Upcoming Event: Baseball versus Cal State Fullerton on November 8, 2025 at 11 a.m.
Baseball
11 a.m.
vs Cal State Fullerton
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, June 2
Tucson, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
36-25
6
vs
10
West Virginia
36-22
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
West Virginia
2
3
2
1
2
0
0
0
0
10
17
0
Grand Canyon
3
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
6
11
2
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Special season ends in regional final to West Virginia
6/2/2024 9:45:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro
GCU tallies 1st 2 D-I tourney wins before taking 10-6 elimination loss
TUCSON, Ariz. – Since this Grand Canyon baseball team began this history journey in February, head coach Gregg Wallis has been telling his Lopes that it was the program's best team since he joined the staff as GCU baseball returned to Division I for the 2014 season.
Wallis stuck to that belief like gum on their cleats, telling it to GCU when it won 10 games in a row and every WAC series or when it lost three in a row in early March or was eliminated with a 10-6 loss Sunday night to West Virginia in the Tucson Regional championship round.
The Lopes ended their fifth consecutive full season with at least 36 wins by recording the program's first two D_I regional wins – each against top-25 teams – and being one of the nation's 32 regional final teams – a top 10% national status for GCU.
"I just knew in my heart that these guys deserved an opportunity to show how good they are," Wallis said. "To come into what everybody said was the toughest regional and beat two quality programs and make it to a regional championship for the first time in program history and be one of the last 32 teams standing, it's the right way for these two guys sitting by me (Tyler Wilson and Cade Verdusco) and all of our guys to end the year."
The last Arizona team standing faced a daunting task Sunday, needing to beat No. 25 Dallas Baptist and West Virginia in the same day to stay alive. The Lopes (36-25) ran out of rallies, coming back from an 8-3 hole against DBU before running out of magic to climb out of a 10-3 rut against the Mountaineers (36-22).
Each starting pitcher lasted one inning or less, with GCU responding to a 2-0 hole by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first that was sparked by senior outfielders Tyler Wilson and Cade Verdusco smacking back-to-back doubles.
Playing their fourth game in three days, the Lopes turned to junior right-hander Daniel Avitia in a two-on, no-out situation after the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year has been battling injuries all season. He had been limited to 1 2/3 bullpen innings since April 3 and battled for two innings Sunday, as West Virginia built a 7-3 lead.
The Lopes went hitless for three innings as the Mountaineers lead grew to 10-3 before chipping at it with a fifth-inning RBI single by junior designated hitter Michael Diaz. That two-on, no-out situation did not score another run, and the deficit stayed at 10-4 until the ninth inning.
In his best outing of the season, GCU junior right-hander Barrett Skaugrud recorded his first four outs by strikeout and delivered 3 1/3 shutout innings. Senior closer Nathan Ward added a perfect ninth, giving GCU one last shot when sophomore first baseman Zach Yorke backed up two 400-foot doubles Sunday with a 395-foot, two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
Yorke's 11th home run cut West Virginia's lead to 10-6 and seniors Elijah Buries and Dustin Crenshaw followed with consecutive singles, stretching Buries' GCU Division I-era career hits record to 256.
Mountaineers left-hander Derek Chase, returned from a Friday night complete-game win and ended the game with two strikeouts. The Mountaineers went all in on closing the Lopes out because Chase initially was going to be Monday's starter, if necessary.
"It was awesome to go from thinking our season was done and then to be able to come to a regional and kind of do what we do," said Wilson, who went 1 for 3 with two walks Sunday night . "I know we didn't end on the best note, but I'm just so proud of my team and the way we fought all tournament. I just thought there was no quit in us."
Playing for retiring head coach Randy Mazey, West Virginia reached its first-ever Super Regional after qualifying for back-to-back regionals for the first time since 1963-64.
In just six eligible postseason seasons of this GCU D-I era, GCU already has been to the NCAA tournament three times, all in the past four seasons. Only 36 other programs in the nation have been to at least three of the past four NCAA tournaments, and Evansville was the only regional No. 4 seed besides GCU to win this tournament.
The Lopes beat No. 13 Arizona on its home field Friday night for its first D-I regional win and ended the season Sunday for No. 25 Dallas Baptist, which had the third-most wins in the nation and a No. 17 RPI ranking.
"It was a blessing to come here and get the opportunity and then to go on and win two games," Verdusco said. "That's pretty huge for our program. That just makes us feel a lot better with how the season ends. I can't be happier with the guys."
GCU placed five players on the 11-member All-Tucson Regional Team. Crenshaw (4 for 9), Verdusco (4 for 16), and Wilson (5 for 15) were joined by sophomore shortstop Emilio Barreras (6 for 15) and senior right fielder Eddy Pelc (9 for 13 with five walks).
"This is huge," said Wallis, whose team won the WAC regular-season title by five games. "These guys have set a new standard for us. We know what it feels like to play in a regional championship. Hopefully, that's the standard that lives on at Grand Canyon in the future.
"I told the guys that are seniors that won't be coming back that they set the standard, and I told the young guys that now it's their job to continue it and keep this going. We don't want to be a team that gets here once and you never hear about Grand Canyon in a regional again. We want the standard to be that every year we're competing on Sunday to go to a Super Regional."
Wallis stuck to that belief like gum on their cleats, telling it to GCU when it won 10 games in a row and every WAC series or when it lost three in a row in early March or was eliminated with a 10-6 loss Sunday night to West Virginia in the Tucson Regional championship round.
