WESTFIELD, Ind. - The UIndy baseball team begins its run at the Great Lakes Valley Conference title this weekend, seeking their sixth overall and second in the last four seasons. The eight-team, double-elimination conference tournament begins Thursday with the second-seeded Greyhounds taking on seventh-seeded Drury at 2:30 p.m. ET. The annual GLVC Championship Tournament will be held for the first time at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., May 7-10.

Quincy earned the top seed and will face eight-seeded Missouri S&T at 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday on field two. The four/five match-up features Truman State and Southern Indiana at 11 a.m. ET, also on field two, while three-seed William Jewell will take on sixth-seeded Southern Indiana at 11 a.m. ET on field three.
 
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
For the first time ever the GLVC Tournament is being held at Grand Park, where the Hounds have already played eight games this season due to those home games being relocated. UIndy is 6-2 in those games, and has hit .300 as a team compared to opponents' .238. Nine separate Hounds are hitting over .300 at Grand Park, with part-time catcher/DH Trevor Forde enjoying a .421 (8-19) mark at the dish to lead the way.
 
GREYHOUNDS IN THE GLVC TOURNAMENT
UIndy is making its 21st appearance in the GLVC Tournament and 15th under Head Coach Gary Vaught. The Greyhounds have won five conference championships, most recently in 2012, and have compiled a 40-32 (.555) overall record in the postseason tournament.
 
More detailed GLVC Tournament History can be found on page 8 of the game notes.
 
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Drury earned the No. 7 seed in the GLVC Tournament by finishing the regular season 27-22-1 overall and 19-16-1 in-conference, good for fourth in the West Division.
 
The Panthers offense ranks fifth in the GLVC hitting .303 as a team, led by Luke Tewes' .393 average. Tewes also paces the team in hits (70), doubles (15), home runs (11) and RBIs (40), as well as slugging (.663) and on-base percentages (.464). Drury leads the conference with 38 total homers.
 
The DU pitching staff has a combined 4.78 ERA, 11th in the conference. Austin Faulconer leads the regular starters with a 4.08 ERA and 57.1 innings pitched, and reliever Nick Costantino has delivered a 2.60 ERA in 23 appearances.
 
GREYHOUNDS VS. PANTHERS
Drury was one of a few conference teams UIndy did not meet in the regular season. The Panthers and Hounds last met in the 2014 GLVC Tournament, when DU handed UIndy its first loss of the weekend in a 7-6 decision.
 
WE'RE GOING STREAKING
The Greyhounds carry a remarkable 11-game winning streak into the conference tournament; a run that includes a pair of four-game GLVC series sweeps. During the last 11 games the Hounds are hitting .344 compared to their opponents' .209, and have six batters over .300 led by Colin Hawk's .471.
 
UIndy's pitching staff has been stellar throughout the streak, compiling a combined 2.01 ERA and 59 strikeouts to just 16 walks. In two starts, Jordan Tackett has allowed zero earned runs and just nine hits in 13.2 innings. Brett Collins is also spotless in four appearances, earning three saves.
 
ALL-GLVC
UIndy racked up eight total All-GLVC East Division selections, the league office announced Wednesday prior to the conference tournament. Junior Matthew Kaplanis brought home major hardware, being named the 2015 GLVC Co-Pitcher of the Year. The Greyhounds had five first team selections, more than any school in either division, and three placed on the second team. Sean McCracken and Zach Jacobs were two of five unanimous All-GLVC East Division first team honorees, and were joined by Kaplanis, Colin Hawk and Brett Collins. UIndy's Brady Thomas, Jake Sprinkle and Jordan Tackett were each named to the All-GLVC East second team.

POWER SURGE
In their last five games UIndy has hit 10 home runs - all from only four players. Colin Hawk (3), Alex Ritchie (3), Daniel Lee (2) and Sean McCracken (2) finished the regular season with a bang, totaling 30 of the Hounds' 42 RBIs during the five-game stretch.
 
A deeper look at the numbers illuminates the incredible week shared by the Greyhounds during the four-game Lewis series and regular season finale at Oakland City. Hawk, Ritchie and Brady Thomas each hit an even .500 across those five contests, and Hawk and Ritchie had slugging percentages above 1.100. Those three, plus Lee and Luke Andrade, all had on-base percentages above .500. As a team, UIndy more than doubled its opponents in total bases, 109 to 54.
 
SMALL BALL
UIndy has had a knack for playing small-ball, evidenced by its 69 sacrifice bunts, tied for most in all of Division II. The Hounds have six individuals ranking in the top 20 in the GLVC for sacrifice bunts, led by Luke Andrade (15 sac bunts) and Anthony Asalon (14), who both rank in the top 10 nationally. Head Coach Gary Vaught and the Hounds are used to utilizing the "small ball" approach, as they have placed in the top two in-conference and top 16 nationally in sac bunts each of the last six years.
 
ON THE BUMP
After beginning the season with some questions at the back end of the rotation, the Greyhounds have put together one of the most solid starting staffs in the conference. UIndy's ace Matthew Kaplanis is a perfect 8-0 this season, tied for first in the GLVC and 31st in D-II in wins. He's also in the top 25 nationally and atop the league with a 0.98 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched). Kaplanis has walked only 14 batters in 69.2 innings, helping the Hounds go 9-1 in games he's started.
 
Jordan Tackett (5-4) has four complete games and a no-hitter this season, twice earning GLVC Pitcher of the Week honors. Since March 21 he's 5-2 with a 1.10 ERA, surrendering just 20 hits and five earned runs in 41 innings.
 
Freshman Jake Sprinkle has been a revelation for the pitching staff, turning into a weekend starter by season's end. He's pitched in 14 games, starting seven, and has an 8-1 record. He's fourth in the GLVC with a 1.05 WHIP and sixth with a 2.44 ERA.
 
Other notable starters include Connor Mailloux (4-4), who sports a 2.82 ERA in 11 appearances and eight starts, winning his last three decisions. Regular weekday starter Adam Cornwell is 4-3 with a 5.96 ERA, totaling 39 strikeouts in 45.1 innings.
 
From the pen, Brett Collins has been lights out as UIndy's versatile closer. He has a 3-1 record and eight saves, pitching anywhere from 0.1 to 5.2 innings this season. Collins has a 1.38 ERA in 20 appearances, giving up five earned runs in 32.2 innings while boasting a 26-to-9 strikeout to walk mark.