Three GLIAC Teams Make NCAA-DII Baseball Tournament Field

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BAY CITY, Mich. - The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) will be represented by Ashland University, Grand Valley State University, and Wayne State University who all earned berths in the 2010 NCAA D-II baseball tournament. The University of Southern Indiana will host the Midwest Regional May 13-16 at the USI Baseball Field in Evansville, Indiana.

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Ashland Eagles (35-20, 21-12 GLIAC)

The Eagles finished second in the GLIAC tournament this past weekend and made the NCAA tournament for the fifth consecutive season.  Ashland now has a 35-20 record.  In the GLIAC tournament, AU beat Grand Valley twice, 7-3 and 11-10(10), and lost to Wayne State twice, 12-6 and 7-6.  AU beat the Lakers in the opening round and then lost to WSU.  In the loser’s bracket, the Eagles outlasted GVSU to advance to the finals, but Wayne State took home the trophy when it defeated the Eagles on Saturday (May 8).  Ryan Lane had the best week offensively for Ashland as he batted .313 with two home runs and five RBI.  Lane also walked three times.  Ben Minard was the top pitcher as he pitched a complete game victory over Grand Valley State.  Minard gave up three earned runs in his outing and struck out 10.  The Eagles are the fifth seed in the six-team Midwest Region bracket.  Ashland’s first-round opponent will be Grand Valley State, the second seed in the field.  AU’s last regional crown came in 2008.  Under AU head coach John Schaly the Eagles have advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series four times. 

Grand Valley State Lakers (34-14, 23-9 GLIAC)

Grand Valley State is making its ninth straight appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Lakers are one of three teams to advance to the NCAA National Tournament every year since 2002 (Central Missouri and Tampa). GVSU has advanced to the NCAA DII World Series four times (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2009) since 2002 and have played in the Midwest Region title game six times in the last eight years. GVSU is 27-22 all-time in NCAA Tournament action, including a mark of 20-9 in regional action since 2003. Grand Valley State sophomore CF Cody Grice (DeWitt, Mich.) broke the GVSU single-season record for hits (94) and is just four shy of becoming the all-time GLIAC single-season leader.

Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (22-23, 16-15 GLIAC)

The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team dropped two close contests over the weekend at the 2010 GLIAC Baseball Tournament.  The #4 Cardinals dropped a 9-8 decision to #1 seed Wayne State on Thursday (May 6) before losing in 11 innings to #2 Grand Valley State University, 10-9, on Friday (May 7).  Against the Warriors, Kevin Dore was 3-for-5 in the contest with an RBI, while Matt Hunt, Chase Coulter and Ryan Ermers all had two hits each.  In the contest with Grand Valley State, Coulter had three hits for the Cardinals in the contest, adding two runs and an RBI.  Ryan Webber was 2-for-6 with three RBIs, while Ermers and Dore also added a pair of hits apiece.  The losses conclude the 2010 season for SVSU, as the Cardinals finished the season with a 22-23 overall record after qualifying for the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since the 2007 season with a 16-15 conference record. 

Wayne State Warriors (32-18, 23-8 GLIAC)

Wayne State claimed its first GLIAC Baseball Tournament championship in dramatic fashion, overcoming a five-run deficit to defeat Ashland, 7-6, on Saturday afternoon.  It was WSU’s second win over AU in the tournament, and its second comeback win after battling back to defeat Saginaw Valley State, 8-7, in Thursday’s opener.  Ryan LaPensee hit a pair of three-run homers to fuel Saturday’s comeback, including one in the seventh inning which gave the Warriors the lead. He led WSU with a .583 (7-12) average, nine RBI and six runs scored in the tournament.  Brett Shankin earned the complete-game victory, striking out seven Eagles in the title game.  Paul LaMantia was a key contributor last week as well, totaling six hits, four of which were for extra bases including two home runs, putting him at 13 for the season to set a WSU record.  Wayne State will move on to the NCAA Regional Tournament, qualifying for the second time in three years, beginning Thursday afternoon against Northern Kentucky.