ALLENDALE, Mich.—The Grand Valley State baseball team is poised to take it's talents to the sunshine state this week, where the team will play seven games in seven days.  Sitting at 4-3 after a productive weekend at the Maryville Baseball Invite, the Lakers will square off against seven different opponents while on the Florida trip, beginning with an away matchup at Tampa University, before playing four games in Auburndale as part of the Russmatt Invitational, and finishing the week off with a pair of games as part of the Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Florida.
 
Game 1: March. 8^th at  at Tampa University 6 p.m.   (Tampa, Fla.)
Game 2: March. 9^th vs. Ohio Dominican  2:30 p.m.  (Winter Haven , Fla.)
Game 3: March. 10^th vs. Minn-Mankato  4 p.m.  (Auburndale, Fla.)
Game 4: March. 11^th vs. Alderson Broaddus 2:45 p.m.  (Auburndale, Fla.)
Game 5: March. 12^th vs. Slippery Rock 9 a.m.  (Auburndale, Fla.)
Game 6: March 13^th vs. Minn.- Crookston 12:00  p.m (Clearwater, Fla.)
Game 7: March 14^th vs. Rockhurst 2:00 p.m. (Clearwater, Fla. )
 
Tuesday's matchup with Tampa University will begin the slate of games with perhaps the stiffest competition the Lakers will face on the trip. The Spartans are 15-1 on the season, having won seven straight games and averaging 10 runs per game on the season.  Possessing a team slash line of .351/.426/.526 (Avg./OBP/SLG%), Tampa has a very potent offense, which is only overshadowed by very good pitching, as the Spartans own a 2.92 team earned run average (ERA), and have nearly three times as many strikeouts (151) as walks issued (53).
 
In head to head matchups between GVSU and Tampa all time, the Spartans lead the series with four wins and two losses. The most recent matchup between the two teams was the 2013 Division II World Series, where the teams split a pair of matchups, with Grand valley State taking the first game 4-0, and Tampa winning in the second, 10-1.
 
After Tuesday's single matchup, the Lakers will begin play in the Russmatt Invitational, taking on Ohio Dominican in a Monday matchup in Winter Haven, Florida. The Panthers are 4-1 on the season thus far and as a team own a .352/.436/.488 (Avg./OBP/SLG%) slash line on the season. Their pitching staff has amassed a 4.39 ERA, walking 17 and fanning 27 in the five games thus far. ODU is also the only GLIAC team that the Lakers will face while in Florida, a fact that is not surprising, but could be a good barometer for measuring how well this young Laker lineup will measure up against a conference opponent before the conference season starts.
 
From there, the Lakers will take on Minnesota State Mankato (5-3 overall) of the NSIC, Alderson Broaddus from the GMAC (3-3 overall), and Slippery Rock (2-10 overall), which plays in the PSAC on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively.  This trio of games will be played in Aurburndale, Florida, at the Myrtle Park Baseball Complex, and will close out Russmatt play for GVSU.
 
Minnesota State-Mankato has allowed opponents to hit .288 against them this season, giving up more runs (79) than they themselves have scored (71) through eight games. As a pitching staff, their numbers rival those of the Panthers of Ohio Dominican, as the Mavericks also carry a 4.39 ERA on the season, give up the aforementioned .288 opponent batting average, and have issued 33 walks compared to 57 strikeouts. Mankato also leads the all time series with GVSU 5-4, with a pair of Maverick victories last season standing as the most recent matchup between the two.
 
Alderson Broaddus comes into the matchup averaging around five runs a game, while owning a .254/.327/.330 slash line as a team. The lack of power hitting has hampered the Battlers, as they have driven in just 24 runs this season. The Battlers feature a team ERA of 4.83, and their pitching staff has issued 25 walks and fanned 54 batters through six games. Starting pitcher Randy Dobnak is 1-0 through two starts this season, and has already struck out 22 batters while walking just three.
 
Slippery Rock is the fourth and final Russmatt opponent for GVSU, and has struggled a fair deal this season, as they sit at just 2-10 on the season. The Rock feature a .267/.329/.401 (Avg./OBP/SLG%) slash line thus far, and have smacked 10 home runs as a team thus far, led by catcher/outfielder Tyler Walters five round-trippers. Despite averaging five runs a game as an offense, the Rock has given up 91 runs in 12 games, as their team ERA (6.55) leaves something to be desired, and opponents are hitting a slick .298 against them thus far. The Rock also has a team fielding percentage of just .923, and have committed 30 errors so far.
 
The final two games of the week will be against Minnesota-Crookston and Rockhurst University as part of the Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Florida. Minnesota-Crookston, GVSU's opponent on Sunday, March 13^th, enter the week of play with a 3-5 record on the season, coming off winning a four game series with Dickinson State University. The Golden Eagles are hitting .274/.364/.373 on the season, but have allowed more runs (63) to their opponents than they themselves have scored (45), and are averaging around 5.6 runs per game on offense. Crookston's pitching staff has struggled to find consistency, and has a 6.94 ERA through eight games, issuing 19 walks while striking out just 28 batters.
 
Rockhurst University will be the final Florida trip opponent for Grand Valley State, and is 4-4 on the season despite hitting just .235 as a team this season. The Hawks are scoring just about four runs per game, the lowest of any opponent Grand Valley State will play while in Florida, but they have stayed competitive due to solid pitching and defense. Starting pitcher Alex Merithew (2-0, 1.06 ERA) headlines a pitching staff that has compiled a 3.48 ERA, despite walking 21 batters compared to just 29 strikeouts. GVSU leads the all time series with the Hawks, 4-2, but the Hawks have had the last laugh as of late, as they scored a pair of victories in the 2012 NCAA Midwest Region Tournament, 9-4 and 10-5.
 
The Lakers are 4-3 on the season, rebounding from a tough opening week series by winning three of four at the Maryville Baseball Invite. GVSU is hitting .274/.332/.365 on the season, averaging 6.5 runs per game and allowing 6.3. Those numbers are deceptive, however, as Grand Valley has outscored their opponents over the last four games by a margin of 31-12. Outfielder Keith Browning has had a strong start to the season, hitting safely in each of the last six games, and recording 10 RBI over that span for the team lead in that category. 

The Grand Valley pitching staff has rebounded nicely from a rough opening weekend, and while the team's ERA is still a bit high at 4.94, GVSU's hurlers have done a good job of keeping command of their pitches, walking just 18 batters through seven games, and compiling 46 strikeouts as a staff. Opening day start Troy Dykhuis (1-0, 3.46 ERA) has had a strong start to the 2016 campaign on the mound, fanning nine batters while walking just one in 13 innings of work. Senior Tim Tarter (1-0, 1.74 ERA) has been another bright spot, pitching 10.1 innings thus far and striking out seve batters without issuing any free passes. Closer Matt Williams has yet to allow a run this season, having appeared in three games and going 2-2 in save opportunities, with six strikeouts, one walk and holding opponents to a .077 average against him. 

Box scores will be viewable online at gvsulakers.com as soon as they can be uploaded. Check back in for game recaps and follow @GVSUbaseball on twitter for game updates.