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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Ohl, Stankiewicz headline All-WAC honors
5/25/2021 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
Lopes lead conference with 10 award winners including 4 on 1st team
Grand Canyon led All-WAC recognition for the third straight season with 10 selections, headlined by WAC Pitcher of the Year Pierson Ohl and WAC Coach of the Year Andy Stankiewicz.
Ohl, who finished conference play with an 8-0 record and a 2.20 ERA, was the first GCU pitcher to win WAC Pitcher of the Year. He was also a first-team honoree.
Stankiewicz led GCU to a WAC regular-season title for the fourth time, and the 10th-year Lopes head coach earned his third WAC Coach of the Year honor.
The Lopes landed four on the first team: Ohl (starting pitcher), freshman Jacob Wilson (third baseman), senior Channy Ortiz (shortstop) and freshman Elijah Buries (at-large).
GCU also had four second-team selections: senior Brock Burton (outfielder), sophomore Tayler Aguilar (designated hitter), freshman Carter Young (starting pitcher) and senior Frankie Scalzo (relief pitcher).
Five more Lopes earned honorable mentions: senior catcher David Avitia, junior outfielder Juan Colato, senior pitcher Dawson McCarville, freshman outfielder Cade Verdusco and junior second baseman Jonny Weaver.Pierson Ohl, WAC Pitcher of the Year, First-Team All-WAC (Starting Pitcher)
The junior goes down in the program record books as the first WAC Pitcher of the Year. Ohl posted a stretch of six consecutive complete-game victories in WAC play to help lead GCU to a co-championship. He went 9-1 overall including an 8-0 mark with a 2.20 ERA in conference action. Ohl twice struck out 11 batters, the first GCU pitcher to post multiple games of 11 or more strikeouts in the same season since 2004. The right-hander was among the WAC's top two in nearly every stat category including ERA (second, 2.55), opponent average (first, .211), strikeouts (second, 92) and wins (first, nine). His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.36 ranks fifth nationally.
Andy Stankiewicz, WAC Coach of the Year
The 10th-year Lopes head coach won his fourth WAC regular-season title and has GCU entering the WAC tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second time in three tries. The Lopes have already matched their highest Division I win total (36) and did not lose a WAC series. Needing three wins to hit the 300-win mark, Stankiewicz collects his third WAC Coach of the Year honor.
Jacob Wilson, First-Team All-WAC (Third Baseman)
While providing impressive defense at the hot corner, Wilson checked in as one of seven consistent Lopes players to bat over .300. The freshman hit .311 overall and .356 in WAC play. He finished second in the WAC in fewest strikeouts and was a top-15 batter in conference play by batting average. Wilson continues a tradition of four straight first-team selections at third base by a GCU player, joining Tyler Wyatt (2017 and 2019) and Zach Malis (2018).
Channy Ortiz, First-Team All-WAC (Shortstop)
GCU's leadoff hitter and everyday shortstop, Ortiz led the WAC in runs scored (54) while checking in at third in walks (33) and fourth in hits (65). The senior flashed the power throughout the season with a team-leading eight home runs including a multi-homer game at Sacramento State with six RBIs. He was the fourth-toughest player to strike out in the conference, doing so only 21 times in 53 starts.
Elijah Buries, First-Team All-WAC (At-Large, First Baseman)
Buries was GCU's top hitter in the regular season, finishing with team-high marks in batting average (.365), slugging (.564), on-base percentage (.433) and stolen bases (13). In the WAC, he finished third in average, fifth in slugging, eighth in on-base percentage and fourth in steals. Buries finished among the nation's top 20 in batting average for freshmen. He had a pair of four-hit games on the year and a two-homer game at Tarleton.
Brock Burton, Second-Team All-WAC (Outfielder)
Burton has been a constant in the middle of the Lopes' order and in center field. The senior did a little bit of everything for GCU, from hitting .320 to swiping six bases to homering six times. Burton had a pair of two-homer games in WAC play on April 30 at Sacramento State and May 15 at Tarleton. Burton finished eighth in hits and made just one error on the year to finish top 10 in the WAC in fielding percentage. Burton hit a game-winning home run against Seattle U early in conference action.
