TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
The Wayne State University baseball team (32-19) will get its third opportunity in the postseason to play No. 1 ranked Grand Valley State University (48-3) as the Warriors and Lakers meet in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT.

Wayne State earned a 7-6 12-inning victory over Ashland in the GLIAC Tournament on Thursday, and eliminated Saginaw Valley State in an 11-3 win on Friday night.  The Lakers defeated the Warriors twice, however, including a 9-4 result in Saturday's championship game. Nonetheless, Wayne State qualified for the NCAA Regional for the fourth time in program history.

Wayne State and GVSU are the lone two teams from the GLIAC, as the other four represent the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Southern Indiana, the defending NCAA Division II champion, will face Missouri S&T which is in the regional for the first time since 1972. Northern Kentucky will take on Quincy, the 2011 GLVC Tournament winner.

The NCAA Midwest Regional will be held in Normal, Ill., at the Corn Crib, the home of the Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League. All WSU games at the tournament will be broadcast on Warrior All-Access.


AT THE HELM
Ryan Kelley, the 2010 GLIAC Coach of the Year, is in his third season as the head coach of the WSU baseball program and has a career record of 89-65. Kelley guided the Warriors to 25 wins in 2009, the most by any first-year head coach in program history. Last season, Wayne State went 32-20 and won the GLIAC regular-season and tournament championships, advancing to the NCAA Regional.

Steve Lyon, crowned GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2011, is in his 13th season at Grand Valley State with a record of 505-184-2. His career mark, which includes five seasons at Oakland University, stands at 618-284-3. Lyon has led the Lakers to 10 straight NCAA Midwest Regionals, and guided the team to seven consecutive GLIAC championships until WSU interrupted the streak by winning the title in 2010.


SCOUTING GRAND VALLEY STATE
The Lakers have not tasted defeat since a 6-1 result April 9 at Saginaw Valley State. During their current 28-game winning streak, the Lakers have outscored their opponents, 235-71, and recorded five shutouts.

Senior infielder Cory Phillips leads the team in batting average (.398), while junior outfielder Cody Grice, the GLIAC Player of the Year, is just one point behind Phillips and has 62 hits including 21 for extra bases, 55 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

Junior outfielder Steve Anderson is hitting .376 and has a team-best 59 RBI. A total of 11 Lakers are hitting over .300, and as a team GVSU ranks fourth in the nation (.343).

GVSU also has the seventh-best ERA (2.49) in Division II. Junior Ryan Garman is sixth in the country in ERA (1.23) and is 9-1 with 45 strikeouts. Junior Kyle Schepel is 10-0 with a team-best 61 strikeouts, and sophomore lefty Brad Zambron set a GVSU record with 10 saves.


WARRIOR NOTEBOOK
With its 11-3 victory over Saginaw Valley State on Friday, Wayne State matched its 2010 season win total of 32. The school record for wins is 34, established by the 2008 squad which advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Regional.

Seven Warriors received All-GLIAC honors last week, including senior catcher Michael Wiseman who was named to the First Team All-GLIAC for the third straight year.

Junior outfielder #C.J. Maszal# was joined on the Second Team by three pitchers – senior Brett Shankin and juniors Josh Wedesky and Billy Hurley. Senior shortstop Caleb Dalman and sophomore lefty Alex Pierse were Honorable Mentions.

Wiseman, whose eight-game hitting streak is one shy of his season-long, led WSU offensively in the GLIAC Tournament, batting .500 (9-18) with five RBI and four runs scored. He has a career .412 average (21-51) in the GLIAC Tournament and a .375 mark (30-80) overall in the postseason, which includes seven NCAA Regional games.

Junior outfielder Kyle Vesey went 6-for-14 with four RBI in Chillicothe, while Dalman had five hits and has reached base in 14 consecutive games. Dalman also has a .688 average (11-16) against GVSU this season.


ALUMNI WEEKEND
The Wayne State baseball program is proud to present the annual Dugout Club Golf Outing and Alumni Game on Sept. 24-25. The golf outing will be held at Northville Hills on the morning of Sept. 24, with a gathering to follow in the evening at the Detroit Renaissance Marriott. The alumni baseball game is scheduled for Sept. 25 at the WSU baseball field.

More information will be announced at wsuathletics.com as it becomes finalized.