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QUINCY, Ill. – The Grand Valley State baseball team will make its 17^th NCAA Tournament appearance this week, when it begins play at the 2016 Midwest Region Tournament on Thursday. GVSU (35-16-1) earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the 11^th GLIAC Tournament Title last weekend in Xenia, Ohio, and earned the number two seed in the region going into the regional tournament. The tournament is a double elimination tournament, and will feature 56 teams spread out among eight regional sites. Quincy, as the top seed in the region, will host the Midwest Region Tournament at QU Stadium in Quincy, Illinois.
 
The Lakers will play GLIAC opponent and seven seeded Hillsdale in their first matchup on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. It will be the sixth matchup between the two squads this season, with GVSU holding a 5-0 record in the season series thus far, including last weekends GLIAC Tournament win.
 
The Chargers (32-22) are making their first ever NCAA Tournament Appearance, continuing the best season in program history despite falling short in pursuit of the GLIAC Tournament title. In addition to securing a program record 32 wins, the Chargers have putting up some impressive numbers on offense this season, having broken the GLIAC record for home runs by a team in a single season, and leading the conference in most offensive categories. In all five of the Laker victories over the Chargers, however, Hillsdale has scored five runs or fewer, as effective starting pitching has limited the Charger bats.
 
Hillsdale is led by GLIAC Player of the Year Luke Ortel, who has both speed and power at his disposal, evidenced by his 11 home runs, eight triples and 19 stolen bases this season. While Ortel has been a weapon for the Chargers this season, he is but one piece in the stable of veteran hitters that Hillsdale can muster. Senior hitters Tad Sobieszczanski (11 HR's, 42 RBI), Chris McDonald (12 HR's, 59 RBI) and Connor Bartlett (11 HR's, 44 RBI), along with Ortel, form perhaps the most dangerous quartet in the GLIAC, and will be heavily invested in continuing Hillsdale's record setting season however they can.
 
GVSU comes into the Midwest Region Tournament riding some momentum, having captured the GLIAC Tournament title last weekend by winning four games in the tournament. The Lakers played the best of any team during that tournament, but were led by the standout performances of several key players.
 
In outscoring their opponents 24-16 in the four GLIAC tournament wins, the Lakers benefited from the hot hitting of some their infielders, as second baseman Josh Smith led the team with a blistering .588 average, collecting 10 hits in 17 at bats, and coming around to score four times. In addition, Smith made several notable defensive plays during the tournament, particularly in the opening win against Hillsdale, to help the Lakers keep the Chargers from breaking the game open. Third baseman Anthony Villar had a breakout tournament performance against Wayne State, tying a season and career high with six runs batted in. Villar's seventh inning RBI single to score Matt Williams was the game winning run, as the Lakers ended up winning by a 9-8 score.
 
On the season, Villar has been a consistent producer for the Lakers, and now leads the squad in hits (54) and runs batted in (34) this season, and his .338 batting clip is second best on the team this season, behind Smith's .344 average. Villar finished the GLIAC tournament with a team high eight runs batted in, earning him a spot on the All-Tournament team.
 
Another Laker who made a stellar impact over the weekend was closer Matt Williams, whose services were made necessary by a handful of close games. Williams delivered, going a perfect four for four in save opportunities while striking out six in the four appearances. Entering in relief of starter Zach Anderson during the Lakers initial win over Walsh, Williams finished what Anderson had started, combining to shut out a potent Cavaliers lineup as the Lakers won, 4-0 to punch a ticket to the championship game. In earning his 20^th save of the season in the championship win over Walsh, Williams tied the NCAA Division II record for saves in a single season, set by Adam Zimmerman of St. Joseph's in 2005, and tied by Jameson Maj of Abilene Christian in 2007.
 
For Williams to do what he does best, close out games for the Lakers, they will have to prove they can hit, and pitch, the way they need to. The starting pitching for the Lakers has by and large stayed consistently ahead of the curve all season, barring a few outlier performances. Junior Kyle Lawson has had some bumps in the road but has put together a nice 2016 campaign despite it, owning an 8-4 record on the season, and showing the ability to make hitters miss, as he did to the highest degree in a complete game shutout of Alderson-Broaddus, the eighth seeded team in the Midwest region bracket, earlier this season.
 
Furthermore, senior Tim Tarter has seamlessly transitioned from starter to the bullpen and back again, pitching effectively when called upon, and owning a 9-1 record on the season to show for it, along with a solid 3.43 ERA. Fellow senior Josh Griffith has pitched well in two starts against Hillsdale this season, and has been an effective pitcher for the Lakers all season. Sophomore Mitch Ashcraft has posted a 3-0 record as a starter in the second half of the season, and the Lakers are undefeated in the five games that Ashcraft has started, including the 9-8 victory over Wayne State over the weekend.
 
The Lakers will look to improve upon last years performance in the NCAA Tournament, when the Lakers suffered back to back losses to Drury and Ashland, and bowed out of the tournament.