GCU entertains No. 11 HPU, others in pivotal weekend

Softball

3-27-09

Each win becomes more and more paramount. For a few reasons:

Establishing its identity out West. Postseason possibilities. Finishing above and beyond what a Grand Canyon team has ever done.

This weekend, when Grand Canyon hosts No. 11 Hawai'i Pacific (24-4, 12-2 PacWest) Saturday at noon, Chaminade (5-21, 4-8) Sunday at noon and BYU-Hawaii (11-21, 4-10) Monday at noon to close out the home schedule, the Antelopes (24-16, 7-6) will have an opportunity to become the first team in the program's six-year history to win more than 28 games. That's just the small scale picture. The big picture is finding a way to keep playing past April. That's why every game has growing significance from here on out.

"All of our games are big now," GCU coach Ann Pierson said. "We need to continue to push for distance from the wins and the losses."

Softball Hall of Famers Kathryn "Sis" King and Billie Harris will be on hand to throw out the first pitch Sunday as part of Senior Day festivities.

But more than party favors, this three-day set affords Grand Canyon great leverage to get itself back to where it started, which was a heck of a start the last time it headed to Turlock, Calif., for a prestigious West Region tournament. That's where the Antelopes will be headed again next weekend.

"Every win that we get is gonna turn heads," Pierson said on an off-day for her team.

Earlier this year, GCU turned heads when it became the first PacWest school in two years to beat Hawai'i Pacific at the Sea Warriors home park. This weekend the Lopes might have to do it without two key players as right fielder Nikki Lorenzi will be gone for a prior commitment and pitcher Natasha Dypchey remains day to day with a back injury.

"Not having Nikki is big," Pierson said. "She's gotten back on the productive side. She adds so much to the lineup because she puts more pressure on the defense. You won't settle in on her because she has so many weapons."

Grand Canyon has a lot of weapons. The Antelopes trail the Sea Warriors by nine percentage points in the league's top batting average race. Both are the only teams in the league hitting over .340. HPU and GCU rank 1-2 in on-base percentage, both the only teams over .400. Grand Canyon is the league's top run-scoring team, and is the only club to top 200 -- GCU way over the mark at 249.

The Lopes lead the league in hits -- they're the only team even remotely close to 400 at 394, and no other team has even eclipsed the 270 mark. GCU leads the conference in runs batted in at 223, and no other team has even reached 165. Grand Canyon also leads the league in doubles at 62 with HPU shaddowing in second at 49.

Of course, all of these numbers and HPU's ranking mean nothing if they don't bring it on game day.

"They're a tough team in every way, but we played well and beat 'em" Pierson said. "I like that we get to lead off the weekend with them. I think we match up well with 'em."

As for BYU-Hawaii, the team GCU will close the home portion of its schedule with, that's another story. The Lopes dropped both games to the SeaWarriors in Hawaii 25 days ago. One of those losses was a one-run ball game.

"Any time you lose to a team, you at least want to play well against them the next time you see 'em," Pierson said. "I just don't think anybody is so dominant in this league that even an off day allows them to win."

Pierson likes to preach this idea of playing to your capability. Believe this, Grand Canyon has a lot of capability, regardless of which opponent is in the other dugout.

"Every win is gonna give us some more credibility," Pierson said. "They have to be emotionally prepared, and they have to be physically prepared."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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