Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, April 23
Phoenix, Ariz.
12 p.m.
Grand Canyon
23-17, 14-7
12
vs
10
Utah Tech
9-30, 4-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Utah Tech
0
1
1
1
2
0
0
4
1
10
15
0
Grand Canyon
4
0
3
0
0
0
0
5
X
12
11
3
Photo by: Taylor Hansen
Wilson slams door on sweep of Utah Tech
4/23/2023 5:26:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro
GCU star shortstop rips go-ahead grand slam for 2nd consecutive game
In case you missed it, Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson is a clutch college baseball superstar.
Sixteen hours after sending a late-inning, go-ahead grand slam over the GCU Ballpark left-field wall, the Lopes junior gave an encore performance Sunday. Wilson crushed a two-out, eighth-inning grand slam to put GCU in front for a 12-10 win that swept Utah Tech this weekend with three late-game rallies.
Of Wilson's four home runs this season, three are grand slams and the latter two helped finish a 3-0 weekend that pulled GCU (23-17, 14-7 WAC) within a game of conference leader Sam Houston.
The Lopes were trailing 9-8 in the eighth inning Sunday with the bases loaded when Wilson, who is top 10 in hitting and on MLB Draft boards, slammed a two-out pitch into the 35th Avenue net for the second consecutive game.
"Game on the line, two outs and down by one, I was just trying to ambush a fastball," said Wilson, who matched his career high with five RBIs. "I was getting beat all day. So to be able to look for a fastball, get it and elevate the ball and put some runs on the board to help our team win was pretty cool. To step on home plate and see all my guys there and my teammates in front of the dugout was a pretty cool moment."
GCU took a 7-2 lead on the strength of another five-RBI effort from sophomore third baseman Eli Paton, who delivered a two-out, two-run single to cap the Lopes' four-run first inning and added a three-run home run in the third inning.
But with the ballpark's daytime carry to right field, Utah Tech hit four solo home runs off GCU junior starter Zach Thornton to begin a comeback that culminated in the top of the eighth inning. Two Lopes errors contributed to a four-run inning that put Utah Tech ahead 9-7.
"If we want to be a championship team, we have to make sure we avoid that," GCU junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. said. "Whether it's 7-2 or 7-7, we have to keep our foot on the gas pedal. Luckily, we're talented enough to respond the way we did."
Tasked with following the rally acts of Friday's Cade Verdusco walk-off home run and Saturday's eight-run seventh inning, GCU started the bottom of the eighth with Verdusco and Paton walks before senior catcher Josh Buckley shortened his swing for a RBI single.
When junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded for Wilson's third grand slam after his Saturday one and a March 17 one at Sacramento State.
"It's just his competitive nature at the plate," GCU head coach Gregg Wallis said. "Obviously, there's nobody we'd rather had up in that spot. He came through again, and that's why he is who he is. That's why he is so highly touted by all these MLB organizations because that's the guy you want at the plate in that moment.
"For him to deliver two days in a row when we're down late and he hits a grand slam, I don't know that I've ever seen that in my 18-year career – someone step up like that two days in a row when his team needed him the most."
Thornton gave GCU 5 2/3 innings at the start, followed by senior Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis retiring four of the five batters he faced on a strikeouts.
When Utah Tech scored one and loaded the bases with four ninth-inning hits, Wallis turned to junior left-hander Bryan Webb after he shut out Texas Tech for 2 1/3 innings on Wednesday. Webb induced a game-ending ground out.
I
n addition to Wilson and Paton having GCU's first pair of five-RBI games in two years, Bush led the Lopes offense with his resurgent bat. The Southlake, Texas, native went 2 for 3 with a walk and his 15th stolen base to finish a five-hit weekend.
"The biggest thing for me this season is I can understand what my process is," Bush said. "When I'm struggling, it's different than when I've struggled in the past. I feel like in the past it was striking out and not knowing what I was doing. Now when I struggle, it's getting a little unlucky and the game of baseball happening."
Coming off its first three-game sweep since March 10-12 against New Mexico State, GCU will return to GCU Ballpark for a noon Monday game against Oregon State (26-13). The Beavers were ranked No. 21 before losing two of three games this weekend at No. 16 Arizona State, which scored 34 runs in the series.
"We took care of business in conference and now we have a chance to show that we can beat a really good Pac-12 team," Wallis said. "That's what has been missing since early in the year. We haven't played that well in those tough mid-weeks. It'll be a good challenge for us."
Sixteen hours after sending a late-inning, go-ahead grand slam over the GCU Ballpark left-field wall, the Lopes junior gave an encore performance Sunday. Wilson crushed a two-out, eighth-inning grand slam to put GCU in front for a 12-10 win that swept Utah Tech this weekend with three late-game rallies.
Of Wilson's four home runs this season, three are grand slams and the latter two helped finish a 3-0 weekend that pulled GCU (23-17, 14-7 WAC) within a game of conference leader Sam Houston.
The Lopes were trailing 9-8 in the eighth inning Sunday with the bases loaded when Wilson, who is top 10 in hitting and on MLB Draft boards, slammed a two-out pitch into the 35th Avenue net for the second consecutive game.
