GCU welcomes CSUB to Phoenix this weekend

FRIDAY, APRIL 14- SATURDAY, APRIL 15
CSUB ROADRUNNERS 6-25 (1-5 WAC) SERIES RELEASE	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES 28-14 (3-3 WAC) SERIES RELEASE

GAME ONE	GAME TWO	GAME THREE
Friday, 5 p.m. MST	Saturday, 7:30 p.m. MST	Saturday, 5 p.m. MST
Stats	Stats	Stats

GCU will look to continue its winning ways as they host CSU Bakersfield this weekend on Apr. 14-15.

The Lopes will open the series Friday, Apr. 14 in a doubleheader clash at 5 p.m. MST and 7:30. GCU will continue weekend action with a single contest on Saturday, Apr. 15 at 5.

LEADING OFF

A year ago, GCU had a three-game sweep of CSU Bakersfield to end the year. The Roadrunners would go on to win their first WAC Tournament title in program history.

Among its WAC counterparts, GCU sits at the top of the conference in several categories. Niki Gonzalez leads in doubles (14), while Shea Smith leads in runs scored (30). Taylor Nowlin tops the conference in the strikeout (115), wins (15) and opposing batting average (.236) categories. Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage lowered her league leading ERA to 2.77.

GCU's performance on the field has continued to draw national recognition. The Lopes moved up to No.11 in doubles with 63 and sit at No.19 with .52 double plays turned per game.

With 63 doubles on the season, the Lopes offensive firepower has been most visible in the doubles category. GCU is No.11 in the country with the tally. The Lopes have three players in double-figures. Gonzalez (14) Camree Wartman (12) and Shea Smith (10). Gonzalez leads the Lopes and is tied for fifth in the country.

Senior LHP Taylor Nowlin currently sits at 15-7. She went 1-1 during the series with UMKC last weekend after opening the series with a complete game two-hit shutout. Nowlin remains in the top 30 in victories. She is tied for No. 28 in the NCAA with the record. She also has 115 strikeouts on the season through 108.0 IP. Through 9-of-13 complete contests, Nowlin has held opponents to five hits or less.

For the first time in the softball program's Division I history, GCU received Top 25 votes in the ESPN.COM/USA Softball national poll. In Week 5, the Lopes received two votes after improving to 23-4 in the Stanford Easton Classic.

Last time out
On the first road trip of conference play the Lopes took two of three against UMKC for the series victory. After opening the series strong with a 9-0 victory, featuring six innings of two-hit shutout pitching by Nowlin, GCU dropped the second game 3-1. In the rubber match the Lopes took the series with a dominant 10-1 victory in which Jenna Coates went 2-3 with 3 RBI and a 3-run dinger. Brianna Aguliar-Beaucage allowed only five hits and struck out two.

Nowlin pitched a two-hit shutout on Friday, striking out nine.

Coates led the scoring in the series with three hits and five RBI. She tallied a 1.000 slugging percentage.

Sizing up the Opponents

Scouting CSUB

Grand Canyon will meet CSU Bakersfield for the 22nd time in program history. The Lopes have the advantage in the all-time series at 11-10 and have had the conference advantage since joining the WAC at 6-3. The Roadrunners sit at 6-25 on the year and 1-5 in WAC play with their lone win coming against Utah Valley last weekend.
Julea Cavazos leads the team with a .293 BA (29-of-99), while Chris Hipa leads the team in homeruns (4), doubles (5) and RBI (18).
In the circle, Summer Evans (5-10) leads the staff with a 4.35 ERA and has a b/avg of .282 while punching out 16 on the year.
Head coach Crissy Buck-Ziegler is currently in her sixth season at CSU Bakersfield and brought the team to their first Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship last season. They also represented the WAC in the 2016 NCAA Softball Tournament.

Up Next
GCU hosts its final home games of the 2017 campaign as they welcome Utah Valley to Phoenix on April 21-22. The Lopes will play a doubleheader on Friday, Apr. 21 at 5 p.m. MST and 7:30. GCU will finish the series on Saturday, Apr.22 at 5. A Senior Day celebration will happen at the conclusion of Saturday's series finale.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brianna Aguilar

Jenna Coates

Niki Gonzalez

Taylor Nowlin

Shea Smith

Camree Wartman

Grand Canyon University Athletics