Lopes face Loyola Marymount in non-conference finale

Loyola Marymount
March 23 || Los Angeles, Calif. || Smith Field
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LOS ANGELES - The GCU softball team extends its Southern California stay to face off against Loyola Marymount Wed, March 23 for the second time this season in its non-conference finale.

The Lopes look to continue their winning ways on the road after garnering quality wins against DePaul, UNLV and Arkansas in the Easton Tourney last weekend.

A Glance Back
The Lopes went 3-2 during the Easton Tournament in Fullerton and improved to 23-10 on the year. GCU's offense fired on all cylinders as they picked up wins against DePaul and Arkansas and shutout UNLV Saturday night. They also garnered their first win against a SEC opponent in program history. The Lopes combined for 18 runs from 40 hits with six doubles a triple and a home run. They finished out the weekend with a.315 batting average.

Madelyn Dowdle (8-of-16) and Shea Smith (8-of-15) both led at the plate and each collected two runs and three RBI. Both Dowdle and Smith were a perfect 4-for-4 in the team's 8-0 rout of UNLV. Dowdle also had a perfect showing (3-for-3) Friday against DePaul. In the team's victory over Arkansas, Sierra Smith produced a two-run home run that solidified the Lopes 6-2 win.

In the circle, Taylor Nowlin (10-3) was back at it again. Against UNLV she pitched a one-hitter and refused to give the Rebels any opportunities. On the weekend she went 2-0 with 19 strikeouts, yielding a 2.72 ERA, 11 hits and a .177 opposing batting average. She also picked up her third save of the year through 2.0 innings tossed in the team's win against DePaul (4-3) Friday.

Sizing Up the Opponents

Loyola Marymount (19-12) went 5-3 in Week 6 of play. Sophomore Alicia Brown was named West Coast Conference Player-of-the-Week. She hit .464 with a .531 on base percentage and a 1.036 slugging percentage. Brown leads the squad in runs (27) slugging percentage (.753), doubles (10) and RBI (21). She is second on the team in batting average (.404) and hits (36). Senior Megan Von Berhen is also hitting over the .400 clip for the Lions. On the year, she leads the team in batting average (.438) and hits (46) and boasts a .667 slugging percentage.

In the circle, junior Rachel Farrington (10-5) yields a 3.51 ERA (43 ER in 85.2 IP) with 38 strikeouts. She has allowed 47 runs from 92 hits and held opponents to a .275 batting average. She also has one save on the season.

TRENDING (RPI)
The Lopes topped out in the No. 45 spot in the Ratings Percentage Index released Monday by the NCAA for the first time this season. GCU secured 23 victories thus far and their quality opponents have been a significant factor in how they matchup on the national scale. GCU has faced four ranked opponents this season and a total of six from the power five conferences.

Batting Bliss

The Lopes garnered their first WAC Hitter- of-the Week accolades Monday, when Fr ss Shea Smith garnered her first-career honor for her performance in the Easton Tournament in Fullerton.

Smith had a phenomenal weekend in the Easton Tournament in Fullerton. She hit .533 (8-of-15) with two runs scored and three RBI. Smith collected hits against No. 6 Alabama (1-of-2) and No.13 Oklahoma (1-of-3) this weekend. Against UNLV Saturday night. She went perfect in the contest, finishing 4-of-4 with two runs and one RBI. She posted a .533 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage with a hit in four of five games.

Smith currently leads the WAC and the team in batting average (.430), on-base percentage (.523), runs (36) and doubles (12).

Series History
The Lopes and Lions will meet for the fifth and sixth time Wednesday. GCU leads the all-time series 4-1 and will look to garner a pair of victories in its second meeting of the year.

Earlier this season, GCU hosted the Lions on opening weekend in the GCU Kickoff Tournament. The Lopes defeated LMU (8-0) by run-rule and tallied eight runs from 14 hits on the day. In the circle, Taylor Nowlin pitched her first no-hitter of the season. She collected three strikeouts through 19 batters and yielded a 0.00 ERA.

In the 2015 campaign, the Lopes met LMU in a three game series in Sacramento where GCU prevailed, 2-1 behind 16 strikeouts from then sophomore Taylor Nowlin.

Lope to Watch: Brittany Medina

Sophomore catcher Brittany Medina has been busy in the batter's box as of late. Over the past two weekends, Medina has been reliable and effective in the pinch hitting role. In the Easton Tourney in Fullerton, Medina was 3-for-9 with one RBI and a .333 batting average. At the CSUN Matador Classic in Northridge, Medina came off the bench and went 4-for-6 with three doubles, a homer and seven RBI over the weekend. She hit a pinch-hit RBI double that solidified the Lopes victory over CSUN.

Medina has continued to grow into her role and has hit .333 with 10 hits,10 RBI and one home run.

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Players Mentioned

Bailey Bergman

Briielle Breland

Maddie Dowdle

Brittany Medina

Nicole Newbury

Taylor Nowlin

Shea Smith

Sierra Smith

Camree Wartman

Grand Canyon University Athletics