Dan Naughton, a 2018 Pendleton High School graduate, is pitching for the Gonzaga Bulldogs as they head to the NCAA tournament, where they open play Friday, June 4, 2021, at the Eugene regional.

SPOKANE — Dan Naughton made a name for himself on the mound at Pendleton High School, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs took a chance that the right-handed pitcher would fit nicely into their bullpen.

The 2018 Pendleton graduate and the Zags are now headed to the NCAA tournament, where they open play Friday, June 4, at the Eugene regional.

“I’m excited to be a part of it,” Naughton said Tuesday. “I think we knew going into the fall that we had a talented team. It all came together once the season hit.”

Gonzaga (33-17) is the No. 2 seed in the bracket and will face No. 3 seed and six-time national champion LSU (34-22) at 7 p.m. Friday at PK Park.

Top seed Oregon (37-14) will play No. 4 seed Central Connecticut State (28-13) at 2 p.m. June 4.

The losers of each game will play at 1 p.m. June 5, while the winners will face off at 7 p.m. The regionals are a double-elimination event.

The winner of the Eugene regional will play the winner of the Knoxville regional, which consists of Tennessee — the host school is ranked No. 3 in the nation — as well as Duke, Liberty and Wright State.

The Zags flew to Portland on June 2, then took a bus to Eugene. It’s an easy trip compared to two of the teams in the regional.

“I feel bad for the Central Connecticut folks who have to travel to Oregon,” Naughton said. “Same with the people with LSU. I’m not sure a lot of them have been to Oregon. But when you get to this point, you will play anywhere.”

Gonzaga is 7-14 in seven previous NCAA regional appearances dating to 1976. This is the Zags’ first NCAA appearance since 2018.

The Zags won the West Coast Conference title with a 10-0 victory over San Diego on May 27, but they lost their next two games to the Toreros, dropping their RPI to 27, dousing their hopes of hosting a regional.

“We all thought we’d be able to host, but we would have had to win all three against San Diego,” Naughton said. “This is our first time playing LSU. We’ve gone down and played in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, but haven’t played LSU.”

The Zags enter the game with a strong lineup.

Gonzaga’s ace Alek Jacob (7-1, 2.82 ERA, 76.2 IP, 103K, 17 BB) is good to go, but the Zags still are without No. 2 starter Gabriel Hughes (broken hand).

Naughton, 21, is part of a rotation that has given the Zags support out of the bullpen. The 6-foot, 185-pounder has pitched 16.2 innings with a 3.24 ERA over the course of 11 games. He’s allowed six runs, struck out 18 and walked eight. He also has not committed an error.

“I started one game, and I’ve closed out a few games,” Naughton said. “I have mainly been coming out of the bullpen as a reliever. It’s hard being on a team like Gonzaga. We are known for our pitching. It’s a team full of really good pitchers. I’m thankful to be part of a team that has so much talent. I am happy to come in and chew up some innings.”

The Zags’ pitching staff has allowed an average of 4.6 runs per game, while the offense is putting up 6.3 run per game.

At the plate, Gonzaga is led by junior third baseman Brett Harris (.358, 6 HRs, 42 RBIs).

Gonzaga, which is known as a basketball school, is starting to get national recognition for its baseball team.

“Now that we are nationally ranked, we joke that we are a baseball school,” Naughton said. “Our program has been on the rise the last 15 years or so. It’s kind of cool.”

From Pendleton to the NCAAs

Naughton was barely a blip on the radar his first three years of high school, but his senior year he blossomed into one of the best baseball prospects in Oregon.

In the spring of 2018, Naughton set a Pendleton school record with 99 strikeouts in 56.1 innings pitched. He also had an ERA of 1.99. The Bucks finished the season 18-9, losing to Churchill 2-1 in the 5A state quarterfinals.

Naughton was the Columbia River Conference Player and Pitcher of the Year. He was named to the all-state first team and was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in Oregon by Baseball Northwest.

“I wasn’t much of a college prospect my freshman, sophomore and junior years,” Naughton said. “It was my senior year that I became a prospect and I realized I could have an opportunity to play the next four years. I knew I would have to have good grades, and I worked hard to get them. I have been getting better grades at Gonzaga than I had in high school.”

Naughton, who is majoring in kinesiology, is as a sophomore at Gonzaga, despite this being his third year with the program.

“Because of COVID, I have two more years left,” he said. “My goal is to be a starter.”