Lopes meet Bruins in 1st NCAA DI appearance

Friday, May 20 \| 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| NCAA Regional \| Los Angeles, Calif.

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (39-14)	at	#5 UCLA BRUINS (43-8)

Game notes • Watch: ESPN2 and ESPN+ • Live stats

Grand Canyon heads to Los Angeles for its first NCAA Division I tournament appearance in the Los Angeles Regional, starting with a nationally televised game against No. 5 seed and host UCLA on Friday at 7 p.m. (Phoenix time).

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

FIRST NCAA APPEARANCE: The Lopes won the WAC Tournament for the first time and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. GCU punched its NCAA Division I tournament ticket on Saturday, when the Lopes rallied from a 3-0 hole to beat Stephen F. Austin 6-4 in the tournament championship game. Since GCU became eligible for Division I postseason play in 2017-18, softball becomes the ninth Lopes sport that has qualified for the NCAAs in team competition.
NFCA/WAC HONORS: Lopes left fielder Gianna Nicoletti earned a place on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association West Region first team and teammate Katelyn Dunckel, a shortstop, found a place on the third team. Nicoletti and Dunckel were on the WAC first team and Nicoletti earned a spot on the All-WAC Tournament team.
NATIONAL RANKED LOPES: Nicoletti ranks second in the nation for stolen bases per game (.96), second in stolen bases (51), seventh in runs per game (1.17), 20th in hits (71) and 46th in batting average (.406). Dunckel ranks 21st in the nation in RBIs (55) and 35th in runs per game (.96). Dunckel is second in batting average (.403), hits (62), and home runs (7). GCU is ranked seventh the nation in stolen bases (127) and fifth in stolen bases per game (2.40). The Lopes are 10th in batting average (.330) and 17th in on-base percentage (.399) and runs per game (6.25).

SCOUTING

UCLA enters the Los Angeles Regional with a record of 43- 8. The Bruins are making their 37th tournament appearance and are hosting for the seventh time, dating back to 2014. The Bruins are the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA tournament after finishing one game behind Arizona State in the Pac-12.

UCLA earned two major Pac-12 awards in addition to having four first-teamers, three third-teamers, one All-Defensive Team player and one on the All-Freshman Team. Megan Faraimo was named Pitcher of the Year and Briana Perez was named Defensive Player of the Year. Faraimo and Perez were named to the first team, along with Holly Azevedo and Delenie Wisz. The third team included UCLA's Maya Brady, Savannah Pola, and Kinsley Washington. Perez earned a place on the All-Defensive Team and Pola found a place on the All-Freshman Team.

As a team, the Bruins are hitting .319 with 319 runs and 410 hits, including 81 doubles, 13 triples and 54 home runs. They have a slugging percentage of .528 and an on-base percentage of .396.

In the circle, UCLA's four-person staff is posting a 1.38 ERA with 16 complete games and 20 shutouts. In 328 2/3 innings, they have allowed 203 hits and 65 earned runs while holding opponents to .171 hitting.

Faraimo has logged the most innings on the rubber with 164 1/3. She has made 21 starts and appeared in 38 games. The junior has a team-best 20-4 record, 12 complete games, six saves and 252 strikeouts. She has allowed 20 doubles and 22 home runs with opponents hitting .168 against her.

Azevedo matched Faraimo in starts with 21 and made 26 appearances. The senior tossed 103 2/3 innings with a 1.15 ERA and a record of 17-2.

At the plate, Perez leads the Bruins in most offensive categories: batting average (.397), slugging percentage (.756), hits (62), triples, (6) and stolen bases (16). She has also totaled 14 doubles, 10 home runs and 38 RBIs on the season. Defensively, she has only made nine errors with 68 assists and 59 putouts.

Senior Delanie Wisz is right behind Perez in average with a .396. She has a team-best 13 home runs and 46 RBIs. The infielder has totaled 53 hits, including five doubles and a triple this season with a slugging percentage of .739 and a team-high 27 walks for an on-base percentage of .506.

LAST TIME OUT
GCU won the WAC Tournament in Huntsville, Texas, over Stephen F. Austin with a 6-4 championship game victory.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Lopes will take on either Loyola Marymount or Ole Miss on Saturday at UCLA.

Friday, May 20 | 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) | NCAA Regional | Los Angeles, Calif.

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Players Mentioned

Katelyn Dunckel

Gianna Nicoletti

Grand Canyon University Athletics