scoreless innings in which he only allowed one hit. Brendan Jenkins, Joey Steele and Riley Ornido would combine to pitch four scoreless innings with only two Nevada hits.

On Deck
This weekend's series kicks off a season-long eight-game road swing for the Dons that will see them travel to Nevada next Tuesday for a 1 p.m. rematch against the Wolfpack before heading to San Diego for a three-game WCC set next weekend and finally round out the road stretch with a single nonconference contest at San Diego State at 2 p.m on Monday, Apr. 3.