The Wayne State University baseball team, ranked No. 15 nationally, will travel to Crestwood, Illinois for its final Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road series of the regular season from Friday through Sunday, according to an April 16 announcement. The Warriors are set to face Roosevelt University in a four-game series at Ozinga Field—the first time the two teams have met on that field.
This matchup is significant as Wayne State looks to solidify its standing in the conference and regional rankings ahead of postseason play. The Warriors currently hold a 26-9 overall record and are 10-6 in GLIAC play, while Roosevelt has yet to win a conference game this season.
Wayne State recently lost a close non-conference game at Hillsdale after leading by six runs late in the contest. Drew Hill was notable offensively with three hits and three runs batted in, nearly completing the cycle and tying teammate Owen Tuccinardi for the team lead with seven home runs. On the mound, nine pitchers saw action but only Will DeMasse and Rocco Cardinale recorded more than three outs.
Despite Tuesday’s defeat, Wayne State moved up six spots in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll after taking three out of four games against Saginaw Valley State last weekend. The team is also ranked second in Midwest Region standings behind Grand Valley State; traditionally, top regional teams host NCAA Midwest Regional games scheduled between May 14 and May 17.
Individually, Gavin Nash has lowered his earned run average from over six to just above three across his last five starts. Hill leads Wayne State with a .433 batting average—first among all GLIAC players—and ranks among national leaders in on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Roosevelt enters under head coach Jason Becker with a record of 9-27 overall and is still seeking its first league win this year. Four Lakers hitters are batting above .298 this season but pitching has been challenging for their staff so far.
The Wayne State Warriors Men’s Baseball program competes at the NCAA Division II level within the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference according to the official website. Home games are played in Detroit, Michigan according to university records, where they compete under their nickname ‘Warriors’ with ‘W the Warrior’ as mascot as reported by university sources. The program previously captured a GLIAC Tournament title in 2010 according to historical records.
Looking ahead, Wayne State will return home next week for its final regular-season contests against Hillsdale on Tuesday before hosting Purdue Northwest over four games at Harwell Field.
