Apr. 26, 2026, ALPENA, MI – It was a statement weekend on the road for Grand Rapids Community College, as both the Raider baseball and softball teams completed dominant four-game sweeps of Alpena Community College. The highlight came on the baseball side, where GRCC officially clinched its fourth consecutive MCCAA Northern Conference Championship, while softball moved to the brink of a title of its own.

With just four conference games remaining next weekend against Bay College, the Raiders are peaking at the right time.

Baseball Clinches Conference Crown in Style

GRCC baseball left no doubt in Alpena, sweeping all four games and improving to 22-12 overall and 18-3 in conference play. The weekend sweep secured the program's fourth straight Northern Conference title—meaning the Raiders have won every championship since the conference's formation.

After convincing wins on Friday (10-1 and 13-3), Saturday's doubleheader showcased both resilience and firepower.

Game one was a back-and-forth battle early. Alpena jumped ahead 2-0 before GRCC responded to take a 3-2 lead. The Lumberjacks tied it at 4 before Gabe Stouffer crushed a go-ahead solo home run in the fourth inning. Alpena answered again to reclaim a 7-5 advantage, but the Raiders delivered the decisive blow in the sixth inning when Jack Lockwood launched a two-run homer to put GRCC ahead for good, 8-7.

The Raiders piled up 15 hits in the 12-7 win, with AJ Speigl and Cannon Paul leading the way with three hits apiece. Lockwood and Andrew Conrad each drove in three runs. Landon Terry earned the win in relief, tossing five strong innings with five strikeouts.

In game two, GRCC jumped out early and never looked back. The Raiders built a 6-0 lead in the second inning and later broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning fueled by a barrage of doubles. GRCC finished with 14 hits—six of them doubles—in a 12-8 victory.

Paul again led the offense with three hits, while Peter Heintz drove in three runs. Connor Marciniak picked up the win with five innings of work, and Sam Schmuker closed the door with two scoreless innings.

Softball Powers Closer to Conference Title

The Raider softball team was equally dominant, outscoring Alpena 58-8 across four games while improving to 34-8 overall and 19-2 in conference play. With a three-game lead over Muskegon CC, GRCC's magic number to clinch the conference title is now just one.

Friday's run-rule wins (10-2 and 9-1 in six innings each) set the tone, but Saturday's offensive explosion took things to another level.

In game one, the Raiders broke open a scoreless game with five runs in the second inning, sparked by consecutive hits from Abbie Critchett, Kenady O'Leary, and Natalee Beck. The floodgates opened in the fourth inning, when GRCC erupted for 14 runs.

Key blows included a three-run double by Lauren Wiley, a three-run homer from Critchett, and another three-run blast from Grace Salley—her fourth of the season and second in as many days. GRCC finished with 19 hits in the 22-2 victory.

Critchett led the offensive onslaught, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs, while Beck, Salley, and Wiley each drove in four runs. Tia Schone earned the win, allowing just one earned run on two hits while striking out nine.

Game two was more competitive early, as Alpena scored first and the teams were tied 3-3 after two innings. GRCC responded with a two-run homer from Ava VanderKolk in the third inning to take control, then put the game away with a 10-run fourth inning en route to a 17-3 win.

Ella Showers and Caitlin Horvath delivered key RBIs early, while Kalani Stowe was dominant in the circle, striking out seven and allowing just three baserunners over her final 14 batters faced.

For the series, GRCC hit a blistering .456 with 16 extra-base hits and a .738 slugging percentage.

Next Up

Both Raider teams will close out the regular season next Friday and Saturday against Bay College. Baseball enters the final weekend as conference champions, while softball needs just one more win to secure its own MCCAA Northern Conference title and complete a historic sweep for the program.

For all the latest news, you can also follow the Raiders on:

  
Interested in supporting GRCC Athletics?  All donations can be done through GRCC Athletic's Scholarship Fund and can specify what scholarship fund the gift is going to, such as the Hofmann scholarship. If you have any questions on how to support Athletics at Grand Rapids Community College, contact the Athletic Department via phone at (616) 234-3883 or email grccathletics@grcc.edu. Any support is appreciated and goes towards assisting our student-athlete scholarship funds.