Wildcat baseball plays host to Grand Canyon University

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Daily Wildcat UA infielder Kenny Corley (33) takes a swing during the Wildcat's match up with the Texas A&M Aggies last month. Arizona will play a single game contest against Grand Canyon tonight at Sancet Field at 7 p.m.

The No. 25 Wildcats (23-14, 7-5), however, will not take this non-conference game against the Antelopes lightly.

"It's always a concern," UA head coach Jerry Stitt said. "We need to focus on what we need to do every game. They've learned that the hard way."

Stitt was making a reference to the lesson taught by Southern Cal and Arizona State, which both took two of three games in their recent series against Arizona.

Last Sunday, a throwing error by left-handed pitcher Rob Shabansky in the sixth inning led to a three-run rally that broke the game open for the Trojans, who went on to win, 6-2. In the series finale against the Sun Devils over the weekend, the Wildcats committed five errors, which led to six unearned runs and Arizona State pulled away, 11-7.

"We have to play good defense," Stitt said. "If you give these teams a slight opening, it could be all it takes for them to win."

With the halfway point of the season approaching, it is past the point where extra ground-balls in practice will cause an improvement in defense, according to Stitt.

"It's all focus at this point," he said.

Grand Canyon and the Wildcats will meet again two more times this season, once in Phoenix and again in Tucson.

The Antelopes are currently 8-19 on the year. Outfielder Freddie Jackson is hitting .301 and leads the Antelopes with seven home runs, 23 runs batted in and nine stolen bases.

Grand Canyon, coached by Gil Stafford, finished 23-32 last season and placed fifth in the Western Athletic Conference Eastern Division with a 10-19 conference record.

Arizona is still riding the bat of junior center fielder Diego Rico. Rico leads Arizona with a .396 batting average, 57 hits, eight triples and 27 walks.

Junior first baseman Kenny Corley has taken advantage of hitting behind Rico. Corley leads the team with 38 RBI and nine home runs, and is second on the team with 12 doubles. Corley has been solid in the field as well, committing only two errors this season.

Starting for Arizona today will be junior right-hander David Quick.

Quick is 4-0 in five games and sports a 4.65 ERA.