GCU welcomes Texas Tech for 3-game weekend

Friday, March 7

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Texas Tech

Tickets

Photo by: Jack Gilday

3/6/2025 6:54:00 PM | Baseball

GCU Notes

Lopes, Red Raiders meet for weekend series after several recent midweek matchups

By: Josh Hauser

Friday-Sunday, March 7-9 \| Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (3-8)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (8-4)

PITCHING PROBABLES

Friday, March 7 • 6 p.m.
Live Stats • Watch on ESPN+
RHP Mac Heuer (0-1, 9.58) vs. RHP Isaac Lyon (1-1, 3.94)

Saturday, March 8 • 6 p.m.
Live Stats • Watch on ESPN+
RHP Lukas Pirko (0-1, 8.18) vs. RHP Garrett Ahern (3-0, 2.12)

Sunday, March 9 • 12 p.m.
Live Stats • Watch on ESPN+
RHP Zane Petty (0-1, 7.04) vs. TBA

Grand Canyon hosts a three-game series against Texas Tech beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday night, as the Red Raiders return to GCU Ballpark for the first time since 2022.

The series will be streamed on ESPN+.

3 THINGS TO KNOW

BARRERAS' HOT START: Junior shortstop Emilio Barreras is off to a scorching hot start from the plate this year. Barreras is hitting a WAC-best .444. He has 20 hits, a top-60 mark nationally. After being the nation's 29th toughest batter to strike out last year, he ranks 23rd this season (once every 22.5 at bats).

LYON'S DOMINANT START: Junior Isaac Lyon is coming off of his best start of the season at Texas State last Friday. The right-hander set a new career high with 12 strikeouts over six shutout innings. That work led him to being named the WAC Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career. Lyon gave way to sophomore righty Connor Mattison in relief, who threw three more scoreless innings for GCU's first shutout victory of the season.

HISTORY WITH THE RED RAIDERS: The Lopes and Red Raiders have met up frequently with three midweek series since 2015 including two in the last three years. A Lopes program that was only in its second season back at the Division I level swept a two-game midweek series over the No. 21 Red Raiders in Lubbock in 2015. GCU extended its series win streak to four with a midweek sweep in Phoenix over No. 4 Texas Tech in 2022, a key notch in GCU's eventual at-large tournament resume. No. 16 Texas Tech got revenge in 2023 with a two-game sweep of the Lopes in Lubbock.

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH

At 3-9, Texas Tech is off to an unusually slow start to the season as the Red Raiders look to work their way back to the NCAA tournament after their streak of seven tourney appearances was snapped in 2024.

The Red Raiders were swept at North Carolina to open the season, dropped a home series to UC Irvine, went 1-2 in a Las Vegas tournament and split a two-game midweek set with UC San Diego.

Texas Tech has displayed power at times with 18 home runs and a .483 slugging percentage that ranks 61st nationally. The Red Raiders have struggled on the mound with a 6.80 ERA.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU begins a stretch of nine consecutive road games with trips to Oregon, Texas and New Mexico for games with Oregon, Oregon State, Santa Clara, Abilene Christian and New Mexico. The stretch starts in Eugene, Oregon, for a two-game midweek series with the Ducks.

For more GCU baseball news, notes and numbers, click here to view game notes.