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Allendale, Mich. – Although the end of the 2015 season is still roughly one month away, the Grand Valley State baseball team will honor its 11-man senior class in during its home finale on Saturday (April 18).
 
The class features a mix of junior college transfers—Jesse Abel, Patrick Bobolts, Kevin Hallberg, Aaron Jensen, Evan Nietfeldt, Aaron Overbeck and Adam Poel—along with a group of four-year veterans—Mitchell Kozlowski, Mike Nadratowski, Jamie Potts and Kevin Zak.
 
Several individual accolades were accomplished during their respective stints, but there were plenty team accomplishments as well. GVSU won the 2012, 2013 and 2014 GLIAC titles, also capturing the GLIAC Tournament crown in 2012 and 2014. The group extended the program's NCAA Tournament streak to 13 seasons, too.
 
"Every class is a little bit different. This particular class, we are losing a good handful of positions. With the contributions all across the board it's a pretty good chunk of (the) production we've had the last couple years," says head coach Jamie Detillion. "On the baseball field, that's what we will be missing. There are some very good character guys that will be leaving.
 
"Anytime you take good character away from a team, due to graduation, it's always tough to replace them. As a coach, it's tough to see good kids leave."
 
Three of the seniors will have their names all over the GVSU record book by season's end. Nadratowski, Potts and Zak each became everyday starters at some point during their freshmen campaigns. In this day and age of college baseball, it is rare to see four-year starters, as most players with such abilities often leave early to pursue professional aspirations.
 
"They gave us some pretty steady production for all four years," says Detillion. "It's pretty rare to have that caliber of a player, and to have all three of them start for four straight years. They've been really big assets in a lot of different ways for our program."
 
The others have accomplished quite a bit as well.
 
Nietfeldt was named the 2014 GLIAC Pitcher of the Year, while Jensen posted a 1.87 earned run average last season and has collected 11 wins as a Laker. Hallberg has become the club's most effective reliever this season, recording a 0.36 ERA and a 3-1 record in his 11 appearances. Abel and Overbeck have been fixtures in the starting lineup, amassing 81 and 71 starts, respectively, the last two years. Kozlowski started 21 games as a freshman, but was forced to work his way back into the same role, successfully doing so this season and currently leading the Lakers with a .407 batting average. Poel has been a solid reliever as well, going 2-1 and a save in 15 appearances. Rounding out the group is Bobolts, a catcher with 20 career appearances and a .333 batting average this season.
 
This class is far from finished, though. With two conference series left after this weekend and postseason play still on the horizon, the group and coaching staff may not feel the full impact of the senior ceremony until the season comes to a close.
 
"It's unique, because we still have two weeks of the regular season left, and anything beyond that. There's still a lot left, so it's kind of early for me to process it," says Detillion. "It's always tough to have good players, good kids leave. That's the best part about being a coach, though: the guys you come across and have relationships with once they leave college."
 
GVSU will play doubleheaders with Findlay on Friday (April 17) and Saturday. First pitch is at 2 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. The senior ceremony will be held between games one and two on Saturday.