IRVINE, Calif. — The celebration has taken over Southern California, as for the second time in program history the Warriors are champions of the GSAC Tournament. In a fairy tale ending, the Warriors mobbed the field as a walk off home run clinches a trip to the national tournament.
Senior Chris Lopez is the hero of today's story, as his two run walk off home run clinched a championship. Jessup entered the bottom of the ninth with Hope International trailing 9-8, but Lopez's second homer of the tournament gave the Warriors the 10-9 win.
Lopez spoke after the game, and noted it was all a blur of what had just occurred. He also added, "We feel great. We've worked hard for this. Thanks to all of these guys. We've been grinding. This is different kind of team than you've seen before."
That they are, as the Warriors went 3-0 in the conference tournament, clinching the first tournament title since 2018. Jessup is now 39-9 in their final NAIA season.
Head coach Trevor Paine spoke about this title, and how it compares to previous won here at Jessup. "This is probably at the top. In 2018 I was the assistant coach with Jake (McKinley), and that was a special one because it was our first one. This one just means a little bit more."
With the Warriors leading 8-6 in the eighth, Hope International plated three runs to go ahead by one. Paine was forced to make an abrupt change on the mound, as he called on sophomore Riley Houghtby to enter in a critical spot. Houghtby responded with a scoreless inning in relief, bringing up the two, three, four hitters for Jessup.
Trey Furrey led off the ninth with an infield single, and two batters later the party began.
Furrey went 2-for-4 on Wednesday. Bryce Petrilla added a 3-for-5 outing, while Kayde Iranon added a solo home run.
Wednesday's championship moment secures the Warriors an automatic bid into the NAIA Opening Round. The NAIA announced the 2024 host sites on Wednesday, and unfortunately, McBean Park was not selected.
The NAIA will release the 2024 bracket at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 9.
***
Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
