INDIANAPOLIS – The Grand Valley State softball team has been selected as an at-large bid and 3-seed in the 2022 NCAA Midwest Regional, as announced during Monday's (May 9) selection show. The Lakers will face the 6-seed Ohio Dominican Panthers on Thursday (May 12) at 1:30 PM on the campus of the University of Indianapolis (Tournament Central).
 
The Lakers qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the 11^th straight season, entering the regional with a 40-6 record and claiming a fifth straight GLIAC regular season title after a 23-3 mark in conference play. They had won 15 straight games prior to falling in the GLIAC Tournament championship game on Sunday (May 8).

Returning to the usual eight-team regional format for the first time since 2019, the field is split into two, four-team brackets for the opening weekend of regional play. Second-seeded Indianapolis will host bracket two with the Lakers, Panthers and 7-seed Findlay playing in the double-elimination tournament. The winner will face whomever emerges from bracket one, hosted by top-seeded Southern Indiana, next weekend in a best-of-three super regional. Check out the complete 64-team bracket here.
 
Offensively, the Lakers rank 14^th in DII in batting average (.343) and 27^th in hits (454) and scoring (6.41 runs per game).  Lydia Goble, who has been named a top-25 finalist for NFCA National Player of the Year and is a first team All-Region honoree, ranks sixth individually in batting average (.474), 27^th in on-base percentage and is top-50 in RBI and RBI per game. She is one of three Lakers batting over .400 this season, joined by Kaitlin Lynch (.425) and fellow first team All-Region performer, Joanna Cirrincione (.415).
 
Reigning All-American Hannah Beatus was named GLIAC Pitcher of the Year and a 2022 first team All-Region over the weekend and boasts a 0.93 ERA, good for seventh in the nation, and is 13^th in hits allowed per seven innings and 14^th in WHIP. Genesis Eggart has developed into a formidable second option in the circle, going 14-1 this season with a 2.41 ERA. Beatus and Eggart are first and second, respectively, in the GLIAC in hits allowed per seven innings.
 
The Lakers are 11-5 lifetime against the Panthers, sweeping a doubleheader in Columbus, Ohio last March during the 2021 regular season. This year's Ohio Dominican team bounced back from a first-round loss to win the G-MAC Tournament Championship after finishing second in the regular-season standings. They are 35-17 overall with wins over tournament teams Indianapolis, Findlay and Saginaw Valley this season.
 
The Panthers are a scrapy and relentless group that will grind and work to make things difficult on opponents. They're hitting .290 as a team this season and are aggressive on the basepaths, racking up 92 stolen bases this year in 103 attempts. They've also hit 86 doubles and 25 homers. Five everyday players are hitting above .300, led by second team All-Region outfielder, freshman Kaleigh Golden (.373) while junior Braxton Downs' has provided the power with 26 extra-base hits, including 11 homers, and 50 RBI this season. Alli Madden and Madison Shemwell have been the blazers on the basepaths, combining to go a perfect 49-49 in stolen base attempts this season.
 
Sydney Long, another second team All-Region honoree, has been the leader in the circle, posting a 1.60 ERA in 171 innings of work for an 18-8 record this season. She's struck out 139 compared to 65 walks. Addison Smodilla also crossed the century mark in innings pitched (118) and has a 2.61 ERA with a 14-6 record.
 
The Lakers find themselves in unfamiliar territory, not serving as a regional host for the first time in six seasons. Competing in one of the deepest regions in the country, the Lakers look to embrace the underdog role and pull the upset to get back to next week's super regional in their quest for a third straight WCWS appearance.