at #9 Southern Indiana
Thursday (May 11)
3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CST)
Tournament Homepage | Game Notes
Video | Live Stats
 
Grand Valley State will face a familiar foe in the opening round of the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament on Thursday afternoon (May 11) in Evansville, Ind. The defending regional champion Lakers will match up with #9 nationally Southern Indiana at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CST) at the USI Softball Field in GVSU's seventh straight NCAA postseason appearance.
 
On Monday morning (May 8), the Lakers (32-16) learned they had received the #7 seed from the Midwest Region and would face #2 seed and host school Southern Indiana (41-12) for the third consecutive season in the tournament's opening game. The teams met in the 2015 regional in St. Louis, Mo., with USI scoring twice late to win 4-2, but GVSU returned the favor last season in Indianapolis with a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Screaming Eagles.
 
The Lakers and Southern Indiana are the second game on Thursday's opening day of competition, as #3 Saginaw Valley State (35-14) and #6 Indianapolis (33-19) compete in the first game at 1:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. CST).
 
Here is the schedule for the 2017 Midwest Region #2 Tournament in Evansville, Ind.:
 
Thursday (May 11)
Game 1 - 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m ET
#3 Saginaw Valley State (35-14, 14-8 GLIAC) vs. #6 Indianapolis (33-19, 14-14 GLVC)
 
Game 2 - 2:30 p.m. CST/3:30 p.m. ET
#2 Southern Indiana (41-12, 19-7 GLVC) vs. #7 Grand Valley State (32-16, 17-5 GLIAC)
 
Friday (May 12)
Game 3 - 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. ET
Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
 
Game 4 - 2:30 p.m. CST/3:30 p.m. ET
Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
 
Game 5 - 5:00 p.m. CST/6:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner
 
Saturday (May 13)
Game 6 - 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
 
Game 7 - 2:30 p.m. CST/3:30 p.m. ET
'If necessary' game
 
Grand Valley State is making its 15th overall NCAA Tournament appearance, all of which have come since 1999. Overall, the Lakers are 42-30 in NCAA postseason play and have captured the Midwest Region championship in 2002, 2013, and 2016. In 13 of the team's previous 14 tournament appearances, GVSU has won at least one postseason game.
 
While the Lakers are competing in Evansville, Ind., the other sub-regional tournament takes place in St. Louis, Mo. as #1 seed Missouri-St. Louis hosts #8 Kentucky Wesleyan while #4 Wayne State faces #5 Truman State for the second straight season. The winners of the two regionals will meet in the Midwest Super Regional on May 18-20 at the site of the highest remaining seed.
 
Including the two consecutive postseason matchups, GVSU and Southern Indiana have also played in each of the last two regular seasons. Earlier this year in Clermont, Fla, then-#13 USI blanked then-#7 Grand Valley State by a 5-0 score. Last season - also in Clermont, Fla. - the Lakers notched a 3-2 walk-off victory over Southern Indiana in 10 innings.
 
The 2016 NCAA Tournament opener in Indianapolis saw USI take a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and third innings. GVSU knotted the score at 2-2 in the fourth and took a 3-2 lead in the fifth frame. Southern Indiana was able to tie the score at 3-3 in the top of the seventh, but the Lakers loaded the bases in the home half of the contest and Kaylie Rhynard took a four-pitch walk-off walk for the victory.
 
Ellie Balbach allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in six innings, while Sara Andrasik allowed one hit in her inning of relief, earning the victory. The Lakers outhit USI by an 8-6 margin, including a 2-for-3 effort from Balbach. Southern Indiana committed three errors in the loss.
 
From there, Grand Valley State fell to Trevecca Nazarene 5-1 to drop into the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament. The Lakers bounced back with a 5-4 win over #2 Indianapolis, then swept Trevecca Nazarene in the championship series 4-2 and 2-1 to capture the sub-regional title. GVSU advanced to the Midwest Super Regional to face GLIAC foe #10 Wayne State, winning both games over the Warriors (5-4 and 1-0) to earn its third College World Series appearance in school history.
 
