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SOFTBALL2018 GAME NOTES

Sarah Woodward, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications· Office: (602) 639-7951 · Cell: (608) 576-1518 · E-mail: sarah.woodward@gcu.edu

2018 SCHEDULE & RESULTSGCU KICKOFF TOURNAMENTFeb. 8 Montana (DH) W, 6-2 / W, 5-2Feb. 9 #1 Oklahoma L, 8-1Feb. 10 #1 Oklahoma L, 10-0Feb. 10 Pacific L, 7-6Feb. 11 Weber State W, 7-4MARY NUTTER CATHEDRAL CITY CLASSIC (Calif.)Feb. 17 Stanford L, 5-0Feb. 17 Arkansas L, 6-2Feb. 18 UC Riverside L, 1-0Feb. 18 Syracuse L, 9-8Feb. 19 UCLA L, 7-6GCU INVITATIONAL Feb. 23 Niagara W, 10-2Feb. 23 Houston Baptist W, 10-3Feb. 24 Niagara W, 16-0Feb. 24 Houston Baptist W, 8-0Feb. 25 Niagara W, 5-3Feb. 25 Houston Baptist W, 11-3LOPES UP CLASSICMar. 2 South Dakota 2:00 p.m.Mar. 2 Princeton 4:30 p.m.Mar. 3 Princeton 4:30 p.m.Mar. 3 UNLV 7:00 p.m.Mar. 4 South Dakota 11:00 a.m.Mar. 6 Valparaiso (DH) 1:00 p.m.GCU INVITATIONALMar. 9 Georgetown (DH) 5:00 p.m.Mar. 10 Iowa 1:30 p.m.Mar. 10 Minnesota 6:30 p.m.Mar. 11 Iowa 11:30 a.m.Mar. 12 Iowa 7:00 p.m. 2018 EASTON INVITATIONAL (Fullerton, Calif.)Mar. 16 Nebraska 12:30 p.m.Mar. 16 Ohio State 3:00 p.m.Mar. 17 DePaul 10:30 a.m. Mar. 17 Cal State Fullerton 1:00 p.m.Mar. 20 Utah (DH) NoonMar. 30 at Bakersfield (DH)* 1:00 p.m.Mar. 31 at Bakersfield* 2:00 p.m.Apr. 6 at Utah Valley* 2:00 p.m.Apr. 7 at Utah Valley (DH) 1:00 p.m.Apr. 13 NMSU (DH)* 5:00 p.m.Apr. 14 NMSU* 5:00 p.m.Apr. 20 at Seattle (DH)* 4:00 p.m.Apr. 21 at Seattle* 2:00 p.m.Apr. 27 UMKC (DH)* 5:00 p.m.Apr. 29 UMKC* 5:00 p.m.May 5 at Arizona (DH) 4:00 p.m. May 6 at Arizona 1:00 p.m.May 9-12 WAC Tournament+ TBA

* Denotes WAC games +WAC Tournament hosted by New Mexico StateAll times listed in Arizona Time (MST)

GAME INFORMATION

LIVE STATSGCUSTATS.COM

GRAND CANYONLOPES

(9-8, 0-0 WAC)

V S

SOUTH DAKOTACOYOTES

(3-13, 0-0 SUMMIT)

WATCHWAC DIGITAL NETWORK

V S

PRINCETONTIGERS

(0-0, 0-0 IVY)

V S

UNLVREBELS

(11-4, 0-0 MWC)

V S

VALPARAISOCRUSADERS

(6-3, 0-0 HORIZON)

GRAND CANYON QUICK HITSGrand Canyon begins its first season as a fully eligible Division I program in 2018, as the Lopes look to secure the first berth to an NCAA competition in GCU softball history. GCU claimed the regular-season WAC title last year and look to do the same this season.