The Lopes ended their fifth consecutive full season with at least 36 wins by recording the program's first two D_I regional wins – each against top-25 teams – and being one of the nation's 32 regional final teams – a top 10% national status for GCU."I just knew in my heart that these guys deserved an opportunity to show how good they are," Wallis said. "To come into what everybody said was the toughest regional and beat two quality programs and make it to a regional championship for the first time in program history and be one of the last 32 teams standing, it's the right way for these two guys sitting by me (Tyler Wilson and Cade Verdusco) and all of our guys to end the year."
The last Arizona team standing faced a daunting task Sunday, needing to beat No. 25 Dallas Baptist and West Virginia in the same day to stay alive. The Lopes (36-25) ran out of rallies, coming back from an 8-3 hole against DBU before running out of magic to climb out of a 10-3 rut against the Mountaineers (36-22).
Each starting pitcher lasted one inning or less, with GCU responding to a 2-0 hole by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first that was sparked by senior outfielders Tyler Wilson and Cade Verdusco smacking back-to-back doubles.
Playing their fourth game in three days, the Lopes turned to junior right-hander Daniel Avitia in a two-on, no-out situation after the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year has been battling injuries all season. He had been limited to 1 2/3 bullpen innings since April 3 and battled for two innings Sunday, as West Virginia built a 7-3 lead.
The Lopes went hitless for three innings as the Mountaineers lead grew to 10-3 before chipping at it with a fifth-inning RBI single by junior designated hitter Michael Diaz. That two-on, no-out situation did not score another run, and the deficit stayed at 10-4 until the ninth inning.
In his best outing of the season, GCU junior right-hander Barrett Skaugrud recorded his first four outs by strikeout and delivered 3 1/3 shutout innings. Senior closer Nathan Ward added a perfect ninth, giving GCU one last shot when sophomore first baseman Zach Yorke backed up two 400-foot doubles Sunday with a 395-foot, two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
Yorke's 11th home run cut West Virginia's lead to 10-6 and seniors Elijah Buries and Dustin Crenshaw followed with consecutive singles, stretching Buries' GCU Division I-era career hits record to 256.
Mountaineers left-hander Derek Chase, returned from a Friday night complete-game win and ended the game with two strikeouts. The Mountaineers went all in on closing the Lopes out because Chase initially was going to be Monday's starter, if necessary.
"It was awesome to go from thinking our season was done and then to be able to come to a regional and kind of do what we do," said Wilson, who went 1 for 3 with two walks Sunday night . "I know we didn't end on the best note, but I'm just so proud of my team and the way we fought all tournament. I just thought there was no quit in us."Playing for retiring head coach Randy Mazey, West Virginia reached its first-ever Super Regional after qualifying for back-to-back regionals for the first time since 1963-64.
In just six eligible postseason seasons of this GCU D-I era, GCU already has been to the NCAA tournament three times, all in the past four seasons. Only 36 other programs in the nation have been to at least three of the past four NCAA tournaments, and Evansville was the only regional No. 4 seed besides GCU to win this tournament.
The Lopes beat No. 13 Arizona on its home field Friday night for its first D-I regional win and ended the season Sunday for No. 25 Dallas Baptist, which had the third-most wins in the nation and a No. 17 RPI ranking.
"It was a blessing to come here and get the opportunity and then to go on and win two games," Verdusco said. "That's pretty huge for our program. That just makes us feel a lot better with how the season ends. I can't be happier with the guys."
GCU placed five players on the 11-member All-Tucson Regional Team. Crenshaw (4 for 9), Verdusco (4 for 16), and Wilson (5 for 15) were joined by sophomore shortstop Emilio Barreras (6 for 15) and senior right fielder Eddy Pelc (9 for 13 with five walks)."This is huge," said Wallis, whose team won the WAC regular-season title by five games. "These guys have set a new standard for us. We know what it feels like to play in a regional championship. Hopefully, that's the standard that lives on at Grand Canyon in the future.
"I told the guys that are seniors that won't be coming back that they set the standard, and I told the young guys that now it's their job to continue it and keep this going. We don't want to be a team that gets here once and you never hear about Grand Canyon in a regional again. We want the standard to be that every year we're competing on Sunday to go to a Super Regional."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Major, Aidan (5-4)
L: Young, Carter (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Sauve, Logan 1 ; White, Sam 1
RBI: Sauve, Logan 3 ; White, Sam 2 ; Chumley, Reed 2 ; Hussey, Grant 2 ; Lumsden, Ben 1
SF: Chumley, Reed 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wetherholt, JJ 2 ; Sauve, Logan 3 ; White, Sam 2 ; Barnett, Spencer 1 ; Lumsden, Ben 1 ; King, Skylar 1
SB: Hussey, Grant 1
HBP: Sauve, Logan 1 ; Chumley, Reed 1 ; Kresser, Brodie 1
Batting:
2B: Wilson, Tyler 1 ; Verdusco, Cade 1 ; Yorke, Zach 1
HR: Yorke, Zach 1
RBI: Verdusco, Cade 1 ; Yorke, Zach 2 ; Diaz, Michael 2 ; Crenshaw, Dustin 1
SF: Crenshaw, Dustin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wilson, Tyler 1 ; Verdusco, Cade 1 ; Pelc, Eddy 3 ; Yorke, Zach 1
HBP: Paton, Eli 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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/ BaseballGCU Baseball - WAC Tournament vs. Utah Tech - Highlights
Thursday, May 22
Baseball at Stanford - Barreras' game-winning double
Saturday, May 10
Baseball vs. Arizona (5/6/25) - Yorke homers twice to break record
Wednesday, May 07
GCU Baseball - Eli Paton walk-off single vs. UTA
Saturday, April 26