In the all-time series against Southern Indiana, the Lakers are 6-3 including the two-game NCAA Tournament split over the past two seasons. GVSU will face either Saginaw Valley State or Indianapolis in the tournament's second game and the Lakers are familiar with both teams. On Apr. 29 in University Center, Grand Valley State swept SVSU 5-3 and 7-6 in the regular season finale to claim the 2017 GLIAC Championship. The teams met in the 2011 Midwest Super Regional series, with Saginaw Valley State winning on its home field, 5-2 and 2-0.
 
Grand Valley State has faced Indianapolis in the 2013, 2014, and 2016 NCAA Tournaments, with the Lakers owning a 4-2 advantage over the Greyhounds. The then-#9 Lakers won the 2013 Super Regional championship over #1 nationally ranked Indianapolis on the Greyhounds' home field, taking game one (5-3) and game three (3-2) to claim the second regional title in program history. The teams split a pair of meetings in the 2014 tournament in Detroit and GVSU eliminated the Greyhounds in last year's regional, again on Indianapolis' home field.
 
After earning the 2017 regular season championship, Grand Valley State took a 19-game winning streak into the GLIAC Tournament in Findlay, Ohio. Inclement weather changed the double-elimination format into single elimination, starting one day later. GVSU took care of Findlay with three late runs in a 7-4 win, but fell late to Ashland 5-4, as the Eagles scored four runs in the sixth inning after trailing 3-1.
 
That loss snapped the team's 20-game winning streak, with the Lakers falling one win shy of tying the second-longest win streak in team history. Grand Valley State won 21 straight games in 1999 and a school-record 30 consecutive games in 2003.
 
At the conclusion of the regular season, seven Lakers were named to the All-GLIAC Teams, with sophomore Allison Lipovsky earning GLIAC Pitcher of the Year honors and Dana Callihan sharing the GLIAC Coach of the Year award with Ashland's Sheilah Gulas. Lipovsky was joined on the All-GLIAC First Team with senior second baseman Jenna Lenza and freshman first baseman Kelcie LaTour. A pair of seniors - designated player Ellie Balbach and centerfielder Janae Langs - received All-GLIAC Second Team plaudits, while junior right fielder Tanner Kiessel and sophomore shortstop Shannon Flaherty were Honorable Mention selections.
 
Lipovsky is actually the first Laker to be named GLIAC Pitcher of the Year since the award's inception in 2008. She is 15-3 overall with a 1.41 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 144.0 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .151 off the righthander, who has eight shutouts in her 18 complete games. She ranks second in Division II in hits allowed per game (3.65) and seventh in strikeouts per game (9.7). Lipovsky has a dozen double-digit strikeout games this season, including each of her past nine outings. With one more strikeout, she will join assistant coach Jen Rivera as the only pitchers in GVSU history with a 200-strikeout season. Rivera - formerly Mackson - accomplished the feat three times.
 
Callihan earned the Coach of the Year honor in her third season at the helm of the Laker program. In three seasons, she owns a 107-46 record for an impressive .699 winning percentage, including three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Callihan has also been on the Laker coaching staff during all three of the program's College World Series berths (2002, 2013, 2016).
 
Lenza not only set a new GLIAC single season record for doubles (23), but she led the conference in seven offensive categories during league play this year. The senior is second all-time in GVSU history with 58 career doubles and also ranks third in walks (88), fifth in total bases (364), tied for fifth in runs (158), sixth in hits (244), and ninth in home runs (18). She is also fifth in career batting average (.387) and on-base percentage (.459) and sixth in slugging percentage (.577).
 
The Lakers' seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the longest streak in school history, breaking a tie with the six-year stretch from 1999 to 2004. Over the past six NCAA postseasons, GVSU owns an 18-14 record with College World Series trips in 2013 (Salem, Va.) and 2016 (Denver, Colo.).
 
Grand Valley State captured the 2017 GLIAC regular season championship, its 14th in program history. Selected as the preseason favorites, the Lakers finished 17-5 in league play and won their final 15 GLIAC games. It was the program's sixth conference championship since 2001 and the first since going back-to-back in 2012 and 2013.
 
Click on the links at the top of this page to follow along with the Midwest Region Tournament this weekend.