Lopes return to road, conference play

Thursday, April 1

Orem, Utah

5 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Utah Valley

3/31/2021 2:11:00 PM | Baseball

GCU Notes UVU Notes GCU Media Guide

GCU looks to continue 5-game WAC win streak

By: Josh Hauser

April 1-3 \| UCCU Ballpark \| Orem, Utah

	UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES (4-16, 2-6 WAC)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (11-12-1, 6-2 WAC)

PITCHING PROBABLES

Thursday, April 1 • 5 p.m.
Live Stats • Watch

RHP Jesse Schmit (1-3, 9.15) vs. RHP Zach Barnes (2-4, 4.86)

Friday, April 2 • 12 p.m.
Live Stats • Watch

RHP Nick Sims (1-3, 5.48) vs. RHP Pierson Ohl (2-1, 3.86)

Friday, April 2 • 3 p.m.
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RHP Bobby Voortmeyer (1-3, 4.39) vs. LHP Jack Schneider (0-1, 5.14)

Saturday, April 3 • 11 a.m.
Live Stats • Watch

RHP Mason Gray (1-3, 4.78) vs. RHP Carter Young (3-0, 1.86)

Following a five-game pause from conference action, Grand Canyon returns to WAC play where it looks to continue a five-game win streak. The Lopes head to Utah Valley for a four-game series, beginning on Thursday, continuing with a Friday doubleheader and concluding on Saturday.

All four games in the series will be streamed on the WAC Digital Network.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

BURIES WITH THE BAT: GCU freshman Elijah Buries has burst onto the scene. Coming off a four-hit game that included two extra-base hits in the series finale at Tulane, Buries finally logged enough games to qualify for team, conference and national leaderboards. The result is Buries appearing in an exclusive national group of 10 freshmen who have hit .395 or better this season. At .397, Buries leads the Lopes and ranks third in the WAC.
GETTIN' FUNDAMENTAL: Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz has been long known for his teams nailing the fundamentals of the game. GCU is coming around in that category this season. The Lopes rank among the nation's top teams in double plays (second with 23 turned), sacrifice flies (fourth with 15) and sacrifice bunts (25th with 14). Not by coincidence, GCU is 7-3 in its last 10 games — a stretch when the Lopes scored five or more runs in eight of those games.
COLATO ON THE RISE: After a slow start to 2021, junior second baseman Juan Colato has returned to regularly scheduled programming of late. The preseason All-American is hitting .333 in his last 14 games to raise his batting average to .250 after a 5-for-33 start. Colato is looking to build off a 6-for-13 (.462) weekend at Tulane.

SCOUTING

Utah Valley opened the season with two impressive victories at St. Mary's, but a 14-game losing streak ensued. The Wolverines got back in the win column last weekend by winning the back half of a four-game series at Northern Colorado.

The Lopes have claimed seven straight victories against Utah Valley, dating back to 2017.

Utah Valley is looking to improve on a .212 team batting average that ranks 14th-worst nationally. Junior infielder Mitch Moralez leads the club with a .309 average.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Lopes return home for five straight games, including a WAC series against Northern Colorado and then a midweek matchup against Arizona.

For more GCU baseball news, notes and numbers, click here to view game notes and click here to view the media guide.