ALLENDALE, Mich. — For the 11th straight year, Grand Valley softball qualified for the NCAA DII Regional tournament. Led by long time Head Coach Dana Callihan, the Lakers are 40-6 this season and earned a regular season GLIAC title.
GVSU fell to Saginaw Valley this past weekend in the tournament championship and came in as a 3-seed in the Midwest Region.
"It's nice being able to have that depth because you never know who might be on or who might surprise you at the play or in the field. And so I think having that versatility is really key, especially towards the end of this year when you're in this postseason. You never know who you might need to step up at special times. And so having that depth is crucial," said senior pitcher Sammy Gehrls.
Shortstop Lydia Goble is a top-25 finalist for the NFCA National Player of the Year, ranking sixth nationally in batting average and 32nd in RBI. Pitcher Hannah Beatus is the GLIAC Pitcher of the Year and a reigning All-American, ranking seventh nationally in ERA and 14th in WHIP.
"Each team that you face may have different strengths and different weaknesses. There may be days that one part of your game is not firing as well. But to know that your other two are good, then you can rely on that you know, so it's just a matter of everyday as a new hero, I guess is the way to put it. You just never know which which player is going to step up and be the one to be a game changer," said Head Coach Dana Callihan.
Grand Valley will take on Ohio-Dominican in the opening game of the regional tournament on Thursday, May 12th.
