LANSING, Mich. – The Grand Valley State baseball team will begin postseason play on Thursday, May 20 against Wayne State at 10:00 AM in the opening round of the GLIAC Tournament. Every game will be played at Jackson Field, home of the Lansing Lugnuts (Oakland A's High-A affiliate), and will be live streamed (pay-per-view). The tournament will feature a double elimination format with the championship game being played on Sunday. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the six-team Midwest Regional, which will take place May 27-30 at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.
 
GLIAC Tournament Ticket Information:
 
- Fans will be expected to pre-purchase tickets so they don't have to be exchanged at the ballpark. All tickets are $10 per day. Age 2 and under are free. Spectators will be asked to leave the stands and re-enter between games so the park can cover sanitization protocols.
- A limited number of tickets will be available on site
- Fan parking is $5 in front lots (event parking) and $2/hour up to $10 for all day in gated lots 

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The Lakers enter the tournament on an eight-game win streak and winners of 12 out of their last 15 games. The GVSU pitching staff has been dominant during the win streak, allowing just 17 runs in the last eight games and lowered their ERA to a GLIAC-best 4.17. Nick Rutkowski, Mark Scannell, Michael Barno, and Austin Brown have each allowed two runs or less in their last two starts, while Nick Shaw, Sam Leck, and Jared Skubic have thrived in the relief role.
 
The lineup has been recently anchored by Parker Murdie, as the senior shortstop has notched 12 hits in his last five games out of the two-hole and finished the regular season with a .352 average. Carter Smith (.387), Christian Faust (.385), Ryan Blake-Jones (.364), Kyle Nott (.341), and Cade Stanton (.315) all tallied a batting average over .300, while Blake-Jones launched a team-high four home runs.
 
Wayne State was atop the GLIAC standings with two weeks left in the season before dropping six of their last eight games to Davenport and Northwood. The Warriors boast a 4.83 team ERA, which ranks second in the conference. The ace of the staff, Dillon McInerney, finished the season 5-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 60.2 innings pitched, while the top relief arm, Brendan Bilkovic, had a 2-0 record with two saves and a 2.93 ERA. Travis Ryne (.357), Hunter DeLanoy (.356), and Rudy Ramirez (.345) are the top three hitters in the Wayne State lineup. As a team, the Warriors hit just .290, but have belted 30 home runs and 75 doubles.
 
Thursday's Schedule:
 
#2 GVSU vs. #5 Wayne State: 10:00 AM
#1 Davenport vs. #6 SVSU: 2:00 PM
#3 Northwood vs. #4 Ashland: 6:00 PM
 
The winner of GVSU/Wayne State will play at 6:00 PM on Friday against the winner of Ashland/Northwood, while the loser will play at 10:00 AM on Friday against the loser of Davenport/SVSU. A complete schedule can be found on the tournament homepage.
 
Follow @GVSUBaseball on Twitter for live in-game updates throughout the tournament.