2017 All-GLIAC Softball Teams

After capturing the 2017 GLIAC regular season championship, seven Grand Valley State Lakers received All-GLIAC honors - including a pair of major award winners - released on Saturday afternoon (May 6). Sophomore Allison Lipovsky was named the GLIAC Pitcher of the Year and Dana Callihan earned GLIAC Co-Coach of the Year plaudits, in addition to the three Lakers voted to the All-GLIAC First Team.
 
Lipovsky was joined on the All-GLIAC First Team by senior second baseman Jenna Lenza and freshman first baseman Kelcie LaTour, as GVSU tied for the most First Team honorees. A pair of Laker seniors - utility player Ellie Balbach and outfielder Janae Langs - was voted to the All-GLIAC Second Team. Junior outfielder Tanner Kiessel and sophomore shortstop Shannon Flaherty were tabbed as All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selections.
 
Lenza earns her third consecutive All-GLIAC First Team selection and is just the sixth player in GVSU history to do so. She joins Miranda Cleary, Briauna Taylor, Katie Martin, Kristin Moleski, and assistant coach Jen Rivera (formerly Mackson) as the only Lakers to be voted to the All-GLIAC First Team three times during their career.
 
Balbach is an All-GLIAC selection for the third season, as well. The lefty was on the All-GLIAC First Team each of the past two years and garnered Second Team accolades this season after battling through injury. Lipovsky (Second Team), Flaherty (Honorable Mention), and Langs (Honorable Mention) received All-GLIAC honors last season, as well. These are the first All-GLIAC awards for Kiessel and LaTour.
 
The most dominant pitcher in the league this season, Lipovsky finished 14-3 overall with a 1.28 ERA and tallied 185 strikeouts, the fifth-most in GVSU single season history. In GLIAC contests, the righty was 9-2 with a 1.49 ERA and league-bests of 109 strikeouts and 9.54 strikeouts per game. Half of her eight shutouts came in conference play, where opponents hit just .164 off of the sophomore.
 
Last season's GLIAC Freshman of the Year, Lipovsky is second in Division II in fewest hits allowed per game (3.63), seventh in strikeouts per game (9.5), and 15th in total strikeouts. She was tremendous during April and the Lakers' run to the GLIAC regular season championship. In 11 appearances during the month, she allowed a total of only 10 runs. That earned Lipovsky four consecutive GLIAC Pitcher of the Week awards. She recorded 11 double-digit strikeout games this season, including each of her final eight outings.
 
Lipovsky allowed more than five hits in a game in just two of her 22 appearances. In 137.0 total innings this season, the righty gave up just 20 extra base hits and opponents managed a .150 batting average off her.
 
Callihan led GVSU to the regular season championship in her third season at the helm of the Laker program. It is her first regular season title as head coach. After beginning the year with a 12-15 record and a 2-5 mark in GLIAC play, Grand Valley State won its next 19 games for the third-longest win streak in team history. 15 of those consecutive victories came in league action, including seven straight GLIAC doubleheader sweeps.
 
At 31-15 overall, the Lakers reached the 30-win plateau for the seventh consecutive season and the third straight year under Callihan. GVSU was also 14-0 at home in 2017. In late April, Callihan won the 100th game of her head coaching career.
 
Lenza was the most outstanding offensive player in the league this season. She led all GLIAC players in conference play in batting average (.522), on-base percentage (.616), slugging percentage (.821), runs (28), doubles (11), total bases (55), and walks (17). She was also third in hits (35) and eighth in home runs (three) in conference games.
 
Overall, Lenza was the GLIAC leader in batting average (.486), on-base percentage (.561), slugging percentage (.750), and doubles (23). She was also second overall in runs (45) and walks (24), third in total bases (108), fourth in hits (70), 10th in home runs (five), and 11th in RBI (30). Lenza is third in all of Division II this season in doubles and doubles per game (0.50) and seventh in batting average and on-base percentage. Her 23 doubles are a new GLIAC all-time single season record.
 
