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
GCU picked as WAC's favorites for 8th straight year
2/5/2025 3:00:00 PM | Baseball
Lopes' 5 All-WAC selections more than double any other school
For the eighth consecutive season, Grand Canyon was selected as the favorite to win the WAC in a polling of the conference's head coaches. The Lopes were a unanimous selection of the opposing eight head coaches. GCU also featured five All-WAC honorees, more than double any other program.
The Lopes have won four consecutive regular-season championships and six of the last seven. Under two-time reigning WAC Coach of the Year Gregg Wallis, GCU won a pair of NCAA tournament games against top-25 teams last season to advance to the program's first regional championship.
GCU landed five on the Preseason All-WAC team: junior first baseman Zach Yorke, senior third baseman Eli Paton, junior shortstop Emilio Barreras, graduate outfielder Eddy Pelc and junior right-handed pitcher Isaac Lyon.
Yorke has compiled quite the resume in his two seasons as an underclassman and enters his junior campaign receiving second-team Preseason All-American honors from Baseball America. The first baseman ranks in GCU's top 10 for on-base percentage (.429) in the Division I era and was named the No. 38 first baseman in the nation per D1Baseball.com.
After a Freshman All-America season in 2023, Yorke returned last season to hit 11 home runs and rank in the conference's top 10 for RBIs, runs scored and walks drawn. He enjoyed the postseason spotlight, hitting 8 for 19 (.421) in GCU's four games in the Tucson Regional of the NCAA tournament.
Paton was a breakout sensation for the Lopes last year, seeing huge jumps in production that included tripling his hits tally (23 to 69) and starting 57 of the GCU's 61 games at third base.
A transfer from UCLA before the 2023 season, Paton was tied for second on the team for hits (69) and doubles (15) in his second Lopes season and tied for third on the club in runs scored (47). Paton tallied 23 multi-hit games, headlined by a four-hit performance at Seattle U on April 28. Paton was even better in conference action, hitting .353 and ranking third in the WAC in runs scored (33).
One of the nation's top 50 shortstops per D1Baseball.com, Barreras has been elite with his glovework since setting foot on campus with back-to-back All-WAC Defensive Team selections. But he added success from the plate to his resume as a sophomore last year, hitting .316.
The more important the game, the better Barreras was. He hit a scorching .357 in WAC play (No. 8 mark in the conference) and was named to the Tucson Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .400 (6 for 15) with four runs scored in four games. Barreras ended the season as the WAC's toughest batter to strike out and 29th nationally at once every 11.7 at bats.
With the momentum of being arguably the Tucson Regional's top performer, Pelc returns this season to conclude an all-around impressive debut season. In four NCAA tournament games, Pelc had multiple hits in all of them to hit 9 for 13 (.692) with seven RBIs and a spot on the all-regional team. His postseason heroics also included one of the most iconic hits in program history when he delivered a bases-clearing, go-ahead double to help lead GCU past No. 13 national seed Arizona for the program's first NCAA Division I tournament win.
On the season, Pelc trailed only WAC Player of the Year Tyler Wilson in most of GCU's offensive categories, including batting average (.352), hits (69), doubles (15) and RBIs (50). He ranked in the conference's top five in batting average (.352, fifth), on-base percentage (.470, second) and walks drawn (43, second). His standout season included a nine-RBI performance at Seattle U on April 28.
A first-team All-WAC performer last season, Lyon enters the year as GCU's most decorated returning pitcher. As a sophomore, he pitched 81 2/3 innings, over 20 innings more than any other GCU pitcher and the fifth most in the WAC.
Lyon exhibited tremendous command last season, ranking 27th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (79-to-16, 4.94 to 1) and 28th in fewest walks per nine innings (16 in 81 2/3, 1.76 to 1). A six-game winner (tied for GCU lead, fourth in WAC), Lyon sported an impressive 2.73 ERA in conference games.
GCU's season is set to get underway next week as a part of the MLB Desert Invitational. The Lopes will open their season on Friday, Feb. 14, against Vanderbilt at GCU Ballpark on MLB Network. The weekend continues with games against San Diego State, Austin Peay and Nebraska.
The Lopes have won four consecutive regular-season championships and six of the last seven. Under two-time reigning WAC Coach of the Year Gregg Wallis, GCU won a pair of NCAA tournament games against top-25 teams last season to advance to the program's first regional championship.
GCU landed five on the Preseason All-WAC team: junior first baseman Zach Yorke, senior third baseman Eli Paton, junior shortstop Emilio Barreras, graduate outfielder Eddy Pelc and junior right-handed pitcher Isaac Lyon.
