GCU, UVU square off in Orem

PHOENIX -- The Grand Canyon softball team continues the 2018 Western Athletic Conference schedule on Friday, as the Lopes (20-19, 1-2 WAC) travel to Orem, Utah, to face off against Utah Valley (9-18, 1-2 WAC) for a three-game series this weekend.

GCU at UVU
Game Details	Friday, April 6 \| 1:00 p.m. (MST) \| Orem, Utah \| Wolverine Softball Field
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| WAC Digital Network
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
UVU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU at UVU
Game Details	Friday, April 6 \| 3:00 p.m. (MST) \| Orem, Utah \| Wolverine Softball Field
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| WAC Digital Network
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
UVU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU at UVU
Game Details	Saturday, April 7 \| 2:00 p.m. (MST) \| Orem, Utah \| Wolverine Softball Field
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| WAC Digital Network
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
UVU 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.
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.
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.
The Lopes are ranked 104th in this week's RPI weekly ranking according to NCAA.com. New Mexico State leads the WAC at 79, while Seattle U sits at 125 and UMKC is 221. Utah Valley (225) and CSU Bakersfield (289) round out the conference.
Freshman right-hander Yesenia Morrison (4-2) earned her first WAC Pitcher of the Week honor after claiming her first complete game shutout over Utah. She allowed just one hit in five innings for the 2-0 victory.
Junior Sierra Smith held a 20-game hit streak starting from her two-hit game against Houston Baptist on February 25 and ending with her 1-3 outing in the second game against Utah on March 20. She had a season-high four-hit performance against Syracuse at the Mary Nutter tournament earlier this season.

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Players Mentioned

Brianna Aguilar

Niki Gonzalez

Yessie Morrison

Sierra Smith

Grand Canyon University Athletics