Home return pits GCU, Sac State for series

Friday, May 6

Phoenix, Ariz.

6:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Sacramento State

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5/5/2022 8:00:00 PM | Baseball

GCU Notes GCU Media Guide

Lopes went 20 days without home game, could clinch division title

By: Josh Hauser

May 6-8 \| Brazell Field at Ballpark \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS (23-21, 13-11 WAC)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (31-15, 17-4 WAC)

PITCHING PROBABLES

Friday, May 6 • 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats • Watch
RHP Eli Saul (5-0, 3.23) vs. RHP Nick Hull (5-1, 3.48)

Saturday, May 7 • 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats • Watch
TBA vs. RHP Daniel Avitia (5-4, 3.30)

Sunday, May 8 • 12 p.m.
Live Stats • Watch
TBA vs. TBA

After a 20-day stretch without a home game, Grand Canyon finally returns home to Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark for a four-game homestand that begins with a three-game conference series against Sacramento State.

All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

AGUILAR'S TEAR: It's impossible to ignore the recent tear of GCU junior right fielder Tayler Aguilar. In his last five games, Aguilar has hit seven home runs to balloon his season total to 17. That mark is not only the most in a season by a Lopes batter since 1994 (Craig Caballero, 19), it leads the conference and is among the nation's top 20. The reigning WAC Hitter of the Week has raised his batting average from .252 to .301 in the last seven games.
IN SAC-TOWN: The Lopes and Hornets are renewing a series that already was contested three times this season. GCU rebounded from a series-opening loss to claim two of three from the Hornets at John Smith Field. It was a low-scoring series, with the teams combining for only 17 runs or about 2.8 runs per team per game.
VINCE TO CLOSE: Junior Vince Reilly has been tremendous anchoring GCU's bullpen in 2022. The righty has either won or saved six of the last seven games he's appeared in. Most recently, Reilly recorded six outs in GCU's win at Arizona on May 3 that featured GCU taking the lead in the ninth inning on his watch. He's won six games on the year to go along with his 10 saves.

SCOUTING

Sacramento State has won every WAC series it has played since dropping two of three to the Lopes in mid March. In that span, the Hornets have won series at Utah Valley, at New Mexico State, vs. Seattle U, at Dixie State and last weekend at home against California Baptist. After a rocky start to conference action, the Hornets have worked themselves within a half game of second-place CBU in the West Division standings.

In conference action, Sacramento State checks in in last place in batting average at .270. The Hornets are buoyed by the sixth-best ERA (5.27) and top fielding percentage (.978) during conference play.

Oddly, the last 14 games of the series between the Lopes and the Hornets have not been contested in Phoenix. Due to scheduling oddities and the canceled 2020 season, Sacramento State has not visited GCU Ballpark since 2018. The Lopes and Hornets have played 10 times in Sacramento and four times in the WAC Tournament in Mesa.