Tyler Wilson's hot bat gives Grand Canyon baseball hope of winning WAC Tournament
Tyler Wilson's approach hasn't wavered since putting together three consecutive two-hit games against USC, BYU and Nebraska early in the season to finishing the regular season on a 23-game hitting streak, including four hits against Utah Valley in the finale.
He locks in at the plate, sees something good, and swings. Usually, it's contact. And usually, he finds the gap or watches it fly over the fence.
In his senior season at Grand Canyon, the former Chandler Hamilton High standout has been the most consistent in his career, leading the team in batting average (.383), doubles (16), home runs (15), RBIs (59) and runs scored (49).
His consistency, along with the experience of veterans Cade Verdusco, Eli Paton, Eddy Pelc, Dustin Crenshaw and Elijah Buries, give the Lopes (34-21) hope that this time they'll find success inside spacious Hohokam Stadium, win the WAC Tournament and do some damage in a regional in the NCAA Tournament.
Getting byes in the first two rounds, No. 1 GCU opens WAC Tournament play on Thursday at noon against No. 5 Tarleton State, which defeated No. 4 California Baptist 5-3 Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinal round. If the Lopes win that, they come back for another noon game on Friday.
Last year, it all fizzled as the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament. After beating UT Rio Grande Valley 3-1, the Lopes then lost to UT Arlington 6-5 and Sam Houston 22-8 in eight innings due to the run rule. It was a tough way for it to end.
And, after GCU lost its top two offensive threats, Jacob Wilson and Homer Busch Jr., this team figured to have to rely more on arms than bats to get back to the WAC Tournament as the top seed.
Pitching has been good, especially with the emergence of Grant Richardson filling in for Preseason Pitcher of the Year Daniel Avitia after he suffered an injury.
But it's been Wilson's torrid season-long stretch that has helped the Lopes put up offensive numbers that have surpassed last season. It's been easily his best year which has resulted in him being named this week the WAC Player of the Year.
"I think just mindset and approach and trust in that approach," Wilson said. "I think in past years, I'd have a couple of bad games and I would start to steer away from that approach. This year, I just really trusted it and I stuck with it."
Second-year head coach Gregg Wallis, who for the second season in a row was named the WAC Coach of the Year, believes it's just maturity and consistency that has turned Wilson into the most feared hitter in the conference.
"He's always shown that ability," Wallis said. "But this year it's just been from start to finish. He's given us a week at a time where we'd see his type of potential. But this year it's been cover to cover. He's been rock steady."
Same approach, same result
Wilson hasn't gone without a hit in a game since April 7 against Saint Mary's College.
He started what has now grown into a 23-game hitting streak against Arizona State on April 9 with three hits, including a home run and three RBIs. That started a streak of eight games where he had at least two hits. He helped GCU beat Arizona twice in a two-week span with a total of five hits. In the 24-8 win in Tucson on April 30, Wilson was a single away from hitting for the cycle.
Last year, when the season ended abruptly in Mesa, there was a bad taste that lasted until this season.
After clinching the regular-season championship at home against Abilene Christian two weeks ago, a series in which Wilson had six hits, GCU lost its last game to Abilene, traveled to Provo, Utah, to play BYU before finishing at nearby Orem against Utah Valley.
The Lopes lost to BYU, then the first game of the three-game set against Utah Valley, 16-11, before winning the last two games, scoring a total of 25 runs.
"We talked about (last year's WAC Tournament fizzle) while we were at BYU," Wilson said. "We clinched the regular-season title a week before the season ended and that's never happened before. In the past year, after we clinched the title, we'd go 0-2 and you're done playing for the season.
"After we clinched the title, we lost a few. We felt, 'Let's get this 0-2 out of the way now,' and get back to where we need to be."
Bouncing back
Wallis expects Richardson to bounce back from a rare bad outing in the 16-11 loss at Utah Valley. He had won four starts in a row. He gave up seven hits and seven earned runs in three innings.
"He got a bad one out of the way," Wallis said. "He's been so great. He's a confident kid. I think getting him in this tournament arena, he'll be back on track."
Right-hander Daniel Avitia, the Preseason Pitcher of the Year, has battled an injury for much of the season. He's been eased back the past couple of weeks. Wallis said Avitia has some bone spurs he's dealing with, but there is no structural damage and Avitia is expected to take the ball in the WAC Tournament.
Wallis said it's not just Wilson but all of the seniors who have come through this year.
"They stayed in the program and they're all having great years," Wallis said. "We knew to replace Jacob and Homer, it would have to be a collective effort. They're all doing a little bit better or significantly better than what they did the year before."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tyler Wilson's bat gives GCU baseball a chance to win WAC Tournament
