Games vs. Walsh:  Game Notes l  Live Stats

CANTON, Ohio.—The Grand Valley State baseball team will open the 2017 conference slate against GLIAC leader Walsh University on the road this weekend in Canton, Ohio. GVSU (11-6) will face the Cavaliers (11-3) in separate doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday, with each twinbill consisting of a seven inning game followed by a standard nine inning game.
 
The Lakers enter the weekend matchup off of a 1-0 loss to Wisconsin-Parkside in the second game of a doubleheader last Sunday in Westfield, Indiana. Prior to that, GVSU had put together a three-game win streak, their first since starting the season on a five-game win streak.
 
After several players turned in strong performances last week, the Lakers swept GLIAC Player of the Week honors, with juniors Noah Lamboley and Austin LaDoux bringing home Pitcher and Hitter of the Week, respectively, for the fifth week of the season.
 
Lamboley, a pitcher from Peru, Illinois, picked up two wins in as many appearances this week, including a win in his first ever start for the Lakers. Lamboley pitched six innings in a start against Pace in the RussMatt Invitational. Later, Lamboley came on in relief during the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against Wisconsin-Parkside and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to earn his second win of the week. In six appearances this season, Noah has amassed a 3-0 record with a 1.76 ERA, pitching 15.1 innings and allowing three runs while striking out five
 
At the plate, LaDoux continued what has been a productive start to the season, with a good deal of his production coming this week. LaDoux hit .533 with eight hits in 15 at-bats, six of which were extra-base hits. Five of LaDoux eight hits were doubles, and he is now tied for third among all GLIAC players with 10 doubles on the season. Additionally, LaDoux hit his first home run of the season in GVSU's 7-3 win over Wisconsin-Parkside on Sunday, and now leads the team in batting average, at .447. He drove in six runs over the five game span, and collected 16 total bases, all while providing solid defense at third base throughout the week.
 
GVSU is batting .298 on the season and is averaging just under six runs per game, numbers that have put them on the right side of the win column more often than not. Still, the Lakers have at times been plagued by a lack of offense this season, most notably during the tail end of the RussMatt Invitational and in the shutout loss to Wisconsin-Parkside on Sunday. LaDoux is leading the team with a .447 batting average, and has collected nine extra-base hits (eight doubles, one home run), while catcher/DH Brody Andrews is batting .391 with six doubles, three home runs and 13 runs batted in.
 
Shortstop Johnny Nate has been a boon for the Lakers this season at the plate, hitting 70 points above his average from last season and leading the Lakers in runs batted in, with 14. Nate is tied for second on the team in hits, with 18, trailing team leader Connor Glick and his 20 base knocks.
 
On the mound, the Lakers rotation has been better than the team's ERA (4.25) might suggest. Starters Jake Mason, Ryan Arnold and Mitch Ashcraft have been turning in solid appearances in the absence of staff ace Kyle Lawson, who is injured. Additionally, spot starters Tate Brawley, Sawyer Chambers and Lamboley all turned in quality starts on the way to wins during RussMatt play.
 
A strength of the Grand Valley State pitching thus far has been limiting the amount of walks issued to opposing batters, all the while increasing their strikeouts from last season. The Lakers are averaging more than three strikeouts per walk, a figure that is the best of any team in the GLIAC.
 
GVSU's opponent, Walsh, sits atop the GLIAC with an 11-3 overall record, and 4-0 tally in conference play. The Cavaliers are third in the conference in scoring (111 runs), second in average (.324) and first in on-base-percentage (.417). Seniors Austin Szink and Justin Grubb are first and second in the GLIAC in average at .478 and .472, respectively, with Szink tied for third in conference play in RBI, with 19 on the season.
 
On the mound, the Cavaliers own the third-best ERA in the GLIAC at 3.78, while ranking dead last in strikeouts (98). Freshman Hyatt Shenefield leads the staff with a 3-0 record in as many starts, having allowed just two earned runs in 15 innings and sporting a 1.20 ERA. Alongside him, veteran starters Matt Iosue and Mark Mittiga have two wins apiece and have proven poise on the mound.