Lopes depart Arizona for 2-game set at UC Irvine

PITCHING PROBABLES

Game 1
RHP Finnegan Wall (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Elijah Higginbottom (0-1, 24.00)

Game 2
RHP Jack Ross (1-0, 2.08 ERA) vs. LHP Cody Kiemele (0-0, 0.00)

Grand Canyon departs the Phoenix metro area for the first time this season when it takes on UC Irvine for a two-game midweek set beginning on Tuesday. GCU last played at UC Irvine in the 2022 season, where the Anteaters won two of three games, but the Lopes recovered to build an at-large NCAA Tournament resume. The Lopes are looking to snap a three-game skid while UC Irvine is looking to halt a two-game losing streak.

Both games of the series will stream on ESPN+.

3 THINGS TO KNOW

ANTEATER CONNECTIONS: GCU head coach Gregg Wallis is a UC Irvine alum, playing 149 games from 2002-05 for the Anteaters. Wallis was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. Following graduation, he served on the Anteaters' support staff in 2006 and 2007 when current UCI head coach Ben Orloff was on the roster.

CALI CALLS: The Lopes are playing the first of three series (eight games) in California, a state where 13 of its 44 players (29.5%) call home. GCU later returns for Mountain West series at Fresno State and San José State. GCU freshman lefty Cody Kiemele is the Lopes' scheduled Wednesday starter. A Riverside native, Kiemele will make his college debut less than 40 miles from his nearby high school.

SWING-AND-MISS STUFF: GCU checks in at No. 38 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (11.3). Lopes pitching strung together three consecutive games of 15 or more strikeouts on Feb. 15 vs. Nebraska and the first two games of the series with Oklahoma State.

SCOUTING UC IRVINE

UC Irvine enters the series at 5-2, leaning on pitching and clean defense early in the season to rank in the national top 30 in ERA (3.00) and fielding percentage (.984). UCI is also ninth nationally in WHIP (0.97) and third in walks allowed per nine innings (2.14). The Anteaters swept an opening-weekend series against Sacramento State and won a midweek game against San Diego State before dropping two of three to Cal.

The early 2026 performance builds on the foundation established under head coach Ben Orloff, who guided the Anteaters to a 43-17 record and a 24-6 Big West championship in 2025. UCI finished ranked No. 25 by D1Baseball.com and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll while advancing to the Los Angeles Regional final. UC Irvine has made three NCAA appearances in the past five full seasons and posted back-to-back 43-win campaigns in 2024 and 2025.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU leaves the state for the first time this season for a two-game midweek set at UC Irvine getting underway on Tuesday.

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

PITCHING PROBABLES

3 THINGS TO KNOW

SCOUTING UC IRVINE

WHAT'S NEXT?

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Elijah Higginbottom

Cody Kiemele

Grand Canyon University Athletics