Completed Event: Baseball versus San Diego State on March 28, 2026 , Loss , 11, to, 12
Baseball
vs San Diego State
L 11-12
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Loaded 2025 slate awaits GCU
12/4/2024 1:30:00 PM | Baseball
Lopes face challenges with 18 top-100 RPI nonconference games, 9 against NCAA tourney teams
Another year brings another loaded schedule for the Grand Canyon baseball program.
The 2025 schedule was released on Wednesday and includes a return to the high-profile MLB Desert Invitational, visits from six top-100 RPI nonconference teams, in-state midweek action and the Lopes' final WAC schedule.
"It's exciting to release the 2025 schedule," GCU third-year head coach Gregg Wallis said. "The nonconference opponents present a tremendous challenge for our program. Every year, we want to compete against the best college baseball has to offer, and I believe this schedule accomplishes that goal."
The Lopes start the season with a bang, hosting Vanderbilt on Opening Day as part of the MLB Desert Invitational. GCU returns to MLB's tournament for the third consecutive year. The MLB Desert Invitational features nationally prominent programs convening in Phoenix-area venues such as GCU Ballpark and spring training facilities with select games televised on MLB Network.
"Opening with Vanderbilt on the MLB Network is going to be a very special thing for our program," Wallis said. "They have been a top-10 caliber program for a long time, and it will be fun to play them in front of a packed ballpark and national audience."
GCU's last two home openers in the MLB Desert Invitational averaged above-capacity crowds of 4,869 fans and included a home win over Georgetown last season and a nationally televised victory over No. 2 Tennessee in 2023.
Of the Lopes' 31 nonconference games, 18 will come against teams who finished in the top 100 of the RPI rankings last season. Nine games will come against teams who made trips to the NCAA tournament, including matchups with Arizona, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State and Vanderbilt.
After the MLB Desert Invitational action wraps with spring training-site games against San Diego State in Mesa and Austin Peay in Scottsdale, other nonconference weekends include home series against Rutgers (first meetings between the programs) and Texas Tech. Road weekends take place at Texas State, Oregon State and a late-season trip to Stanford.
The Lopes and Red Raiders played several midweek series in recent years but not a full weekend series since the 1990s. GCU swept two games against No. 4 Texas Tech as part of its at-large resume in 2022. GCU completes a home-and-home series with Texas State that started with the Lopes winning two of three games in Phoenix last season. The Lopes return to Corvallis for the first time since 2022 to face the Beavers, who are competing independent of a conference in 2025. On GCU's last visit, it split a midweek series with No. 5 Oregon State. GCU and Stanford last played on a neutral site in San Diego in 2022, with the Lopes splitting two games against the No. 7 Cardinal.
"The entire nonconference slate is filled with fun opportunities for the players and fans," Wallis said. "Texas Tech and Nebraska at home will also be great challenges. As far as road trips, we'll have some really tough ones. We are looking forward to Eugene, Corvallis and Palo Alto to see how we compete in those great environments."
Midweek play is centered around in-state matchups that include three games (two home, one away) against Arizona and two games (one home, one away) against Arizona State.
GCU has three consecutive wins against Arizona and is 8-6 against the Wildcats in the last 14 meetings. The last two games came at Hi Corbett Field with a 24-8 win in late April and a 9-4 Tucson Regional win for the Lopes' first NCAA tournament victory.
The Lopes and Sun Devils have played twice each season since 2021 with the programs splitting the two-game sets in three of the four seasons.
Other home midweek dates include BYU, Cal State Fullerton, Nebraska and Pepperdine. Additional road midweek games occur at New Mexico and Oregon.
Arizona, Nebraska and Oregon made the NCAA tournament field last season, while New Mexico and Arizona State also posted winning records.
GCU has won four consecutive WAC regular-season championships and will look to begin the chase for its fifth in its final season in the conference.
With departures of UT Rio Grande Valley and Stephen F. Austin, the WAC slate has been reduced from 10 weekends to eight weekends and will begin in late March at Abilene Christian.
The Lopes will host WAC series at GCU Ballpark against Seattle U, Utah Valley, UT Arlington and Sacramento State. GCU will host UT Arlington for the first time ever, while hosting Utah Valley for only the second time since 2018 in what has been an abnormally road-heavy conference series.
In addition to the first WAC series at Abilene Christian, the Lopes will make trips to California Baptist, Utah Tech and Tarleton State. GCU travels to California Baptist for only the second time since the Lancers joined Division I for the 2019 baseball season.
The WAC Tournament will return to Mesa's Hohokam Stadium from May 20-24.
College baseball's opening day is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14. To view GCU's full schedule, click here.
For all-time series history on all of the Lopes' 2025 opponents, click here.
The 2025 schedule was released on Wednesday and includes a return to the high-profile MLB Desert Invitational, visits from six top-100 RPI nonconference teams, in-state midweek action and the Lopes' final WAC schedule.
