PHOENIX --
The Grand Canyon softball team remains home for the second-straight weekend, as the Lopes (9-8) welcome the quad of South Dakota, Princeton, UNLV and Valparaiso to GCU Softball Stadium. After sixty runs and a perfect 6-0 showing in the GCU Purple Classic, the Lopes will go head-to-head five times over three days starting Friday, March 2 and ending with a double-header against Valparaiso on Tuesday, March 6. Admission to all GCU softball games is free of charge.
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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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- GCU opened the season with a 3-3 record in the brand new GCU Softball Stadium, as the Lopes welcomed 1,249 fans on opening day and a record-high 1,403 fans the next day vs. #1 Oklahoma. Sierra Smith hit a grand slam and the first home run inside the GCU Softball Stadium on Thursday night versus Montana, while Niki Gonzalez added her own yard ball on Sunday afternoon against Weber State.
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- 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.
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- The pair of Shea Smith and Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, following GCU's six-game sweep over Niagara and Houston Baptist in the GCU Purple Classic. The Lopes tallied 60 runs over six games, while Smith had an inside-the-park home run and Beaucage dished out 11 strikeouts in three appearances.