Ferris Ranked 10th In the Region In Latest Poll

BIG RAPIDS - There remains a lot of softball left to be played this season, but Ferris State University currently is ranked 10th in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region rankings that were released on April 14.

The rankings mean that, as of right now, Ferris is within striking distance of earning a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament (the top eight teams in the region at the end of the season will qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament). The top two teams host sub-regional tournaments (May 14-16) and the winners of the two sub-regional tournaments (May 21-22) will play in the super regional for the right to advance to the NCAA Division II Championships (May 27-31) which will be played in St. Joseph, Mo.

The current regional rankings show that Ferris still has a lot of work to do to remain in those regional rankings, but also has a lot of opportunities to move up.The Bulldogs have yet to face No. 2 Ashland University, No. 3 Wayne State University and No. 8 Tiffin University (all teams ranked ahead of the Bulldogs in the region). Also, Ferris still has three games to make up against No. 9 Northwood University.

Grand Valley State University, among other programs, is right there with a good record and the potential to move up.

Lots of softball remains to be played for Ferris and others.

Midwest Region	Division II	In-Region
1. Saginaw Valley State	18-4	14-3
2. Ashland	21-9	20-7
3. Wayne State (Mich.)	31-8	18-5
4. Lewis	19-7	16-3
5. Indianapolis	26-11	21-5
6. Northern Kentucky	21-10	20-9
7. Quincy	23-8	20-6
8. Tiffin	16-13	14-10
9. Northwood	12-9	10-6
10. Ferris State	15-10	13-7

It's Still Early In The Race, But Ferris Needs To Be Road Warriors

Ferris State third baseman Makenzi Peterson puts the squeeze on a ball as she attempts to get an out against a sliding Saginaw Valley State runner. (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS - It's still early in the race for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but not too early to begin to track initial trends.

The early returns are somewhat interesting. Saginaw Valley State is the GLIAC leader at 6-0 entering the week (April 5). That is no surprise. Grand Valley State is 5-1. That is not a huge surprise. Ashland already has played 10 games and is 8-2. That also is no big surprise as the Eagles were expected to contend for the GLIAC championships and NCAA post-season action. Right now, the upper division of the league includes Northwood at 4-1. Wayne State is the fifth team with a winning conference record so far at 4-2.

Ferris State is 2-3 in league play with two of its three losses coming against Saginaw Valley and one coming against Northwood (game two of Saturday's series was made out and likely will be rescheduled at some point). Head coach Keri Becker's Bulldogs know this race will be an especially tight one from start to finish.

The early results this spring appear indicative of a conference race that will be hard fought from start to finish.

Having lost three games at home already, the Bulldogs need to go on the road and steal some victories while protecting their home diamond from here on out.

Ferris is scheduled to play in Midland at Northwood on Tuesday and that is as good a place as any to get started with some road success.

GLIAC Softball Standings (entering April 5)

Team	GLIAC	ALL
Saginaw Valley	6-0	19-2
Grand Valley St.	5-1	17-9
Ashland	8-2	18-6
Northwood	4-1	12-10
Wayne St.	4-2	26-7
Ferris St.	2-3	11-10
Tiffin	2-4	14-10
Findlay	1-5	11-17
Hillsdale	1-7	6-14
Lake Superior St.	0-8	5-25

Ferris State Takes Aim At Wide-Open League Tournament

BIG RAPIDS – In a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament that appears up for grabs, considering at least five teams are confident about their chances, Ferris State University enters with optimism and hunger.

Friday, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Championship Tournament begins at Emerson Park in Midland. The No. 2-seeded Bulldogs’ first-round foe is Mercyhurst, the No. 7 seed in the event. The first pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. (EDT) in that contest. In other first-round competition, top-seeded Wayne State, the 22nd-ranked team in the nation, faces No. 8 Gannon, at noon; No. 4 seed Ashland goes up against No. 5 Grand Valley State, at noon; and No. 3 Saginaw Valley State faces archrival Northwood, the No. 6 seed, at 10 a.m.

Are there any favorites in this tournament field?

Yes, there are at least four to five teams talented enough and confident enough to believe they can walk away with the league championship and a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

“The thing about this tournament is we know it’s going to be a wide-open one,” Ferris head coach Keri Becker said as her team ended the regular season with a 27-14 record overall as the Bulldogs tied for first-place in the GLIAC at 16-4 with Wayne State. “When you’re coming into a tournament like this you know it’s going to be an event where anybody can win and there is not going to really be an upset.”

Ferris hopes to continue its red-hot hitting led by junior first baseman Amanda Jager, who is the fourth-leading hitter in the league batting .378. Jager is leading the GLIAC in slugging percentage at .658, walks with 21 and on-base percentage at .496. Also batting above the .300 level this spring, for Ferris, are Rhea Flores (.375), a pitcher; Amanda Harrington (.359), who starts regularly at second base; Sarah Mueller (.339), a pitcher and utility player; Katie Kraai (.311), the Bulldogs’ starting third baseman; and Brooke Lewis (.300), who has had limited at bats, but has been effective at times when she has had her chances.

Defensively, it starts with the pitching. Ferris has relied heavily on the dependable combination of Mueller and Holly Bruntjens to handle the duties in the circle throughout the season. Mueller boasts a record of 13-5 this spring with a 1.60 earned run average to complement 52 strikeouts. Bruntjens owns a 10-7 record with a 2.32 ERA and has fanned 56 batters.

Beginning Friday, Ferris faces its first big exam. This weekend will be a test to see if the Bulldogs can be consistent with hitting and put together the total package it will take to get hot during the course of the three-day tournament to win the league’s championship. To make that happen, however, Ferris will need to smooth out its roller-coaster ride for a smoother and more consistent journey toward what it hopes is a tournament championship and the GLIAC’s bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.