The sights and sounds of playoff baseball were in the air at Las Vegas Ballpark this week, but Gonzaga University baseball’s time in the 2025 West Coast Conference championships was short-lived, as the Zags fell to superior offenses in back-to-back games against third-seeded Saint Mary’s and top-seeded San Diego.

Thursday night’s duel against the third-seed Gaels started with a bang, as Saint Mary’s pumped out eight runs in the first two innings en route to a 14-6 victory. GU made a push in the middle innings with reliever Kai Francis on the mound, but the team couldn’t complete the comeback despite the best efforts of Francis and catcher Rece Schuerman. 

With No. 1 San Diego also losing in the first round, the Toreros ambushed the Zags early in Friday’s elimination match, putting GU at an 11-0 deficit by the fourth inning. USD took the game 16-7, ending GU’s season.

Saint Mary’s star first baseman Eddie Madrigal started Thursday’s game with a bang, fitting the script of the three previous matchups between the programs this season. The Gaels’ leadoff hitter sent Finbar O’Brien’s second pitch of the night far over the right field wall, giving Saint Mary’s yet another early lead over its rivals. An inning later, Madrigal blasted his second homer of the night.

“[Madrigal’s] as good as it gets. He does it when it matters on the big stage,” Saint Mary’s head coach Eric Valenzuela told ESPN. “I’m super proud of him and the offense in general.”

Madrigal was one of the key faces of the WCC in 2025, leading the conference in regular season home runs (21), hits (76) and RBIs (66) and was considered one of the frontrunners for the WCC Player of the Year award — a plaudit which ended up going to GU slugger Mikey Bell.

Due in part to Madrigal’s homers, O’Brien’s night came to an early end with the Zags down 8-3 with only one out in the top of the second. After previously allowing eight home runs in 70.1 regular season innings, O’Brien gave up three in just over an inning, including a two-run HR from Brian Duroff.

Francis took the mound in relief and put on a signature performance for GU. The senior reliever got the Zags out of the second and kept the Gaels scoreless through the seventh, giving the Zags a chance to slowly chip away at their deficit.

Schuerman was the Zag to lead the comeback. The freshman catcher smacked an RBI single in the fourth before smoking a two-run homer to the opposite field in the sixth, pulling GU within two of the Gaels.

But with the Gaels ahead 8-6 going into the eighth inning, another mammoth outburst from Saint Mary’s offense sealed the deal. Having conceded zero runs through 5.2 innings — a career best — GU’s coaching staff kept Francis on the mound for the eighth. A pair of fielding errors, including one from Francis, proved costly for the Zags. 

Six runs were scored off of the resulting Gael rally, including a two-RBI Ian Armstrong single — a tournament-record fifth single for the catcher.

Down eight runs, the Zags couldn’t find a spark in the final two innings and ultimately fell 14-6 to the high-flying Saint Mary’s offense, losing the overall season series 3-1 to their rivals.

The Zags faced similar problems at the start of the next day’s matchup. USD plated 10 runs on GU starter Miles Gosztola in the first three frames, and the Zags struggled to mount a comeback.

Fresh off a defeat at the hands of fourth-seeded Loyola Marymount on Wednesday, the top-seeded Toreros responded by flexing their offensive firepower in a 21-hit performance.

Jack Gurevitch, another WCC Player of the Year candidate, continued his hot hitting form for the Toreros, going 4-for-6 with two home runs, a double and two RBIs. USD’s Aden Howard also added five RBIs on three hits. 

While GU did not come out on top in Las Vegas, Hudson Shupe was a bright spot for the Zag offense. The junior scored the first of three GU runs in a strong first inning against Saint Mary’s and went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI double against USD.

Key contributors such as Shupe, Bell, O’Brien and star reliever Erik Hoffberg all have remaining years of eligibility and could return to GU next year. However, the team will bid farewell to graduating seniors Francis, Ty Yukumoto, Tommy Eisenstat, Josh Hankins, Max Coupe, Ryan Hernandez and Garrett Gores.