GCU features 15 players actively with pro clubs

It has already been a marquee summer for Grand Canyon baseball's status in professional baseball.

Former Lopes righty pitching ace and 2018 draft pick Jake Wong became the 15th GCU alumnus to make an MLB debut, and Jacob Wilson was the program's highest draft pick when he went sixth overall to the Oakland Athletics in early July.

GCU features 15 alums actively in affiliated professional baseball with several making splashy headlines in climbing the minor league ranks this summer.

In a fun note, despite the expansive system of Minor League Baseball that features 120 teams, baseball remains a small world. On Thursday night, Homer Bush Jr. and Jacob Wilson's clubs played on separate back fields at Camelback Ranch in Glendale just a few hundred yards from one another. And the Lopes have a pair of current teammate duos: Channy Ortiz and Zach Barnes are both members of the Hillsboro Hops, and David Avitia and Nick Hull are both on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

To help follow the professional careers of former GCU players, GCULopes.com continues the #LopesInThePros Tracker. Follow @GCU_Baseball and #LopesInThePros for daily updates of top GCU performances.

Individuals (sorted by level)
Player		Team		Summary
	Jake Wong		Chattanooga Lookouts Double-A Chattanooga, Tenn. Cincinnati Reds	Wong's had a busy year. The Giants — the club that drafted him in 2018 — traded him to the Reds last December. That gave Wong a new chance to break through with a new organization, and he did so on June 26, 2023, when he was called up to alleviate injuries to the Reds' pitching staff and become GCU's 15th MLB player. Wong is back at the Double-A level looking to earn another chance in the big leagues. Season (minors): 1-4, 8.58 ERA, 40 SO in 43.0 IP
	Pierson Ohl		Wichita Wind Surge Double-A Wichita, Kan. Minnesota Twins	Ohl has seen a positive career trajectory in the Twins system, spending last summer in Single-A before starting 2023 in Advanced-A and getting promoted to Double-A. This year, he features a 4.59 ERA and certainly exhibits the control he was known for during his GCU career with a 79-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Season (two levels): 4-7, 4.59 ERA, 79 SO in 80.1 IP
	Eli Ankeney		Brooklyn Cyclones Advanced-A Brooklyn, N.Y. New York Mets	Ankeney had a breakout junior season for GCU in 2022, striking out 61 in 40 1/3 innings. That momentum has continued for the Mets' 20th rounder. He has excelled in relief this summer at both the Single-A and Advanced-A levels and is starting to garner attention in the Mets' system. Season (two levels): 3-0, 2 SV, 1.03 ERA, 35 SO in 26.1 IP
	Channy Ortiz		Hillsboro Hops Advanced-A Hillsboro, Ore. Arizona Diamondbacks	Ortiz has spent time at four levels of the D-backs system in his three pro seasons but has been camped in Hillsboro for the full 2023 season. He's seen action in 66 games and played at shortstop, second base and the corner outfield positions. Season: 58 for 242 (.240), 2 HR, 21 RBI
	Zach Barnes		Hillsboro Hops Advanced-A Hillsboro, Ore. Arizona Diamondbacks	In his third pro season after signing as an undrafted free agent, Barnes is compiling his best numbers with the full season spent with the Hops. He's made 27 appearances, all in relief. Season: 2-4, 5.08 ERA, 37 SO in 39.0 IP
	Frankie Scalzo		South Bend Cubs Advanced-A South Bend, Ind. Chicago Cubs	Scalzo saved 16 games in his GCU career and has assumed that role at the pro level. After spending the 2022 season in Single-A, Scalzo has spent the full 2023 season at Advanced-A. Despite the higher level, he's nearly halved his ERA from a year ago and was recently part of finishing off a combined no-hitter. Season: 4-3, 6 SV, 2.44 ERA, 48 SO in 55.1 IP
	Kade Mechals		Winston-Salem Dash Advanced-A Winston-Salem, N.C. Chicago White Sox	Mechals was drafted in the abbreviated 2020 draft and spent his first two seasons undergoing and rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. After one pro inning in 2022, Mechals has seen his most significant action this year with 26 innings of work between Single-A and Advanced-A. Mechals is currently on the 60-day injured list. Season: 0-2, 5.88 ERA, 23 SO in 26.0 IP
	Cuba Bess		Spokane Indians Advanced-A Spokane, Wash. Colorado Rockies	Bess got second life in his pro career when he was signed by his hometown Rockies in 2022 after being released by the Red Sox who drafted him. He's compiling his best pro numbers yet in 2023 between the Arizona Complex League and the Spokane Indians Advanced-A club. Season (two levels): 24 for 88 (.273), 7 HR, 27 RBI
	David Avitia		Myrtle Beach Pelicans Single-A Myrtle Beach, S.C. Chicago Cubs	Avitia signed a free-agent deal with the Cubs last fall and is in the midst of his first professional season. The catcher has gotten a de facto tour of the Cubs organization with stops at three levels including a visit to Triple-A Iowa, although he did not appear in a game. He hit his first pro home run on July 15. Season: 13 for 54 (.241), 1 HR, 8 RBI
	Nick Hull		Myrtle Beach Pelicans Single-A Myrtle Beach, S.C. Chicago Cubs	Hull spent much of his five-year Lopes career out of the bullpen but became one of GCU's front-line starters in 2022 and has done the same in the Cubs organization. The righty has started 13 of the 16 games he's appeared in this year and is holding opposition to a .218 batting average. Season: 6-2, 3.82 ERA, 68 SO in 68.1 IP
	Tayler Aguilar		Tampa Tarpons Single-A Tampa, Fla. New York Yankees	Aguilar stole the spotlight way back in Spring Training when he entered a big league game for the Yankees and made a couple impressive defensive plays. He ended the 2022 season with Single-A Tampa and has spent the entirety of this season back with the club. Season: 29 for 170 (.171), 5 HR, 19 RBI
	Jacob Wilson		ACL Athletics Rookie Mesa, Ariz. Oakland Athletics	From attending the draft live in Seattle to being introduced to A's fans in Oakland, it's been a busy month for the sixth overall pick. Normalcy has begun to set in with Wilson joining the Arizona Complex League Athletics and debuting on Tuesday in Mesa. On Thursday in Glendale, he picked up his first pro hit and logged a three-hit, three-RBI day. Season: 3 for 6 (.500), 3 RBI, 2B, 1 R
	Homer Bush Jr.		AZL Padres Rookie Peoria, Ariz. San Diego Padres	Bush's pro career is four games old after making his debut on Saturday at the Padres' nearby Peoria complex. It's been a quick start for the fourth rounder with hits in all four games including a pair of home runs. Season: 6 for 14 (.429), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 SB, 7 R, .529 OBP
	Cody Tucker		AZL Giants Orange Rookie Scottsdale, Ariz. San Francisco Giants	Tucker signed as an undrafted free agent with the Giants after impressing with fastball velocity for the Lopes this spring and in summer-league action. He made his professional debut on July 25 in Mesa, tossing a scoreless inning of relief and getting his first pro victory. Season: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 SO in 1.0 IP
	Zach Thornton		Unassigned Port St. Lucie, Fla. New York Mets	After being picked in the fifth round of this year's draft, Thornton signed his professional contract with the Mets in July and is awaiting assignment. Season: --