Complete NCAA Region Rankings

A current 11-game winning streak is a big factor for Grand Valley State entering the top-10 in the first NCAA Midwest Region softball rankings, which were released on Wednesday afternoon (Apr. 19). Ranked ninth overall, the Lakers are the defending Midwest Region champions and still have a few weeks to move into the top-eight of the rankings, which would earn the team a seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. 

After a 1-0 loss at #18 Wayne State on Apr. 2, GVSU was 12-15 overall and 2-5 in GLIAC play. Since that point, the Lakers have won 11 consecutive games to move to 23-15 on the season, 9-5 in conference action, and just one game back in the loss column for first place in the league standings. During the 11-game win streak, Grand Valley State has allowed just 10 total runs and notched seven shutouts from the Laker pitching staff.

GVSU is one of three GLIAC teams ranked in the top-10 of the rankings. Here are the first Midwest Region rankings:

Ranking/Team (In-Region Record, Overall Record)
1. Southern Indiana (29-6, 38-8)
2. Missouri-St. Louis (27-9, 32-12)
3. Saginaw Valley State (23-9, 23-10)
4. Indianapolis (22-12, 30-16)
5. Rockhurst (27-16, 27-17)
6. Wayne State (18-6, 32-10)
7. Truman State (28-13, 31-17)
8. McKendree (22-16, 27-18)
9. Grand Valley State (19-13, 19-15)
10. Illinois-Springfield (24-21, 25-21)

The 2017 GLIAC Tournament is from May 5-7 in Findlay, Ohio, with the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament taking place the following weekend at a pair of sites to be determined. The eight advancing teams will be split into two separate sub-regionals, with the 1, 4, 5, and 8 seeds competing at one site and the other regional featuring the 2, 3, 6, and 7 seeds. Both winners of those sub-regionals play the following weekend in the Midwest Super Regional, with the winner of that three-game series advancing to the Division II College World Series in Salem, Va.

Grand Valley State has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) and has made 14 overall appearances in the NCAA postseason.

The Lakers host Lake Erie and Walsh this weekend (Apr. 22-23) and Ferris State next Friday (Apr. 28) before concluding the regular season at Saginaw Valley State next Sunday (Apr. 30).

There will be two more regional rankings released prior to the official announcement of the NCAA Tournament field.