vs. Hillsdale Chargers
Thursday, May 10
12:00 PM (EST)
Tournament Homepage
Live Stats | Video (will be available shortly)
 
The #9-nationally ranked Grand Valley State softball team is the #1 seed in this year's 2018 NCAA DII Midwest Region Tournament and will face #8 Hillsdale in their opening game on Thursday, May 10 at 12:00 Noon (EST) at the GVSU Softball Field in Allendale, Mich. The top-seeded Lakers will enter the contest 41-7 while the Chargers will come in at 24-14 overall. Both squads are coming off of solid weekends, as they each won their conference tournaments with 4-0 records. 
 
The Lakers and Chargers will be the first of two games played on the first day of competition (Thursday, May 10) with the #4 seed Indianapolis Greyhounds playing the #5 seed Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles at 2:30 PM (EST). The Lakers will then face either Indianapolis or Southern Indiana the follow day, with the rest of the schedule being determined on which teams win. 
 
The full tournament schedule is as follows: 
 
Thursday, May 10
Game 1 – 12:00 Noon (EST)
#1 Grand Valley State vs. #8 Hillsdale 
 
Game 2 – 2:30 PM (EST)
#4 UIndy vs. #5 Southern Indiana
 
Friday, May 11
Game 3 – 11:00 AM (EST)
Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
 
Game 4 – 1:30 PM (EST)
Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
 
Game 5 – 4:00 PM (EST)
Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser
 
Saturday, May 12
Game 6 – 12:00 Noon (EST)
Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
 
Game 7 – 2:30 PM (EST)
"If Necessary" Game
 
This is the 16th all-time appearance for Grand Valley State in the NCAA Tournament and their eighth straight, extending their program record for consecutive trips. In 15 previous trips, the Lakers have accumulated a 43-32 (.573) record as GVSU has won at least one game in14 of those 15 appearances. Grand Valley State has won regional championships and advanced to the College World Series three times: 2002, 2013, and 2016.
 
This will be the first NCAA Postseason Tournament meeting between the Lakers and Chargers but the teams have a lot of history in the GLIAC Regular Season and GLIAC Tournament, as Hillsdale is just one year removed from the conference. In the conference tournament, the two teams have faced off ten times, with GVSU holding the 6-4 advantage over the Chargers, including a victory in their most recent game – a 6-3 final in 2016. Last season, GVSU and HC split their last regular season series, as the Lakers won the first game of the doubleheader, 8-2, before falling in game two, 5-4. Since 2014 – head coach Dana Callihan's first season – the Lakers hold a 6-2 advantage over the Chargers. 
 
GVSU is currently in the midst of a 10-game winning streak, as they swept doubleheaders against Purdue Northwest, Ashland, and Davenport to end the regular season before winning four-straight games to secure the GLIAC Tournament Title. This is only the second longest winning streak this season, as GVSU previously rattled off 21-straight to tie the second longest streak in program history. 
 
At the conclusion of the regular season, eight Lakers garnered All-GLIAC honors. Junior Allison Lipovsky repeated as the GLIAC Pitcher of the Year while Callihan repeated as the GLIAC Coach of the year, as the two both took home their respective awards last season as well. Lipovsky was joined on the All-GLIAC First Team by fellow pitcher Allie Grys, third baseman Teagan Shomin, outfielder Brook Henning, utility player Kaylie Rhynard, and Nikoma Holmen who earned an at-large bid as a first baseman. Additionally, catcher Jessica Ramos and outfielder Bailey Thatcher were named to the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention squad. GVSU's six first team honorees are the most in program history. 
 
Lipovsky will enter the NCAA Postseason Tournament with a 20-3 overall record and a 0.69 ERA. Her ERA ranks fourth in the country, while she leads the nation in both strikeout-to-walk ratio (12.27) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.6), while sitting second in shutouts (13), third in total strikeouts (270), and fourth in hits allowed per seven innings (3.35). Her 270 strikeouts this season currently rank third in program history, trailing just assistant coach Jen Rivera, who tossed 300+ strikeouts twice in her career. 
 
Grys has also had a big impact in the circle for the Lakers, as she is 13-2 with a 1.10 ERA, which is good for ninth in Division II and second in the GLIAC. The four other first team honorees have been the fuel for GVSU's offense this season. Rhynard and Shomin are both hitting over .400, as they sit at .421 and .407 and rank first and second on the team in hits with 67 and 59, respectively. They have both tallied 25 RBI while Shomin also leads the team with a .506 on-base percentage. 
 
Nikoma Holmen and Brooke Henning have had impressive freshman campaigns, as they are batting .352 and .336 respectively. Holmen has hit tallied a team-high 47 RBI, which is just one off of the conference lead as well. She also leads the team with a .593 slugging percentage, with 11 doubles, two triples, and a team best eight homers. Henning ranks fourth on the team with 44 hits, while driving in 21 runners in the process. This season, she has seven doubles, two triples, and two homers. 
 
Callihan has guided the Lakers to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and was also a member of the GVSU coaching staff during all three of the program's College World Series berths (2002, 2013, 2016). As GVSU's head coach, Callihan has racked up a 148-53 record for an impressive .736 winning percentage. 
 
Not only did GVSU win the GLIAC Tournament but they also captured the GLIAC Regular Season Title for the second straight season, finishing 24-2 in league play, including a 16-0 start.
 
Click the links at the top of the page to follow along with the Midwest Region Tournament action this weekend.