7 Lopes earn All-WAC honors

Seven Grand Canyon softball players earned All-WAC honors, including five on the first team and one on second team with two of them and one more player being picked for the All-Defensive team. GCU first-year head coach Shanon Hays was named WAC Coach of Year after an impressive first season in which the WAC West Division champions went 36-13.

Lopes outfielders Kristin Fifield and Gianna Nicoletti, infielders Denae Chatman and Katelyn Dunckel and pitcher Ariel Thompson were selected for the All-WAC first team. Catcher Kinsey Koeltzow was the lone Lope to be named to the All-WAC second team. Dunckel, Koeltzow and center fielder Stephanie Reed were selected for the All-Defensive team.

Fifield and Nicoletti earned their second consecutive All-WAC first-team honors.

KRISTIN FIFIELD | All-WAC first team

Fifield, a junior, has started all 49 games in right field for the Lopes this season. In her 146 at bats, the junior has totaled 52 hits, 21 of which were extra-base hits. Fifield leads GCU in multiple offensive categories: home runs (14), RBIs (54) and slugging percentage (.712).

Her 14 home runs ranks first in the GCU single-season record book and is tied for second in the WAC. Fifield ranks 15th in the nation and second in the conference for RBIs (54). In WAC play, Fifield ranked first for the Lopes in home runs (nine), RBIs (31) and slugging percentage (.877). Her .411 batting average is second for the Lopes in conference games.

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GIANNA NICOLETTI | All-WAC first team

Nicoletti, a senior from Fullerton, California, has been the Lopes every-day left fielder and leadoff hitter for three consecutive seasons. She leads the Lopes in hits (67), runs (58), walks (23) and triples (four). Nicoletti has stolen 49 bases this season to beat her previous single-season GCU record of 27 and set a career record of 88. Her 49 steals also broke a 25-year-old WAC record for a season.

In WAC play, Nicoletti posted a team-best .447 batting average that ranked second in the conference with a conference-high three triples. Nicoletti ranks first in the nation for stolen bases per game (1.0), second in stolen bases (49), seventh in runs per game (1.18), 20th in hits (67) and 44th in batting average (.409).

DENAE CHATMAN | All-WAC first team

Chatman, a graduate student, has started in all 49 games for the Lopes at first base. She ranks in the top three for GCU in batting average (.377), hits (55), home runs (13), RBIs (48) and slugging percentage (.664). Her RBI and home run totals and slugging percentage each rank fifth among WAC players.

The Goodyear, Arizona, native has been a staple to GCU's offensive production n the Lopes batting order's third, fourth and fifth spots. On the infield, the first baseman has recorded a team-best 293 putouts with three assists and a fielding percentage of .987.

ARIEL THOMPSON | All-WAC first team

In Thompson's first season in a GCU uniform, the junior right-handed pitcher proved to be the Lopes ace. Thompson tossed an impressive 148 2/3 innings while making 24 starts and 30 appearances in the circle.

The Claremore, Oklahoma, native had a team-best record of 19-4 that tied her for first in the GCU record book for single-season wins and tied for the WAC lead in victories. Thompson accumulated a 2.50 ERA while throwing 15 complete games and three shutouts that included a no-hitter at Seattle U. Her 122 strikeouts ranked fourth in the conference. Eleven of Thompson's wins came in WAC play with nine as complete games.

KATELYN DUNCKEL | All-WAC first team | All-Defensive team

Dunckel has become the Lopes' biggest threat at the plate, hitting in the lineup's No. 2 and No. 3 spots on a regular basis. In her 48 starts this season, the Valley Center, California, native has totaled 58 hits with 19 of them going for extra bases (seven home runs and 11 doubles).

The sophomore shortstop leads the Lopes in batting average (.414) and is second in RBIs (51), hits (58) and runs (49). Dunckel ranks second in batting average and on-base percentage among WAC players and is 27th in the nation for RBIs and 36th in batting average. In WAC play, Dunckel started 23 of 24 games at shortstop and hit .391 with six home runs and 30 RBIs. On the dirt, Dunckel has made a team-high 107 assists with 66 putouts and a fielding percentage of .911.

KINSEY KOELTZOW | All-WAC second team | All-Defensive team

Koeltzow, a junior catcher, has made quite the debut for the Lopes as the catcher for 48 of 49 GCU games this season. At the plate, Koeltzow has collected 51 hits, including 22 extra-base hits. She has a team-best 14 doubles on the season with nine coming in conference play for the WAC's second-highest total.

The Tuttle, Oklahoma, native is in the Lopes' top five for batting average (.380), runs (23), hits (30), RBIs (22) and doubles (nine) in WAC play. Her conference RBI total ranked ninth in the conference. Behind the plate, Koeltzow threw out 13 of 21 attempted base stealers and has collected 224 putouts, 29 assists and a .988 fielding percentage.

STEPHANIE REED | All-WAC All-Defensive team

Reed, a native of Santa Fe, Texas, has started in center field for 46 of the Lopes' 49 games. She has been a staple for the Lopes defense and has taken away multiple hits with diving efforts in the outfield.

Reed has totaled 71 putouts and made four assists with only two errors on the season for a .974 fielding percentage. She was an all-around player for GCU with .320 hitting that included 13 doubles, the second-highest total on the team.

The Lopes' season continues this week at the WAC Tournament in Huntsville, Texas, where GCU is the No. 1 seed and plays its first game on Thursday at 8 a.m. (Phoenix time).

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Denae Chatman

Katelyn Dunckel

Kristin Fifield

Kinsey Koeltzow

Gianna Nicoletti

Stephanie Reed

Ariel Thompson

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