Grand Valley State University Athletics

#1 Grand Valley State claimed the 2026 NCAA Midwest Region 1 Championship Saturday afternoon with its 7-4 comeback victory over Missouri S&T at the GVSU Baseball Field. The Lakers, who went 3-0 in the regional, advance to their first-ever Super Regional round of the NCAA DII Baseball Tournament. GVSU has advanced to the NCAA DII World Series six times in program history with six Midwest Regional Championships, but will be appearing in the new Super Regional format for the first time. The Midwest Super Regional will take place May 21, 22 and 23 at a time to be determined.

The Laker and Miners battled for nine innings, with the lead changing four times. Missouri S&T produced a run in the top of the second after a leadoff double, but GVSU answered back in the bottom of the third. SS Evan Morrison reached on a fielder's choice and 2B Ayden VanEnkevort singled Morrison to third. 1B Jovan Gill then turned on a two-strike fastball and deposited it over the right field fence to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead. The home run was the 15^th of the season for Gill and upped his RBI total to 89. Missouri S&T clawed its way back into the game with single runs to tie the game in the fifth and sixth innings and took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh. 

The Miners threatened to increase their lead in the top of the eighth with runners on first and third and no one out. However, pitcher Duncan McLaughlin was able to get a short fly out to right field, VanEnkevort threw out a would be run at home plate for the second out and then made a 4-3 putout for the third out of the inning to keep the Lakers within striking distance.
RF Ryan Stimac, who made a diving catch to end the seventh inning, singled to open the bottom of the eighth and LF Will Bowen doubled down the right field line and Stimac advanced to third. Morrison singled home Stimac to tie the game and VanEnkevort walked to load the bases and Bowen scored on wild pitch to give GVSU a 5-4 lead. Freshman catcher Noah Brandt singled to right to plate VanEnkevort and freshman DH Josh Fleming hit a sacrifice fly that scored Gill and upped the lead to 7-4. 

Relief pitcher Ethan Houghtaling got the final three outs, the third of which was a Morrison highlight 6-3 putout to end the game and send the Lakers to the Midwest Super Regional.
VanEnkevort tallied a three-assist game, the third most assists in a single-game in Laker baseball history, including two at home plate. Freshman Jackson Kees got the start on the mound and went 5.0 innings, yielding just two runs on four hits. McLaughlin picked up the win, giving up two runs on three hits in 3.0 innings, while Houghtaling picked up his seventh save of the season with a hitless ninth. 

Gill was 2-for-4 with a 3-run HR, three RBI and two runs scored, while Morrison was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. VanEnkevort was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, Brandt was 1-for-4 with an RBI and Fleming plated a run. Stimac was 2-for-3 with a run scored and Bowen was 1-for-3 with a double and run scored.