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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Lopes tabbed 2016 WAC preseason favorites
2/9/2016 1:27:00 PM | Baseball
DENVER - The last time the Grand Canyon baseball team took the field, it was being crowned as the 2015 Western Athletic Conference regular season champion. Heading into the 2016 season, they will not sneak up on anyone as they have been picked to finish first in the preseason WAC Coaches' Poll. GCU also placed five players on the Preseason All-WAC team highlighted by senior Paul Panaccione who was named the WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
It is a combination of experience and youth that highlight the Lopes' All-WAC members as two seniors make the squad while three sophomores have made an impact in the WAC in just a short amount of time.
Panaccione had a stellar junior campaign leading GCU in batting average (.376) with a team-high 83 hits. Not only did the senior from Peoria, Ariz. make an impact with his bat but he was also showed off a steady glove at shortstop posting a .942 fielding percentage.
Panaccione was tied with Garrison Schwartz for a team-high of 10 doubles last season. Schwartz joins Panaccione on the Preseason All-WAC team after a fantastic freshman season, batting .357 with 40 RBIs. Schwartz was dependable and made an immediate impact, starting 51 of 53 games in his first season at GCU.
Brandon Smith joins Schwartz as the second outfielder to make the All-WAC team this preseason. The senior from Irvine, Calif. led GCU last season with 10 stolen bases while hitting .348 for the season. Smith returns with the second-highest slugging percentage for the Lopes (.478).
GCU placed two pitchers on the All-WAC team in Jake Repavich and Mick Vorhof. Repavich was one of three starting pitchers to make the All-WAC squad after leading GCU with eight wins last season. Repavich had an exceptional freshman season, tossing 68.1 innings and posting 39 strikeouts.
Vorhof was named as the WAC's best relief pitcher after posting five saves for GCU last season. Vorhof posted the second-lowest ERA on the team last year at 3.02, right behind Travis Garcia-Perreira at 3.00. The sophomore from Sammamish, Wash. was a perfect 5-0 last season as he helped GCU claim the WAC regular season title.
Not only does head coach Andy Stankiewicz return a deep and talented roster, but GCU also brings in a top-35 freshmen class ranked by Baseball America. GCU will kick off the season Friday, Feb. 19, against Gonzaga at Brazell Stadium.
It is a combination of experience and youth that highlight the Lopes' All-WAC members as two seniors make the squad while three sophomores have made an impact in the WAC in just a short amount of time.
Panaccione had a stellar junior campaign leading GCU in batting average (.376) with a team-high 83 hits. Not only did the senior from Peoria, Ariz. make an impact with his bat but he was also showed off a steady glove at shortstop posting a .942 fielding percentage.
Panaccione was tied with Garrison Schwartz for a team-high of 10 doubles last season. Schwartz joins Panaccione on the Preseason All-WAC team after a fantastic freshman season, batting .357 with 40 RBIs. Schwartz was dependable and made an immediate impact, starting 51 of 53 games in his first season at GCU.
Brandon Smith joins Schwartz as the second outfielder to make the All-WAC team this preseason. The senior from Irvine, Calif. led GCU last season with 10 stolen bases while hitting .348 for the season. Smith returns with the second-highest slugging percentage for the Lopes (.478).
GCU placed two pitchers on the All-WAC team in Jake Repavich and Mick Vorhof. Repavich was one of three starting pitchers to make the All-WAC squad after leading GCU with eight wins last season. Repavich had an exceptional freshman season, tossing 68.1 innings and posting 39 strikeouts.
Vorhof was named as the WAC's best relief pitcher after posting five saves for GCU last season. Vorhof posted the second-lowest ERA on the team last year at 3.02, right behind Travis Garcia-Perreira at 3.00. The sophomore from Sammamish, Wash. was a perfect 5-0 last season as he helped GCU claim the WAC regular season title.
Not only does head coach Andy Stankiewicz return a deep and talented roster, but GCU also brings in a top-35 freshmen class ranked by Baseball America. GCU will kick off the season Friday, Feb. 19, against Gonzaga at Brazell Stadium.
2016 Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team (1st Place Votes) | Points |
| 1 | Grand Canyon (5) | 77 |
| 2 | Sacramento State (4) | 74 |
| 3 | Seattle U (1) | 57 |
| 4 | CSU Bakersfield | 55 |
| 5 | New Mexico State | 50 |
| 6 | Utah Valley | 48 |
| 7 | UT Rio Grande Valley | 31 |
| 8 | Northern Colorado | 27 |
| 9 | North Dakota | 22 |
| 10 | Chicago State | 9 |
2016 Preseason All-WAC Team
| Position | Player | Year | School |
| Catcher | Cody Freund | So. | Chicago State |
| First Base | Vinny Esposito | So. | Sacramento State |
| Second Base | David Metzgar | Jr. | CSU Bakersfield |
| Third Base | Joey Sanchez | Jr. | CSU Bakersfield |
| Shortstop | Paul Panaccione | Sr. | Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Garrison Schwartz | So. | Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Brandon Smith | Sr. | Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Mark Kruueger | Sr. | Utah Valley |
| Starting Pitcher | Sam Long | Jr. | Sacramento State |
| Starting Pitcher | Tarik Skubal | So. | Seattle U |
| Starting Pitcher | Jake Repavich | So. | Grand Canyon |
| Relief Pitcher | Mick Vorhof | So. | Grand Canyon |
| At-Large | Dalton Hurd | So. | Seattle U |
| At-Large | Cole Loncar | Sr. | UT Rio Grande Valley |
Players Mentioned
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