Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, May 24
Mesa, Ariz.
7 p.m.
Grand Canyon
36-22
8
vs
3
New Mexico State
38-16
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
NM State
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
3
10
3
Grand Canyon
0
2
0
0
0
0
4
2
X
8
10
1
'Dawg' fight sets up WAC title shot
5/24/2019 11:29:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro
GCU ousts top seed NMSU with 7th-inning, 4-run rally
MESA, Ariz. — In Grand Canyon baseball's Tim Salmon Clubhouse, each Lopes player's locker nameplate is covered by a piece of athletic tape with "DAWG" written on it.
The team chose "Dawgs" for its identity before the season started and is living up to the bark and bite of the moniker in the season's most important moments. Trailing 3-2 in the seventh inning Friday night at Hohokam Stadium, GCU responded with four runs and went on to beat top-seeded New Mexico State 8-3 and advance to the WAC Tournament championship round.
The Lopes, winners of 19 of their past 23 games, are a victory in Saturday's 6 p.m. game away from capturing the WAC Tournament title and claiming the program's first Division I NCAA Tournament spot. GCU will play the winner of a 2 p.m. NMSU-Sacramento State game. That winner would need to beat GCU on Saturday night to create a winner-take-all game Sunday at noon.
GCU (36-22) has outscored opponents 24-5 in three WAC Tournament games, doing most of its offensive damage in the seventh and eighth innings to capitalize on a pitching staff that has a 1.33 tournament ERA.
On Friday night, Lopes sophomore left-hander Jack Schneider's start (three runs over 6 1/3 innings) was good enough to set up a rally in which GCU pelted four consecutive hits that handed NMSU starter Chance Hroch his first loss in 15 starts this season.
"That's part of who we've got to be," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "I think the guys are learning to not panic. If it doesn't go so well early, you just keep on grinding. You keep on putting good at bats together. Stick to the plan and that's what we did."
With junior left fielder Kona Quiggle giving GCU a 2-0 lead in the second inning on his team-high 12th home run, Schneider spotted his fastball well and used his go-to changeup to keep the Lopes ahead against the nation's No. 1 hitting team. Outside a solo home run, Schneider quieted the Aggies (38-16) until a leadoff walk and an error helped NMSU to a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh.
GCU sophomore reliever Coen Wynne extinguished the threat, stranding two runners on base with two strikeouts.
"Schneider was unbelievable," Lopes sophomore catcher David Avitia said. "He was throwing the changeup, curveball and fastball for strikes. He was a big competitor out there and did a great job."
And so was GCU, responding to the momentum shift with a four-run seventh inning for the second consecutive night. Lopes senior designated hitter Pikai Winchester delivered a one-out RBI single to tie the game. He is 7 for 12 with four doubles in the tournament after missing the previous 13 games for injury.
"Hitting can be easy if you make it easy," Winchester said. "That's kind of what I've been doing."
GCU's other hot tournament hitter, senior second baseman Austin Bull (7 for 13 in the tournament), added a single to bring up Avitia, who was in a 0-for-17 slump. The defensive standout ripped a two-run double down the left-field line for a 5-3 lead and added an eighth-inning RBI single to cap the Lopes' scoring.
"I just go up there and erase everything," Avitia said. "I go up there like it's a new game. We had just tied the game so I knew momentum was on our side. I didn't want to do too much. I just wanted to put the bat on the ball.
"We all just have a 'dawg' mentality. We never feel like we're out of the game. We know we're always in it because we know we can hit with the best of them."
Once freshman shortstop Johnny Weaver added another RBI double for a 6-3 GCU lead in the seventh, Hroch was done. He gave up six runs (four earned) after allowing one earned run in his previous four starts.
Lopes senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt added another home run in the eighth on a 402-foot solo blast.
"They've grown up," Stankiewicz said. "They realize that one bad at bat in the second inning doesn't dictate the rest of the game. Guys are starting to understand that it's all right. Hitting a baseball is hard. Don't panic. Learn from it. Make adjustments. And our guys made some adjustments late."
Wynne pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, giving the Lopes bullpen 7 2/3 shutout innings in the tournament.
The cumulative work has put GCU in the best situation possible, needing one win with chances Saturday night and Sunday, if necessary, to do it. But the players echo their head coach's sentiment when it comes to realizing the dream.
"The guys know what's ahead but we're not going to make it any bigger than it is," Winchester said. "It's just another game."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
The team chose "Dawgs" for its identity before the season started and is living up to the bark and bite of the moniker in the season's most important moments. Trailing 3-2 in the seventh inning Friday night at Hohokam Stadium, GCU responded with four runs and went on to beat top-seeded New Mexico State 8-3 and advance to the WAC Tournament championship round.
