The Wayne State University baseball team, ranked 14th nationally, will enter the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament as the number two seed and is set to face Parkside on May 7. The Warriors concluded their regular season with a record of 35-12 and aim to secure their third GLIAC Tournament championship in program history.
The tournament holds significance for Wayne State as the team looks to build on last year’s performance, where they reached the finals but lost in extra innings. Head coach Ryan Kelley said, “This tournament embraces everything the GLIAC conference represents … toughness, competitiveness and student-athletes striving to be the best. We look forward to the challenge ahead while embracing the opportunity to compete together as one. A sincere thank you to the USPBL and support staff for hosting this year’s tournament. The USPBL is a great league and the GLIAC Tournament will showcase excellent players from our conference who will one day suit up at UWM Field following their NCAA tenure.”
The schedule begins Thursday morning with Wayne State playing Parkside at 11 a.m., followed by matchups between Grand Valley State and Purdue Northwest, then Davenport against Saginaw Valley State later that day. Subsequent rounds continue through Sunday.
Wayne State enters with a .296 team batting average, a pitching staff earned run average of 4.04, and top performances from Drew Hill (.413 average) and Will Lowery (3.27 ERA). The Warriors previously captured GLIAC Tournament titles in past years according to the official website. Their home games are played in Detroit, Michigan according to the official website, where they compete at NCAA Division II level within the conference.
Other teams participating include top-seeded Grand Valley State (41-8), Davenport (26-24), Saginaw Valley State (26-23), Parkside (24-23), and Purdue Northwest (15-26). Regional rankings show Grand Valley State leading followed by Wayne State.
Looking ahead, Wayne State seeks its first tournament title since 2023 after coming close last season.
