Upcoming Event: Softball versus Pima CC on September 30, 2025 at 6 p.m.
Softball
6 p.m.
vs Pima CC
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, February 18
Phoenix, AZ
10 a.m.
Grand Canyon
vs
Fort Lewis
Freshman left fielder Haley Walker, right, is hitting .391 after nine games.
Antelopes Have Busy Weekend at Stapleton-Pierson Field
2/17/2012 3:44:00 PM | Softball
Grand Canyon plays host to the GCU Invitational Saturday and Sunday at Stapleton-Pierson Field.
GCU (3-6) welcomes fellow Pacific West Conference foe Notre Dame de Namur (3-2) along with Western New Mexico (5-4) and Fort Lewis College (1-4) of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Action begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. There are four games each day. Conference opponents will not play each other. GCU opens the invitational against Fort Lewis.
GCU went 3-1 at its GCU Kickoff Classic two weeks ago, but fell to 3-6 after going 0-5 at the Desert Stinger in Las Vegas last week.
“Las Vegas was a huge learning experience for us in knowing our ability to compete with real strong teams,” said GCU coach Ann Pierson. “Our focus (at practice) has been on fundamentals and our pitchers command of the strike zone. We need to continue to swing it well.”
Grand Canyon’s lineup has included as many as seven freshmen and four freshmen and two sophomores have been regulars in the batting lineup. Three frosh own the team’s top batting averages. First baseman Lauren Regester leads the team at a .481 clip and has an eight-game hitting streak. Left fielder Haley Walker is hitting .391 and shortstop Kelsey Barak is at .375. In only eight at-bats, frosh catcher Brandi Gaffin is also hitting .375 with a home run. Barak leads the team in homers with three. Regester has two. Frosh right fielder Kayla Henry leads the club in steals with four.
Frosh Kiley Raica has been the most active pitcher. She’s 2-2 and has pitched a team-high 30.1 innings.
The young 'Lopes aren't the only ones off to a strong start. Seniors Kara Holtorf (.333) and Vanessa Chavez (.313) are both hitting over .300. Senior Brittany Manzoline has the top ERA on the pitching staff at 3.75. Junior Lisa Tarnowski is the team-leader in RBIs with 12 and reigning PacWest Freshman of the Year Claire Zampini has a .474 on-base percentage.
All four teams here this weekend were also in Vegas. Fort Lewis went 1-4, but got a solid performance at the plate from sophomore third baseman Chelsea Rodriguez, who hit .583 with three home runs and nine RBI.
It is the second time GCU will play a pair with Western New Mexico. The Antelopes swept the Mustangs two weeks ago, getting a two-hit shutout (8-0) from Raica in her collegiate debut and also getting a shutout (3-0) win out of sophomore pitcher Kiki Sepulveda.
Western New Mexico has used only two pitchers this season, Bri Robles (3-4, 3.05) and Arriel Smith (2-0, 4.76). Robles pitched both games against GCU. Senior catcher Kaitlynn Barnes is the top Mustang hitter at .556 with three homers and seven RBI. Senior infielder Ashly Eichenberger is hitting .438 with two home runs and seven RBI.
The Antelopes play the Mustangs at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. GCU’s second game with Fort Lewis is at 9 a.m. Sunday.
NDNU went 3-2 last weekend and are led by senior outfielder Janae Reyes, who is hitting .533 with three doubles and two stolen bases. Grand Canyon will play NDNU April 20-21 for a four-game PacWest series in Belmont, Calif.
Fans unable to attend this weekend can follow all the games with live stats. Links are available at www.GCULopes.com.
The Antelopes take next weekend off before beginning PacWest play Mar. 3-4 with a four-game set (two doubleheaders) with Academy of Art in San Francisco.
GCU (3-6) welcomes fellow Pacific West Conference foe Notre Dame de Namur (3-2) along with Western New Mexico (5-4) and Fort Lewis College (1-4) of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Action begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. There are four games each day. Conference opponents will not play each other. GCU opens the invitational against Fort Lewis.
GCU went 3-1 at its GCU Kickoff Classic two weeks ago, but fell to 3-6 after going 0-5 at the Desert Stinger in Las Vegas last week.
“Las Vegas was a huge learning experience for us in knowing our ability to compete with real strong teams,” said GCU coach Ann Pierson. “Our focus (at practice) has been on fundamentals and our pitchers command of the strike zone. We need to continue to swing it well.”
Grand Canyon’s lineup has included as many as seven freshmen and four freshmen and two sophomores have been regulars in the batting lineup. Three frosh own the team’s top batting averages. First baseman Lauren Regester leads the team at a .481 clip and has an eight-game hitting streak. Left fielder Haley Walker is hitting .391 and shortstop Kelsey Barak is at .375. In only eight at-bats, frosh catcher Brandi Gaffin is also hitting .375 with a home run. Barak leads the team in homers with three. Regester has two. Frosh right fielder Kayla Henry leads the club in steals with four.
Frosh Kiley Raica has been the most active pitcher. She’s 2-2 and has pitched a team-high 30.1 innings.
The young 'Lopes aren't the only ones off to a strong start. Seniors Kara Holtorf (.333) and Vanessa Chavez (.313) are both hitting over .300. Senior Brittany Manzoline has the top ERA on the pitching staff at 3.75. Junior Lisa Tarnowski is the team-leader in RBIs with 12 and reigning PacWest Freshman of the Year Claire Zampini has a .474 on-base percentage.
All four teams here this weekend were also in Vegas. Fort Lewis went 1-4, but got a solid performance at the plate from sophomore third baseman Chelsea Rodriguez, who hit .583 with three home runs and nine RBI.
It is the second time GCU will play a pair with Western New Mexico. The Antelopes swept the Mustangs two weeks ago, getting a two-hit shutout (8-0) from Raica in her collegiate debut and also getting a shutout (3-0) win out of sophomore pitcher Kiki Sepulveda.
Western New Mexico has used only two pitchers this season, Bri Robles (3-4, 3.05) and Arriel Smith (2-0, 4.76). Robles pitched both games against GCU. Senior catcher Kaitlynn Barnes is the top Mustang hitter at .556 with three homers and seven RBI. Senior infielder Ashly Eichenberger is hitting .438 with two home runs and seven RBI.
The Antelopes play the Mustangs at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. GCU’s second game with Fort Lewis is at 9 a.m. Sunday.
NDNU went 3-2 last weekend and are led by senior outfielder Janae Reyes, who is hitting .533 with three doubles and two stolen bases. Grand Canyon will play NDNU April 20-21 for a four-game PacWest series in Belmont, Calif.
Fans unable to attend this weekend can follow all the games with live stats. Links are available at www.GCULopes.com.
The Antelopes take next weekend off before beginning PacWest play Mar. 3-4 with a four-game set (two doubleheaders) with Academy of Art in San Francisco.
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