#1 Grand Valley State vs. #8 Hillsdale (Thursday, May 9 - 2:30 PM)
Live Stats
Video
Tournament Central

#4 Southern Indiana vs. #5 Wayne State (Thursday, May 9 - 5:00 PM)
Live Stats
Video
Tournament Central
 
In a rematch of last season's opening game of the NCAA DII Midwest Region 1 Tournament, the Grand Valley State softball team will face the Hillsdale Chargers at 2:30 PM tomorrow (May 8) at the GVSU Softball Field. The Lakers are once again the #1 seed and the Chargers the #8 seed in this year's edition of the tournament as GVSU enters the weekend 44-8 overall while the Chargers are 23-26 on the year. 
 
GVSU and HC played twice last season as well with both games coming in the regional tournament in Allendale where they went an even 1-1 against each other. The Chargers handed the Lakers a loss in the first game of the tournament, 1-0, before GVSU would knock them out of the tournament with a 7-0 victory as they fought their way out of the loser's bracket. 
 
The two teams have also played once this season way back on March 8th where they Lakers walked away with the 2-1 win thanks to a walk-off single from sophomore first baseman Nikoma Holmen. 
 
The Lakers, winners of 10 straight, have started to pick up some steam late this season, sweeping through the GLIAC Tournament with a 4-0 record where they outscored their opponents by a 30-5 margin to capture the tournament and regular season titles for the second season in a row. The Chargers finished their conference schedule with a 13-11 record but also swept through their conference tournament to win the automatic bid into regional play out of the G-MAC. 
 
Earlier today, a handful of Lakers were honored for their play on the field, winning Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association Midwest Region honors. Senior righty Allison Lipovsky was named the back-to-back Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year as she also earned first team honors with Holmen, who repeated as the Midwest's best first baseman. Freshman third baseman Lydia Goble was the lone freshman to earn first team honors while sophomore outfielder Bailey Thatcher was named to the second team. 
 
Lipovsky has posted a 26-2 record in the circle this season to go with her 0.81 ERA, 16 shutouts, and 271 strikeouts, all of which are top-three in the nation, so far in her senior campaign. Freshman hurler Samantha Gehrls has seen the second most action this season, tossing 56.2 innings where she's gone 10-2 with a 3.49 ERA. The GVSU pitching staff has combined for a 1.72 ERA, 386 total strikeouts, and just 87 walks. 
 
Holmen and Goble lead a Laker offense that has been red hot lately, scoring five or more runs in seven of their last 10 games during their winning streak. Holmen is batting a team-high .409 as she's racked up 72 hits, including 16 doubles, nine homers, and one triple as she's knocked in 58 runs this season. Goble, who is hitting .365, has a team-high 59 RBI's and 13 dingers to go with her 11 doubles and four triples while also leading the team with 55 total runs scored. Thatcher currently ranks second on the team with a .365 average and an impressive .449 on-base percentage. 
 
While hitting .304, sophomore second baseman Taylor Rieger ranks third on the team with 48 RBI's as she's smashed nine home runs to go with 15 doubles – both of which are second on the squad. Both Shannon Flaherty (.352, 51 H, 35 RBI) and Kaylie Rhynard (.333, 57 H, 55 R, 18 RBI) are hitting over .300 as well to help churn the high-powered Laker offense. 
 
Hillsdale enters the weekend hitting .320 as a team while their pitching staff sports a 3.10 ERA this season. All-American outfielder Katie Kish leads the Charger offense with a .402 average, 66 hits, and 33 runs scored while also knocking in 23 runs herself. Both Jessica Taylor (.391, 54 H, 14 2B, 20 RBI), and Amanda Marra (.367, 62 H, 15 2B, 26 RBI) have been solid offense weapons for the Chargers while Sam Catron leads the way with 34 RBI's. 
 
In the circle, Natalie Walters has seen the most success, notching a 9-7 record in her 15 games started where she's tossed 118.2 innings, striking out 53 and walking 57 for a 3.49 ERA. Freshman Camryn Olson has seen the second most action, tossing 58.2 innings with a 3.49 ERA and a 4-4 record.