Fresno State Athletics
Gonzalez' Journey to the Mound
4/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 29, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - In his final season with the Fresno State baseball team, Greg Gonzalez has become one the nation's top pitchers. The right-hander has dedicated most of his 22-years to the game of baseball. His hard work and desire for perfection has paid off. Gonzalez has the 15th best ERA in all of college baseball and has the 16th most strikeouts in the nation. In the beginning, baseball was not something Gonzalez wanted play.
"My parents kind of forced me to play," said Gonzalez. "They said, `you are going to play baseball' and I didn't want to at all. The next day they took me to sign ups and I wasn't too happy about it."
Gonzalez learned to love the game. His family made the choice for him to first start playing and influenced him to continue to grow into a better player. Gonzalez credits his grandfather and parents to his success and getting him to the place he is today.
"When I was younger, my grandpa would take me almost every day and practice," said Gonzalez. "And my parents have always been real supportive of me and the game."
Gonzalez was a two-way player in high school and he spent most of his time at shortstop and pitched only occasionally. When he got to Skyline Junior College, the coaches had a different plan in mind.
"When I got to junior college, the coaches wanted me to exclusively pitch rather than play the field," said Gonzalez. "I was bummed about it at first and didn't like it, but I learned to live with it. I figured out what I could do as a pitcher instead of hitting or playing defense."
He figured out a rotation of pitches that has been fooling batters for the past three seasons. Gonzalez lead the state of California in strikeouts in 2007 and 2009.
"The cutter was probably the easiest pitch I've learned," said Gonzalez. "The cutter is similar to the fast ball and was the quickest I've ever picked up on a pitch. I still have problems with my curve ball here and there. My change-up took over a year to learn."
Gonzalez transferred to Fresno State before his junior season. He felt that the Bulldogs were the perfect fit for both himself and his goals.
"When I first committed to Fresno State, I wasn't too sure what I was getting into," said Gonzalez. "It saw it was a gritty program. I saw them in the 2008 College World Series and playing through injuries. I knew it was a place of tough players and a hard-nosed coach. It was the type of player I wanted to be and wanted to fit in. "
Currently, Gonzalez has tallied 77 strikeouts for the most on the team and in the Western Athletic Conference. His 77 strikeouts place him 16th in the nation in batters struck out.
Gonzalez has hurled 68.2 innings during his senior campaign and has allowed only 10 earned runs in 10 starts. His numbers top the WAC, Gonzalez has a league best ERA of 1.31, the most wins with a 7-0 record.
The senior continues to collect accolades. Last year, he was named First-Team All-WAC pitcher and earned Pitcher of the Week Honors. So far this season, Gonzalez has been named WAC Pitcher of the Week four times and was a Preseason All-WAC selection.
The righty began his career as a starter on the mound against Hawai'i in 2010 on the islands. Gonzalez was looking to impress his coaches and he did just that. He became the eighth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in Fresno State history.
"When I threw the no-hitter, it was my first start and I was trying to do good enough to stay in the rotation. It worked out well," added Gonzalez with a grin.
Although, the righty does miss fielding ground balls and hitting home runs, he has picked up a love for being on the mound.
"With pitching you are the center of attention," said Gonzalez. "I like having an impact on the game and knowing that I matter with every pitch, while someone else may only make one play. Pitchers are responsible for a lot and I like having that responsibility for my teammates."
Gonzalez and the Bulldogs battle for first place in the WAC with a four-game series against Hawai'i. The series start Friday night at 6:05 with Gonzalez on the mound looking for his eighth win and possibly second-straight complete game shutout.
"We Are Your Team!" The Bulldogs return home to face Hawai'i April 29- May 1 at Beiden Field. Free Nike gear will be given away before Friday night's game. On Saturday, all little league players in the eighth grade or younger get in free with a paid adult. And on Sunday, all veteran and active military get in free with their I.D. For tickets call 278-DOGS or log on to gobulldogs.com.