"It's exciting to release the 2025 schedule," GCU third-year head coach Gregg Wallis said. "The nonconference opponents present a tremendous challenge for our program. Every year, we want to compete against the best college baseball has to offer, and I believe this schedule accomplishes that goal."
TOP-100 RPI
|
|||
| Opponent | 2024 RPI | Location | |
 Oregon State |
13 | Away | |
 Vanderbilt |
26 | Home | |
 Nebraska |
29 | Home | |
 Arizona |
35 | Both | |
 Oregon |
40 | Away | |
 Texas Tech |
60 | Home | |
 Rutgers |
77 | Home | |
 Arizona State |
86 | Both | |
"Opening with Vanderbilt on the MLB Network is going to be a very special thing for our program," Wallis said. "They have been a top-10 caliber program for a long time, and it will be fun to play them in front of a packed ballpark and national audience."
GCU's last two home openers in the MLB Desert Invitational averaged above-capacity crowds of 4,869 fans and included a home win over Georgetown last season and a nationally televised victory over No. 2 Tennessee in 2023.
Of the Lopes' 31 nonconference games, 18 will come against teams who finished in the top 100 of the RPI rankings last season. Nine games will come against teams who made trips to the NCAA tournament, including matchups with Arizona, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State and Vanderbilt.
After the MLB Desert Invitational action wraps with spring training-site games against San Diego State in Mesa and Austin Peay in Scottsdale, other nonconference weekends include home series against Rutgers (first meetings between the programs) and Texas Tech. Road weekends take place at Texas State, Oregon State and a late-season trip to Stanford.
The Lopes and Red Raiders played several midweek series in recent years but not a full weekend series since the 1990s. GCU swept two games against No. 4 Texas Tech as part of its at-large resume in 2022. GCU completes a home-and-home series with Texas State that started with the Lopes winning two of three games in Phoenix last season. The Lopes return to Corvallis for the first time since 2022 to face the Beavers, who are competing independent of a conference in 2025. On GCU's last visit, it split a midweek series with No. 5 Oregon State. GCU and Stanford last played on a neutral site in San Diego in 2022, with the Lopes splitting two games against the No. 7 Cardinal.
"The entire nonconference slate is filled with fun opportunities for the players and fans," Wallis said. "Texas Tech and Nebraska at home will also be great challenges. As far as road trips, we'll have some really tough ones. We are looking forward to Eugene, Corvallis and Palo Alto to see how we compete in those great environments."
MIDWEEK SNAPSHOT |
||
| Home opponents | Away opponents | |
| Nebraska |
Oregon |
|
 Pepperdine |
 New Mexico |
|
| Arizona State |
Arizona State |
|
| Arizona |
Arizona |
|
 Cal State Fullerton |
||
 BYU |
||
GCU has three consecutive wins against Arizona and is 8-6 against the Wildcats in the last 14 meetings. The last two games came at Hi Corbett Field with a 24-8 win in late April and a 9-4 Tucson Regional win for the Lopes' first NCAA tournament victory.
The Lopes and Sun Devils have played twice each season since 2021 with the programs splitting the two-game sets in three of the four seasons.
Other home midweek dates include BYU, Cal State Fullerton, Nebraska and Pepperdine. Additional road midweek games occur at New Mexico and Oregon.
Arizona, Nebraska and Oregon made the NCAA tournament field last season, while New Mexico and Arizona State also posted winning records.
CONFERENCE SNAPSHOT |
||
| Home opponents | Away opponents | |
 Seattle U |
 Abilene Christian |
|
 Utah Valley |
 California Baptist |
|
 UT Arlington |
 Utah Tech |
|
 Sacramento State |
 Tarleton State |
|
With departures of UT Rio Grande Valley and Stephen F. Austin, the WAC slate has been reduced from 10 weekends to eight weekends and will begin in late March at Abilene Christian.
The Lopes will host WAC series at GCU Ballpark against Seattle U, Utah Valley, UT Arlington and Sacramento State. GCU will host UT Arlington for the first time ever, while hosting Utah Valley for only the second time since 2018 in what has been an abnormally road-heavy conference series.
In addition to the first WAC series at Abilene Christian, the Lopes will make trips to California Baptist, Utah Tech and Tarleton State. GCU travels to California Baptist for only the second time since the Lancers joined Division I for the 2019 baseball season.
The WAC Tournament will return to Mesa's Hohokam Stadium from May 20-24.
College baseball's opening day is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14. To view GCU's full schedule, click here.
For all-time series history on all of the Lopes' 2025 opponents, click here.
Fired up! Frey celebrates complete game shutout #collegebaseball
Saturday, April 04
GCU Baseball at Fresno State (Game 1) - Highlights
Friday, April 03
TWO grand slams. ONE game. #collegebaseball
Tuesday, March 31
GCU Baseball vs. San Diego State (Game 2) - Cameron, Sanko grand slams
Sunday, March 29