WAC play gets underway in Nacogdoches

Friday, March 8

Nacogdoches, Texas

5:30 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

Stephen F. Austin

3/7/2024 10:52:00 PM | Baseball

GCU Notes SFA Notes

Lopes ended 2023 with 13 consecutive conference victories

By: Josh Hauser

Friday-Sunday, March 8-10 \| Pilgrim's Park \| Nacogdoches, Texas

	STEPHEN F. AUSTIN LUMBERJACKS (3-11, 0-0 WAC)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (6-7, 0-0 WAC)
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PITCHING PROBABLES

Friday, March 8 • 5:30 p.m. (Phoenix time)
Live Stats • Watch on ESPN+
RHP Skyler Jaco (0-1, 10.80) vs. RHP Daniel Avitia (1-2, 3.45)

Saturday, March 9 • 1 p.m. (Phoenix time)
Live Stats
RHP Reid Boyett (0-2, 4.50) vs. RHP Carter Young (2-1, 6.00)

Sunday, March 10 • 10 a.m. (Phoenix time)
Live Stats • Watch on ESPN+
LHP Elian Balmaceda (1-1, 9.69) vs. RHP Connor Mattison (1-0, 7.36)

The Grand Canyon baseball team is back in Texas for another weekend series, this time opening up WAC play at Stephen F. Austin in a three-game series that starts on Friday at 5:30 p.m. (Phoenix time).

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

WAC WINNERS: The Lopes open WAC play where they have won five of the last six regular-season titles. GCU's 133-37 (.782) WAC record the last six years is the nation's best conference record in that span. The Lopes hold an active 13-game winning streak in regular-season WAC play. GCU is picked to win the WAC for the seventh consecutive season.
DANNY K'S: GCU junior starting pitcher Daniel Avitia needs two strikeouts to break GCU's D-I career record of 211 set by Jake Repavich (2015-18). Avitia is scheduled to open the series on the mound for the Lopes.
FLASHING POWER: Junior Beau Ankeney (five) and sophomore Zach Yorke (four) lead a Lopes' leaderboard that features 19 combined home runs. GCU ranks 19th nationally and leads the WAC in homers.

SCOUTING

After winning three of its first four games to open the 2024 season, Stephen F. Austin has dropped 11 consecutively entering the weekend. The Lumberjacks dropped a four-game set at UC San Diego last weekend before dropping a midweek matchup to former WAC member Lamar on Wednesday.

SFA's best attribute is its aggressiveness on the basepaths. The Lumberjacks have already swiped 23 bases to lead the WAC and rank in the nation's top 50.

Despite sharing membership in the WAC for the past two seasons, GCU and SFA have never met on the diamond. In 2022, the WAC operated with divisions in baseball. In 2023, the Lopes missed SFA and UT Arlington before meeting UTA in the WAC Tournament.

Johnny Cardenas is in his 16th season leading SFA baseball after joining the program as an assistant coach three years prior for the university's reinstatement of baseball in 2006.