The Lopes return 15 players from last year's conference champion squad, including seven position starters and one starting pitcher in sophomore Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage. Aguilar-Beaucage spent time over the summer competing with Team Canada at both the Canada Cup and the 2017 WBSC Junior Women's Softball World Championship. She looks to bea threat for the Lopes on the mound.

GCU also returns the pair of Shea and Sierra Smith, who led the Lopes in hitting with averages of .364 and .349, respectively. The duo will be a strong asset to GCU on both offense and defense this season, as Shea held a fielding percentage of .942 and Sierra was at .967 in 2017.

GCU opened the season with a 3-3 record in the brand new GCU Softball Stadium, as the Lopes welcomed 1,249 fans on opening day and a record-high 1,403 fans the next day vs. #1 Oklahoma. Sierra Smith hit a grand slam and the first home run inside the GCU Softball Stadium on Thursday night versus Montana, while Niki Gonzalez added her own yard ball on Sunday afternoon against Weber State.

GCU was picked to win the WAC title by the league's head coaches, announced by the conference last week. The quad of Aguilar-Beaucage, both Smith sisters and Hill received Preseason All-WAC nods as well. Grand Canyon had the most presea-son all-WAC honorees of any of the six teams in the conference.

The pair of Shea Smith and Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, following GCU's six-game sweep over Niagara and Houston Baptist in the GCU Purple Classic. The Lopes tallied 60 runs over six games, while Smith had an inside-the-park home run and Beaucage dished out 11 strikeouts in three appearances.

vs. 2018OPPONENTS

.312 AVG .289

.474 SLUG .411

.371 OBP .3775.9 RUNS / G 4.28.7 HITS / G 7.514 HR 9

3.5 SO / G 3.52.5 BB / G 3.018 SB 12

3.78 ERA 4.823.5 SO / G 3.5

TWITTER@GCU_SOFTBALL

INSTAGRAM@GCUSOFTBALL

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QUICK FACTS / ROSTERS / MEDIA INFOSOFTBALL COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT

WBB Contact . . . . . . .Sarah Woodward Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . 602-639-7951 Cell Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608-576-1518 Email . . . . . sarah .woodward@gcu .edu

GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY INFORMATIONSchool . . . . . . . . . . . Grand Canyon UniversityLocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phoenix, Ariz .Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1949Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,500President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian MuellerVice President of Athletics . . . . . . . Mike VaughtFaculty Representative . . . . . . . . Claude Pensis Affiliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NCAA Division INickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LopesMascot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ThunderColors . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Purple, Black & WhiteConference . . Western Athletic Conference (WAC)Athletics Website: . . . . . . www .GCULopes .com

MEDIA INFORMATIONThe Grand Canyon Athletics Department is served by a communications office staff that works diligent-ly to promote the individual and team accomplish-ments of student-athletes, coaches and staff . The office members handle all sport and department communications and media relations needs, and are happy to serve the working media in any way possi-ble . Our staff will fulfill all reasonable requests .

Credentials All members of the office follow the guidelines set forth by the NCAA and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in governing the issu-ance of credentials . All credential requests should be submitted to the sport contacts .

E-mail releases, game notes and advisories are e-mailed to media that cover GCU on a regular basis . Media wishing to be added to the e-mail list for women’s basketball should contact sarah .woodward@gcu .edu .

Online updated bios, notes, rosters, schedules, statistics, quotes, etc ., will be available throughout the season for every sport on GCULopes .com .

