By: Mariah Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications and Digital Media
RIVERSIDE--- After a 2-2 week at home, the California Baptist baseball program is headed to Phoenix, Arizona, to face off with Grand Canyon University in one of the most crucial series of the Western Athletic Conference season. Both CBU and GCU are entering the weekend with a ranked win under their belts and will be looking to secure the WAC series, which will be crucial in top-two final seeding at the end of the regular season. The Lopes hold a 26-18 overall record and sit in first place with a 16-5 conference record. The Lancers sit two games back with a 14-7 WAC record while boasting a 29-16 overall record.
THE LANCERS AT A GLANCE
California Baptist went 2-2 last week after dropping a series to Utah Valley but picked up a pair of midweek wins. After taking down Long Beach 12-4 and winning the first game of the series against UVU 12-7, the Lancers dropped Saturday's game and pushed Sunday's game to 12 innings but were unable to complete the walkoff. CBU turned around and welcomed #25 UCSB on Tuesday and picked up their first win against a ranked team this year, giving the Lancers a confidence boost heading into the high-stakes weekend.
Sophomore Nicholas Dumesnil has shined in the last few weeks for the Lancers and continues to lead the team in several categories. The center fielder boasts a .339 batting average paired with 56 hits, 12 doubles, and 15 home runs. The Lancers have flexed a lot of strength at the plate and sit in second for most home runs as a team at 75. In just the last four games, CBU has launched 16 homers with Simon leading the efforts. Sitting right behind Dumesnil in offensive highlights is Josh Paino, who owns a .315 batting average. The junior has been consistent this season for the Lancers, both at the plate and in the infield. Paino holds 11 home runs and 14 doubles while flexing a .612 slugging percentage,
The California Baptist pitching staff has had a phenomenal season this year and continues to be dominant every weekend, starting with the Friday night guy. True freshman Lukas Pirko holds a 2.56 ERA across his 10 starts on the mound. Pirko is 5-2 and leads the team with 49 strikeouts throughout 52.2 innings pitched. Brandon Downer follows suit with a 3.34 ERA after 62 innings of action, tossing 48 strikeouts and holding a 1.11 WHIP.
HAVE A WEEK, MITCHEL SIMON
Mitchel Simon had an unreal week at the plate for the Lancers and has carried into this week against Utah Valley and #25 UC Santa Barbara. The third baseman tallied 12 RBI, six home runs, three doubles, and nine hits across a four-game spread. Simon has knocked a four home runs in his last three games and continues to push the all-time CBU career record after celebrating his 60th against #25 UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday while snagging 11th in the nation for most home runs this season at 20.
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: Grand Canyon
Dates/Times: Friday, May 3rd (7:00 p.m. PST); Saturday, May 4th (7:00 p.m. PST); Sunday, May 5th (12:00 p.m. PST)
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Video: ESPN+: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
SERIES NOTES
The infamous battle between the Lopes and Lancers started in 2005 for the baseball programs and has grown into a competitive rivalry across all sports the squads go head-to-head in. In the overall record, GCU currently holds a 16-14 winning record over the Lancers after sweeping CBU in conference play last season. The last time California Baptist took a series off the Lopes was in 2019.
THE LOPES AT A GLANCE
Grand Canyon enters the weekend after crushing #21 Arizona in a 24-8 seven-inning win on Tuesday night after sweeping Seattle over the weekend. GCU has yet to drop a Western Athletic Conference series this year and has been dominant this season. The Lopes end their season with the top-four teams during the final three weeks, and California Baptist will kick off the tough ending for the Phoenix squad.
Cade Verdusco and Tyler Wilson have had fantastic seasons at the plate for GCU and will be expected to carry it into the weekend series. Verdusco leads the team with a .412 batting average after picking up four hits against Arizona on Tuesday. The senior has seen the field just 25 times this season but has played consistently since April 16th. Wilson has made 42 starts this season for the Lopes and maintains a .376 batting average, along with 13 doubles, two triples, and ten home runs. The utility player leads the squad with a .661 slugging percentage and boasts a .444 on-base percentage.
On the pitching side, the squad holds a team ERA of 4.63. Isaac Lyon, Carter Young, and Connor Mattison have been the weekend rotation for the Lopes. Lyon leads the staff with a 3.44 ERA across 11 appearances while dominating the bump with 55 strikeouts. Young has gotten the start nine times this season and owns a 3-2 pitching record across 48 innings with a 4.31 ERA. Mattison finishes the trio and has made a strong freshman debut for the Lopes, most notably tossing a no-hitter complete game earlier this season. The freshman currently holds a 5.33 ERA and 5-3 record during his 50 innings of action from the mound. Mattison leads the team with 72 strikeouts while flexing a .243 batting average against.
Lancer baseball tickets are on sale now at CBULancers.com/baseballtickets for all games at Totman Stadium.
