The talk in Detroit these days regarding playoff streaks revolves around the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings who are making their 22nd consecutive Stanley Cup playoff appearance starting Tuesday night in Anaheim. Just a few miles up the Lodge Freeway from Joe Louis Arena, home of the Red Wings, is the Wayne State University Softball Stadium.
The Warrior softball squad has qualified for the GLIAC tournament all 29 years it has been sponsored, though a few years (2004 in Sault Ste. Marie and 2010 in Midland, Mich.) weather prevented the tournament from being played.
The Tartar team of 1985 went 3-0 (not even allowing a run) to win the inaugural GLIAC tournament and start a stretch of eight league tournament titles in an 11-year period (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, and 1995).
Despite many GLIAC regular-season titles and tournament championship game appearances the ninth GLIAC tournament title was not claimed by WSU until a year ago.
Wayne State is the defending GLIAC tournament champions after winning four consecutive one-run contests last year in Findlay, Ohio (Marathon Diamonds) site again this year of the eight-team conference tournament.
WSU enters this year's double-elimination tournament as the No. 6 seed after recording a 15-8 league mark, just a 1/2 game behind the fifth-place Ohio Dominican Panthers. The Warriors will square off against the third-seeded Ashland Eagles at noon on Friday. Wayne State won both regular-season meetings (2-1 and 8-5) vs. AU.
The other noon contest features second-seeded Ferris State against the No. 7 seed Tiffin Dragons. The winners of the noon games play at 4 p.m. on Friday while the losers will play in an elimination game at 2 p.m.
The 10 a.m. games have top-seeded Grand Valley squaring off versus No. 8 seed Findlay Oilers, while the fourth-seeded Northwood Timberwolves will battle the ODU Panthers.
All eight teams will play two games on Friday with two teams being eliminated in the 2 p.m. contests.
Saturday competition begins at 10 a.m. with a pair of elimination games. The noon matches features the two unbeaten teams playing as well as the two 10 a.m. winners. The final game on Saturday is scheduled for 2 p.m. and has the noon winners bracket loser playing the noon losers bracket winner in the fourth elimination game of the day.
Two teams will be left to battle on Sunday with the GLIAC automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line.
