Softball On SI

Grand Canyon Softball Loses Star Infielder for 2026 Season

She was named the Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Grand Canyon infielder Savannah Kirk will miss the 2026 season with an injury.
Grand Canyon infielder Savannah Kirk will miss the 2026 season with an injury. | GCU Athletics

A devastating blow was delivered to the Grand Canyon softball team just before the season's opening game.

The Antelopes will be without Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year, Savannah Kirk.

Kirk, who was named the WAC Player of the Year last season, will miss the entire season due to a knee injury that required surgery, according to a release from the University.

The infielder has earned conference awards in each of her first two seasons on the field for the Lopes. She was named WAC Freshman of the Year and All-WAC First Team in 2024, WAC Player of the Year, All-WAC First Team, and WAC All-Defensive Team last year.

Kirk was incredible for GCU last season. She batted .505 and set a new GCU single-season record with 97 hits. She was also 50-for-50 on the base paths, which went down as the second-most in a single season in GCU history.

"You feel terrible for Sav," GCU head coach Shanon Hays said. "She's in such great physical shape and works so hard at her craft, so it's weird that it happened to her. She has really grown into being a leader instead of just a player. She's embraced that and done a great job. I feel terrible for her in one way, but I'm also excited for her because we'll have her for two more years with another talented class coming in.

"When you lose one of the best overall players in the country, it's going to hurt your team, but hopefully we'll develop, and someone else will step up."

Despite losing the star infielder, the Lopes are off to a 5-0 start. GCU hosted its annual Kickoff Classic, hosting Southern Utah, Weber State, and Santa Clara.

Senior right-handed pitcher Taryn Batterton impressed with two complete-game shutouts of two 2025 NCAA Tournament teams in a 3-0 win over Weber State and a 1-0 victory over Santa Clara.

"I feel confident out there, there is no doubt about it," said Batterton, who had also set a career high Friday with eight strikeouts. "Not getting to play in the fall was super frustrating, so to get back out there and have success feels amazing. I did not really feel any pressure to perform, I knew the offense would pick up and I will always trust my defense to have my back."

In her 14 innings pitched over two games, Batterton posted a 0.00 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, .120 opponent batting average, 18 strikeouts and just two walks.

Batterton acknowledged Kirk's absence after the game against Santa Clara and says the team will miss her and has to figure out its identity without her.

"We have a lot of young girls doing new things," Batterton said. "We are figuring out who we are without Savannah (Kirk), and have that next-man-up mentality. I know we have what it takes to be a great team, and I am excited to see how we progress into next weekend."

Up next for the Lopes is the GCU Invite with Northern Colorado, Sacramento State, South Dakota, and Harvard coming to town.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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