ALLENDALE—The Grand Valley State softball team hits the road for a pair of doubleheaders this weekend, facing off with crosstown rivals Davenport and Battle of the Valleys foe Saginaw Valley State.
 
The Lakers take on Davenport at 3 p.m. on Friday in Caledonia and are facing SVSU at 1 p.m. on Saturday in University Center.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Davenport comes into the Friday doubleheader against GVSU with a 9-16 record with a 4-2 mark in conference play.
 
The Panthers beat Ferris State twice last weekend in Big Rapids, bouncing back from a pair of home losses against Purdue Northwest. Davenport's other two conference wins came against Parkside.
 
Gabby Palazzolo leads the Panthers with a .365 batting average and holds a .962 OPS. Palazzolo and fellow Panther Hayley Krieger are tied for third in the GLIAC with three home runs this season.
 
Krieger leads the way in RBI for Davenport with 19. The Panther offense is last in the conference in runs scored this season, having plated just 93 runs.
 
Kelsey Byers has started 12 games in the circle for Davenport. She holds a 4.15 ERA, which leads the Panthers. Byers is third in the GLIAC in strikeouts with 52. The Davenport pitching staff is second-to-last in the conference with a 4.78 ERA.
 
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Saginaw Valley State took three of four on their road trip to Purdue Northwest and Parkside, including a sweep against Parkside in their two most recent games.
 
The Cardinals are 21-7 and have a 5-1 record in GLIAC play.
 
Sarah Gersch leads the Cardinals with a .376 batting average. She is also the team leader in RBI with 30, which ranks second in the GLIAC. Sara Moos ranks fourth in the conference with 22 RBI.
 
Jackie Popko is the GLIAC leader in stolen bases with 23. The next closest in the conference has 15 stolen bases.
 
The Cardinals have two pitchers in the top five in ERA. Emily Depew has started 12 games for the Cardinals and holds a 1.57 ERA, which is fourth-best in the conference. She is also second in the GLIAC in strikeouts with 60. Alyssa Muench is ranked fifth in the GLIAC with a 2.43 ERA. She has started eight games and has seven victories. 
 
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY
Monday's doubleheader between the Lakers and Ferris State got cut short due to rain.
 
In game one, the Lakers won, 2-1, with the game-winner from Morgan Wagner when she drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the third inning. She hit a line drive down the left-field line that landed in fair territory to drive in Joanna Cirrincione.
 
Hannah Beatus got the win in the circle for GVSU. She was brilliant again for the Lakers, tossing a complete game and gave up one run. She tossed eight strikeouts, taking back the conference lead in strikeouts this season. Beatus surrendered six hits and two walks. The victory moves her to 9-1 on the season.
 
Game two was postponed due to rain. The Lakers held a, 1-0, lead in the second inning when the conclusion of the game was postponed. GVSU and Ferris State will resume and conclude that game at 4 p.m. on April 18.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
The Lakers are one of the top teams in the country when it comes to two major statistical categories.
 
GVSU is No. 8 in the nation in batting average, hitting it at a .354 clip. The Laker pitching staff has the third-best ERA in the country with a 1.31 ERA.
 
The Lakers are leading the GLIAC in batting average (.354), ERA (1.31), fielding percentage (.976), on-base percentage (.416), scoring (6.04 runs/game), slugging percentage (.456) and WHIP (0.97).
 
Lydia Goble leads the GLIAC in batting average, hitting at a .500 clip. Morgan Wagner and Joanna Cirrincione are second and third in the conference, hitting .493 and .438, respectively.
 
In the circle, Hannah Beatus leads the nation in ERA, holding a 0.12 ERA so far this season. She also leads the GLIAC in strikeouts with 66 and WHIP with a 0.56 mark.
 
LOOK OUT FOR THE LAKERS
The Grand Valley State softball team had four players named to the 2023 Tucci/NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year Watchlist, the organization announced.
 
Hannah Beatus, Lydia Goble, Morgan Wagner and Joanna Cirrincione were four of the players named to the Midwest Region's section of the watchlist, which was split into eight regions, matching the NCAA Division II regions.
 
Beatus is off to an outstanding start to the season, leading the nation in ERA and WHIP. Beatus has yet to allow an earned run this season and has allowed 0.48 walks and hits in an average inning. She is 8-1 in the circle this season and has struck out a GLIAC-leading 58 batters. 
 
Goble, a First Team All-American from a season ago, is off to another All-American start to the season. Goble is seventh in the nation with a .507 batting average, a mark that also leads the GLIAC. She has hit 10 doubles this season, which is good enough for No. 45 nationally and first in the conference. 
 
Wagner has been an anchor for the Lakers' offense and is one of the nation's leaders in RBI. She is ranked 81st in the nation with her 28 RBI this season, which ranks second in the GLIAC. Wagner is hitting .492, which ranks 13th in the country and second in the conference. 
 
Cirrincione is having a stellar season for the Lakers. She is hitting .455, which ranks 46th in the country and third in the GLIAC. She is a threat on the base paths with 13 stolen bases, which is third in the GLIAC. Her speed has also shown with two triples so far this season.