Avitia grew up in GCU sight, became baseball focus

The story to put Daniel Avitia in Grand Canyon baseball lore was being written long before he envisioned college for himself or thought of baseball as anything more than family fun.

Just a couple miles west of GCU, Avitia was growing up in Phoenix's Maryvale neighborhood in a cul-de-sac house where crunched-up water bottles were taped inside a plastic bag to play a baseball facsimile that he and his two older brothers called "tapeball."

David Avitia

When Avitia was 8 and 9 years old, his father, Abel Sr., was on the construction crew that built GCU Arena, now Global Credit Union Arena, and began hoping that one of his kids could attend college there someday.

Even when David, the middle son, played his way to being GCU's four-year starting catcher, Avitia was the unknown little brother who ate sunflower seeds at every home game with their dad in Section 106 (to see into the home dugout).

But when Avitia attended a Lopes baseball holiday camp as a 130-pound, loosey-goosey freshman, his anonymous ties to GCU came to the forefront.

"We better keep an eye on him," GCU head coach Gregg Wallis remembers saying after coaches took note of Avitia's lively pitching arm.

Now all of college baseball and professional scouts can't take their eyes off Avitia, who went from Alhambra High School a half-mile away in west Phoenix to becoming a three-year GCU ace and a Major League Baseball Draft prospect.

"Going to GCU was the best decision of my life," Avitia said. "Wally (Wallis) and Coach Stank (previous coach Andy Stankiewicz) developed me, loved me and cared for me. Banni and Wente (pitching coaches Nathan Bannister and Jon Wente) taught me so much about the game. I've met the best friends who I'll remember for the rest of my life."

Avitia is making memories for Lope Nation, instantly impacting GCU as the WAC Pitcher of the Year on a 2022 NCAA regional qualifier and helping the Lopes pursue a fourth consecutive conference championship. After a month out for injury, Avitia has thrown four consecutive shutout relief appearances with nine strikeouts in seven innings.

His childhood did not foretell his fantastic future, when his brothers sent him to their mother, Emma, in tears by hitting home runs off him and aiming beanballs at him.

But his brother David, an opposite as stout and stoic, saw potential in his lanky little brother and took him into the neighborhood alley to have room to catch his pitches. Avitia's accurate strike-throwing ability was born out of having to chase his wild pitches that rolled for dozens of feet with no backstop.

In high school, Avitia threw a fastball in the low 80s, about 10 mph slower than college aces. But his three-quarter delivery angle added life to his pitches, as did his playing passion.

During the COVID-19 shutdown, college coaches were not allowed to recruit in person, which was made even more frustrating for Wallis with Avitia's high school just a half-mile down Camelback Road from his GCU Ballpark office.

Scouts' reports of Avitia's increasing pitch velocity trickled to the Lopes staff, and GCU progressed to offering him a scholarship and an official recruiting visit, once it would be permitted again.

"Coach, I'm good, I want to be a Lope," Avitia told Wallis from his bedroom while sitting with his father, who still sits in those Section 106 seats for his games at GCU Ballpark.

"I was in shock," Avitia said of accepting the GCU offer. "I thought, 'Is this really happening? I looked at my dad, and he had the biggest smile on his face because he wanted me to come here. I'll remember that for the rest of my life."

At the time, Avitia still could not do five push-ups and started lifting weights for his 6-foot-4 frame.

Daniel Avitia

He flourished into an All-WAC first-team pitcher for his first two seasons at GCU. That led to an invitation to last year's Cape Cod Baseball League, the premier summer league for top college players. The right-hander struck out 24 batters in 27 2/3 innings and posted a 1.62 earned run average.

Two years ago, he threw with success and a snarl. Now, he pitches with refinement while remaining edgy. Meanwhile, his grade point average has risen with his pitch velocity, and he is the one calming other freshman pitchers in the dugout.

"Seeing his overall development gives me as much joy as watching him dominate on the mound," Wallis said. "He's always been talented, but he's grown up in other areas."

Abel Avitia Sr. said he "felt like it was too much to ask for" to wish for his sons to attend GCU. Instead, the Lopes have received more than they could hope to receive from the Avitias.

David is a minor-league catcher, and Daniel has spiked his MLB Draft stock with an improving slider that accompanies his reliable fastball and change-up.

"Dreams do come true," their father said in Spanish.

When Avitia was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 19th round out of high school, he stayed loyal to his GCU commitment. When GCU went through a coaching change after his freshman year and the transfer portal opened, Avitia never flinched as Wallis was promoted from assistant coach.

To verify he was in the right place, Avitia just needed to look and listen around his neighborhood. Childhood baseball teammates, friends and neighborhood kids admire his status.

"GCU has done a lot for me with school and baseball," he said. "Not a lot of kids come from my neighborhood and play at the Division I level. I'm grateful for that. I take that with me and try to make them proud. I'm playing for a lot of people."

Republished from the April issue of GCU Magazine.

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Daniel Avitia

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