WAC title race culminates in Phoenix

May 20-22 \| Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	CALIFORNIA BAPTIST LANCERS (35-13, 27-5 WAC)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (34-17-1, 27-5 WAC)

PITCHING PROBABLES

Thursday, May 20 • 6 p.m.
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LHP Chris Burica (8-4, 3.18) vs. RHP Pierson Ohl (8-1, 2.69)

Friday, May 21 • 2 p.m.
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RHP Bryan Pope (7-4, 3.93) vs. RHP Carter Young (7-0, 1.79)

Friday, May 21 • (DH)
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RHP Drew Necochea (4-0, 3.35) vs. RHP Dawson McCarville (4-2, 3.10)

Saturday, May 22 • 1 p.m.
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TBA vs. RHP Zach Barnes (5-5, 4.92)

The fight for the the WAC regular-season title comes down to a four-game set at GCU Ballpark. Grand Canyon plays host to California Baptist with both teams holding 27-5 records in conference play. The series begins on Thursday at 6 p.m.

All four games will be streamed on the GCU YouTube channel, GCULopes.com/Watch, the GCU Lopes app and the WAC Digital Network.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

TITLE CHASIN': GCU is looking to secure its fifth WAC regular-season title and third in a four-season span. The Lopes won their first title — a divisional championship — in 1998, their final season of a brief four-year stint as baseball-only members of the WAC. The Lopes won their second title in 2015, their second year back at the Division I level. GCU did not lose a conference series in 2017 or 2018, claiming back-to-back championships. The Lopes finished one game out of first place in 2019, and no champion was crowned in 2020 because of the pandemic.
MIRRORED: The similarities between GCU and California Baptist do not stop with the matching 27-5 WAC records. The Lopes and Lancers are in rarified air nationally, representing two of only five teams to hold 27 or more conference victories and two of 10 teams to have an .800 winning percentage. They are the WAC's top two teams in batting average and ERA. GCU and CBU's batting averages are within .001 of one another, the teams' ERAs are within .25, and both sides average 6.1 runs per game. The Lopes faced a more difficult nonconference schedule, which has led to an 19-spot lead in the RPI (106 vs. 125).
BURIES' BREAKOUT BAT: While pitching took the spotlight in a home series win against Dixie State, GCU's offense is coming off its best series of the season at Tarleton last weekend. The Lopes struck for 44 runs on 52 hits with 10 home runs and hit .349 for the series. Freshman infielder Elijah Buries is leading the charge and has assumed the top spot on GCU's batting average leaderboard with a .366 average. Buries' batting average ranks among the nation's top 20 for freshmen and is the highest qualifying average by a Lopes freshman since Trevor Santor hit .384 in 2010. He is on a 10-game hitting streak, including five straight multi-hit games. Buries homered three times at Tarleton.

SCOUTING

California Baptist is in its third year of the four-year D-I transition process and is chasing its second WAC title. The Lancers are coming off a four-game sweep at New Mexico State after splitting their final home series against Sacramento State. CBU also split a four-game set with Dixie State and dropped one game to UT Rio Grande Valley.

Like the Lopes, CBU has balanced numbers and is one of the nation's top 50 clubs in batting average and ERA.

The all-time series between the programs dates back to 1967 and has been contested 81 times previously. GCU holds a 66-14-1 advantage and a 38-10-1 home record.

WHAT'S NEXT

With the top seed clinched, the Lopes will await their opponent after securing an opening-day bye for the WAC Tournament at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa. GCU will play on Thursday, May 27, at 7 p.m. against the lowest-seeded winner from Day 1.

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

May 20-22 | Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark | Phoenix, Ariz.

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PITCHING PROBABLES

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

SCOUTING

WHAT'S NEXT

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Zach Barnes

Elijah Buries

Dawson McCarville

Pierson Ohl

Carter Young

Grand Canyon University Athletics