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By CHRISTOPHER WHITCOMB
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Grand Canyon University is not your typical baseball team.

The Antelopes have a father-son combination in coach Andy Stankiewicz and freshman infielder Dane. They have only one senior, pitcher A.J. Franks, on their 32-man roster.

A youthful collection of players, their diverse roles and the dynamic of having family members on the same team create a unique group. They know leadership will be key to bringing the team together and achieving its goals, which include winning the Western Athletic Conference championship.

The Antelopes will try to bounce back from a 3-7 start in a three-game series that opens Friday at home against San Francisco.

“I think it’s huge,” former major leaguer Stankiewicz said. “Obviously as a coaching staff our job is to provide leadership. The best teams I’ve been on (are) when the players hold each other accountable. Just make sure that everyone is doing it right.

“On any given night we’re going to play well and some days we’re not going to play well. That’s baseball. But if we get these older guys to understand this is the way we do it and how we approach the game … I think that’s going to make our program better.”

Junior outfielder Garrison Schwartz believes guidance extends beyond the field.

“I think it’s pretty important to have leadership in all aspects: in the weight room, in the classroom, on the field, off the field,” he said.

Franks, a 6-foot-2 senior who transferred from Santa Ana College after his sophomore season, was a prominent reliever for Grand Canyon in 2016.

He didn’t allow a run in 19 of the 24 games in which he appeared and ended his junior campaign with a 2.73 ERA.

“He’s a juco transfer and he’s been on a bunch of teams so he knows how to do things the right way,” Schwartz said. “We (also) have a pretty deep junior class that has gotten experience for three years, playing a good amount of time.

“So it’s not really a factor that we don’t have seniors. I think that having juniors that have played (helps). And then we have a couple of redshirt juniors that have also played and been there. So I think with that group, our leadership is there as a whole.”

Franks is a positive role model for the younger players, Stankiewicz said.

“He gets it, especially, I think, from a pitching standpoint,” he said. “We got a new pitching coach as well and he really relies on A.J. a lot just to help the younger guys do it right.

“They’re young and there’s a lot of uncertainty in how we do things and I think that A.J. does a really good job of providing support and just explaining to them how to go about their business.”

Franks said that “being one of the seniors, you’re called to lead right from the beginning, just because of how long you’ve been here, how long you’ve been putting in the work. But I think we have a lot of younger guys that lead themselves that don’t really need much leading. Yeah, it’s been a little bit of a challenge but it hasn’t been too hard.”

With only one senior, the Antelopes boast a fairly young roster. At times last season, eight players on their lineup card were underclassmen.

Outsiders might see that as a disadvantage but GCU players see the positives.

“I think there’s a lot of people who buy into what we’re doing around here,” Franks said. “I think the younger guys (are) more apt to just (see) what the sophomores or juniors are doing and buy in. If we had older guys, I think (there) would be more guys trying to do more individual kinds of things.”

Schwartz believes having the team grow together for an extended period of time is a positive for the young players.

The Antelopes have a lot to look forward to, including a new 3,500-seat stadium that is set to open in 2018.

The priority now is winning more games. Leadership could help speed that process along.