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Alumni return to GCU Ballpark
2/8/2020 3:03:00 PM | Baseball
Annual alumni game brings generations of Lopes together
The annual Grand Canyon Baseball Alumni Game took place at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark on Saturday, bringing together current and former Lopes together while the 2020 baseball team prepares for a new season.
The alumni game serves as a special opportunity for players old and new to reconnect and share memories, each with their own story from their time with the GCU baseball program.
"This game is for the alumni, and, more than anything else, we want them to have a good experience and enjoy it and I think they did," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "This is what we dreamed of when we got here nine years ago. To try and build a program where we have players that want to come back and be part of it. I really believe that this is home, I want this to be their second home. In that respect it's cool to see these guys come back, rag each other, have fun together with lots of laughs."
Alumni spanned as far back as Ken McGee who played from 1979 to 80 when the Lopes were in NAIA and as recent as four 2019 MLB Draft picks: Quin Cotton, Kona Quiggle, Tyler Wyatt and Preston Pavlica.
2018 third-round draft pick Jake Wong served as third base coach, while current volunteer assistant coach and GCU alum Paul Panaccione started the game off with a single up the middle. Wyatt hit a two-run home run in the fourth for the alumni.
The highlight of the game, however, came from a member of the current GCU team as sophomore infielder Nick Hansen hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Lopes a win over the alumni.
"Obviously there's a lot of special memories in this ballpark and around a lot of these guys so it's been great to take the field with some of them, and against some of them," Cotton said. "Like Tyler, Preston and Kona, we all played here last year and got drafted by different teams, so to come back and share an outfield with them again, that was great. Then to play against Dane (Stankiewicz) and David (Avitia), a lot of the guys I played with the last few years here was special."
The Lopes will now prepare to open a season at home for the sixth straight season, welcoming in Oklahoma State to GCU Ballpark. The Lopes and Cowboys also opened the 2017 season where GCU claimed two of three games from the 22nd-ranked visitors. This time around Oklahoma State enters ranked as high as No. 16 and is coming off of a 40-21 season.
"We know Oklahoma State is going to be very good," Stankiewicz said. "We knew that and we're excited about playing a top-20 team. That's the way we've designed it and what we want. We want our guys to get pushed early and to get challenged early and accept that challenge and compete at a high level."
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, and the game will be televised on Fox 10 Xtra, ESPN3 and GCULopes.com.
The alumni game serves as a special opportunity for players old and new to reconnect and share memories, each with their own story from their time with the GCU baseball program.
"This game is for the alumni, and, more than anything else, we want them to have a good experience and enjoy it and I think they did," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "This is what we dreamed of when we got here nine years ago. To try and build a program where we have players that want to come back and be part of it. I really believe that this is home, I want this to be their second home. In that respect it's cool to see these guys come back, rag each other, have fun together with lots of laughs."
Alumni spanned as far back as Ken McGee who played from 1979 to 80 when the Lopes were in NAIA and as recent as four 2019 MLB Draft picks: Quin Cotton, Kona Quiggle, Tyler Wyatt and Preston Pavlica.
2018 third-round draft pick Jake Wong served as third base coach, while current volunteer assistant coach and GCU alum Paul Panaccione started the game off with a single up the middle. Wyatt hit a two-run home run in the fourth for the alumni.
The highlight of the game, however, came from a member of the current GCU team as sophomore infielder Nick Hansen hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Lopes a win over the alumni.
"Obviously there's a lot of special memories in this ballpark and around a lot of these guys so it's been great to take the field with some of them, and against some of them," Cotton said. "Like Tyler, Preston and Kona, we all played here last year and got drafted by different teams, so to come back and share an outfield with them again, that was great. Then to play against Dane (Stankiewicz) and David (Avitia), a lot of the guys I played with the last few years here was special."
The Lopes will now prepare to open a season at home for the sixth straight season, welcoming in Oklahoma State to GCU Ballpark. The Lopes and Cowboys also opened the 2017 season where GCU claimed two of three games from the 22nd-ranked visitors. This time around Oklahoma State enters ranked as high as No. 16 and is coming off of a 40-21 season.
"We know Oklahoma State is going to be very good," Stankiewicz said. "We knew that and we're excited about playing a top-20 team. That's the way we've designed it and what we want. We want our guys to get pushed early and to get challenged early and accept that challenge and compete at a high level."
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, and the game will be televised on Fox 10 Xtra, ESPN3 and GCULopes.com.
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