GCU gets win, outright title on season's final day

Saturday, May 20

Davis, Calif.

1:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

29-25

UC Davis

19-28

Grand Canyon

UC Davis

Photo by: Mark Hanbo / UC Davis

5/20/2017 3:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Josh Hauser

DAVIS, Calif. - The Grand Canyon baseball team put runs on the scoreboard in five different innings en route to an 8-3 victory over UC Davis in the season finale. The Lopes finished the 2017 campaign with a 29-25 record, winning their final nine weekend series of the season.

"I think obviously to win the final nine weekends is great," head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "I'm proud of the guys and the way they went about it and stayed in the fight. We were punched here and there but kept getting back up and having big performances when we needed them. I'm proud of the way we showed grit and stayed on it and kept fighting."

With eyes also peeled to Las Cruces, N.M., the Lopes got good news when CSU Bakersfield defeated New Mexico State 13-8. The loss by the Aggies ensured that Grand Canyon would go down as the undisputed 2017 Western Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions rather than having to share the title with New Mexico State.

After fittingly ending his home career with a save, senior AJ Franks got another storybook ending in his final game in a GCU uniform. The right-hander tossed a career-long 4.0 innings, allowing just two hits and no runs en route to his fourth save of the year.

"It was cool to be able to have AJ finish it out, our lone senior," Stankiewicz said. "To be able to close it out and get the zeros on the board and the save, it was a really fitting way to end his career. He is a great young man and has shown that he is a clutch performer."

Jack Schneider closed out an unbelievable freshman campaign, picking up his seventh win on the mound to finish the year 7-0. GCU won all 10 games that Schneider started this season.

"The job that Jack has done as a freshman is great," Stankiewicz said. "We needed someone to step up and take over that role as our third starter. He stepped up and proved that he is a tremendous competitor that is able to make big pitches at the right times."

Grand Canyon capitalized on opportunities in the second inning, managing to score three runs without a hit. After the first two batters reached on walks, a run scored on an error, an RBI groundout and a passed ball to put the Lopes in front 3-0.

The Lopes extended their lead to 4-0 with a run in the third. Garrison Schwartz singled and advanced to second on a walk. Greg Saenz picked up an RBI, singling to left field to drive in the run.

UC Davis answered with a couple of runs in the home-half of the third to cut GCU's four-run lead in half. Just one frame later, the Aggies pulled even closer, scoring a run on a wild pitch to pull within a run at 4-3.

It was all Grand Canyon from that point on, however, scoring the final four runs of the game to seal the result.

Tyler Wyatt led off the sixth with a single and came into score on an RBI single from Austin Bull to make it 5-3.

The Lopes tacked on two more in the eighth with UC Davis struggling with pitching control once again. Marc Mumper and Tom Lerouge picked up opportunistic RBIs in the inning, Mumper singling and Lerouge reaching on a fielder's choice.

GCU wasn't finished yet, continuing its scoring into the final inning of the season. Schwartz reached on a leadoff single and came into score on an RBI single from Wyatt to achieve the final tally of 8-3.

Grand Canyon did record eight hits but also had the benefit of nine walks issued by UC Davis pitchers. In comparison, Schneider and Franks combined to walk just two batters on the day.

Bull, Schwartz and Wyatt all finished with two-hit days and each finished with batting averages of over .300 on the season. Joining them in the .300 average club was Lerouge, Saenz and Ian Evans.

The transition was nearly seamless from Division II to Division I baseball for Stankiewicz and the Grand Canyon program. Over the four-year period, the Lopes collected two WAC championships, three winning seasons and two 30-win seasons. GCU will be immediately eligible for postseason play in 2018, pending a final stamp of approval from the NCAA in the coming months.

Pending results from the MLB Draft, Grand Canyon is set to return all but one member of the 2017 roster as it looks to make noise in its first season back at full Division I membership.