2018 NUMERICAL ROSTER

NO NAME POS B/T HT YR HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL PREVIOUS

2 Alexa Coons P R/R 5-6 Fr. Tucson, Ariz. Sahuaro HS

3 Sierra Smith UTIL L/R 5-5 Jr. Waddell, Ariz. Verrado HS

4 Madelyn Dowdle OF R/R 5-3 Jr. Tucson, Ariz. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy

5 Kaylee Dietrich C/INF R/R 5-6 Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Desert Vista HS

6 Shea Smith SS L/R 5-5 Jr. Waddell, Ariz. Verrado HS

7 Taylor Tetone 2B/OF R/R 5-2 Fr. Glendora, Calif. Glendora HS

8 Bianca Boling 1B L/R 5-8 Sr. Phoenix, Ariz. North Canyon

9 Hailey Freeman 3B/1B R/R 5-9 So. Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Etiwanda HS

10 Kama-Lei Santiago UTIL R/R 5-4 So. Waianae, Hawaii Waianae HS

11 Laynee Gomez OF L/L 5-2 Sr. Gilbert, Ariz. Perry HS

12 Kaileigh Holland C/INF R/R 5-6 Fr. Phoenix, Ariz. Willow Canyon HS

15 Christine Bellavia OF L/R 5-8 Fr. Tucson, Ariz. Canyon Del Oro HS

16 Logan Johnston 1B R/R 5-11 Jr. Peoria, Ariz. Liberty HS

17 Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage P/UTIL R/R 5-7 So. Tucson, Ariz. Salpointe Catholic HS

18 Mariah Valencia P R/R 5-8 Sr. Phoenix, Ariz. Paradise Valley HS

20 Taylor Kaye OF L/R 5-6 Jr. Glendale, Ariz. Mountain Ridge HS

21 Loriann Olson 2B/OF L/R 5-7 So. Tucson, Ariz. Ironwood Ridge HS

22 Jordon Keeton UTIL R/R 5-6 So. Casa Grande, Ariz. Vista Grande HS

25 Kendsey Hill C R/R 5-6 Gr. Walla Walla, Wash. Walla Walla Utah State

26 Niki Gonzalez C R/R 5-6 Sr. Tucson, Ariz. Canyon del Oro Mount St. Mary's

29 Katelyn Acton OF R/R 5-5 Fr. Buckeye, Ariz. Verrado HS

33 Yesenia Morrison P R/R 5-8 Fr. Grand Terrace, Calif. Grand Terrace HS

Head Coach Ann Pierson | Arizona State (1991), 15th SeasonAssistant Coach Christi Musser | Kansas (2002), 3rd SeasonAssistant Coach Kelsie Monroe | CSU Bakersfield (2015), 1st SeasonDir. of Operations Amanda Gardner | Volunteer Assistant Karin Gadberry

PRONUNCIATION GUIDEMadelyn DOWDLE DOW-dleKaylee DIETRICH DEE-trickTaylor TETONE CO-NABianca BOLING BOWL-lingBrianna Aguilar-BEAUCAGE BOW-CAWSHTaylor KAYE KAYKatelyn ACTON ACT-inYESENIA Morrison Yuh-sen-EE-uh

Christi MUSSER MUS-erKARIN Gadberry Karen

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HEAD COACH PROFILE

HEAD COACH ANN PIERSON Ann Pierson enters her 15th season guiding the Lopes softball squad in 2018. Pierson, the only head coach in the pro-

gram’s history, has led GCU softball to great success on and off the field.Under Pierson’s direction, since joining the Division I ranks, the softball program has had nothing but success. She has

had 18 players earn post-season awards for the WAC, including 2014 WAC Pitcher of the Year, Stephanie Pesqueira.In 2017, the final year of the Division I transition, the Lopes tied a single-season wins record with 36 and captured the

Co-WAC regular season title. Pierson was named 2017 WAC Coach of the Year for the third time overall and second since joining the WAC.

2016 and 2015 seasons both saw winning records with 35 and 28 wins respectively. Including a second-place finish in the WAC in 2015.

In the first year of the Division I transition Pierson was named WAC Coach of the Year and led the program to a WAC conference title.

Pierson guided the program to back-to-back Division II postseason appearances in 2012 and 2013. Prior to that, GCU went to the postseason for the first time in 2010, when the Lopes had a school-record 42 wins. The program hit the 40-win mark for the a second time in 2013.