Yorke has compiled quite the resume in his two seasons as an underclassman and enters his junior campaign receiving second-team Preseason All-American honors from Baseball America. The first baseman ranks in GCU's top 10 for on-base percentage (.429) in the Division I era and was named the No. 38 first baseman in the nation per D1Baseball.com.After a Freshman All-America season in 2023, Yorke returned last season to hit 11 home runs and rank in the conference's top 10 for RBIs, runs scored and walks drawn. He enjoyed the postseason spotlight, hitting 8 for 19 (.421) in GCU's four games in the Tucson Regional of the NCAA tournament.
Paton was a breakout sensation for the Lopes last year, seeing huge jumps in production that included tripling his hits tally (23 to 69) and starting 57 of the GCU's 61 games at third base.A transfer from UCLA before the 2023 season, Paton was tied for second on the team for hits (69) and doubles (15) in his second Lopes season and tied for third on the club in runs scored (47). Paton tallied 23 multi-hit games, headlined by a four-hit performance at Seattle U on April 28. Paton was even better in conference action, hitting .353 and ranking third in the WAC in runs scored (33).
One of the nation's top 50 shortstops per D1Baseball.com, Barreras has been elite with his glovework since setting foot on campus with back-to-back All-WAC Defensive Team selections. But he added success from the plate to his resume as a sophomore last year, hitting .316.The more important the game, the better Barreras was. He hit a scorching .357 in WAC play (No. 8 mark in the conference) and was named to the Tucson Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .400 (6 for 15) with four runs scored in four games. Barreras ended the season as the WAC's toughest batter to strike out and 29th nationally at once every 11.7 at bats.
With the momentum of being arguably the Tucson Regional's top performer, Pelc returns this season to conclude an all-around impressive debut season. In four NCAA tournament games, Pelc had multiple hits in all of them to hit 9 for 13 (.692) with seven RBIs and a spot on the all-regional team. His postseason heroics also included one of the most iconic hits in program history when he delivered a bases-clearing, go-ahead double to help lead GCU past No. 13 national seed Arizona for the program's first NCAA Division I tournament win.On the season, Pelc trailed only WAC Player of the Year Tyler Wilson in most of GCU's offensive categories, including batting average (.352), hits (69), doubles (15) and RBIs (50). He ranked in the conference's top five in batting average (.352, fifth), on-base percentage (.470, second) and walks drawn (43, second). His standout season included a nine-RBI performance at Seattle U on April 28.
A first-team All-WAC performer last season, Lyon enters the year as GCU's most decorated returning pitcher. As a sophomore, he pitched 81 2/3 innings, over 20 innings more than any other GCU pitcher and the fifth most in the WAC.Lyon exhibited tremendous command last season, ranking 27th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (79-to-16, 4.94 to 1) and 28th in fewest walks per nine innings (16 in 81 2/3, 1.76 to 1). A six-game winner (tied for GCU lead, fourth in WAC), Lyon sported an impressive 2.73 ERA in conference games.
GCU's season is set to get underway next week as a part of the MLB Desert Invitational. The Lopes will open their season on Friday, Feb. 14, against Vanderbilt at GCU Ballpark on MLB Network. The weekend continues with games against San Diego State, Austin Peay and Nebraska.
2025 Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll |
|||
| Team (first-place votes) | Points | ||
| 1 |
 |
Grand Canyon (8) | 64 |
| 2 |
 |
Abilene Christian (1) | 54 |
| 3 |
 |
California Baptist | 46 |
| 4 |
 |
Tarleton State | 39 |
| 5 |
 |
Sacramento State | 36 |
| 6 |
 |
Utah Valley | 34 |
| 7 |
 |
UT Arlington | 28 |
| 8 |
 |
Seattle U | 12 |
| 9 |
 |
Utah Tech | 11 |
2025 Baseball Preseason Major Awards |
|
| Award | Player, School |
| Player of the Year | Nick Dumesnil, Jr., OF, California Baptist |
| Pitcher of the Year | Brett Lanman, So., LHP, Abilene Christian |
2025 Baseball Preseason All-WAC Team |
|
| Position | Player, School |
| Catcher | Parker Airhart, Sr., UT Arlington |
| First Base | Zach Yorke, Jr., Grand Canyon JP Smith, Jr., Sacramento State |
| Second Base | Ben Greer, Grad, Abilene Christian |
| Third Base | Eli Paton, R-Sr., Grand Canyon |
| Shortstop | Emilio Barreras, Jr., Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Nick Dumesnil, Jr., California Baptist |
| Outfield | Eddy Pelc, Grad, Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Nate Bach, R-Sr., Utah Valley |
| Starting Pitcher | Brett Lanman, So., LHP, Abilene Christian |
| Starting Pitcher | Isaac Lyon, Jr., RHP, Grand Canyon |
| Relief Pitcher | Kade Brown, R-So., RHP, Sacramento State |
Players Mentioned
INF
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UTIL
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1B
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