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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Lopes picked to return to NCAAs
5/30/2022 9:03:00 AM | Baseball, Paul Coro
GCU earns at-large berth for 2nd consecutive regional trip
Play ball.
Grand Canyon's historic baseball season lives on this week. The Lopes earned their second consecutive NCAA tournament trip on the merits of a season-long resume of high-caliber play, a strong nonconference schedule and a regular season-ending top-25 ranking.
The Lopes players gathered Monday morning to watch the NCAA Selection Show in a GCU Ballpark classroom, waiting until the second half of the field was unveiled before finding out the tournament selection committee put them in the Stillwater Regional with a Friday opener against Arkansas at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time, SEC Network). Then, a level of walk-off bedlam ensued with celebratory hugs and screams before senior Nick Hansen called out for a practice schedule.
"I'm excited for all of our guys in the program, for the families, fans, administration," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "I feel like they got it right. Sometimes, RPI becomes the end-all and I don't think it is. It's the overall body of work and our overall body of work put us in position to get an at-large. That's always been the design of our scheduling, to show people that if you schedule well, you schedule tough programs and you compete well, you've got a chance to get an at-large."
The Lopes (41-19) are the double-elimination regional's No. 3 seed with the Razorbacks (38-18). Host Oklahoma State (39-20) is the regional top seed and will open against No. 4 seed Missouri State (30-27).Â
"Obviously, it's a very difficult regional," said Stankiewicz, who took his team to Oklahoma State last year for a three-game series that ended with a time-curfew tie and was eliminated by the Cowboys in an NCAA regional in Tucson. "You're traveling to Oklahoma State and you're playing Arkansas, but that's OK. That's the design of competition. Trying to be the best you can be, you've got to play the best in the country, so here we go. I'm excited about the opportunity."
GCU set a Division I-era program record for wins this season and matched its best WAC winning percentage at 25-5, four games better than the next team. The Lopes went 2-2 against the tournament's No. 2 and No. 3 seeds (Stanford and Oregon State), 7-4 against elite Power 5 programs and 21-6 on the road.
"The first half of the show, I was as nervous as can be waiting for it to happen," GCU senior pitcher Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis said. "It was almost better this way because nothing was guaranteed. It makes it a bit more special.Â
"We want to prove that we're a way better team than what we showed last weekend. I think we have proven that throughout the season. We're trying to build this program and part of that is being consistent and turning up to regionals every year and then, hopefully, keep going further than that."
GCU's at-large berth gives the WAC its first two-bid NCAA tournament season since New Mexico State, this year's WAC Tournament winner, and Fresno State went in 2012. The WAC is one of 11 multi-bid conferences in this tournament field.
"I'll forever remember this moment," said GCU leading hitter Juan Colato, a graduate who missed last year's NCAA regional because of injury. "It was surreal when I watch our name pop on the screen. It was crazy. I saw name and I wanted to punch something, throw something. I was just so ecstatic and so emotionally happy. I think I chest-bumped (Cade) Verdusco because he was hugging (Jonny) Weaver."
ESPN2 show host Matt Schick opened the announcements by saying, "There ain't no party like a watch party," and that proved never more true for the Lopes when GCU was unveiled on the bracket and Schick said, "Grand Canyon! The Lopes are in!"
The pensive, solemn stares at the screen turned to jubilation, as the players popped out of their chairs with jaws open, hugs around the room and senior Nick Hansen jumping with his hands on his head near the ceiling as Stankiewicz took it all in with a smile at the back of the room.
GCU played at Arkansas in the final two games of the COVID-shortened season, dropping a 6-1 game in which Cooper-Vassalakis threw five innings of one-run ball and a 10-9 loss in which current starter Nick Hull struck out three Razorbacks in 1 1/2 innings of relief work. Several current starting Lopes playing with Colato going 3 for 8, Weaver going 2 for 5 and Tayler Aguilar going 1 for 4.
"Thank God it's not over yet," Colato said. "We're just excited to prove that the committee made the right choice in letting us in. We live another day."