Pierson has produced four Division II All-Americans. In 2013, outfielder Kayla Henry was named to the National Fast-pitch Coaches Association Second Team and Daktronics, Inc., Honorable Mention All-America, as voted on by CoSIDA. In 2012, shortstop Kelsey Barak was a Daktronics, Inc., Honorable Mention selection. In 2010, Teddy Barry was a Daktronics, Inc., First Team All-American and in 2006 Randi Johns was named to the NCAA Independent All-America Team.

While Pierson’s program’s on-field efforts have been exemplary, the off-the-field performance is equally or more im-pressive.

Four times under the veteran coach’s tenure, the Antelopes have been at the top of the NFCA Division II Top 10 All-Aca-demic Rankings. GCU took the top spot in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2012. The program boasts 49 players who have earned NFCA All-America Scholar honors. The 2012 team registered a 3.60 team grade-point average.

In 2013, Kelsey Barak (second team) and Claire Zampini (third team) became the program’s first Capital One (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Team choices. In 2014, Barak became the program's first Division I CoSIDA Academic All-America selction, after the shortstop was placed on the second team for the second year in a row.

Pierson has an all-time record of 418-317-2. She picked up her 400th win milestone in 2017 as part of a WAC Co-Champi-onship season. She notched her 300th career win in 2014 with a victory over Southern Utah in the GCU Invitational. She picked up win No. 200 in 2011, while in 2009, the program received its first national ranking. In 2010, the team was No. 22 in the final NFCA poll. In 2008 she reached the 100-win milestone.

Prior to coming to GCU, Pierson was the lead assistant at Arizona State for seven seasons. There, she was responsible for managing the recruitment process, initial eligibility and assisting with on-field coaching.

Pierson, formerly Ann Rowan, was a standout shortstop at ASU from 1988-91. An outstanding hitter for the Sun Devils, Pierson’s softball achievements earned her several long-standing marks in ASU’s record book, including the third-most hits in a single-season with 86. A second-team All-American and first-team all-region pick in 1990, Pierson is seventh in ASU history in hits (245), tied for third in triples (11), tied for 10th in stolen bases (37), and tied for 19th in doubles (24). She earned All-Pac 10 Conference honors in 1990 and 1991. In September 2006, Pierson was inducted into the Arizona State Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as a player.

In addition to her collegiate accomplishments, Pierson was a member of three gold medal-winning national teams. She was one of 18 players chosen from a pool of 95 of the top women's fastpitch players who competed for the coveted positions on the USA Softball National Team. Pierson earned her first gold medal as a member of the 1991 Pan American Games. Her second gold medal came as a member of the 1993 USA National Team, which won the Intercontinental Cup in Holland. Pierson’s third gold medal performance came at the 1995 Pan American Games, where she batted .500 and scored five runs while posting a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000. A four-time Olympic Festival selection and three-time ASA All-American, Pierson also played for the 1998 national champion California Commotion team.

Pierson is a native of Tempe, Ariz., and graduated from Arizona State with a Bachelor of Science degree in therapeutic recreation in 1992. She also received her master's degree in educational psychology from Northern Arizona in December 2006. Pierson and her husband, John Pierson, reside in Chandler, Ariz., with their daughter, Jordan Tatum, and their two bulldogs, Joie and Sophie.

THE PIERSON FILEHEAD COACH 15th Season at Grand Canyon Alma Mater: Arizona State (1991) Record W L T2004 28 24 0 2005 16 29 12006 26 29 0 2007 22 28 02008 24 25 12009 37 27 02010 42 13 02011 22 25 02012 36 21 02013 40 19 02014 27 21 02015 27 23 02016 35 15 02017 36 18 02018 9 8 0Career Totals 427 325 2

COACHING LEDGER1997-2003 .........................Arizona State (Assistant Coach)2004-18 .................................... Grand Canyon (Head Coach)

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TV / RADIO ROSTER

ALEXA COONS SIERRA SMITH MADELYN DOWDLE KAYLEE DIETRICH SHEA SMITH TAYLOR TETONE BIANCA BOLING HAILEY FREEMAN

P • 5-6 • R/R • FRTucson, Ariz.

