Completed Event: Baseball at Washington State on March 22, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 6
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at Washington State
L 2-6
Grand Canyon University Athletics
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Jersey Number 16
Eli Paton
- Position:
- INF
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-3 / 205
- Class:
- Redshirt Senior
- B/T:
- L/R
- Hometown:
- La Canada, Calif.
- HS:
- Maranatha
- Prev School:
- UCLA
- Major:
- B.S. in Sports and Entertainment Management
 |
Grand Canyon |
Career Summary
- Appeared in over 150 games and started 136 during his three-year GCU career. At conclusion of career, ranked 15th in program history in D-I games played.
- Was hit by pitch 25 times, tied for fifth most in program history and second most in the D-I era.
- Eclipsed 100 hits, runs and RBIs.
- Started all but one game with 54 coming at third base and three at second base.
- Led the team with 226 at bats. Tied for second in runs scored (41) and doubles (14) while ranking fourth in RBIs (39) and home runs (9).
- Hit .313 in WAC play. His seven doubles during conference action were tied for sixth-most in the WAC.
- His 14 hit by pitches tied for fourth most in a season in program history.
- Had 13 multi-hit games including a pair of four-hit games: March 4 vs. Pepperdine and April 5 at California Baptist.
- Had 11 multi-RBI games including a season-high five RBIs against Pepperdine on March 4.
- Posted a career-best nine-game hit streak from April 1-15, spanning games against Arizona, Cal State Fullerton, California Baptist and Utah Valley.
- Hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to beat UT Arlington on April 25.
- Named WAC Player of the Week on March 10 following a 6-for-14 week (.429) with two doubles and two home runs for a 1.000 slugging percentage to help the Lopes go 4-0 against Pepperdine and Texas Tech.
- First home run of the season came against No. 23 Nebraska on Feb. 17, tying the game in the fifth inning of an eventual Lopes' win.
- Played fill-in duty at second base for GCU's April 4-6 series sweep at California Baptist, managing to tie the team's single-game high for assists in a game with seven on April 5.
- Named to the Preseason All-WAC team.
- Saw huge jumps in production from 2023 to 2024 including tripling hits from 23 to 69 and starting 57 of the Lopes' 61 games, all at third base.
- One of five qualifying GCU batters to hit .300 or better, hitting fourth-best overall (.319) and even better in WAC play (.353).
- Tied for second on the team in hits (69) and doubles (15) and tied for third in runs scored (47).
- In WAC play, tied for third in the conference in runs scored (33) and ranked 11th in the conference in average (.353) and on-base percentage (.440).
- Spent 14 games as the cleanup hitter in GCU's lineup with the Lopes going 10-4.
- Had 23 multi-hit games, headlined by a four-hit performance at Seattle U on April 28.
- Aided Connor Mattison's March 29 no-hitter, the first at GCU in 42 years, with some key defensive plays. "I walked up to my parents and told them that was the most special game I've ever played."
- Had four games of four or more RBIs, highlighted by a career-best six-RBI performance in a 24-8 win over No. 21 Arizona on April 30.
- Recorded the game-winning, go-ahead triple in the top of the 10th inning at Utah Valley on May 17.
- First home run of the season came in a nationally televised win over USC on Feb. 17.
- Started 22 of GCU's 58 games and appeared off the bench in 17 more. Made 14 starts at first base, seven starts at third base and one as designated hitter.
- All three of his homers came in conference play, leading to a .571 slugging percentage in WAC action.
- His first career homer was a grand slam, coming in a 14-2 win over Seattle U on April 8 as a part of his three-hit, five-RBI day.
- Also homered on April 14 at Abilene Christian and April 23 vs. Utah Tech.
 |
UCLA |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
- Spent two seasons (2021 and 2022) with the Bruins program. Redshirted the 2021 season.
- Appeared in eight games as a redshirt freshman, all off the bench, in 2022.
- Made his season debut on Feb. 19, pinch hitting in the seventh inning.
- Named to the UCLA Director's Honor Roll for fall, winter, and spring quarters.
- Selected to the 2022 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll (3.3+ cumulative GPA, 1+ year of residence at institution).
Summer Leagues |
- 2023: Conejo Oaks | California Collegiate League | Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Stats)
- 2022: Ventura County Pirates | Sunset Baseball League | Los Angeles, Calif. (Stats)
- 2021: Walla Walla Sweets | West Coast League | Walla Walla, Wash. (Stats)
- 2020: Inland Valley Pirates | Sunset Baseball League | Fullerton, Calif. (Stats)
Maranatha HS |
Pasadena, Calif. |
- Was ranked as the No. 2 first baseman in California and No. 10 first baseman nationally. Listed as the No. 43 prospect in California by Perfect Game.
- Batted .375 during an abbreviated senior season in 2020. Earned all-state honors.
- 2019 Preseason Underclass All-American Second Team.
- Participated in the 2019 Perfect Game National Showcase.
- Named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2018 WWBA World Championship.
- Selected to the 15U National Team by USA Baseball in 2017.
- Won a pair of league titles with Maranatha.
- Spent his first two high school seasons at Loyola High School in Los Angeles.
Personal |
- Parents are Frank and Hailey Paton.
- Father, Frank, played football at Utah from 1981 to 1985.
- Uncle, George, is currently the general manager of the Denver Broncos.
- Highlighted for his community service work by D1Baseball.com, helping decorate childrens' hospital rooms for a more welcoming feel.
- Named to the Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team for his efforts in the community.
- Off the field, enjoys mountain biking, weightlifting and fantasy football.
- Chose GCU for its "great coaching staff, loaded roster of stud players, and great facilities."
- If he wasn't playing baseball, it'd be basketball.
- Favorite motivational quote is: "Great things come from hard work and perseverance, no excuses. If you love a thing you will overcome all difficulties." - Kobe Bryant.
- Favorite pro sports teams are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Broncos.
- Favorite athletes to watch growing up include Albert Pujols, Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning.
TWO grand slams. ONE game. #collegebaseball
Tuesday, March 31
GCU Baseball vs. San Diego State (Game 2) - Cameron, Sanko grand slams
Sunday, March 29
GCU Baseball vs. San Diego State (Game 1) - Highlights
Saturday, March 28
GCU Baseball at Arizona - Peery, Schmidt homers
Wednesday, March 25