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Grand Canyon's historic baseball season lives on this week. The Lopes earned their second consecutive NCAA tournament trip on the merits of a season-long resume of high-caliber play, a strong nonconference schedule and a regular season-ending top-25 ranking.
The Lopes players gathered Monday morning to watch the NCAA Selection Show in a GCU Ballpark classroom, waiting until the second half of the field was unveiled before finding out the tournament selection committee put them in the Stillwater Regional with a Friday opener against Arkansas at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time, SEC Network). Then, a level of walk-off bedlam ensued with celebratory hugs and screams before senior Nick Hansen called out for a practice schedule.
"I'm excited for all of our guys in the program, for the families, fans, administration," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "I feel like they got it right. Sometimes, RPI becomes the end-all and I don't think it is. It's the overall body of work and our overall body of work put us in position to get an at-large. That's always been the design of our scheduling, to show people that if you schedule well, you schedule tough programs and you compete well, you've got a chance to get an at-large."The Lopes (41-19) are the double-elimination regional's No. 3 seed with the Razorbacks (38-18). Host Oklahoma State (39-20) is the regional top seed and will open against No. 4 seed Missouri State (30-27).Â
"Obviously, it's a very difficult regional," said Stankiewicz, who took his team to Oklahoma State last year for a three-game series that ended with a time-curfew tie and was eliminated by the Cowboys in an NCAA regional in Tucson. "You're traveling to Oklahoma State and you're playing Arkansas, but that's OK. That's the design of competition. Trying to be the best you can be, you've got to play the best in the country, so here we go. I'm excited about the opportunity."
GCU set a Division I-era program record for wins this season and matched its best WAC winning percentage at 25-5, four games better than the next team. The Lopes went 2-2 against the tournament's No. 2 and No. 3 seeds (Stanford and Oregon State), 7-4 against elite Power 5 programs and 21-6 on the road.
"The first half of the show, I was as nervous as can be waiting for it to happen," GCU senior pitcher Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis said. "It was almost better this way because nothing was guaranteed. It makes it a bit more special. "We want to prove that we're a way better team than what we showed last weekend. I think we have proven that throughout the season. We're trying to build this program and part of that is being consistent and turning up to regionals every year and then, hopefully, keep going further than that."
GCU's at-large berth gives the WAC its first two-bid NCAA tournament season since New Mexico State, this year's WAC Tournament winner, and Fresno State went in 2012. The WAC is one of 11 multi-bid conferences in this tournament field.
"I'll forever remember this moment," said GCU leading hitter Juan Colato, a graduate who missed last year's NCAA regional because of injury. "It was surreal when I watch our name pop on the screen. It was crazy. I saw name and I wanted to punch something, throw something. I was just so ecstatic and so emotionally happy. I think I chest-bumped (Cade) Verdusco because he was hugging (Jonny) Weaver."
ESPN2 show host Matt Schick opened the announcements by saying, "There ain't no party like a watch party," and that proved never more true for the Lopes when GCU was unveiled on the bracket and Schick said, "Grand Canyon! The Lopes are in!"
The pensive, solemn stares at the screen turned to jubilation, as the players popped out of their chairs with jaws open, hugs around the room and senior Nick Hansen jumping with his hands on his head near the ceiling as Stankiewicz took it all in with a smile at the back of the room.
GCU played at Arkansas in the final two games of the COVID-shortened season, dropping a 6-1 game in which Cooper-Vassalakis threw five innings of one-run ball and a 10-9 loss in which current starter Nick Hull struck out three Razorbacks in 1 1/2 innings of relief work. Several current starting Lopes playing with Colato going 3 for 8, Weaver going 2 for 5 and Tayler Aguilar going 1 for 4.
"Thank God it's not over yet," Colato said. "We're just excited to prove that the committee made the right choice in letting us in. We live another day."
Â
The moment. ✅ #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/OHpLNz4kb1
— GCU Baseball (@GCU_Baseball) May 30, 2022
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