Tayler Aguilar, Second-Team All-WAC (Designated Hitter)
Aguilar was one of the conference's top hitters, ranking in the top 10 in batting average (sixth, .342), slugging percentage (10th, .535) and RBIs (10th, 39). Aguilar helped key GCU's four-game sweep at New Mexico State with a three-run homer and a four-hit game. One of the sophomore's biggest plays of the season came defensively when he kept California Baptist off the board with a diving catch to help GCU claim a WAC co-championship.
Carter Young, Second-Team All-WAC (Starting Pitcher)
Young had a case for both WAC Freshman of the Year and WAC Pitcher of the Year after finishing with the conference's top ERA (2.37) and fifth in victories (seven). The righty began the season with a win over Missouri in his first collegiate start in a season that included a midseason run of five consecutive victories. The Casper, Wyoming, native also post a 19-inning scoreless streak spanning starts against Seattle U, Tulane, Utah Valley and Northern Colorado. Young matches current redshirt senior pitcher Jack Schneider with most wins by a Lopes freshman in the D-I era.
Frankie Scalzo, Second-Team All-WAC (Relief Pitcher)
The Lopes closer logged 10 saves on the season, the most by a GCU pitcher since 1990. That mark ranked second among WAC pitchers. Scalzo was 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA on the year and recorded saves against the likes of Tulane, New Mexico State, Arizona State and California Baptist. His 10th save clinched the WAC regular-season title for the Lopes against California Baptist.
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Ohl, who finished conference play with an 8-0 record and a 2.20 ERA, was the first GCU pitcher to win WAC Pitcher of the Year. He was also a first-team honoree.
Stankiewicz led GCU to a WAC regular-season title for the fourth time, and the 10th-year Lopes head coach earned his third WAC Coach of the Year honor.
The Lopes landed four on the first team: Ohl (starting pitcher), freshman Jacob Wilson (third baseman), senior Channy Ortiz (shortstop) and freshman Elijah Buries (at-large).
GCU also had four second-team selections: senior Brock Burton (outfielder), sophomore Tayler Aguilar (designated hitter), freshman Carter Young (starting pitcher) and senior Frankie Scalzo (relief pitcher).
Five more Lopes earned honorable mentions: senior catcher David Avitia, junior outfielder Juan Colato, senior pitcher Dawson McCarville, freshman outfielder Cade Verdusco and junior second baseman Jonny Weaver.
Pierson Ohl, WAC Pitcher of the Year, First-Team All-WAC (Starting Pitcher)
The junior goes down in the program record books as the first WAC Pitcher of the Year. Ohl posted a stretch of six consecutive complete-game victories in WAC play to help lead GCU to a co-championship. He went 9-1 overall including an 8-0 mark with a 2.20 ERA in conference action. Ohl twice struck out 11 batters, the first GCU pitcher to post multiple games of 11 or more strikeouts in the same season since 2004. The right-hander was among the WAC's top two in nearly every stat category including ERA (second, 2.55), opponent average (first, .211), strikeouts (second, 92) and wins (first, nine). His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.36 ranks fifth nationally.
Andy Stankiewicz, WAC Coach of the Year
The 10th-year Lopes head coach won his fourth WAC regular-season title and has GCU entering the WAC tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second time in three tries. The Lopes have already matched their highest Division I win total (36) and did not lose a WAC series. Needing three wins to hit the 300-win mark, Stankiewicz collects his third WAC Coach of the Year honor.
Jacob Wilson, First-Team All-WAC (Third Baseman)
While providing impressive defense at the hot corner, Wilson checked in as one of seven consistent Lopes players to bat over .300. The freshman hit .311 overall and .356 in WAC play. He finished second in the WAC in fewest strikeouts and was a top-15 batter in conference play by batting average. Wilson continues a tradition of four straight first-team selections at third base by a GCU player, joining Tyler Wyatt (2017 and 2019) and Zach Malis (2018).
Channy Ortiz, First-Team All-WAC (Shortstop)
GCU's leadoff hitter and everyday shortstop, Ortiz led the WAC in runs scored (54) while checking in at third in walks (33) and fourth in hits (65). The senior flashed the power throughout the season with a team-leading eight home runs including a multi-homer game at Sacramento State with six RBIs. He was the fourth-toughest player to strike out in the conference, doing so only 21 times in 53 starts.
