Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University (GVSU) is set to host the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional baseball tournament. The #14 ranked Lakers, holding the #2 seed in the regional bracket, will face off against #7 seed Missouri S&T on Thursday at 11 a.m. This matchup revives a series where Missouri S&T holds a slight advantage with a 3-1 lead, their last encounter being a close contest during the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

GVSU has shown strong form leading into this tournament, winning 21 of their last 25 games. The team has been part of the NCAA DII Tournament for the 19th time in its history and is hosting for the fourth time. Previously, they hosted regionals in Allendale in 2003 and 2006, and a six-team event in Normal, Illinois in 2011.

The schedule for the regional is as follows:

- Thursday's Game 1 features Grand Valley State (41-12) versus Missouri S&T (32-23) at 11 a.m., followed by Game 2 between Lewis (36-16) and Northwood (35-19) at 2 p.m.

- Friday's Game 3 will see the losers of Games 1 and 2 compete at 11 a.m., with Game 4 showcasing the winners of Games 1 and 2 at 2 p.m.

- Saturday's matchups include Game 5 between the loser of Game 4 and winner of Game 5 at 11 a.m., followed by Game 6 featuring the winner of Game 4 versus winner of Game 5 at 2 p.m.

- Sunday may feature an additional game if necessary.

Under head coach Jordan Keur, GVSU has achieved a strong home record this season. Senior pitcher Jayden Dentler has led on the mound with an impressive undefeated streak this year. Key players such as senior DH Jonas Gulbrandsen and junior SS Evan Morrison have contributed significantly to GVSU’s offensive statistics.

In terms of conference recognition, GVSU players have received numerous accolades from GLIAC, including First-Team selections for SS Evan Morrison, OF Ryan Dykstra, SP Jayden Dentler, and SP Collin Bradley.

As they enter this regional competition, GVSU boasts formidable records when reaching key scoring milestones during games. They are especially successful when scoring three or more runs or maintaining leads beyond certain innings.

The Lakers aim to leverage these strengths as they seek another deep run in postseason play.