Purple Classic awaits Lopes at home

PHOENIX -- The Grand Canyon softball team returns to Phoenix to host the second of four tournaments at GCU Softball Stadium, as the Lopes (3-7) welcome Houston Baptist and Niagara for the GCU Purple Classic this Friday through Sunday.

Grand Canyon will play both Houston Baptist and Niagara twice per day for a total of six games, while the pair will meet for a neutral matchup on Friday and Saturday to total eight games over the weekend.

GCU vs Niagara
Game Details	Friday, Feb. 23 \| 5 p.m. (MST) \| Phoenix, Ariz. \| GCU Softball Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
Niagara Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU vs HBU
Game Details	Friday, Feb. 23 \| 7:30 p.m. (MST) \| Phoenix, Ariz. \| GCU Softball Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
HBU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU vs Niagara
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 24 \| Noon (MST) \| Phoenix, Ariz. \| GCU Softball Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
Niagara Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU vs HBU
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 24 \| 2:30 p.m. (MST) \| Phoenix, Ariz. \| GCU Softball Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
HBU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU vs Niagara
Game Details	Sunday, Feb. 25 \| 9 a.m. (MST) \| Phoenix, Ariz. \| GCU Softball Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
Niagara Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU vs HBU
Game Details	Sunday, Feb. 25 \| 11:30 a.m. (MST) \| Phoenix, Ariz. \| GCU Softball Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
HBU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

NOTABLES

Grand Canyon begins its first season as a fully eligible Division I program in 2018, as the Lopes look to secure the first berth to an NCAA competition in GCU softball history. GCU claimed the regular-season WAC title last year and look to do the same this season.
The Lopes return 15 players from last year's conference champion squad, including seven position starters and one starting pitcher in sophomore Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage. Aguilar-Beaucage spent time over the summer competing with Team Canada at both the Canada Cup and the 2017 WBSC Junior Women's Softball World Championship. She looks to bea threat for the Lopes on the mound.
GCU also returns the pair of Shea and Sierra Smith, who led the Lopes in hitting with averages of .364 and .349, respectively. The duo will be a strong asset to GCU on both offense and defense this season, as Shea held a fielding percentage of .942 and Sierra was at .967 in 2017.
A group of five seniors in Niki Gonzalez, Bianca Boling, Laynee Gomez, Kendsey Hill and Mariah Valencia will lead the Lopes in 2018, both on the field and in the dugout. All five seniors were key players in 2017 and are expected to have repeated roles this season.
GCU was picked to win the WAC title by the league's head coaches, announced by the conference last week. The quad of Aguilar-Beaucage, both Smith sisters and Hill received Preseason All-WAC nods as well. Grand Canyon had the most preseason all-WAC honorees of any of the six teams in the conference.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brianna Aguilar

Bianca Boling

Laynee Gomez

Niki Gonzalez

Kendsey Hill

Sierra Smith

Mariah Valencia

Grand Canyon University Athletics