Utah Valley heads to the desert for a crucial three-game series against the defending WAC Tournament champions and preseason favorites Grand Canyon Lopes in Phoenix.

The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday at 5:30 p.m. MT, then reconvene for the series finale on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with live stats available at UVUStats.com. 

The Wolverines are coming off a series sweep against the Tarleton State Texans, securing the program's first 3-0 start to WAC play since 2014. Utah Valley won game one 10-9 in extra innings, then took the final two games 9-4. 

The Utah Valley bats were hot this weekend, with the Wolverines plating 28 runs, the most in a 3-game stretch since last season against Southern Utah. In the last week, UVU led the WAC in doubles (12), home runs (7), and slugging percentage (.613) and were second in team batting average (.380) and runs scored (37).

Megan Gibbs went 5-for-10 with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs. Gibbs now has 7 home runs on the season, giving her 27 for her career. Gibbs now sits in sole possession of 5th place on the UVU career home runs list, and needs 5 more to pass Amanda Perez (2009-12) for fourth, who had 31 in her career.

Peyton Hall went 6-for-11 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. Hall saw her 11-game hit streak snapped on Tuesday against Boise State, but she did extend her reached-base streak to 12. Hall's 11-game hit streak tied the UVU freshman record, set by Peyton Angulo in 2018.

Angelique Mann also had a strong weekend at the plate, going 7-for-13 with a home run, five doubles, and five RBIs. Mann has hit safely in seven consecutive games, and has gone 11-for-27 (.407) in that span. 

Rachael Brown is also riding a 6-game hitting streak, and has hit safely in 10 of her last 11 games. Brown is now leading the team in batting average at .390, and is 14-for-29 (.483) in her last 11 games.

Amber Rodriguez has found a groove at the plate, and is filling in nicely in the leadoff spot in Ry Binne's absence. Rodriguez ranks as the toughest batter to strike out in the WAC, with just 2 strikeouts in her 67 at bats this season. Rodriguez leads the team in walks with 9, and has reached base in 9 straight games, including a 3-hit game in Saturday's series finale.

THOMSON REACHES MILESTONE WIN

With Saturday's 9-4 win over Tarleton State, Cody Thomson reached 50 wins as head coach of UVU. Thomson is the fastest coach to reach that milestone in program history (122 games).

SERIES HISTORY vs GCU

Utah Valley is 3-26 all-time against the Lopes, but are 2-5 under Cody Thomson. Last season, UVU won the first meeting 3-1, lifted by a home run by Britney Moreno. The Lopes then bounced back to win the final two of the series. 

The last time UVU played GCU in Phoenix, the Wolverines won in dramatic fashion. Down 8-7 heading to the 7th, UVU plated 5 runs — punctuated by a Mikaela Thomson grand slam — to win 12-8 and earn the Wolverines' first road win at GCU. 

UVU has already played two games this year at GCU Softball Stadium. The Wolverines beat NM State 6-4 and lost to Idaho State 9-2.

UP NEXT

Utah Valley heads to Texas for a first-ever road trip to take on Abilene Christian on March 29-30. The Wolverines lead the all-time series 4-0, including a series sweep last season in Orem.