UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament opens on Thursday at Jackson Field in Lansing, Mich.

The GLIAC announced its postseason awards on Wednesday, with several Cardinals taking honors, including Hayden Jatczak being named the league's Freshman Player of the Year.

"As our program continues to grow it is exciting to see some of our players being recognized for their individual accomplishments, and, as always, is attributed towards our team concept," Head Coach Steve Jaksa said.

Jatczak had an outstanding debut season for the Cardinals, earning the GLIAC Freshman Player of the Year honor. At the plate, he batted .379 in 116 at-bats, finishing with 44 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs, including a memorable walk-off against Northwood University. He added 18 walks, 26 runs scored, slugged .517, and had a .457 on-base percentage.

Jatczak was also the Friday starter for the Cardinals on the mound. He appeared in eight games, posting a record of 4-3. Jatczak pitched 45.1 innings, striking out 42 batters.

The Cardinals also earned three All-GLIAC Second Team honors. Jatczak was joined on the Second Team by Brandon Scheurer and Hunter Merillat.

Scheurer played in 31 games this season, hitting .330 with four doubles, 18 RBIs, 25 runs scored, 22 walks, and a .455 on-base percentage. Merillat led the SVSU bullpen, appearing in nine games. He finished the regular season with a 4-1 record, three saves, 22.2 innings pitched, 29 strikeouts, and a 1.19 ERA.

The All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team included two from SVSU, Martin Money and Kendall Anthes.

Money provided power in the middle of the Cardinal lineup. He batted .345 with 38 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 36 RBIs, and slugged .609. Anthes closed the season strong, establishing himself as a top pitcher for the Cardinals. He appeared in seven games with a 1-1 record including a complete-game shutout. Anthes tossed 37 innings, with a 2.68 ERA and 30 strikeouts.

"We are excited about the overall improvement of the team this season," Jaksa added.

The Cardinals open the GLIAC Tournament as the No. 6 seed against top seed Davenport University at 2 pm Thursday at Jackson Field.