In terms of GVSU single season history, Lenza's 23 doubles are first all-time, as is her .486 batting average. She is also second in a single season in Laker history with a .561 on-base percentage and fifth with a .750 slugging percentage.
 
Lenza is second all-time in Grand Valley State history in doubles (58), third in walks (88), and fifth in batting average (.387), on-base percentage (.459), and total bases (361). She is also tied for fifth in runs (158), sixth in slugging percentage (.579), tied for sixth in hits (241), and ninth in home runs (18).
 
She has 21 multi-hit games on the year, including eight games of at least three hits. Lenza has seven multi-RBI games and tallied three game-winning walk-off home runs. She takes a 19-game 'reached base' streak and a 16-game hitting streak into this weekend's GLIAC Tournament.
 
Starting in 45 of GVSU's 46 games as a true freshman, LaTour hit .338 with 47 hits and recorded a team-high 36 RBI, which was good for fourth-most in the conference. She notched 47 hits with seven doubles, a triple, and a home run. LaTour was 18th among GLIAC players in hits and her batting average was 21st-best, along with her .392 on-base percentage ranking 23rd.
 
In conference play, LaTour's 22 RBI were the most of any player in the league. She collected 26 hits in league action and hit .371, both of which were 14th-best. Her .416 on-base percentage and .471 slugging percentage were 20th and 26th-highest, respectively. LaTour totaled 11 multi-RBI games, including three games of at least three RBI. She also added a dozen multi-hit contests, with four three-hit games.
 
Balbach hit .336 with 41 hits and collected seven doubles, one triple, and a pair of home runs. She notched 23 RBI and scored 11 runs in 39 games played, tallying 10 multi-hit games and five games of multiple RBI. Her batting average and RBI total were both 22nd in the league. The lefty tossed 67.2 innings in the circle, including three shutouts in her 14 pitching appearances. She also struck out 53 batters. Balbach's three shutouts were fifth-most in the GLIAC and her 5.48 strikeouts per game were sixth-best among conference pitchers.
 
After joining the Lakers at the conclusion of the GVSU women's basketball season, Langs started all 30 games in center field. Since Langs joined the team, the Lakers are 25-5. She finished behind only Lenza on Grand Valley State with a .343 batting average and was third on the Lakers with 25 runs. Langs collected 34 base hits, which included seven doubles and team-highs of three triples and 11 stolen bases. She also played a flawless center field with a 1.000 fielding percentage in 37 total chances. Langs posted eight multi-hit games, including a four-hit effort against Tiffin on April 9. In GLIAC contests, she was fifth in the league in triples (two), seventh in stolen bases (seven), 10th in runs (17), 13th in hits (26), 16th in doubles (six), 18th in total bases (36), and 24th in batting average (.342).
 
Flaherty is the only Laker to start in all 46 games this season, making 27 starts at shortstop and another 19 starting appearances at third base. She hit .333 and was tied for third on the team with 47 hits, including eight doubles, two triples, and a homer. Flaherty drove in 22 runs and scored 18 times, while tying for second on the team with 10 walks. The Lakers are 23-4 with Flaherty as the starting shortstop. She finished third on the team in both multi-hit games (14) and multi-RBI contests (six).
 
Kiessel hit .303 in 41 total appearances, making 33 starts in right field. She totaled 27 hits and five doubles to go with 12 runs and nine RBI. The Lakers are 26-7 with Kiessel as the team's starting right fielder, as she did not commit an error in 35 total chances for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. In conference play, Kiessel owned a .545 slugging percentage and a .364 batting average, good for 15th and 16th best among GLIAC players.
 
The Lakers closed the regular season with 19 consecutive victories and enter the GLIAC Tournament as the top seed. GVSU faces Findlay in the tournament's opening round on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Due to inclement weather cancelling the first day of competition, the tournament is now single elimination rather than the usual double elimination format.