Tucson Regional pits No. 24 GCU, No. 21 Ole Miss

The ladder of the Grand Canyon softball program stepped into its first NCAA Division I regional in 2022, recorded its first regional win in 2023 by beating No. 2 UCLA and reached a regional final in 2024.

The next rung awaits 120 miles south from GCU in Tucson this weekend, when 24th-ranked GCU (46-6) will be the regional's No. 3 seed and face No. 2 seed Ole Miss (37-17). Top-seeded host Arizona (45-11) will play No. 4 seed Santa Clara (32-20) at 4 p.m. Friday before the Lopes face the Rebels at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

After being sent to the UCLA-hosted regional for each of the past three years, GCU's larger cheer during the NCAA selection show was for not going to Los Angeles before its name and faces popped on the ESPN2 screen with WAC championship hardware. The Lopes enter the NCAA Tournament and Hildenbrand Stadium with the nation's longest active winning streak (23), best winning percentage (46-6, .885) and lowest team ERA (1.74).

"We're used to going out west to Westwood, so it was neat to see us not come up and go to UCLA's region just so we can experience something different," said GCU head coach Shanon Hays, whose four-year Lopes record is 182-48 (.791). "But it's going to be a really tough regional, so we better be ready to play.

"We're going to have to play our best to beat any of the teams there. That's the fun part about it, having the chance to go do it. We know we have a team that can compete against good teams. We'll just see if that happens."

Ole Miss, ranked 21st nationally, was a 2022 Los Angeles Regional foe of GCU, which lost to the Rebels 9-5 after leading the elimination game 5-0 in the first inning at UCLA.

The Rebels are headed for their ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament with an impressive resume highlighted by five wins against three teams in the national top six – No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Florida (twice) and No. 6 Arkansas (twice). Freshman right-handed pitcher Miali Guachino leads the nation with six shutouts.

"They're a great team, but so are we," said Lopes junior first baseman Emily Gonzalez, the WAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player after her 11th-inning, game-winning home run in Saturday's championship game. "We worked very hard to get here, so I'm excited to play there with this team.

"We play well under pressure. We've gone through so much this year. Our whole motto is 'Together.' We do everything together, and it's really formed our team to where it is now."

Seeded 13th nationally, Arizona is hosting a regional for the first time since 2021 but 27th time overall. The Wildcats (45-11) feature Big 12 Player of the Year Devyn Netz, the nation's eighth-best hitting team (.347) and a top-20 team for home runs and field percentage.

GCU is seeking its first program win against Arizona, but the Lopes have been close recently with a 3-2 loss in Tucson last season and an extra-inning home loss to the Wildcats in March. GCU graduate Makaiya Gomez homered in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings, where uncharacteristic defensive miscues spiraled into a 7-3 loss.

"This is a little more personal, especially my last year," said Lopes senior pitcher Meghan Golden, the Peoria, Arizona, native and WAC Pitcher of the Year whose former club teammates play for Arizona. "Whatever happens, this is it, so I might as well give it my all."

GCU has not played Santa Clara since 2022, when it lost to the Broncos 8-1 for its first loss in the head-to-head series. With a program-record 32 wins, the Broncos earned the WCC automatic berth to make their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in the program's 46-year history.

The Tucson Regional is arguably the nation's toughest with three teams ranked in the top 33 of the most recent NCAA RPI rankings.

"It's a tough draw in Ole Miss – a really tough draw," Hays said. "They're one of the best teams in the country, so it'll be a really tough regional. Ole Miss was somebody that a couple weeks ago had a chance to host, and they're battle-tested."

The winner of the double-elimination regional will advance to a May 22-25 NCAA Super Regional.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Meghan Golden

Makaiya Gomez

Emily Gonzalez

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