WAC road play begins in Riverside

Friday, March 29

Riverside, Calif.

5:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

California Baptist

3/28/2019 10:39:00 AM | Softball

Lopes head to California to face Lancers

By: Sarah Woodward

The Grand Canyon softball team heads West this weekend for its first conference road trip, as the Lopes (21-13) face California Baptist (14-19) in a three-game series in Riverside, Calif. GCU is on a nine-game win streak dating back to a doubleheader shutout sweep of Lehigh, while the Lancers are coming off of a pair of consecutive losses to CSU Bakersfield and Loyola Marymount for a four-game losing streak.

Sophomore Ryan Denhart earned her second-consecutive WAC Pitcher of the Week honor after claiming a pair of wins over Utah Valley last weekend. She allowed no earned runs on six hits in 13.0 innings to advance to 7-3 on the year.

GCU vs CBU
Game Details	Friday, March 29 \| 5:30 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| Riverside, Calif. \| John C. Funk Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| W atch
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
CBU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU vs CBU
Game Details	Friday, March 29 \| 7:30 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| Riverside, Calif. \| John C. Funk Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| W atch
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
CBU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

GCU vs CBU
Game Details	Saturday, March 30 \| Noon (Phoenix time) \| Riverside, Calif. \| John C. Funk Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| W atch
GCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Notes
CBU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

2019 NOTABLES

GCU is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll for the first time in 2019. The Lopes received three points in the March 25 poll.
Ryan Denhart won Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week. The righty threw 13.0 innings of one-run softball in two wins for the Lopes.
Both Maddie Dowdle and Savannah Tourville had 5-hit weekends against Utah Valley and are hitting .714 in WAC play.
Sierra and Shea Smith lead all D-I sets of twins in combined hits (81) and are second among twins in combined batting average (.379).
The Lopes topped undefeated and reigning national champion #1 Florida State on March 6, 5-3.
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 a two-time honoree this season.
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.
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.
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 32 wins away from 500 career wins. The GCU skipper has seven 30-plus win seasons and two 40-plus win seasons.