The first game of the 1988 World Series, with two outs in the ninth inning, the LA Dodgers are down 4-3 with a runner on first base. Kirk Gibson is the pinch hitter despite having two injured legs at the time. He manages to hit a home run to put the Dodgers up 5-4 and win the game and also the World Series.

That very moment was pivotal in solidifying how senior pitcher Mackenzie Gaul knew baseball would be the sport he would find himself playing for as long as he could.

“I would stay up all night watching baseball when I should be sleeping, but after watching the game of Kirk Gibson’s home run in such a clutch moment, I knew that this was the sport for me,” Gaul said.

He began playing baseball when he was three years old and would spend every night watching games that were on the television when he should have been sleeping.

For the Wildcats, Gaul has had a very successful junior season and hope to continue his stride  into next season.

He currently leads the GNAC in pitching with a 3.18 earned run average and has a team high of 72 strikeouts, with a total of three complete shutouts, which earned him “Player of the Week” honors three times this season.

“Gaul is a competitive player no matter what he does, while always giving 100 percent and his best with every rep,” says pitching coach Kellen Camus.

Gaul began his collegiate career at the University of Washington (UW), but after one season he didn’t feel it was the right fit for him. He got in contact with his previous coach, who coached at CWU at the time, and talked to him about the possibility of playing here. He knew that transferring was the best choice for him and it has paid off for him so far.

Growing up playing baseball, Gaul says he is able to find it to have made a positive impact on his life because it has helped get him to school and to make lifelong friendships and connections with his teammates and coaches. He wouldn’t know what to do without the sport and can find a comfort knowing he can rely on baseball to turn his day around.

“He’s been a great leader for the younger guys on the team, it’s hard to come in as a freshman and play but Gaul has helped them out and shown them the right way to do things on and off the field,” Camus says.

Gaul has led by example this season and has proved to be a player that his teammates can look up to. He is a well-rounded player not only statistically but also by being a role model.

“He’s the type of teammate to always work hard on everything that we do on the field and off and never gives up,” says senior pitcher Kyle Blankenship.