The Lopes, winners of 19 of their past 23 games, are a victory in Saturday's 6 p.m. game away from capturing the WAC Tournament title and claiming the program's first Division I NCAA Tournament spot. GCU will play the winner of a 2 p.m. NMSU-Sacramento State game. That winner would need to beat GCU on Saturday night to create a winner-take-all game Sunday at noon.
GCU (36-22) has outscored opponents 24-5 in three WAC Tournament games, doing most of its offensive damage in the seventh and eighth innings to capitalize on a pitching staff that has a 1.33 tournament ERA.
On Friday night, Lopes sophomore left-hander Jack Schneider's start (three runs over 6 1/3 innings) was good enough to set up a rally in which GCU pelted four consecutive hits that handed NMSU starter Chance Hroch his first loss in 15 starts this season.
"That's part of who we've got to be," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "I think the guys are learning to not panic. If it doesn't go so well early, you just keep on grinding. You keep on putting good at bats together. Stick to the plan and that's what we did."
With junior left fielder Kona Quiggle giving GCU a 2-0 lead in the second inning on his team-high 12th home run, Schneider spotted his fastball well and used his go-to changeup to keep the Lopes ahead against the nation's No. 1 hitting team. Outside a solo home run, Schneider quieted the Aggies (38-16) until a leadoff walk and an error helped NMSU to a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh.
GCU sophomore reliever Coen Wynne extinguished the threat, stranding two runners on base with two strikeouts.
"Schneider was unbelievable," Lopes sophomore catcher David Avitia said. "He was throwing the changeup, curveball and fastball for strikes. He was a big competitor out there and did a great job."
And so was GCU, responding to the momentum shift with a four-run seventh inning for the second consecutive night. Lopes senior designated hitter Pikai Winchester delivered a one-out RBI single to tie the game. He is 7 for 12 with four doubles in the tournament after missing the previous 13 games for injury.
"Hitting can be easy if you make it easy," Winchester said. "That's kind of what I've been doing."
GCU's other hot tournament hitter, senior second baseman Austin Bull (7 for 13 in the tournament), added a single to bring up Avitia, who was in a 0-for-17 slump. The defensive standout ripped a two-run double down the left-field line for a 5-3 lead and added an eighth-inning RBI single to cap the Lopes' scoring.
"I just go up there and erase everything," Avitia said. "I go up there like it's a new game. We had just tied the game so I knew momentum was on our side. I didn't want to do too much. I just wanted to put the bat on the ball.
"We all just have a 'dawg' mentality. We never feel like we're out of the game. We know we're always in it because we know we can hit with the best of them."
Once freshman shortstop Johnny Weaver added another RBI double for a 6-3 GCU lead in the seventh, Hroch was done. He gave up six runs (four earned) after allowing one earned run in his previous four starts.
Lopes senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt added another home run in the eighth on a 402-foot solo blast.
"They've grown up," Stankiewicz said. "They realize that one bad at bat in the second inning doesn't dictate the rest of the game. Guys are starting to understand that it's all right. Hitting a baseball is hard. Don't panic. Learn from it. Make adjustments. And our guys made some adjustments late."
Wynne pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, giving the Lopes bullpen 7 2/3 shutout innings in the tournament.
The cumulative work has put GCU in the best situation possible, needing one win with chances Saturday night and Sunday, if necessary, to do it. But the players echo their head coach's sentiment when it comes to realizing the dream.
"The guys know what's ahead but we're not going to make it any bigger than it is," Winchester said. "It's just another game."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wynne, Coen (1-2)
L: Hroch, Chance (10-1)
Batting:
HR: Mingus, Eric 1
RBI: Bottrell, Logan 1 ; Ortiz, Joseph 1 ; Mingus, Eric 1
SH: Williams, Braden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mingus, Eric 2 ; Williams, Braden 1
SB: Ehnes, Logan 1
Batting:
2B: Weaver, Jonny 1 ; Winchester, Pikai 1 ; Avitia, David 1
HR: Wyatt, Tyler 1 ; Quiggle, Kona 1
RBI: Weaver, Jonny 1 ; Wyatt, Tyler 1 ; Quiggle, Kona 2 ; Winchester, Pikai 1 ; Avitia, David 3
SH: Wyatt, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bess, Cuba 1 ; Wyatt, Tyler 2 ; Quiggle, Kona 1 ; Winchester, Pikai 2 ; Bull, Austin 1 ; Avitia, David 1
HBP: Cotton, Quin 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ Baseball
RHP
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