Elijah Buries, First-Team All-WAC (At-Large, First Baseman)
Buries was GCU's top hitter in the regular season, finishing with team-high marks in batting average (.365), slugging (.564), on-base percentage (.433) and stolen bases (13). In the WAC, he finished third in average, fifth in slugging, eighth in on-base percentage and fourth in steals. Buries finished among the nation's top 20 in batting average for freshmen. He had a pair of four-hit games on the year and a two-homer game at Tarleton.
Brock Burton, Second-Team All-WAC (Outfielder)
Burton has been a constant in the middle of the Lopes' order and in center field. The senior did a little bit of everything for GCU, from hitting .320 to swiping six bases to homering six times. Burton had a pair of two-homer games in WAC play on April 30 at Sacramento State and May 15 at Tarleton. Burton finished eighth in hits and made just one error on the year to finish top 10 in the WAC in fielding percentage. Burton hit a game-winning home run against Seattle U early in conference action.
Tayler Aguilar, Second-Team All-WAC (Designated Hitter)
Aguilar was one of the conference's top hitters, ranking in the top 10 in batting average (sixth, .342), slugging percentage (10th, .535) and RBIs (10th, 39). Aguilar helped key GCU's four-game sweep at New Mexico State with a three-run homer and a four-hit game. One of the sophomore's biggest plays of the season came defensively when he kept California Baptist off the board with a diving catch to help GCU claim a WAC co-championship.
Carter Young, Second-Team All-WAC (Starting Pitcher)
Young had a case for both WAC Freshman of the Year and WAC Pitcher of the Year after finishing with the conference's top ERA (2.37) and fifth in victories (seven). The righty began the season with a win over Missouri in his first collegiate start in a season that included a midseason run of five consecutive victories. The Casper, Wyoming, native also post a 19-inning scoreless streak spanning starts against Seattle U, Tulane, Utah Valley and Northern Colorado. Young matches current redshirt senior pitcher Jack Schneider with most wins by a Lopes freshman in the D-I era.
Frankie Scalzo, Second-Team All-WAC (Relief Pitcher)
The Lopes closer logged 10 saves on the season, the most by a GCU pitcher since 1990. That mark ranked second among WAC pitchers. Scalzo was 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA on the year and recorded saves against the likes of Tulane, New Mexico State, Arizona State and California Baptist. His 10th save clinched the WAC regular-season title for the Lopes against California Baptist.Â
Major WAC awards |
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| Award | Player | School |
| Player of the Year | Damon Keith | California Baptist |
| Pitcher of the Year | Pierson Ohl | Grand Canyon |
| Freshman of the Year | C.J. Culpepper | California Baptist |
| Coach of the Year | Andy Stankiewicz | Grand Canyon |
All-WAC first team |
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| Position | Player | School |
| Catcher | Kaden Hollow | Dixie State |
| First Base | Ryan Walstad | Sacramento State |
| Second Base | Andy Atwood | UT Rio Grande Valley |
| Third Base | Jacob Wilson | Grand Canyon |
| Shortstop | Channy Ortiz | Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Damon Keith | California Baptist |
| Outfield | Lane Pritchard | Dixie State |
| Outfield | Zerek Saenz | New Mexico State |
| DH/Utility | Matt Smith | Sacramento State |
| At-Large | Elijah Buries | Grand Canyon |
| Starting Pitcher | Pierson Ohl | Grand Canyon |
| Starting Pitcher | Scott Randall | Sacramento State |
| Relief Pitcher | C.J. Culpepper | California Baptist |
| At-Large | Kevin Stevens | UT Rio Grande Valley |
All-WAC second team |
||
| Position | Player | School |
| Catcher | Dawsen Bacho | Sacramento State |
| First Base | John Glenn | California Baptist |
| Second Base | Kevin Jimenez | New Mexico State |
| Third Base | Steven Moretto | Sacramento State |
| Shortstop | Brandon Dieter | New Mexico State |
| Outfield | Brock Burton | Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Coleman Grubbs | UT Rio Grande Valley |
| Outfield | Tommy Tabak | New Mexico State |
| DH/Utility | Tayler Aguilar | Grand Canyon |
| At-Large | Connor Clift | California Baptist |
| Starting Pitcher | Chris Burica | California Baptist |
| Starting Pitcher | Carter Young | Grand Canyon |
| Relief Pitcher | Frankie Scalzo | Grand Canyon |
| At-Large | Bryan Pope | California Baptist |
Players Mentioned
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