They'll face the No. 4 team - and later the No. 5 team – in the nation this weekend.
 
They are the top royalty entering the tournament, though.
 
It took all of the regular season to climb the ladder, but after going a perfect 12-0 in Pacific Region South Conference play and winning 22 of their 23 games overall, the Grand Canyon University Club Baseball Division 2 team will head to the National Club Baseball Association Pacific Region Tournament this weekend in Palm Springs as the top-ranked team in the nation – according to the latest NCBA Division 2 Poll. The Lopes ascended the final two spots in the rankings to leapfrog previous No. 1 Santa Clara University and 2^nd-ranked Penn State University to reach the top spot in the poll for the first time since May of 2023. The Lopes accomplished the goal by putting the finishing touches on their perfect conference season with a weekend sweep of UC Irvine that saw them outscore the Anteaters by a combined score of 34-1 in the three games.
 
Why are the Lopes considered the nation's best team on the eve of the various regional tournaments? Most experts would point to a few components – on both offense and defense. The Lopes are hitting at a blistering .382 clip as a team and have scored 269 runs – an average of over 11 runs per game. Six Lopes are still hitting well over the .400 mark, with sophomore outfielder Troy Taylor leading the charge at a .521 clip while leading a balanced attack in hits (38), runs scored (39), runs batted in (40), doubles (9), triples (4) and a .918 slugging percentage. The pitching staff has been as stingy as the offense has been plentiful, allowing 23 opponents just 43 runs (16 unearned) (a 1.54 earned run average). Opponents will have to hope that the Lopes' three main starting pitchers won't resemble their regular season selves in the playoffs, since neither Kolby Klein (six starts, 0.33 ERA), Anthony Wilson (8, 0.77) or Brock Diano (6, 0.86) have ERAs anywhere near a single run.
 
Speaking of playoff opponents, Santa Clara is not only 4^th-ranked in the nation but will also be the No. 2 seed in the four-team, double-elimination region tournament that begins tomorrow. The Broncos will host 3^rd-seeded Southern Utah University to commence the tournament at 3PM on Friday. Then the top-seeded Lopes will take center stage at 6PM Friday against 4^th-seeded Stanford University. The Cardinal's seed is deceptive, since they are mandatorily seeded last because they are the at-large bid – having finished 2^nd in the Pacific Region North Conference to the SCU – but are the 5^th-ranked team in the nation. The winners of Friday's showdowns head to Saturday morning's semifinal round, and if that's a clash between the top two seeds, then the Lopes will have revenge on their minds, since it was Santa Clara who sent the Lopes home unhappy from regionals last May.
 
The tournament's championship round will begin at 9AM Sunday morning, which the Lopes (22-1 overall, 12-0 Pacific Region South) are eyeing as the chance to return to the title of region champions – a moniker they held for four straight years before last year's early exit. The Lopes are also seeking not just another trip to Alton, Illinois, for the NCBA D2 World Series, but to add a second national title after winning their first one back in 2022.