No. 3 seed?
 
You underestimate them.
 
Relying on the powerful yet flexible arm of hurler Kyle Weaver, the Grand Canyon University Club Baseball Division 2 team rolled through the eight-team field at the National Club Baseball Association D2 World Series, finishing off an undefeated week with a 5-0 shutout of No. 5 seed Penn State University in the championship game. It was the second shutout in the four victories for the Lopes at Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park in Butler, Pennsylvania, and earned Lopes' D2 Head Coach Kim Carpenter and his squad the NCBA World Series crown in their first-ever trip to the D2 tournament.
 
1^st Round: #3 GCU 1, #6 Washington 0
 
Weaver – a junior from Upland, California - set the tone in the Lopes' opener against 6^th-seeded University of Washington, making a 5^th-inning RBI double from GCU shortstop Nathan Fernandez stand up in a 1-0 Lopes' win. Weaver scattered four hits while striking out five Huskies' batters in the shutout.
 
Quarterfinals: #3 GCU 6, #2 North Dakota 3
 
That sent the Lopes to a quarterfinal-round showdown against 2^nd-seeded University of North Dakota, who never led after falling behind, 4-0, to GCU after the 1^st inning. Fernandez was again the offensive stalwart, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Ryan Peterson knocked in a pair of runs on a single during the 1^st-inning rally. Righthander Hunter McWilliams used the four-run cushion to breeze through his six innings of work, allowing just two hits and two earned runs while fanning 10 batters.
 
Semifinals: #3 GCU 5, #1 California (PA) 3
 
The win presented the Lopes with their toughest task yet: a date with top-seeded California University-Pennsylvania in the semis. While the Lopes never trailed, the Vulcans eradicated a 3-0 Lopes' lead in the 4^th inning, thanks to a Zachary Koons double and three GCU errors. Undeterred, the Lopes took the lead back for good in the next inning with back-to-back doubles from GCU's Zachary Barnao and Andrew Gonzalez to take a 5-3 edge. Lopes' starting pitcher Sam Mueller took care of the rest, going the seven-inning distance, allowing no earned runs and three hits.
 
Championship: #3 GCU 5, #5 Penn State 0
 
That set up the suspense of the championship matchup, which the Lopes took out of play early. The Lopes scored all five runs in the first two innings – spurred on by five GCU singles combined with four walks issued by Nittany Lions' pitching. Weaver had no such problems, blanking PSU on a four-hitter, walking just two while striking out six, including the last two Nittany Lions' hitters to face him. In fact, Weaver's only problem during the game was taking a line drive off his ear midway through the 3^rd inning, yet gutted it out to not only stay in the game but finish the shutout. Chris Walsh and Jason Bettencourt each had two hits to lead the way for GCU.
 











Weaver was the runaway winner for the tournament's Most Valuable Player Award, since he was unblemished on the hill in both of his two complete-game starts for the Lopes, going 14 innings and recording 11 strikeouts. The Lopes finish the season with a 24-5 mark, earning their first Pacific Region South title (with a 17-1 conference mark), first Pacific Regional crown and first national title along the way.