Completed Event: Baseball versus San Diego State on March 27, 2026 , Win , 9, to, 3
Baseball
vs San Diego State
W 9-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Lopes earn high recognition in summer league action
8/2/2016 10:49:00 PM | Baseball
PHOENIX - The Grand Canyon baseball season ended on Saturday, May 21. As early as one week later, many members of the team were dispersed all across the United States to take place in summer league action. In their respective summer leagues, GCU players competed in upwards of 50 games in a quick, two-month span. Playing in premier, nationally-recognized leagues such as the Northwoods League, the Alaska League and the West Coast League, the Lopes were well-represented throughout the summer with some all-star recognition.
"It's a great opportunity to see different parts of the country, meet new people, make new teammates and learn about themselves as a player," head coach Andy Stankiewicz told Michael Potter in an interview on GCULopes.com. "They come back better players. They get a chance to work with some really good coaches. That's part of the development of our program; our guys facing guys going to [the likes of] Tennessee, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Texas."
Among many impressive performances from the Lopes in the summer, four players received All-League recognition. Garrison Schwartz (Mat-su Miners, Alaska Baseball League), Preston Pavlica (Chillicothe Mudcats, MINK League), Austin Bull (Southern California Catch, California Collegiate League) and Quin Cotton (Oneonta Outlaws, Perfect Game League) collected some of the top honors in their leagues.
Schwartz enters the final few days of the regular season with a .284 batting average for the Mat-su Miners of the Alaska League. Grand Canyon's everyday right fielder received Alaska Baseball League All-League First Team honors as an outfielder and earned the prestigious title of Top Hitting Prospect in the league. Schwartz was second on the Miners with 13 extra-base hits and 21 RBIs.
"[There's been] great coaching and great guys that have been up here," Schwartz told the Miners broadcast crew. "In a league like this, you just have to stick in the present and not worry about your past at bats. You just have to work each day to have a quality at bat one after another. No matter where you're hitting in the lineup, you just want to compete and get a quality at bat and try your best to get a hit or get the job done for the team."
Pavlica finished a solid summer batting .290 for the Chillicothe Mudcats of the MINK League. Pavlica was a MINK All-Star for the Northern Division, one of four outfielders to be selected to the squad. In addition to his 29 hits on the year, he also stole eight bases and drew 11 walks. Manning center field for over 120 innings this summer, the Lopes' sophomore-to-be did not commit an error.
Bull posted a .322 batting average in California Collegiate League play for the Southern California Catch. The WAC All-Conference honoree earned summer league recognition as well, being selected to the CCL All-Star team as a shortstop. Coming off of an impressive freshman campaign for GCU in the spring, Bull drove in 16 and drew 16 walks while stealing 13 bases.
Cotton finished the summer batting .314, a team-best on the Oneonta Outlaws. The GCU incoming freshman was selected to the Perfect Game League All-Star Team, rounding out the four summer all-star selections for Grand Canyon. Not only did the outfielder lead the team in average, he also posted the most RBIs (32) to go along with 11 extra-base hits and eight stolen bases. Stankiewicz noted that many incoming freshman shy away from playing collegiate summer league baseball, but Cotton jumped at the opportunity and succeeded.
With summer ball wrapping up, sights shift to the resumption of classes and fall practices this coming fall. Stankiewicz is set to begin his sixth season at the helm of the GCU Baseball program with competition set to get underway in February 2017.
Photo credits (left to right): Mat-su Miners; Dan Segel, Corvallis Knights; Gresham GreyWolves; Ashley Turner, Southern California Catch; Butch Shaffer.
"It's a great opportunity to see different parts of the country, meet new people, make new teammates and learn about themselves as a player," head coach Andy Stankiewicz told Michael Potter in an interview on GCULopes.com. "They come back better players. They get a chance to work with some really good coaches. That's part of the development of our program; our guys facing guys going to [the likes of] Tennessee, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Texas."
Among many impressive performances from the Lopes in the summer, four players received All-League recognition. Garrison Schwartz (Mat-su Miners, Alaska Baseball League), Preston Pavlica (Chillicothe Mudcats, MINK League), Austin Bull (Southern California Catch, California Collegiate League) and Quin Cotton (Oneonta Outlaws, Perfect Game League) collected some of the top honors in their leagues.
Schwartz enters the final few days of the regular season with a .284 batting average for the Mat-su Miners of the Alaska League. Grand Canyon's everyday right fielder received Alaska Baseball League All-League First Team honors as an outfielder and earned the prestigious title of Top Hitting Prospect in the league. Schwartz was second on the Miners with 13 extra-base hits and 21 RBIs.
"[There's been] great coaching and great guys that have been up here," Schwartz told the Miners broadcast crew. "In a league like this, you just have to stick in the present and not worry about your past at bats. You just have to work each day to have a quality at bat one after another. No matter where you're hitting in the lineup, you just want to compete and get a quality at bat and try your best to get a hit or get the job done for the team."
Pavlica finished a solid summer batting .290 for the Chillicothe Mudcats of the MINK League. Pavlica was a MINK All-Star for the Northern Division, one of four outfielders to be selected to the squad. In addition to his 29 hits on the year, he also stole eight bases and drew 11 walks. Manning center field for over 120 innings this summer, the Lopes' sophomore-to-be did not commit an error.
Bull posted a .322 batting average in California Collegiate League play for the Southern California Catch. The WAC All-Conference honoree earned summer league recognition as well, being selected to the CCL All-Star team as a shortstop. Coming off of an impressive freshman campaign for GCU in the spring, Bull drove in 16 and drew 16 walks while stealing 13 bases.
Cotton finished the summer batting .314, a team-best on the Oneonta Outlaws. The GCU incoming freshman was selected to the Perfect Game League All-Star Team, rounding out the four summer all-star selections for Grand Canyon. Not only did the outfielder lead the team in average, he also posted the most RBIs (32) to go along with 11 extra-base hits and eight stolen bases. Stankiewicz noted that many incoming freshman shy away from playing collegiate summer league baseball, but Cotton jumped at the opportunity and succeeded.
With summer ball wrapping up, sights shift to the resumption of classes and fall practices this coming fall. Stankiewicz is set to begin his sixth season at the helm of the GCU Baseball program with competition set to get underway in February 2017.
Photo credits (left to right): Mat-su Miners; Dan Segel, Corvallis Knights; Gresham GreyWolves; Ashley Turner, Southern California Catch; Butch Shaffer.
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