Completed Event: Baseball versus San Diego State on March 27, 2026 , Win , 9, to, 3
Baseball
vs San Diego State
W 9-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Ortiz returns to GCU as part of coaching staff
9/5/2024 7:15:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro
Former standout shortstop led Lopes' 1st NCAA D-I regional team
When Grand Canyon baseball broke the ceiling for the first of three Division I regional appearances in the past four years, Channy Ortiz was dubbed "a coach on the field" and the Lopes' clubhouse and batting lineup leader.
That makes bringing Ortiz back to coach and lead the next GCU team as smooth of a transition as him fielding and throwing during his Lopes shortstop years.
After three years of professional baseball, Ortiz is returning to campus to finish his business management degree while serving as a student assistant coach GCU.
"I always wanted to get into coaching," said Ortiz, whose older brothers, Ernesto and Hector, are baseball and softball coaches. "I'm very content with the way my career went. I fell in love with this place when GCU Ballpark was barely getting built. To see everything grow afterward for 3 1/2 years is amazing, and I still want to be part of it."
Nearly 10 years after he secured Ortiz's commitment as a Glendale Apollo High School sophomore, Lopes head coach Gregg Wallis will be able to use Ortiz's turnaround collegiate career and pro experience to help every area of the program.
Ortiz can be relatable to each clubhouse situation as a player who was overwhelmed by the speed of D-I baseball as a 134-pound freshman ("I got punched in the face") and needed a junior college sophomore season to return for two more GCU seasons of fine fielding and hot hitting.
As a senior, Ortiz hit .313 with a .413 on-base percentage to earn All-WAC first-team honors and a 14th-round MLB Draft selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He reached Triple-A for three games in 2022 and retired after 181 pro appearances last year.
"I'm really excited to bring Channy back and help him start his coaching career," Wallis said. "He was a really high-IQ player. He was our field general. He was our leader that led us to our first postseason. That was kind of his team. Channy was the senior leader who set the direction for the guys after him."
Ortiz walks back into Tim Salmon Clubhouse, where a framed photo commemorates his walk-off home run that beat No. 16 Arizona in 2021. None of his teammates are left, but he recognizes the slow starts to the players returning this week to GCU Ballpark and has a coaching model to follow in Lopes assistant coach Paul Panaccione, who also went from GCU standout shortstop to 10th-round pick to staff.
Ortiz already has a wildly successful case in player mentoring. Jacob Wiilson, now the Oakland Athletics starting shortstop, was a Lopes freshman third baseman next to Ortiz in 2021. Wilson credits Ortiz with helping him through the collegiate learning curve, when he helped him with all aspects from scouting reports to program routines.
"When I first laid eyes on Jacob, I thought, 'This kid is pretty special,' " Ortiz said. "We grew together. I took him under my wing. After we lost in the regional to U of A, he was the first one to come give me a hug when I made the last out. I told him, 'You're next, kid. You've got to do it better than me.' He made me so proud of everything he's done."
That is how Ortiz wants to connect with this young Lopes team. Primarily, he wants players to be able to learn about themselves.
"You got to this point by putting in work," Ortiz said. "It doesn't stop. You've got to keep going. We'll be here to gladly help and get you where you want to go."
Ortiz is a bonus addition to a Wallis coaching staff that stays intact from the Lopes team that reached the Tucson Regional final by defeating two top-25 opponents – host No. 15 Arizona and No. 25 Dallas Baptist. Ortiz join Wallis, Panaccione, pitching coach Nathan Bannister, assistant coach Nate Causey and director of operation Matt Haggerty.
"The players are really going to gravitate toward him, and he's going to help every one of us on the staff," Wallis said. "He's going to be able to pour into those younger guys who are playing for the first time or not playing as much. He's going to be a great coach. This is going to launch a career that's going to be awesome for him."
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That makes bringing Ortiz back to coach and lead the next GCU team as smooth of a transition as him fielding and throwing during his Lopes shortstop years.
After three years of professional baseball, Ortiz is returning to campus to finish his business management degree while serving as a student assistant coach GCU.
"I always wanted to get into coaching," said Ortiz, whose older brothers, Ernesto and Hector, are baseball and softball coaches. "I'm very content with the way my career went. I fell in love with this place when GCU Ballpark was barely getting built. To see everything grow afterward for 3 1/2 years is amazing, and I still want to be part of it."Nearly 10 years after he secured Ortiz's commitment as a Glendale Apollo High School sophomore, Lopes head coach Gregg Wallis will be able to use Ortiz's turnaround collegiate career and pro experience to help every area of the program.
Ortiz can be relatable to each clubhouse situation as a player who was overwhelmed by the speed of D-I baseball as a 134-pound freshman ("I got punched in the face") and needed a junior college sophomore season to return for two more GCU seasons of fine fielding and hot hitting.
As a senior, Ortiz hit .313 with a .413 on-base percentage to earn All-WAC first-team honors and a 14th-round MLB Draft selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He reached Triple-A for three games in 2022 and retired after 181 pro appearances last year.
"I'm really excited to bring Channy back and help him start his coaching career," Wallis said. "He was a really high-IQ player. He was our field general. He was our leader that led us to our first postseason. That was kind of his team. Channy was the senior leader who set the direction for the guys after him."
Ortiz walks back into Tim Salmon Clubhouse, where a framed photo commemorates his walk-off home run that beat No. 16 Arizona in 2021. None of his teammates are left, but he recognizes the slow starts to the players returning this week to GCU Ballpark and has a coaching model to follow in Lopes assistant coach Paul Panaccione, who also went from GCU standout shortstop to 10th-round pick to staff.
Ortiz already has a wildly successful case in player mentoring. Jacob Wiilson, now the Oakland Athletics starting shortstop, was a Lopes freshman third baseman next to Ortiz in 2021. Wilson credits Ortiz with helping him through the collegiate learning curve, when he helped him with all aspects from scouting reports to program routines.
"When I first laid eyes on Jacob, I thought, 'This kid is pretty special,' " Ortiz said. "We grew together. I took him under my wing. After we lost in the regional to U of A, he was the first one to come give me a hug when I made the last out. I told him, 'You're next, kid. You've got to do it better than me.' He made me so proud of everything he's done."
That is how Ortiz wants to connect with this young Lopes team. Primarily, he wants players to be able to learn about themselves.
"You got to this point by putting in work," Ortiz said. "It doesn't stop. You've got to keep going. We'll be here to gladly help and get you where you want to go."
Ortiz is a bonus addition to a Wallis coaching staff that stays intact from the Lopes team that reached the Tucson Regional final by defeating two top-25 opponents – host No. 15 Arizona and No. 25 Dallas Baptist. Ortiz join Wallis, Panaccione, pitching coach Nathan Bannister, assistant coach Nate Causey and director of operation Matt Haggerty.
"The players are really going to gravitate toward him, and he's going to help every one of us on the staff," Wallis said. "He's going to be able to pour into those younger guys who are playing for the first time or not playing as much. He's going to be a great coach. This is going to launch a career that's going to be awesome for him."
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