GCU hosts Lehigh for 2 Wednesday

Following its final non-conference road trip of the season, the Grand Canyon softball team returns to GCU Softball Stadium to close out the non-conference slate with the GCU Invitational. The Lopes begin a nine-game homestand with a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday against Lehigh at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Admission to all GCU softball games is free of charge.

GCU welcomes Ohio State and Weber State over the weekend in split doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday before the Lopes begin Western Athletic Conference play on Friday, March 22.

GCU vs Lehigh
Game Details	Wednesday, March 13 \| 5:00 p.m. (MST) \| Phoenix, Ariz. \| GCU Softball Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| GCU.tv
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
Lehigh Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU vs Lehigh
Game Details	Wednesday, March 13 \| 7:00 p.m. (MST) \| Phoenix, Ariz. \| GCU Softball Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| GCU.tv
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
Lehigh Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

2019 NOTABLES

The Lopes downed No. 1 Florida State last Wednesday to break the Seminoles 28-game win streak dating back to last year's regionals. Yessie Morrison threw a complete game and allowed FSU just three runs on seven hits.
Freshman Savannah Tourville was 2-3 against No. 1 Florida State with a pair of doubles, two RBI and a run.
Shea Smith won WAC Hitter of the Week honors after going 7 for 12 at the plate with a hit in all four games in the GCU Purple Classic. She is hitting a team-best .462, including a home run against Florida State.
Sierra Smith became the first GCU player to hit a home run in a season opener since Kelsey Barak in 2015.
Savannah Tourville became the first freshman to homer in her GCU debut since Barak in 2012. She doubled twice in the win against Florida State.
Ryan Denhart struck out 14 batters against North Dakota to set a new GCU Division I record.
GCU's 2018 game vs. No. 4 Oklahoma drew the second-most fans in program history with 1,312 in attendance.
GCU finished second at the WAC Tournament, falling to host New Mexico State in the final.

The Lopes ended the season with the No. 12 batting average in the country at .316, led by Sierra Smith's .392 mark. GCU turned the fifth-most double plays per game in Division I in 2018 with 0.58 per game.
The Lopes won 30 games or more for the third consecutive season in 2018 with 31 wins, and won 20 home games for the second consecutive year.
Sierra Smith ranked 20th and 24th in the country in hits and triples, respectively, in 2018. The infielder slapped 76 hits and five triples in her junior season.
Brianna Aguilar ranked first in the WAC in walks allowed per seven innings in 2018 with just 1.70 walks per seven.
The Lopes added two transfers from the ACC and Big 10 in Lilly Bishop (North Carolina State) and Denhart (Maryland). Bishop made 42 starts for the Wolfpack, including 34 behind the plate, and recorded 22 hits and five home runs. Last season, Denhart recorded the most strikeouts for a Maryland freshman since 2006.
GCU head coach Ann Pierson is 39 wins away from 500 career wins. The GCU skipper has seven 30-plus win seasons and two 40-plus win seasons.
The WAC expanded in 2019 with the addition of California Baptist. The Lopes are 5-7 against the Lancers all-time, but have won the past three meetings between the two schools.

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Players Mentioned

Brianna Aguilar

Lilly Bishop

Ryan Denhart

Yessie Morrison

Shea Smith

Sierra Smith

Savannah Tourville

Grand Canyon University Athletics