After losing to Lake Erie College on March 24, his first loss in nearly two seasons, Grand Valley State University pitcher Kyle Schepel stood just one win away from one of the top records in the team’s history — most career wins

It’s not about the individual accomplishments for the senior-righty from Grand Rapids. Schepel, who broke former teammate Joe Jablonski’s record of 26-career wins on March 31, has proven that he’s more interested in working toward the ultimate goal, team success.

“It’s not really a big deal, it’s more about the team then individual goals,” said Schepel, who is 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA this season. “It was cool to have (the record), but it doesn’t really mean much for me — it’s more about the team playing our best.”

That says it all for the team-first senior. With his 27th career victory coming in a 1-0 victory over Ashland University, the game marked the peak of a continued improvement throughout his career.

Now, he’s the No. 1 starter on the team, and is looked at as a leader on and off the field. His record-breaking win not only served as a historic win individually, but also as a win that broke the Lakers out of a two-game slump.

That’s what your ace is supposed to do, be a stopper when the team is struggling.

“He really sets the tone for the weekend,” said GVSU head coach Steve Lyon. “He’s been so consistent with his effort throughout his four years here. He’s certainly well-deserving of the wins record now, and that’s a feather in his cap.”

That consistency has been something cultivated over his entire career at GVSU. On top of his successes in the win column, Schepel has limited opposing hitters to a .226 average these last two seasons while not allowing a home run since his sophomore season.

“I don’t know that there’s a better record to have, it just shows that you know how to go out and win,” Lyon said. “When you have your best pitcher also a guy that works extremely hard and knows what to do to prepare himself, it rubs off on the rest of the pitching staff.”

Despite pitching behind Jablonski for three years, Lyon feels Schepel has improved as a leader, as has his work ethic. He boasts a confidence as well, something that might come with being a senior who’s seen what it takes to reach the NCAA Division II College World Series, and that rubs off on his teammates.

“He’s a really great pitcher and it gives our team a lot of confidence when he’s out there,” said freshman shortstop Kevin Zak. “We know every time out he’s going to pitch a good game, so we just have to focus on getting in a few runs and we know he’s going to take care of the rest.”

Like any player, most notably pitchers, Schepel enjoys winning, and a quick look at his career numbers will tell you that. He’s lost only four starts in his entire GVSU career, including a junior season that saw him finish with a perfect, 11-0 record and honors as a Daktronics Second Team All-American.

“It’s three and a half, four years of work, so (the freshman) see us working every day,” Schepel said. “The freshman, they still have four years, so they have a pretty long time to figure things out. It’s just to set a good example for the young guys.”

He applauds his offense and defense, saying they’re the ones who deserve the credit. He throws the ball, but someone has to field it and drive in runs.

Schepel has an outside shot at breaking one more record here in his final season. Already with the wins and strikeout record — Phil Mixter’s record of 190 was broken on March 17 against Urbana College — he stands 48 innings away from breaking the all-time innings pitched record, one he could break with good health and a lengthy postseason run for the team.

Another record would be nice, but that postseason run sounds good, too.

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