ALLENDALE—The Grand Valley State softball team opens its season this weekend at the Lewis Dome Tournament in Rosemont, Illinois, at the The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex.
 
The No. 12 Lakers kick off their season with a pair of games on Friday. GVSU takes on Minnesota Duluth at 2:30 p.m. and closes out the opening day of play at 4:30 p.m. against Walsh. The Lakers play at 10 a.m. on Saturday against Truman State and then take on William Jewell at 4:30 p.m. GVSU closes out the weekend at 9 a.m. on Sunday against Winona State.
 
The Grand Valley State softball team was voted the preseason champion in the 2023 GLIAC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll and earned six of the seven first-place votes.
 
The Lakers finished atop the GLIAC in the regular season in 2022 with a conference record of 22-3 and made a GLIAC Tournament Championship game appearance. GVSU's postseason run went to the NCAA Midwest Super Regional. The Lakers finished the season with a 43-8 record.
 
GVSU returns 14 players from last year's roster, including NFCA All-Americans Lydia Goble and Hannah Beatus. Nine of the Lakers' 11 players who appeared in GVSU's final game of the season in 2022 also return in 2023.
 
Lydia Goble, Joanna Cirrincione and Kaitlin Lynch all hit above .400 last season for the Lakers and all return in 2023. Goble also led GVSU last season with six home runs. In the circle, Hannah Beatus led the way, earning a 21-5 record, posted a 0.97 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, and tossed 181 strikeouts.
 
Goble, Cirrincione and Beatus earned First Team All-GLIAC honors last season. Beatus also became the second Laker to earn multiple GLIAC Pitcher of the Year awards. Kelsey Komorous was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year (the third straight Laker to win the award) and Dana Callihan was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year for the fifth consecutive season in 2022.
 
The Lakers added six freshmen to their roster ahead of the 2023 season: Kylie Sinal, Eliana Eiland, Nevaeh Ingram, Christine Duch, Jenna Ballard and MaryJane Goodman all enter their first season in Allendale as true freshmen.
 
The Lakers were picked 10th in the country in the NFCA Preseason Coaches Poll. GVSU was the only GLIAC team to receive a vote and ended up in the top 10 of the association's poll. In the NFCA's Week 2 poll, the Lakers came in at No. 12.
 
To stay up-to-date with Laker softball, please stay tuned to @GVSUSoftball on Twitter and online at gvsulakers.com.