The last one standing will be more prepared for nationals than most.
 
The top-seeded Grand Canyon University Club Baseball Division 2 team will put its undefeated record on the line as it opens up play at the 2025 National Club Baseball Association Pacific Region Tournament Friday night against 4^th-seeded California State University-Chico. The three-day tournament will be held in Palm Springs, California, for the first time this year, and will sport nationally ranked teams in all four slots. The field will wind its way through the double-elimination format before officially crowning a champion on Sunday, May 4. The 4^th-ranked Lopes (17-2 overall, 12-0 Pacific Region South) are seeking their four straight region crown as they vie against not only the 17^th-ranked Wildcats, but also 7^th-ranked Santa Clara University (seeded 2^nd) and 8^th-ranked California Miramar University (3^rd seed), who will face off against each other in the other region game on Friday.
 
Despite the formidable field, the Lopes are still considered slight favorites to repeat – thanks to their strong balance of offense and pitching this season. The offense has posted 10 more runs in seven of their 12 conference games, including a 20-3 victory against University of California-Irvine during the Lopes' final conference series three weeks ago that helped wrap on the Pacific Region South Conference crown. Lopes' senior outfielder Jeremy Baker has led the charge all year with a blistering .509 batting average – including hitting at a .583 clip in conference play -and a team-leading 14 stolen bases; but he's had plenty of help from fellow outfielder Andrew Eide (.492 batting average, team-leading 31 hits including 9 doubles) and junior 1^st baseman Ryan Peterson (team-leading 25 runs batted in).
 
The pitching side is just as formidable, since the Lopes have also fired four shutouts at its conference opponents this year. Sophomore righthander Kaden Klein has been at the forefront of the Lopes' success all year, firing the last two shutouts against California State University San Marcos and Cal-Irvine, and leading the team with both a stingy .39 earned run average in region play and a 1.65 ERA overall. Klein also has a team-high 32 strikeouts, just two ahead of the other half of GCU's one-two punch, fellow soph Anthony Wilson, who has logged the most innings (29) of any pitcher while allowing just three runs earned in region play while going 4-0.
 
The Santa Clara-Cal Miramar clash will open the tournament at 3PM Friday, followed the Lopes' first-round game. A win over Chico State sends the Lopes to Saturday morning's semifinals at 10AM, then a win there shoots them right to the championship round, which starts at 9AM Sunday. The Lopes are hoping for another chance at the NCBA D2 World Series in Alton, Illinois, which they won in 2022.