Mattison tosses GCU's 1st no-hitter since 1982

Friday, March 29

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

14-11, 8-3

Sacramento State

11-16, 5-6

Sacramento State

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Rachel Sollazzo

3/29/2024 9:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Righty strikes out 10 over 9 innings, becomes 1st Lopes freshman to throw no-no

By: Josh Hauser

Program history was made at Brazell Field on Friday night, as Grand Canyon freshman Connor Mattison threw the Lopes' first no-hitter in 42 years for a 4-0 win over Sacramento State.

"What a special moment," GCU head coach Gregg Wallis said. "You come to the yard every day, and, most of the time, we come here and we don't realize that something special could happen. And then you get moments like this. It's like, 'Wow.' We just witnessed something that hasn't been done since 1982. What a special moment for our team and especially Connor Mattison. I'm kind of speechless, truthfully."

The seventh no-hitter in program history required nine innings, Mattison's season high of 10 strikeouts and 125 pitches. It was GCU's first no-hitter by a freshman and first at the Division I level.

"It got to like the fourth or the fifth (inning) and I was like, 'OK, they have no hits. Four or five innings, no hits, it's no biggie,' " Mattison said. "And then when I went out there for the seventh and got out of the seventh with no hits, I was like, 'Dude. This could happen. I just have to stay focused. I already shut them down for eight. Let's get out there for one more.' We got it done."

Keit matt

h Baker's 42-year reign as the program's most recent pitcher to toss a no-hitter came to a close. Baker, who worked 33 years in GCU Athletics with 19 as athletic director, was monitoring the game and watched the final innings live, which Mattison said was "so sick, so sick."

Most no-hitters have to be sustained with key moments from the defense, and Friday was no exception at GCU Ballpark. Junior third baseman Eli Paton made three defensive gems to help aid the milestone evening.

"There were multiple balls that were hit really hard down third," Mattison recalled. "I haven't seen better third base play my whole entire life. Two diving plays, one with his forehand, bunt on-the-run throws. Crazy. Absolutely crazy. Saved that whole game. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to make this memory here."

Paton ended a shaky first inning that included a walk and a hit batter by starting an inning-ending double play. He started the fifth inning with a diving stop and throw on a ball hit down the third-base line. Finally, he bare-handed a well-placed bunt and threw out Sacramento State's quick leadoff man in the sixth.

Paton didn't mind playing a role in the historic evening. paton high fives

"I walked up to my parents and told them it was the most special game I've ever played," Paton said. "I had goosebumps after it. It was unbelievable.

"I think it got real after the sixth inning. I looked at the board and go, 'Wow, they have no hits.' I don't think any of us really talked about it. We were just playing defense. It really just happened. It was an unbelievable night, and it was really special."

Once Paton made the difficult play on the sixth-inning bunt, Mattison made things fairly routine with strikeouts, shallow fly balls and grounders to first.

"When (Paton) did that, I think everyone in the dugout felt, 'Oh, we might have a shot here,' " Wallis said. "And then obviously Connor did the rest."

Connor Mattison

Aided by a career-high 10 strikeouts, Mattison tossed the 28th no-hitter in WAC history. It came against a Sacramento State program that had thrown two of the conference's last three no-hitters (2017 and 2022).

The achievement came on a night that the Lopes needed a win to even the series and give themselves a chance to win their ninth straight WAC series on Saturday.

"I think it was huge for the team today to get the morale booster," Mattison said. "I'm just happy we got the win today, and I pitched as well as I did. I'm super stoked, and I'm super excited about this team. I couldn't be more excited."

GCU plated two in the first inning after consecutive two-out RBI singles by junior first baseman Beau Ankeney and senior second baseman Dustin Crenshaw.

Senior left fielder Elijah Buries extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth with a solo home run, his first homer of the season.

GCU tacked on a late insurance run after Crenshaw opened the eighth with a double and scored when sophomore shortstop Emilio Barreras tripled for the first time in his two-year career.

One run would have been enough to pair with Mattison's dominance, but the Lopes got him four runs of support.

As the speedy 1-hour, 58-minute game neared its conclusion, GCU had decisions to make on whether to let the freshman extend well past 100 pitches.

"It was the seventh inning where he had a relatively small pitch-count inning and we just said, 'Hey, we've got to let him finish this. As long as the no-hitter's intact, he's staying in the game. As long as he's feeling strong,' " Wallis said. "He kept coming in every inning, he's feeling strong. We had to let him have this moment."

Mattison's low-stress innings and quick work of the Hornets' lineup allowed him to complete the nine-inning complete game, the first by a GCU pitcher since Pierson Ohl in 2019. Mattison tossed 15 more pitches than his previous career high that he set at UT Rio Grande Valley last week. Wallis was further comforted by a nonconference series looming at Saint Mary's next weekend and the opportunity to lighten Mattison's load, if needed.

The last box to check: making sure no one in GCU's dugout discussed the potential history that was being made.

"Dugout was great, and I'm glad no one jinxed me," Mattison said.

The Lopes will face a quick turnaround to come off a special night and play an important Saturday finale. GCU will play a rubber match for the third straight weekend in a noon game at GCU Ballpark.