Upcoming Event: Softball versus Pima CC on September 30, 2025 at 6 p.m.
Softball
6 p.m.
vs Pima CC
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, May 20
7:55 p.m.
Grand Canyon
47-13, 0
1
vs
5
Liberty
40-21, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Liberty
2
0
0
1
1
1
0
5
9
1
Grand Canyon
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
3
2
Regional ride ends, caps statement season
5/20/2023 11:57:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro
Lopes' usual hot hitting cooled by Liberty after SDSU did same
LOS ANGELES – After struggling to sleep or catch up with messages for upsetting No. 2 UCLA, Grand Canyon returned to Easton Stadium for a daylong gamut of emotions Saturday.
GCU's greatest season ever was primed for more when it arrived midday in need of winning its next two games for the Los Angeles Regional title but wound up taking two losses that ended its second statement season.
The Lopes' 47-13 season, an all-time record for wins, ended with a 5-1 loss to Liberty that repeated themes from its afternoon 6-0 loss to San Diego State in the four-team, double-elimination tournament.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning to San Diego State, GCU dug a 2-0 hole with Liberty and was held to three hits. The Lopes' 8-for-70 regional did not resemble the .500 hitting of the WAC Tournament championship or the No. 4 national ranking it had for hitting.
"It's a lot of fun playing against great teams like that," Lopes head coach Shanon Hays said. "We just got behind the 8-ball in both games early. It's hard to play from behind and pressure the other pitcher.
"We made things easy at the first of the game and tried to claw back into it. It wasn't our best day offensively, but a great day as far as I'm concerned with finishing up a great year and being able to coach this team is a huge pleasure and honor."
An 0-2 final day at the regional hurt, but the Lopes' pain will subside into pride for how the program took another massive step into the national realm. Under Hays, GCU has gone from a record of 26-50 (.342) in the two years prior to his arrival to a mark of 86-29 (.748) with him.
The transformation began last year with the program's first Division I tournament berth and solidified this season with a repeat visit that included arguably the greatest regional opener upset in tournament history – GCU's 3-2 victory against No. 2 UCLA on its field Friday night.
"Looking back on the first game, we proved ourselves," Lopes senior second baseman Macee Barnes said. "We didn't come up with the win these past two games, but I still think we proved ourselves again. We played good softball. They just played better softball.
"I'm proud of our season and how we did and what Coach Hays has done with this program in two years. I really respect Coach Hays and I'm really excited for what the team is going to do next year."
But the regional was stacked with more than a 13-time national champion. GCU took its first loss from San Diego State, which has not allowed a run in four consecutive games, and the second loss from Liberty, the No. 28 team nationally in NCAA Ratings Percentage Index.
Lopes sophomore starting pitcher Meghan Golden, pitching through a back issue in recent weeks, yielded a two-run, first-inning home run and two walks before senior pitcher Ariel Thompson entered to induce two fly outs that left the damage at 2-0.
A sequence of a hit batsman, infield single and error led to Liberty taking a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning, when GCU picked up its first hit in the bottom half on a leadoff double to the center field wall by junior right fielder Kristin Fifield.
It was the point that the Lopes looked like they could push back, but junior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel went for a rare riseball offering and popped it up before senior designated player Ramsay Lopez's rocket liner was snagged by pitcher Karlie Keeney to double up Fifield.
After being shut out on two hits by San Diego State, GCU was held to three hits by Liberty to go from a .500-hitting WAC Tournament championship to an 8-for-70 regional against a higher level of pitching.
"Our offense wasn't top-notch like we know it can be, but I still think we did a lot for the program this weekend and showed the world what this program can do," said Barnes, who knocked in the Lopes' only run of the day with a two-out, fifth-inning RBI single to center field. "I think we left off on a good note for the standards that the newbies have coming in and the returners. We can go to a regional and we can win and you can beat the No. 2 team while you're there. This program is going to benefit from what we did this weekend."
After losing twice at last year's regional, Thompson pitched 4 2/3 innings in the finale to follow up tossing 2 1/3 shutout innings for the save against UCLA.
"The first thing that came to mind was, 'I'm getting redemption,' " Thompson said of the NCAA returning GCU to a regional at UCLA. "I'm proud of our team and the way we worked together.
"I'm hungry. I'm ready for more, so we're coming back next year."
GCU sophomore Emily Darwin also pitched two shutout innings of relief in each game Saturday, dropping her first Division I season's ERA to 2.35.
With standouts such as Fifield, Dunckel and Thompson returning from consecutive regional teams, the Lopes are ready to stack statements with a strong incoming recruiting class and more coming in transfers, including the recent signing of the nation's No. 2 hitter, outfielder Ashley Trierweiler.
"We want to try to do it again next year," Hays said. "You're not going to win them all. The possibility of getting beat is what makes winning fun. Competing and trying to put together the best team and prepare your team the best you can and going through the process as a team is what makes every year fun.
"To see what these girls have done to build our program over the last two years is pretty amazing."
GCU's greatest season ever was primed for more when it arrived midday in need of winning its next two games for the Los Angeles Regional title but wound up taking two losses that ended its second statement season.
