Lopes take series win streak to Las Cruces

April 16-18 \| Presley Askew Field \| Las Cruces, N.M.

	NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (11-17, 9-7 WAC)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (18-14-1, 12-4 WAC)

PITCHING PROBABLES

Friday, April 16 • 5 p.m.
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RHP Rorik Maltrud (2-1, 2.36) vs. RHP Zach Barnes (3-5, 4.37)

Saturday, April 17 • 12 p.m.
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RHP Chris Jefferson (4-3, 5.09) vs. RHP Pierson Ohl (4-1, 2.98)

Saturday, April 17 • 3 p.m.
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LHP Sammy Natera (0-1, 7.59) vs. RHP Dawson McCarville (1-2, 5.20)

Sunday, April 18 • 11 a.m.
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RHP Cam Blazek (1-0, 4.05) vs. RHP Carter Young (5-0, 1.62)

Winners of four straight weekend series, the Grand Canyon baseball team returns to the road for a four-game series at New Mexico State. The weekend pits the third-place Lopes and fourth-place Aggies in a set that begins Friday night at Presley Askew Field. GCU is only one game back of first-place California Baptist and Sacramento State entering the weekend.

All four games, including a Saturday doubleheader, will be on WAC Digital Network.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

BALANCED ATTACK: When considering conference games only, GCU is the only WAC school to rank in the top three in batting average and ERA. The Lopes rank third in both categories with a .293 batting average and a 3.13 ERA. Sacramento State and New Mexico State rank higher in offense but not pitching. Conversely, California Baptist and UT Rio Grande Valley feature stronger ERAs but not better batting averages.
THE PITCHING: GCU's pitching staff has hit its stride in the last 12 games. In a span of games where the Lopes are 10-2, GCU has allowed no more than four runs in a game and features an impressive 1.78 ERA. In 86 innings, the staff has struck out 90 and walked only 27 while limiting opponents to a .186 batting average.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: GCU's underclassmen are making a noticeable impact early in their collegiate careers. The Lopes' three leading batters are sophomore Tayler Aguilar and freshmen Elijah Buries and Tyler Wilson. Freshmen and sophomores account for over half of GCU's 255 hits on the season. Aguilar (.361) and Buries (.349) check in at sixth and seventh, respectively, in the conference.

SCOUTING

New Mexico State is under second-year head coach Mike Kirby. The Aggies are 3-16 on the road this season but have been comfortable at home with an 8-1 record. At Presley Askew Field, New Mexico State won three of four games against Dixie State, four games against Northern Colorado and a midweek matchup against Benedictine Mesa. Against that slate of home competition, the Aggies averaged 12.3 runs. The road schedule has been challenging for New Mexico State, which has not won a series in five attempts.

Junior college transfer Zerek Saenz leads the Aggies with a .415 average, which paces the WAC and ranks 23rd nationally.

GCU is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between the two schools. New Mexico State claimed two of three games when the teams last met in Las Cruces in 2019, but the Lopes returned the favor by posting a WAC Tournament win to end the Aggies' season. The series dates back to 1964 and features 79 matchups, with GCU leading 54-25.

WHAT'S NEXT

With a rare off weekend on the horizon, GCU first plays a two-game, home-and-home series with Arizona State. The Lopes will travel to Tempe on Tuesday before hosting the Sun Devils on Wednesday.

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

April 16-18 | Presley Askew Field | Las Cruces, N.M.

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PITCHING PROBABLES

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

SCOUTING

WHAT'S NEXT

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tayler Aguilar

Zach Barnes

Elijah Buries

Dawson McCarville

Pierson Ohl

Tyler Wilson

Carter Young

Grand Canyon University Athletics