Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, May 7
Phoenix, Ariz.
6:30 p.m.
Grand Canyon
32-16, 18-5
7
vs
4
Sacramento State
24-22, 14-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Sacramento State
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
6
0
Grand Canyon
0
0
3
0
1
1
2
0
X
7
11
1
Avitia fans 14 as Lopes even series
5/7/2022 9:58:00 PM | Baseball
Freshman righty bests own career high for most strikeouts by Lopes pitcher since 2004
Grand Canyon freshman right-hander Daniel Avitia struck out a career-high 14 batters as the Lopes rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to claim a 7-4 win and even the three-game series at GCU Ballpark on Saturday night.
Avitia bested his own career high of 12 strikeouts set on April 9 at Dixie State. His mark of 14 strikeouts was the most by a GCU pitcher since Jeff Swanson struck out 18 in 2004. Avitia matches the WAC season high set by Sammy Natera of New Mexico State, who struck out 14 against Illinois-Chicago in February.
"It was just fun to watch," Lopes senior third baseman Juan Colato said. "You don't have to worry about making a play or something, you're just enjoying the show. He did great, man. He's just pounding the strike zone for the whole game. He's really talented, a really talented young man."
Avitia surrendered three runs in the first three innings but pivoted quickly to pitch his final four innings scoreless. He attributed part of the turnaround to older brother, David Avitia, a student assistant coach in the GCU dugout.
"I just wasn't really getting my pitches," Daniel Avitia said. "My brother would tell me, 'You're opening up when you pitch. Just try to stay closed.' He always tells me stuff that gets me kind of mad. So then after the third inning, I just got really mad. That's when it just started hitting me and I started throwing the ball harder. Everything just went well for me after that.
"I love it so much. He always helps me out with everything. After the third inning, he told me what I was doing wrong. It's really lucky and fortunate that I have him there because he helps me out so much."
Avitia retired 13 of the final 14 batters who he faced with 10 of those outs coming via the strikeout. He used 112 pitches to collect his sixth victory of the season.
The Lopes helped Avitia forget about Sacramento State's three runs through three innings, as the Lopes promptly tied the score with a three-run third. GCU sophomore center fielder Homer Bush Jr. got things going with a single up the middle, beginning a string of four straight reaches by Lopes batters.
Colato knocked in a run on a single, sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson scorched a ball to first base for a single and a run, and junior right fielder Tayler Aguilar hit a sacrifice fly to tie the score.
"I mean, they're just unreal," Avitia said of his offense quickly tying the game. "We're a good team. I just try to lock in and help my team as much as possible and try to get the dub for them."
GCU broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth after Colato doubled and Wilson drove him in with a single up the middle.
The Lopes added to their 4-3 lead in the sixth and seventh innings. Sophomore left fielder Cade Verdusco hit a solo homer in the sixth, his third of the season. Sophomore second baseman Dustin Crenshaw and Colato opened the seventh with singles and came in to score when a pinch-hitting Josh Buckley came through with a two-out single.
"It was huge," Colato said of overcoming the early deficit. "We just try to play good baseball as Stank (head coach Andy Stankiewicz) says, 'Don't panic. Keep putting good ABs strung together. Play the game the right way and good things will happen.' "
Colato finished the night with a game-high three hits to raise his batting average to .395. Right behind him in the order, Wilson had a pair of hits and RBIs in the game.
Junior lefty Eli Ankeney closed the game out on the bump, tossing two innings and yielding one run. Avitia and Ankeney combined to strike out 16 Hornets, matching the team's season high.
Avitia's impressive freshman campaign continues, adding 14 strikeouts to a season tally that now stands at 87. In the program's 70-year history, only an 89-strikeout season by Al Knox in 1954 stands between Avitia and GCU's freshman strikeout record. He is tied with Andrew Naderer's 2013 season of 87 strikeouts.
"I don't really pay attention to that kind of stuff," Avitia said. "I just go out there and throw the ball. I thought I had less than 10 Ks because I was so mad at myself. I didn't really focus on the Ks. I just try to shove and help my team out."
Unsurprisingly, Avitia was given player-of-the-game honors by his teammates and tasked with giving the parting speech.
"Vamos a ganar mañana," Avitia said. "Let's go win tomorrow, boys."
The Lopes and Hornets will play a Mother's Day rubber match at noon at GCU Ballpark.
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Avitia bested his own career high of 12 strikeouts set on April 9 at Dixie State. His mark of 14 strikeouts was the most by a GCU pitcher since Jeff Swanson struck out 18 in 2004. Avitia matches the WAC season high set by Sammy Natera of New Mexico State, who struck out 14 against Illinois-Chicago in February.