The Lopes' 47-13 season, an all-time record for wins, ended with a 5-1 loss to Liberty that repeated themes from its afternoon 6-0 loss to San Diego State in the four-team, double-elimination tournament.After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning to San Diego State, GCU dug a 2-0 hole with Liberty and was held to three hits. The Lopes' 8-for-70 regional did not resemble the .500 hitting of the WAC Tournament championship or the No. 4 national ranking it had for hitting.
"It's a lot of fun playing against great teams like that," Lopes head coach Shanon Hays said. "We just got behind the 8-ball in both games early. It's hard to play from behind and pressure the other pitcher.
"We made things easy at the first of the game and tried to claw back into it. It wasn't our best day offensively, but a great day as far as I'm concerned with finishing up a great year and being able to coach this team is a huge pleasure and honor."
An 0-2 final day at the regional hurt, but the Lopes' pain will subside into pride for how the program took another massive step into the national realm. Under Hays, GCU has gone from a record of 26-50 (.342) in the two years prior to his arrival to a mark of 86-29 (.748) with him.
The transformation began last year with the program's first Division I tournament berth and solidified this season with a repeat visit that included arguably the greatest regional opener upset in tournament history – GCU's 3-2 victory against No. 2 UCLA on its field Friday night."Looking back on the first game, we proved ourselves," Lopes senior second baseman Macee Barnes said. "We didn't come up with the win these past two games, but I still think we proved ourselves again. We played good softball. They just played better softball.
"I'm proud of our season and how we did and what Coach Hays has done with this program in two years. I really respect Coach Hays and I'm really excited for what the team is going to do next year."
But the regional was stacked with more than a 13-time national champion. GCU took its first loss from San Diego State, which has not allowed a run in four consecutive games, and the second loss from Liberty, the No. 28 team nationally in NCAA Ratings Percentage Index.
Lopes sophomore starting pitcher Meghan Golden, pitching through a back issue in recent weeks, yielded a two-run, first-inning home run and two walks before senior pitcher Ariel Thompson entered to induce two fly outs that left the damage at 2-0.
A sequence of a hit batsman, infield single and error led to Liberty taking a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning, when GCU picked up its first hit in the bottom half on a leadoff double to the center field wall by junior right fielder Kristin Fifield.It was the point that the Lopes looked like they could push back, but junior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel went for a rare riseball offering and popped it up before senior designated player Ramsay Lopez's rocket liner was snagged by pitcher Karlie Keeney to double up Fifield.
After being shut out on two hits by San Diego State, GCU was held to three hits by Liberty to go from a .500-hitting WAC Tournament championship to an 8-for-70 regional against a higher level of pitching.
"Our offense wasn't top-notch like we know it can be, but I still think we did a lot for the program this weekend and showed the world what this program can do," said Barnes, who knocked in the Lopes' only run of the day with a two-out, fifth-inning RBI single to center field. "I think we left off on a good note for the standards that the newbies have coming in and the returners. We can go to a regional and we can win and you can beat the No. 2 team while you're there. This program is going to benefit from what we did this weekend."
After losing twice at last year's regional, Thompson pitched 4 2/3 innings in the finale to follow up tossing 2 1/3 shutout innings for the save against UCLA."The first thing that came to mind was, 'I'm getting redemption,' " Thompson said of the NCAA returning GCU to a regional at UCLA. "I'm proud of our team and the way we worked together.
"I'm hungry. I'm ready for more, so we're coming back next year."
GCU sophomore Emily Darwin also pitched two shutout innings of relief in each game Saturday, dropping her first Division I season's ERA to 2.35.
With standouts such as Fifield, Dunckel and Thompson returning from consecutive regional teams, the Lopes are ready to stack statements with a strong incoming recruiting class and more coming in transfers, including the recent signing of the nation's No. 2 hitter, outfielder Ashley Trierweiler.
"We want to try to do it again next year," Hays said. "You're not going to win them all. The possibility of getting beat is what makes winning fun. Competing and trying to put together the best team and prepare your team the best you can and going through the process as a team is what makes every year fun.
"To see what these girls have done to build our program over the last two years is pretty amazing."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: KEENEY, Karlie (27-11)
L: Golden, Meghan (14-3)
Batting:
2B: WILSON, Mary Claire 1 ; MADREY, KK 1
3B: WILSON, Mary Claire 1
HR: ROUPE, Rachel 1 ; FORTNER, Megan 1
RBI: HUDSON, Caroline 1 ; ROUPE, Rachel 2 ; FORTNER, Megan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HOWARD, Devyn 1 ; ROUPE, Rachel 1 ; FORTNER, Megan 1 ; HEIDORN, Lilly 1 ; MADREY, KK 1
SB: HEIDORN, Lilly 1 ; WOODARD, Savannah 1 ; MADREY, KK 1
HBP: KERSTEN, Sierra 1
Batting:
2B: Fifield, Kristin 1
RBI: Barnes, Macee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rodrigues, Emma 1
SB: Rodrigues, Emma 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
rf/1b
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
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