The Grand Valley State University men’s baseball team is currently looking forward to the start of their 2022 spring season, coming off a strong finish last season. Finishing 15-5 in their last 20 games for an overall record of 24-15 is where they hope to start back up again, making an even more successful break in March when their season officially starts.

Coach Jamie Detillion is approaching his tenth year with GVSU. Detillion said he is excited as always to see what this year’s roster can do.

“In the last couple years there has been some really good progress in team culture,” Detillion said. “It’s just been a good offseason. The way the guys go about their business, I mean, we had a 3.2 team GPA, which I am very proud of, and to me that just speaks volumes on the character of guys that we have. It’s been a fun group to go to work with every day and continue to build on the work we have done the last couple of years.”

A huge highlight from last season was the emergence of Christian Faust, who raised his production and held the lead in batting average at .364. Faust also scored a team-high 29 runs and is looking to help other members of the team make that leap as well.

“I give a lot of my success to the guys that were older than me,” Faust said. “A great senior class that was above me and showed me how to step up to the situation. Going into this season, that’s who I am trying to be for my teammates. If I can bring some of the younger guys along with me and show them how to be when they get a big opportunity like I had last year, then they will be successful as well. That’s what I’m after this year.”

Also returning to the team are three GLIAC All-Tournament members with sophomore Kyle Nott, sophomore Austin Brown and senior Mark Scannel, along with junior outfielders Cade Stanton and Carter Smith giving the Lakers an experienced outfield heading into the season.

Another returner this year after opting out of last season due to COVID-19 is junior Spencer Nelson, a player that Detillion is excited to see back in Laker uniform.

“He’s ready to go this year,” Detillion said. “Spencer’s got great baseball instincts. He is a very good communicator and leader in our outfield, and he’s definitely a game-changer. It’s nice to have him back.”

Detillion is happy with the leadership that he has seen out of players like Mark Scannel, Faust and Nelson, feeling like the team is finally taking another step as a program.

“I think we have a lot of guys on our team that are starting to see a bigger picture,” Detillion said. “The ‘I want to be good but I want my teammates to be really good so we can all achieve it at a high level together’ is what we have. Chris, Mark and Spencer are three great examples of demonstrating that on a daily basis, those types of actions are making teammates better.”

The Lakers start their season with a matchup against Augustana on March 7, where they hope to come out swinging.