Lopes close out homestand in GCU Round Robin

GCU ROUND ROBIN \| MAR. 3-5 \| GCU Softball Stadium \| Phoenix, Ariz.
GRAND CANYON LOPES 16-1 (0-0 WAC) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES	vs.	MAINE BLACK BEARS 0-0 (0-0 AMERICAN EAST) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES
HOW TO FOLLOW Video GCU.tv \| Live Stats Game 1, Game 2, Game 3 \| @GCUSoftball \| Tournament Schedule
Schedule vs. Maine \| Friday, Mar. 3 - 6:00 p.m. \| Saturday, Mar. 4 - 2:30 p.m. \| Sunday, Mar. 5 - 2:30 p.m.

GRAND CANYON LOPES 16-1 (0-0 WAC) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES	vs.	CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS 4-10 (0-0 BIG EAST) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES
HOW TO FOLLOW Video GCU.tv \| Game 1, Game 2 \| @GCUSoftball
Schedule vs. Creighton \| Saturday, Mar. 4 - 12 p.m. \| Sunday, Mar. 5 - 12 p.m.

The Grand Canyon softball team opens up March play hosting the inaugural GCU Round Robin on Mar. 3-6. The Lopes will welcome Creighton and Maine to GCU Softball Stadium come Friday.

GCU will play in five contests over the weekend. The Lopes open the tourney on Friday, Mar. 3 against Maine at 6 p.m. MST. GCU returns to the field Friday, Mar. 4 in a doubleheader battle against Creighton at noon and Maine at 2:30. The Lopes will conclude Round Robin play on Sunday, Mar. 5 in their final clashes with Creighton at noon and Maine at 2:30.

LEADING OFF

After adding six more to the win column in the GCU Invitational, head coach Ann Pierson earned her 400th career win in the team's 7-5 victory over Rhode Island on Feb. 25. After last weekend her all-time record improved to 401-297-3 (.594).

After improving to 16-1 after last weekends' six victories, the Lopes now sit at second in the nation with a .941 win percentage, just below the five undefeated programs in the country. With 16 wins, the Lopes have more wins than its WAC opponents combined (13).

Freshman Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage earned Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week accolades after going a perfect 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA and 12 strikeouts in three appearances in the GCU Invitational.

After earning her ninth win last weekend, Taylor Nowlin is tied with Georgia's Brittany Gray for the most wins in the nation. In the GCU Invitational she collected a pair of wins and a save with 12 strikeouts.

Freshman, Megan Stevens made a splash in the GCU Invitational putting together two pinch-hit home runs in back to back contests against San Jose State and Rhode Island. Against San Jose State, Stevens hit the go-ahead home run to lead GCU to victory. Later the day, she also hit a pinch-hit three-run homer to claim the contest against Rhode Island.

Nikki Gonzalez also had a strong outing in the GCU Invitational. She hit .400 on the weekend with two home runs with eight hits through 20 at-bats.

Last time out
The GCU softball program went 6-0 in the GCU Invitational improving to 16-1 on the season, remaining an undefeated 12-0 at home. GCU produced an overall .364 batting average adding 42 runs from 55 hits which included eight doubles, eight home runs and one triple. The Lope engineered back to back comeback victories on Saturday against San Jose State and Rhode Island. In the Lopes second meeting against SJSU (3-2) , GCU hit consecutive homers to take the lead and win the game. In the team's win against the Rhody (7-5), it came down to the six inning where Stevens hit a pinch-hit three-run bomb to take the lead and the game. After three weeks of play, the Lopes have opened the season with the best mark since its transition to Division I play.

Sizing up the Opponents

Scouting Maine

GCU will meet Maine for the first time in program history.
The Black Bears will play in its season opener on Friday against the Lopes after being snowed in for their first tourney.
They finished 2016 with a 28-21 record with a 12-5 mark in the American East. They finished with the American East title.
Maine was picked as the unanimous No. 1 to win the conference for the second straight season.
Head coach Mike Coutts enters his fifth year at the helm of the program.

Scouting Creighton

The Bluejays are currently 4-10 on the season.
Tash Coffel holds a .250 batting average with a team-high nine hits.
Bryana Clark has logged 35.1 innings and owns a 3.96 ERA to go along with two complete-game victories.
Head coach Brent Vigness enters his 24th season at the helm of the Creighton softball program. He is the winningest coach of all time.

Up Next
The Lopes head back on the road to the bay area to play in the Stanford Easton Classic on Mar. 10-12. GCU will face Stanford, Cal Poly, Leigh and Connecticut over the weekend.

Players Mentioned

Brianna Aguilar

Bianca Boling

Hailey Freeman

Niki Gonzalez

Taylor Nowlin

Shea Smith

Megan Stevens

Camree Wartman

Grand Canyon University Athletics