Live Stats | Game Notes

Allendale, Mich. -- After playing its first 17 games away from the friendly confines, the Grand Valley State baseball team will play at home for the first time since May 4, 2014. The No. 18 Lakers are riding a 17-game home winning streak--tied for the longest run in school history--and enter their four-game series with Saginaw Valley State at 10-7 overall. GVSU split its four-game series at Ohio Dominican to open GLIAC play last weekend.

The Lakers and Cardinals will play a pair of doubleheaders, each consisting of one 7-inning and one 9-inning game. Saturday's (March 28) twinbill is scheduled to start a 1 p.m. EDT, while Sunday's (March 29) contests are slated to begin at 11 a.m. EDT.

Here's everything you need to know about this weekend's series:

Hunting Cardinals
Entering this weekend's series, GVSU carries a 72-57-1 all-time record against Saginaw Valley State. The Lakers swept their regular season series with the Cardinals last year, winning those three games by an average of 10.3 runs, including a 22-7 rout on April 17, 2014.

Record Watch
Redshirt senior infielder Kevin Zak heads into GVSU's home-opening series with 258 career hits, a figure that ranks second in program history and among active Division II players. Zak is 26 hits away from breaking Casey Robrahn's ('09) record. His five hits in the Ohio Dominican series moved him past Steve Anderson ('12), who ended his career with 257 hits.

Coach's Corner
Head coach Jamie Detillion assesses GVSU's starting pitching, bouncing back from a disappointing weekend, hitting with more consistency, playing at home and scouts Saginaw Valley State.

On where GVSU's starting pitching stands heading into the weekend:
"We need (Aaron Jensen and Patrick Kelly's) leadership at the front of our rotation, as well as some of the other guys who haven't thrown well yet or have only had a few opportunities. I really like our talent level on the mound; we just need to continue to get better. The more we work at it, the more we fine-tune some things, the better off we are going to be. I'm pretty confident our talent is going to show and perform sooner rather than later."

On how the team has responded to last weekend's split:
"I think our team is pretty resilient. We are not going to let (losses) bring us down and ruin our week of work. Of course it's going to motivate us to work a little bit harder, but I think our players know where they stand, and where they should be. It'll motivate us to stay a little bit more focused during our preparations for Saginaw Valley State this week."

On what it will take for the Lakers to hit with more consistency:
"One of the main things is just to get outside and get some good batting practice in. We really haven't had an opportunity to get outside and have productive, consistent, everyday practice outside on our field. We are finally starting to get there; the weather is about to break. If we can just take quality batting practice and have good preparation for an extended period of time, we are going to be in pretty good shape."

On playing the first home games of the season:
"It's an exciting any time we can get a home game in March. The last couple of years have been pretty rough with the harsh winters. It's exciting to play at home. Our field is in great shape right now, and I know our guys are excited to get out and get going on it. We just want to get out, play, and do well."

On Saginaw Valley State:
"They're coming off a rough weekend with Tiffin, but I don't really think that means anything. In the sport of baseball, this early in the season, anything can happen. They've got a couple of arms that can present some issues, and a couple of good athletes. The focus for us right now is just controlling what we can control, and our strengths, just to make sure we excel in those areas."

Streaking for the Record Book
GVSU's 17-game home winning streak is tied for the longest run in school history since at least 1981 (game sites are not documented in year-by-year statistics prior to then). Only the 2004 and 2006 clubs had streaks as long as the team's current run. The Lakers went undefeated (15-0) at home last season for the first time since they garnered Division II status in 1982.

Still Going
Senior outfielder Jamie Potts has reached base in all 17 of GVSU's games this season, extending his career-long on-base streak to 34 games. Potts totaled six hits in the Lakers' two doubleheaders at Ohio Dominican to keep his streak going. The Ravenna, Michigan native also moved into 10th all-time for career hits (192) by a GVSU player.

Kevin Zak's Tower of Power
Zak smacked three home runs in GVSU's first doubleheader at Ohio Dominican, becoming the first Laker since Giancarlo Brugnoni (March 9, 2013) to hit three long balls in the same doubleheader. Two of Zak's homers came in game two, when he tallied a career-high six RBIs and recorded the first multi-home run game of his career. Zak's five home runs lead all GLIAC players.

Grounding All Flights
Junior starting pitcher Patrick Kelly has induced the sixth-most groundouts (239) in school history. The Brookfield, Illinois native needs nine more groundouts to pass Grant Payton ('06) for the fifth most. Kelly's 1.24 career walks per nine innings rate is also the lowest in program history.