What started out as a "rebuilding year" almost turned into a World Series run.
 
After roaring back from 4^th place in the final three weeks of the regular season to win the National Club Baseball Association Southern Pacific South Conference, the playoff run for the 19^th-ranked Grand Canyon University Division 1 Club Baseball team ended earlier than hoped Saturday night in Palm Springs, California, dropping a 12-1 decision to the 5^th-ranked team in the nation, 2^nd-seeded California Polytechnic University, in seven innings. That loss in the elimination semifinals of the SoPac Regional Tournament was the 3^rd-seeded Lopes' second loss by that same score in the double-elimination tournament and sent them home without a title for the second consecutive season. The Lopes finished 1-2 at the tourney after beating SoPac South rival (and 4^th seed) San Diego State University, 17-7 in eight innings, to stay alive Saturday afternoon.
 
Round 1 (Friday): #1 UC Davis 12, #3 GCU 1 (F/7)
 
The Lopes used a consistent balance of timely hitting and strong starting pitching to overtake both SDSU and Arizona State University down the stretch in the SoPac South race and knew they'd need plenty of both to survive the weekend. Unfortunately, that consistency never arrived in the 36 hours the Lopes were in Palm Springs. A Wyatt Wagner single in the 2^nd inning was all the Lopes' offense had to show in Friday's first 4 innings, and by the time GCU finally strung together three straight base hits to score their lone run in the 6^th inning, the outcome was already all but decided. The top-seeded Aggies (who eventually went on to win the tournament Sunday) scored in each of the first four innings, including a five-spot in the 3^rd that chased Lopes' starter Tyler Soren and basically put the game out of reach. The Lopes managed seven hits on the day, including a pair of singles and the lone RBI from Wagner.
 
Elimination Round (Saturday): #3 GCU 17, #4 San Diego State 7 (F/8)
 
The Friday loss meant the Lopes would have to brave the 100+-degree Palm Springs heat to win four straight in the span of just over 24 hours to punch their NCBA World Series tickets again, and that quest started with a Saturday morning showdown against the team the Lopes finished tied atop the SoPac South Standings with: San Diego State. The Aztecs – who had fallen into the elimination round after a 7-3 loss Friday night to Cal Poly – didn't lack for offensive opportunities against the Lopes Saturday. They just lacked the ability to close against Lopes' starting pitcher Cole Mercier, who was a magician in keeping his shutout intact by stranding six SDSU runners in the first four innings. The Lopes' offense had no such problems, getting at least one hit in each of the first six innings, and batting around in both the 3^rd and 5^th innings to take a commanding 14-0 lead into the 5^th inning. The Lopes finally invoked the 10-run mercy rule in the 8^th inning on Elijah Castro's bases-loaded single to score a pair. Castro and Brandon Vasquez led the Lopes' 15-hit attack with three hits and four runs batted in apiece, while Mercier scattered an amazing 12 hits but allowed just two earned runs in five innings to get the win.
 
Elimination Semifinal (Saturday): #2 Cal Poly 12, #3 GCU 1 (F/7)
 
A suddenly rejuvenated GCU offense - coupled with the fact that Cal Poly had to wait nearly five hours in-between their morning shutout loss to UCD and the first pitch of this game – should've given the Lopes a mental edge. After a quiet first inning for both sides, though, CPU grabbed that mental edge and never relinquished it. Lopes' starter Brandon Bermudez didn't have the same magic as Mercier in working out of jams, and the Mustangs pounced with back-to-back four-run innings in the 3^rd and 4^th. Conversely, in only his 5^th start of the year, CPU sophomore pitcher Rhys Appleby acted like the staff ace, allowing a Sebastian Osornio single to lead off the 3^rd inning and an Owen Earle double to cash Osornio in… and that's it. Appleby didn't allow any more Lopes to get into scoring position until a pair of walks in the 7^th were neutralized by a game-ending double play to end the game early and send the Lopes (16-11 overall, 10-5 SoPac South) home.

"We had some favor at the end of the season to get into the regional tourney," said Lopes' Head Coach Rich Warnol. "We had some good weekends in April but just couldn't consistently put it together all year. We were happy to get to the regional and hopefully, our young players can build off this season for next year."
 
Warnol won't have any time to get depressed about the end of his D1 team's season, since he and Lopes' Division 2 Head Coach Kim Carpenter will head to Alton, Illinois, this weekend with the No. 1 team in the NCBA D2 Poll, the Lopes' D2 squad. The top-seeded Lopes will take their newly minted Pacific Region title into the NCBA Division 2 World Series, which begins Friday. The Lopes (25-1 overall, 12-0 Pacific Region South) will finish out the first day's action at 5PM (Arizona time) against upstart Colorado State University-Pueblo (16-5 overall, 8-3 Rocky Mountain South), and will aim for a spot in the championship game on Tuesday night, May 19^th, hoping to win their second national championship after hoisting the trophy four years ago.