The Grand Valley State softball team continues to dominate this season behind excellent pitching, picking up two more wins against Wayne State on Monday, April 2. The Lakers held the Warriors to only two runs total in the doubleheader.

The second game of the doubleheader was won by GVSU pitcher Allison Grys. She pitched another solid outing, giving up only one run, two walks and four hits to Wayne State.

With the win, Grys improves to 7-1 on the year. The senior has been throwing a softball around for a long time and can’t wait to help this team reach its full potential and lead them to postseason success.

“I tried out all the positions growing up,” Grys said. “I played infield, outfield—basically, I’ve played every position except catcher. But when I played, my number one position was always pitcher.”

Grys has always considered herself as someone who lives in the moment, and she loves the game of softball today because she basically gets to play it every day.

“I’ve always said that the sport I was in was always my favorite sport,” Grys said. “When it was basketball season, I loved basketball, and when it was softball season, I loved softball.”

Not only does Grys love being on the mound, but she excels at the position and has the statistics to prove it. During her first season at GVSU in 2017, she threw three complete games, posting eight wins, two saves and a 1.93 ERA in her 16 appearances. Opposing batters had a rather pitiful .253 batting average against her.

Before transferring to GVSU, Grys played two years at Lansing Community College, where she had similar success on the mound. During those two years, Grys accumulated a remarkable 92-22 record, 940 total strikeouts and 45 total shutouts.

Majoring in clincal exercise science with a focus in physical therapy, Grys felt the need to transfer to GVSU for academic reasons and has loved every minute of her time here.

“We played at GV a few times when I played at LCC, and I always liked the school,” Grys said. “I wanted to transfer to a bigger school for education, and GV was close to home. I love the people, and I love everything about Grand Valley.”

Grys’ love for her school is very evident, and she is thankful for all the great coaches who have helped her grow tremendously as a pitcher and a person.

“My time here has been short, but I would say from last year that I have improved,” Grys said. “I’ve learned a lot from my coaches here, and I learn from the players around me daily.”

When looking back at her time here at GVSU, Grys’ favorite Allendale memory is winning the conference with her team last year, as the Lakers showcased their ability to quickly improve.

“Winning the league was pretty cool,” Grys said. “How we started out the year last year was kind of rough, so showing people that we had improved and made it to regionals was awesome.”

What makes Grys a pitcher for batters to fear is her multitude of pitches. She doesn’t have just one go-to pitch. Instead, with her experience, she may even have three.

“Before I came here, my drop curve was number one, but now I’ve worked so hard on my jump curve, and I rely on that pitch a lot,” Grys said. “When it comes to my best pitch, I don’t think I could pick between my jump curve and my change-up.”

In her senior season, Grys has stepped into a leadership role for the Lakers. She likes to lead by example, as her teammates feed off of her consistent pitching performances.

“As a pitcher, everyone feeds off you in a game, and I try to be a leader both on the field and in the dugout,” Grys said. “I like to lead by example. I’m not the biggest talker, but when I’m in a zone on the field, I know people feed off of me even though I’m quiet.”

As the postseason gets closer and closer for this softball team, Grys has a lot of faith in her team, along with a lot of things she wants to accomplish before she hangs up her cleats as a Laker.

“I want to win conference again, I want to make regionals again and hopefully we can make it to the World Series,” Grys said. “Doing all that would be an awesome way to end my senior year.”

That path to World Series continues this weekend, as the 21-5 Lakers look to pick four more road wins in doubleheaders with Davenport and Purdue Northwest. The games on Friday, April 6, in Grand Rapids are at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., with the games on Saturday, April 7, in Hammond, Indiana, taking place at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.