Hertz, Bulldogs Eagerly Anticipate Start Of First Wcc Baseball Season

Hello, Mudduh. Hello, Fadduh. Steve Hertz must feel like he’s at Camp Granada.

Now, if only he and his Gonzaga Bulldogs can have some fun when it stops raining.

That’s a huge “if,” however, considering recent weather pattern in the Los Angeles area, where Hertz and his players have been holed up in their hotel rooms for the past two days, waiting for the rain to stop and a new era of GU baseball to begin.

After 14 seasons as members of the Pacific-10 Conference’s North Division, the Zags jumped leagues this spring and aligned their baseball program - like the university’s other sports programs - with the West Coast Conference.

They are scheduled to open WCC play at 1 this afternoon at the home field of defending league champion Pepperdine. But non-league games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at UCLA and Southern California were rained out.

“We’re anxious to get going,” said Hertz, whose Bulldogs are 5-6 against non-league opponents. “I just don’t know if the rain is going to end.”

GU, with nine letterwinners back from last year’s 29-25 team that finished third in the Pac-10 North, will be at a decided disadvantage against the Waves this weekend in a four-game series that includes a noon doubleheader Saturday and a 1 p.m. single game Sunday.

Pepperdine, the preseason favorite to win its fifth WCC title in six years, has been playing since late January and is 13-11 overall and 4-0 in conference play. GU opened its season Feb. 23 - the latest of any league team - and has played eight of its 10 games against either Washington, Washington State or Lewis-Clark State.

“Our season is a little bit more concentrated because of our weather up north,” Hertz said. “Teams down here tend to find out about their ballclubs a little earlier than we do.

“We have some young players who don’t have their feet completely wet, yet, and that’s a bit of a disadvantage. But we’ll be OK.”

The biggest problem facing Hertz is a lack of pitching depth, which is compounded by the fact the WCC plays four-game series each weekend.

“What it does is tests your pitching staff and makes you find four quality starters instead of just three,” Hertz said. “And we’re just a little bit young on the hill right now.”

GU lost pitcher Darin Blood (13-3), the Pac-10 North player of the year, to the pros and several others.

But GU returns proven starters in senior left-hander Jerrod Wong and senior righty Jeff Birkland. After that, Hertz must turn to prospects like freshmen Steve Bennett and Matt Kearney and junior-college transfer Brian Alexander. Bennett, according to Hertz, has had three quality starts this spring and Kearney was sharp early in Monday’s 10-1 loss to San Diego State.

Offensively, the Zags will be led by Wong, who batted .286 with six home runs and 31 runs batted in last year. Hertz said outfielder Rob Pearsall, a JC transfer, and Kevin Workman have also hit the ball well this spring.

Hertz said his team is capable of hitting in the high .290s, enough to be competitive in the WCC.

The Zags are at San Diego next weekend before returning to Pecarovich Field to open their home schedule March 27 vs. WSU at 4 p.m.

, DataTimes