"It was just fun to watch," Lopes senior third baseman Juan Colato said. "You don't have to worry about making a play or something, you're just enjoying the show. He did great, man. He's just pounding the strike zone for the whole game. He's really talented, a really talented young man."
Avitia surrendered three runs in the first three innings but pivoted quickly to pitch his final four innings scoreless. He attributed part of the turnaround to older brother, David Avitia, a student assistant coach in the GCU dugout.
"I just wasn't really getting my pitches," Daniel Avitia said. "My brother would tell me, 'You're opening up when you pitch. Just try to stay closed.' He always tells me stuff that gets me kind of mad. So then after the third inning, I just got really mad. That's when it just started hitting me and I started throwing the ball harder. Everything just went well for me after that.
"I love it so much. He always helps me out with everything. After the third inning, he told me what I was doing wrong. It's really lucky and fortunate that I have him there because he helps me out so much."
Avitia retired 13 of the final 14 batters who he faced with 10 of those outs coming via the strikeout. He used 112 pitches to collect his sixth victory of the season.
The Lopes helped Avitia forget about Sacramento State's three runs through three innings, as the Lopes promptly tied the score with a three-run third. GCU sophomore center fielder Homer Bush Jr. got things going with a single up the middle, beginning a string of four straight reaches by Lopes batters.
Colato knocked in a run on a single, sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson scorched a ball to first base for a single and a run, and junior right fielder Tayler Aguilar hit a sacrifice fly to tie the score.
"I mean, they're just unreal," Avitia said of his offense quickly tying the game. "We're a good team. I just try to lock in and help my team as much as possible and try to get the dub for them."
GCU broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth after Colato doubled and Wilson drove him in with a single up the middle.
The Lopes added to their 4-3 lead in the sixth and seventh innings. Sophomore left fielder Cade Verdusco hit a solo homer in the sixth, his third of the season. Sophomore second baseman Dustin Crenshaw and Colato opened the seventh with singles and came in to score when a pinch-hitting Josh Buckley came through with a two-out single.
"It was huge," Colato said of overcoming the early deficit. "We just try to play good baseball as Stank (head coach Andy Stankiewicz) says, 'Don't panic. Keep putting good ABs strung together. Play the game the right way and good things will happen.' "
Colato finished the night with a game-high three hits to raise his batting average to .395. Right behind him in the order, Wilson had a pair of hits and RBIs in the game.
Junior lefty Eli Ankeney closed the game out on the bump, tossing two innings and yielding one run. Avitia and Ankeney combined to strike out 16 Hornets, matching the team's season high.
Avitia's impressive freshman campaign continues, adding 14 strikeouts to a season tally that now stands at 87. In the program's 70-year history, only an 89-strikeout season by Al Knox in 1954 stands between Avitia and GCU's freshman strikeout record. He is tied with Andrew Naderer's 2013 season of 87 strikeouts.
"I don't really pay attention to that kind of stuff," Avitia said. "I just go out there and throw the ball. I thought I had less than 10 Ks because I was so mad at myself. I didn't really focus on the Ks. I just try to shove and help my team out."
Unsurprisingly, Avitia was given player-of-the-game honors by his teammates and tasked with giving the parting speech.
"Vamos a ganar mañana," Avitia said. "Let's go win tomorrow, boys."
The Lopes and Hornets will play a Mother's Day rubber match at noon at GCU Ballpark.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Avitia, Daniel (6-4)
L: Pettey, Max (2-1)
Batting:
3B: Vincelli-Simard, M 1 ; Torres, Keith 1
HR: Rolling, Josh 1
RBI: Vincelli-Simard, M 1 ; Rolling, Josh 2 ; Torres, Keith 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bojorquez, Jorge 1 ; Doyle, Trevor 1 ; Rolling, Josh 2
HBP: Walker, Josh 1 ; McPhillips, Dylan 1
Batting:
2B: Colato, Juan 1 ; Buries, Elijah 1
HR: Verdusco, Cade 1
RBI: Colato, Juan 1 ; Wilson, Jacob 2 ; Aguilar, Tayler 1 ; Buckley, Josh 2 ; Verdusco, Cade 1
SF: Aguilar, Tayler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Crenshaw, Dustin 2 ; Colato, Juan 3 ; Verdusco, Cade 1 ; Bush Jr., Homer 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballUTIL
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/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
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