"Game on the line, two outs and down by one, I was just trying to ambush a fastball," said Wilson, who matched his career high with five RBIs. "I was getting beat all day. So to be able to look for a fastball, get it and elevate the ball and put some runs on the board to help our team win was pretty cool. To step on home plate and see all my guys there and my teammates in front of the dugout was a pretty cool moment."
GCU took a 7-2 lead on the strength of another five-RBI effort from sophomore third baseman Eli Paton, who delivered a two-out, two-run single to cap the Lopes' four-run first inning and added a three-run home run in the third inning.But with the ballpark's daytime carry to right field, Utah Tech hit four solo home runs off GCU junior starter Zach Thornton to begin a comeback that culminated in the top of the eighth inning. Two Lopes errors contributed to a four-run inning that put Utah Tech ahead 9-7.
"If we want to be a championship team, we have to make sure we avoid that," GCU junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. said. "Whether it's 7-2 or 7-7, we have to keep our foot on the gas pedal. Luckily, we're talented enough to respond the way we did."
Tasked with following the rally acts of Friday's Cade Verdusco walk-off home run and Saturday's eight-run seventh inning, GCU started the bottom of the eighth with Verdusco and Paton walks before senior catcher Josh Buckley shortened his swing for a RBI single.
When junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded for Wilson's third grand slam after his Saturday one and a March 17 one at Sacramento State.
"It's just his competitive nature at the plate," GCU head coach Gregg Wallis said. "Obviously, there's nobody we'd rather had up in that spot. He came through again, and that's why he is who he is. That's why he is so highly touted by all these MLB organizations because that's the guy you want at the plate in that moment."For him to deliver two days in a row when we're down late and he hits a grand slam, I don't know that I've ever seen that in my 18-year career – someone step up like that two days in a row when his team needed him the most."
Thornton gave GCU 5 2/3 innings at the start, followed by senior Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis retiring four of the five batters he faced on a strikeouts.
When Utah Tech scored one and loaded the bases with four ninth-inning hits, Wallis turned to junior left-hander Bryan Webb after he shut out Texas Tech for 2 1/3 innings on Wednesday. Webb induced a game-ending ground out.
I
n addition to Wilson and Paton having GCU's first pair of five-RBI games in two years, Bush led the Lopes offense with his resurgent bat. The Southlake, Texas, native went 2 for 3 with a walk and his 15th stolen base to finish a five-hit weekend."The biggest thing for me this season is I can understand what my process is," Bush said. "When I'm struggling, it's different than when I've struggled in the past. I feel like in the past it was striking out and not knowing what I was doing. Now when I struggle, it's getting a little unlucky and the game of baseball happening."
Coming off its first three-game sweep since March 10-12 against New Mexico State, GCU will return to GCU Ballpark for a noon Monday game against Oregon State (26-13). The Beavers were ranked No. 21 before losing two of three games this weekend at No. 16 Arizona State, which scored 34 runs in the series.
"We took care of business in conference and now we have a chance to show that we can beat a really good Pac-12 team," Wallis said. "That's what has been missing since early in the year. We haven't played that well in those tough mid-weeks. It'll be a good challenge for us."
ÂThe man...The myth...The grand slam hitting legend...@jacobwilsonn22!#NCAABaseball x 🎥 ESPN+ / @GCU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/JXHAxfyaUz
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) April 24, 2023
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Elmore, R.J. (1-1)
L: Evan Vasiliou (0-3)
S: Webb, Bryan (2)
Batting:
2B: Parker Schmidt 1
HR: Shane Taylor 2 ; Zach Thomas 1 ; Mathew Ivancich 1
RBI: Shane Taylor 2 ; Zach Thomas 1 ; Garrett Cutting 1 ; Mathew Ivancich 2 ; Chase Rodriguez 1 ; Jack Walker 1
SF: Chase Rodriguez 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Shane Taylor 2 ; Karson Irvin 1 ; Parker Schmidt 1 ; Zach Thomas 1 ; Levi Randall 1 ; Garrett Cutting 2 ; Mathew Ivancich 2
SB: Garrett Cutting 1
Batting:
2B: Verdusco, Cade 1
HR: Wilson, Jacob 1 ; Paton, Eli 1
RBI: Wilson, Jacob 5 ; Verdusco, Cade 1 ; Paton, Eli 5 ; Buckley, Josh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bush Jr., Homer 2 ; Wilson, Jacob 1 ; Yorke, Zach 2 ; Andeel, Maxwell 2 ; Verdusco, Cade 2 ; Paton, Eli 2 ; Buckley, Josh 1
SB: Bush Jr., Homer 1
HBP: Bush Jr., Homer 1 ; Wilson, Jacob 1
PO: Sheehan, John 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
5
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballGCU Baseball - WAC Tournament vs. Utah Tech - Highlights
Thursday, May 22
Baseball at Stanford - Barreras' game-winning double
Saturday, May 10
Baseball vs. Arizona (5/6/25) - Yorke homers twice to break record
Wednesday, May 07
GCU Baseball - Eli Paton walk-off single vs. UTA
Saturday, April 26