UTIL • 5-5 • L/R • JRWaddell, Ariz.

OF • 5-3 • R/R • JRTucson, Ariz.

C/INF • 5-6 • R/R • FRGilbert, Ariz.

SS • 5-5 • L/R •JRWaddell, Ariz.

2B/OF • 5-2 • R/R • FRGlendora, Calif.

1B • 5-8 • L/R • SRPhoenix, Ariz.

INF • 5-9 • R/R • SORancho Cucamonga,

KAMA-LEI SANTIAGO LAYNEE GOMEZ KAILEIGH HOLLAND CHRISTINE BELLAVIA LOGAN JOHNSTON BRIANNA AGUILAR-BEAUCAGE MARIAH VALENCIA TAYLOR KAYE

UTIL • 5-4 • R/R •SOWaianae, Hawaii

OF • 5-2 • L/L • SRGilbert, Ariz.

C/INF • 5-6 • R/R • FRPhoenix, Ariz.

OF • 5-8 • L/R • FRTucson, Ariz.

1B • 5-11 • R/R • JRPeoria, Ariz.

P/UTIL • 5-7 • R/R • SOTucson, Ariz.

P • 5-8 • R/R • SRPhoenix, Ariz.

OF • 5-6 • L/R • JRGlendale, Ariz.

LORIANN OLSON JORDON KEETON KENDSEY HILL NIKI GONZALEZ KATELYN ACTON YESENIA MORRISON

2B/OF • 5-7 • L/R • SOTucson, Ariz.

UTIL • 5-6 • R/R • SOCasa Grande, Ariz.

C • 5-6 • R/R • GRWalla Walla, Wash.

C • 5-6 • R/R • SRTucson, Ariz.

OF • 5-5 • R/R • FRBuckeye, Ariz.

P • 5-8 • R/R • FRGrand Terrace, Calif.

ANN PIERSON CHRISTI MUSSER KELSIE MONROE AMANDA GARDNER KARIN GADBERRY

Head Coach (15th season)

418-317-2Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Grad. Assistant of

Operations Volunteer Assistant

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 15 16 17 18 20

21 22 25 26 29 33

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2018 CUMULATIVE TEAM STATSThe Automated ScoreBook

Overall Statistics for Grand Canyon (as of Feb 25, 2018)(All games Sorted by Batting avg)

Record: 9-8 Home: 9-3 Away: 0-0 Neutral: 0-5 Conference: 0-0

Player avg gp-gs ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb slg% bb hp so gdp ob% sf sh sb-att po a e fld%

Acton, Katelyn 1.000 7-0 1 3 1 1 0 0 2 2 2.000 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0-0 0 1 0 1.000

Tetone, Taylor . 4 5 5 9-3 11 5 5 2 0 1 2 10 . 9 0 9 2 0 1 0 . 5 3 8 0 0 1-1 3 1 2 . 6 6 7

Smith, Shea . 4 1 1 17-17 56 16 23 4 2 1 12 34 . 6 0 7 7 1 7 0 . 4 8 4 0 2 3-4 26 63 5 . 9 4 7

Smith, Sierra . 4 1 1 17-17 56 15 23 2 2 2 15 35 . 6 2 5 3 0 2 0 . 4 4 1 0 0 5-5 18 32 1 . 9 8 0

Olson, Loriann . 3 3 9 17-17 59 12 20 3 1 1 12 28 . 4 7 5 3 0 6 0 . 3 6 5 1 1 3-4 33 32 3 . 9 5 6

Dietrich, Kaylee . 3 1 6 8-6 19 3 6 2 0 0 3 8 . 4 2 1 5 0 1 1 . 4 5 8 0 0 0-0 47 3 0 1.000

