GCU to host Kansas in mid-week action

TUESDAY, APRIL 25 - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26
KANSAS JAYHAWKS 19-20 (8-7 Big 12) SERIES RELEASE	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES 19-19 (13-2 WAC) SERIES RELEASE

GAME ONE	GAME TWO
Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. MST	Wednesday, 1:00 p.m. MST
RHP Sean Rackoski (3-4, 3.49) vs.	TBA vs.
LHP Tyler Hansen (0-3, 5.11)	TBA
Stats \| WAC Digital Network	Stats \| GCU.tv

The Grand Canyon baseball team takes a five-game winning streak into a two-game mid-week series with the Kansas Jayhawks at Brazell Stadium. The two teams will rekindle a series that will be contested for the fourth straight season, with GCU and Kansas playing to a 4-4-1 draw in the all-time series. Tuesday's opener is set for 7 p.m. MST on the WAC Digital Network with Wednesday's finale taking place at 1 p.m. MST on GCU.tv.

The Lopes are off to a 13-2 start in Western Athletic Conference play, remaining a perfect 9-0 in conference home games with a sweep of UT Rio Grande Valley over the weekend. It didn't come easy, however, as the Lopes relied on walk-off singles on Saturday and Sunday to secure the sweep. Sunday's win was particularly remarkable, with GCU recovering from an 8-0 hole to win a game for the first time since April 25, 1998 against Utah. The Lopes struck for six in the sixth, tied it with two runs in the eighth, and walked off with a run in the 10th.

The series win over the Vaqueros marked the fifth straight series win for GCU, its most consecutively to open conference play in its Division I history and second-most all-time.

Kansas also has momentum mounting in conference play, coming off of back-to-back series wins in Big 12 action. The Jayhawks surprised No. 19 Oklahoma on the road in Norman, taking two of three games from the Sooners. Kansas came just one run shy of a sweep, falling in Sunday's finale after allowing a two-run eighth. Just a week prior, Kansas knocked off Oklahoma State at home, winning two of three games in that conference series.

For GCU, it appears Garrison Schwartz has it rolling. The Preseason WAC Player of the Year has returned to form after scuffling (by his high standards) to begin the year. While he has consistently been driving in runs all year long, his average has seen an uptick of late. Schwartz is hitting .346 in WAC play with a .538 slugging percentage, ranking second in the conference in RBIs during WAC play with 18. Last week, Schwartz won his first career WAC Hitter of the Week honor after going 8-for-13 with two doubles and a walk-off single in the series vs. UTRGV.

The Jayhawks rely heavily on a solid pitching staff, one that comes in with a staff ERA of 4.29 on the season. Kansas currently has the 22nd-lowest batting average in Division I baseball, but its pitching staff holds opposing batters to a .262 batting average.

When the teams met a year ago in Lawrence, nine innings wasn't enough to decide a victor before heavy lightning and rain hit the area. Over an hour into the second weather delay of the night, the decision was made to suspend the game. The Jayhawks forced extra innings with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but GCU looked primed to reclaim its lead in the top of the 10th with a pair of runners in scoring position and just one out. Instead, the suspension of the game forced a 5-5 tie between the two clubs.

For more news and notes, click here for the 2017 GCU Baseball Media Guide and click here for the series release.

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Hansen

Jake Repavich

Jack Schneider

Garrison Schwartz

Jake Wong

Grand Canyon University Athletics