Inclement weather in West Michigan recently has forced Grand Valley State - and most of the GLIAC - to play a number of league doubleheaders in the final two-week span of the 2016 regular season. This week, GVSU will play four conference twinbills in five days, with three of those contests coming on the road.
 
Both of Grand Valley State's home doubleheaders last weekend were cancelled due to snow and were rescheduled at some point in the next two weeks. The Lakers - who won all four home games last week, sweeping Ferris State and Northwood - will face Saginaw Valley State, Findlay, Ohio Dominican, and Tiffin from Wednesday through Sunday (Apr. 13-17).
 
All four contests are league doubleheaders. GVSU begins the week at Saginaw Valley State on Wednesday (Apr. 13) at 2:00 p.m. in University Center, Mich. The Lakers return home to take on Findlay on Thursday (Apr. 14) at 3:30 p.m. in Allendale. This weekend, Grand Valley State will head back on the road to face Ohio Dominican on Saturday (Apr. 16) at 1:00 p.m. and Tiffin on Sunday (Apr. 17) with a noon start.
 
The Lakers have won their last four games and enter this eight-game stretch with a 22-6 overall record and a 7-3 mark in GLIAC play. After taking on Ohio Dominican and Tiffin on the road in Ohio this weekend, GVSU returns home next week for four doubleheaders in Allendale to close out the regular season. The 2016 GLIAC Tournament takes place on Apr. 29 to May 1 in Findlay, Ohio.
 
In Allendale last week, Grand Valley State won a pair of close games on Tuesday (Apr. 5) over Ferris State, 3-2 and 6-5. The Lakers followed that up two days later on a very cold and windy day on their home field by topping Northwood 12-6 and 7-2. GVSU has swept three of its last four conference twinbills.
 
While Grand Valley State doesn't rank in the top three in the GLIAC as a team in any category, the Lakers are in the top half of the conference in nearly every statistical category. GVSU is fourth in the league in extra base hits (65) and doubles (46), while ranking fifth in RBI (128), and sixth in runs (144), homers (12) and triples (seven).
 
The team ERA of 2.48 is sixth-lowest in the GLIAC, which is also the ranking for the Lakers' four shutouts. GVSU is allowing opponents to hit just .243, the fifth-best mark in the conference.
 
The Lakers are a rarity in the league in that GVSU has four pitchers that have tossed more than 38 innings apiece this season. Freshman Allison Lipovsky leads the way with 57.2 innings pitched and she is 7-0 with a team-best 56 strikeouts. Lipovsky's 1.09 earned run average is fourth-lowest in the GLIAC, while her .187 opponents batting average is the seventh-best figure.
 
Not far behind is senior Sara Andrasik, who has logged 55.1 innings and has a team-high eight victories. Andrasik is 8-2 on the year and owns a 2.78 ERA. Sophomore Courtney Reinhold is 5-2 and has tossed 46.0 innings, while junior lefty Ellie Balbach is 2-2 and has thrown 38.2 innings in the circle. They've pitched in relief of each other too; Lipovsky, Andrasik, and Balbach have all recorded a save this season.
 
While Balbach has been solid in the circle, she has been terrific at the plate for the Lakers. She leads GVSU in batting average (.400), at-bats (100), hits (40), doubles (11), home runs (three), RBI (26), and total bases (60). Her 11 doubles are the most in the GLIAC, while she ranks sixth in the league in hits and RBI and eighth in total bases and slugging percentage (.600).
 
Sophomore Kaylie Rhynard is hitting .358 and ranks second on the team with 21 runs scored. She has a team-high 11 stolen bases (fifth in the GLIAC), walked 10 times, owns a team-best six sacrifices, and has committed just one error in 138 total chances, most of those coming as the team's starting catcher.
 
Junior Jenna Lenza is hitting .346 with 28 hits, 21 runs, eight doubles, and 14 RBI. Lenza leads the Lakers with a .462 on-base percentage, in large part due to her GLIAC-high 19 walks this season. Not far behind Lenza is fellow middle infielder Teagan Shomin, who has a .452 on-base percentage thanks to 12 walks and a conference-high eight hit by pitches. Shomin's 23 runs scored leads the Lakers and are seventh-best in the GLIAC.
 
Hitting .321 and starting in all 26 games in which she's appeared, junior Kelsey Dominguez has recorded 25 hits, 10 runs, and 10 RBI. Freshman Shannon Flaherty has started in all 28 games this year (22 at third base, six at shortstop) and is hitting .289 with 16 runs scored and a team-high four triples. Only Lenza and Flaherty have recorded at least one double, triple, and home run this season.
 
As of Wednesday (Apr. 13), Saginaw Valley State was 22-8 on the year and 8-4 in GLIAC play. Findlay has been arguably the surprise of the season, as the Oilers are 24-10 overall and 10-2 in league action. Ohio Dominican is 17-23 and owns a 4-10 conference record, while Tiffin is 19-10 overall and just 4-3 in GLIAC contests.
 
After this eight-game week, GVSU is scheduled for another four doubleheaders next week (Apr. 19-24). All of those games will be in Allendale, as the Lakers will take on Lake Superior State, Malone, Walsh, and Hillsdale.