Gonzalez, Niki . 2 9 8 17-15 47 5 14 2 0 2 11 22 . 4 6 8 5 1 3 0 . 3 7 7 0 2 0-0 15 3 0 1.000

Gomez, Laynee . 2 9 6 17-17 54 11 16 0 1 2 11 24 . 4 4 4 4 0 10 0 . 3 4 5 0 0 4-4 22 2 1 . 9 6 0

Keeton, Jordon . 2 8 6 8-3 14 2 4 2 0 0 3 6 . 4 2 9 0 1 1 0 . 3 1 3 1 0 0-0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0

Kaye, Taylor . 2 5 0 17-14 32 8 8 0 0 0 1 8 . 2 5 0 3 0 9 0 . 3 1 4 0 0 2-4 11 1 0 1.000

Dowdle, Madelyn . 2 3 9 17-17 46 9 11 2 0 3 9 22 . 4 7 8 3 2 5 0 . 3 1 4 0 1 0-0 16 1 0 1.000

Boling, Bianca . 2 3 7 16-14 38 7 9 2 0 2 8 17 . 4 4 7 4 0 5 0 . 2 9 5 2 0 0-0 103 5 2 . 9 8 2

Hill, Kendsey . 2 0 7 12-11 29 3 6 1 0 0 5 7 . 2 4 1 3 0 4 0 . 2 6 5 2 0 0-0 37 3 2 . 9 5 2

Holland, Kaileigh . 1 8 2 9-2 11 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 . 1 8 2 0 0 4 0 . 1 8 2 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0

Freeman, Hailey . 0 0 0 2-0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0

Bellavia, Christine . 0 0 0 4-0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0

Santiago, Kama-Lei . 0 0 0 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.000 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0

Totals . 3 1 2 17 475 101 148 23 6 14 94 225 . 4 7 4 42 6 59 1 . 3 7 1 6 6 18-22 333 166 17 . 9 6 7

Opponents . 2 8 9 17 443 72 128 25 1 9 67 182 . 4 1 1 51 14 59 6 . 3 7 7 4 6 12-14 331 112 23 . 9 5 1

LOB - Team (107), Opp (117). DPs turned - Team (10), Opp (1). TPs turned - Team (1). Picked off - Smith, Sh 1.

(All games Sorted by Earned run avg)

Player era w-l app gs cg sho sv ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr b/avg wp hp bk sfa sha

Coons, Alexa 3 . 6 2 4-1 7 4 1 0/1 0 29.0 24 16 15 24 20 6 0 1 . 2 3 5 0 6 0 3 4Aguilar, Brianna 3 . 6 5 5-4 10 9 6 1/0 0 55.2 71 39 29 14 22 15 0 2 . 3 0 7 2 3 0 1 1Morrison, Yesenia 3 . 6 5 0-1 4 2 0 0/1 0 7.2 7 5 4 2 6 1 0 0 . 2 5 0 0 3 0 0 1Valencia, Mariah 4 . 5 0 0-2 6 2 0 0/0 0 18.2 26 12 12 11 11 3 1 6 . 3 1 7 3 2 0 0 0Totals 3 . 7 8 9-8 17 17 7 2/1 0 111.0 128 72 60 51 59 25 1 9 . 2 8 9 5 14 0 4 6

Opponents 4 . 8 2 8-9 17 17 6 3/1 2 110.1 148 101 76 42 59 23 6 14 . 3 1 2 7 6 0 6 6

PB - Team (1), Gonzalez, N 1, Opp (2). Pickoffs - Team (1), Dietrich, K 1, Opp (1). SBA/ATT - Hill, K (9-9), Aguilar, B(7-7), Coons, A (3-4), Gonzalez, N (3-4), Morrison, Y (1-2), Valencia, M (1-1), Dietrich, K (0-1).