The 14
th-ranked Grand Canyon University baseball team is fourth in the West Region in the first NCAA Regional Rankings of the 2013 season, as released today. Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Chico, and Sonoma State hold the first three spots, while fellow Pacific West Conference member Dixie State rounds out of the top-five.
The top six teams from each of the eight regions will advance to their respective regionals as part of the NCAA Division II National Tournament, hosted by the top seed in each geographical region, when the NCAA announces the 48-team field on May 12 at 7 p.m. (Arizona time). The selection show can be viewed on the NCAA website by clicking
here.
Hawai’i Pacific, another PacWest Conference member, is currently ranked seventh in the regional poll.
The Antelopes are 32-11 overall and 24-6 in the PacWest Conference, currently in first place in the conference standings, two games ahead of California Baptist with six conference games remaining. The 32 wins are the most for GCU since winning 38 games in 2002.
The ‘Lopes are led offensively by
Derek Mendoza, who sports a .344 batting average (45-for-131) with a team-leading 31 RBI.
Steven Swingle has collected 29 RBI and a team-best 27 extra-base hits. Among GCU starters,
Coley Bruns owns a 7-1 record and 1.79 ERA (12 ER in 60.1 IP).
Andrew Naderer leads all pitchers with 52 strikeouts, while
Mark Jarrett has a team-high eight saves.
GCU will next be in action tomorrow at 5 p.m. when they square off against conference newcomer Azusa Pacific in Azusa, Calif. Fans can follow the action via live audio, video, and stats by visiting
www.gculopes.com.
Click
here for the complete regional rankings.