Lopes set to host Minnesota, Long Island


Grand Canyon Lopes (4-1)	vs.	Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-2)	Long Island Sharks (0-5)
		Thursday, Feb. 17 Noon	Thursday, Feb. 17 6 p.m.
Game notes		Live video Live stats	Live video Live stats

GCU welcomes Minnesota and Long Island for a game each before the Lopes host the GCU Purple Classic this weekend. The Lopes come into the week with a 4-1 record after winning their first opening-day game since 2019 and carrying that momentum throughout the weekend. GCU's only loss came in extra innings to Power 5 opponent Kansas. The Lopes will take on the Golden Gophers at noon and then have a break until they play the Sharks at 6 p.m. on Thursday at GCU Softball Stadium.

Video will be streamed on ESPN+

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

FIRST WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK: Graduate student and transfer Denae Chatman earned the first WAC Hitter of the Week award after her performance on opening weekend. The first baseman was an impressive 9 for 16 with nine RBIs and two home runs.
SIX HITTERS ABOVE .300: The Lopes have six hitters who are hitting above .300. Those six also have played in all five games. Sophomore shortstop Katelyn Dunckel leads the team at .667 with Chatman following at .563.
SPEED ON THE BASES: The Lopes have stolen 20 bases already this season. Outfielder Gianna Nicoletti has a team-high nine without being caught while junior Hannah Burnett follows with a perfect 4 for 4. Transfer Stephanie Reed is also perfect with 3 of 3.

SCOUTING

MINNESOTA opened the season in Orlando at the CFX Classic, hosted by UCF. They went 3-2, dropping both games against No. 12 Georgia. Minnesota defeated UCF, Longwood and Fresno State. Minnesota is receiving votes in the coaches' Top 25 poll. The Gophers are hitting .287 with 22 runs and 39 hits, including eight doubles, one triple and five home runs. They have a team slugging percentage of .471 and an on-base percentage of .402. In the circle, Minnesota has an ERA of 1.80 in 35 innings. They have given up 36 hits, 15 runs (nine earned) and walked 11. Batters are hitting .265 against them and have struck out 29 times.

Ellee Jensen has started and played in three games and totals the best average (.636) in 11 at bats. She has collected seven hits, including a double, and scored two runs and recorded two RBIs. She also has a team-best slugging percentage (.727) and on-base percentage (.667). Of players who have played in all five games for the Gophers, Lauren Espalin has a team-high batting average of .412, recording seven hits in 17 at bats with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs. In the circle, Autumn Pease has thrown the most innings with 18.1. She has an ERA of 1.15 and a record of 1-1 with four appearances. The senior right-hander has given up 16 hits and seven runs while striking out 16. Freshman Emily Leavitt is the only other pitcher to have thrown for the Gophers in opening weekend. She posted a 2.52 ERA with a record of 2-1 and 16.2 innings pitched. The California native has given up 20 hits, eight runs and fanned 13 batters.

The Lopes and Gophers have met once in history. The Gophers won that matchup 10-2 at GCU in 2018.

LONG ISLAND combined Division I LIU Brooklyn and Division II LIU Post to create one school. The Sharks enter the weekend with an 0-5 record after playing in the FGCU Kickoff Classic where they took on Florida Gulf Coast, Kent State, Boston College and Clemson. LIU had eight players earn NEC All-Conference awards last year, including Camryn Lyman, Kiana Cisneros and Ciara Granado. All three have returned for their final season with the Sharks. Cisneros earned first-team honors while Lyman and Granado both earned second team. LIU is hitting .196 with a slugging percentage of .268 and an on-base percentage of .300. They have scored 10 runs and collected 22 hits, including five doubles and a home run. In the circle, the Sharks are posting a 5.90 ERA in 29.2 innings pitched. They have given up 52 hits, 36 runs (25 earned), and have walked 12 batters and struck out 10.

Alyssa O'Donnell is the Sharks ace with 13 innings and an ERA of 3.77 with two complete games. The sophomore has allowed 21 hits and 15 runs, along with three doubles, two triples and a home run. Lyman leads the Sharks in batting ay .462. She is one of three players who played in all five games for LIU. The California native has totaled six hits and scored two runs. She also has the best on-base percentage with a .563. Maya Avila has also played in all five games for the Sharks. The junior has the only home run and the highest slugging percentage at .571. She is hitting .214 with the most at bats (14) and has totaled three hits with two doubles.

The Lopes and Sharks have never met in school history.

LAST TIME OUT

GCU hosted the GCU Kickoff Classic, where they went 4-1 and only fell to Power 5 opponent Kansas in extra innings.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Lopes will host the GCU Purple Classic beginning on Friday with games against Santa Clara (5 p.m.) and Idaho State (7:30 p.m.)

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Players Mentioned

Hannah Burnett

Denae Chatman

Katelyn Dunckel

Gianna Nicoletti

Stephanie Reed

Grand Canyon University Athletics