Best Of The Decade (2000): Softball

BIG RAPIDS - Under the direction of head coach Keri Becker, Ferris State University's softball program has ranked among the best at the NCAA Division II level.

As most coaches will say, however, it's impossible to have great teams without great players doing great things. Becker's early teams, those that competed during the late 1990s, achieved great things on the diamond. A few of those standout student-athletes continued to produce through the 2000 campaign.

It's difficult (if not impossible) to think of some of those great teams and not remember players like Anne Bentley, Nadine Crowl, Jody Gifford and others who took Ferris to the brink of an NCAA Division II National Championship in 1998, back to the national championships in 1999 and to a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2000 on its home diamond.

So, Ferris clearly has had no shortage of great players over the years.

One of the challenges of choosing this team is weighing the strong contributions of players who played most of their career in the 1990s, but competed one season in 2000. On one side, Ferris has had great competitors like Bentley and Crowl who were dominant players in the late 1990s and took the program to unprecedented heights on the regional and national scenes. On the other side, Ferris has had players such as Emily McLean (pictured) and Sarah Mueller, who enjoyed outstanding success, also was a part of a team that advanced to the national championship and played her entire career during the decade.

With that being written, my choice for captain of the Best of the Decade Softball Team is Emily McLean, who has a softball resume that doesn't have to play second fiddle to anyone else's credentials.

Here is the Best of the Decade (2000) Top Six:

Anne Bentley: One of the outstanding utility players to suit up in the crimson and gold for Ferris State University on the softball diamond. The Wyoming, Mich. native played all over the infield and was dependable at any position (whether it was shortstop, second base or first base). If needed, she probably could have pitched, too. Her hitting was solid throughout her career. More than anything, however, it might have been her will to win and drive to be successful that put her ahead of so many of her competitors on the diamond (or on the tennis court where she was one of the best to play for the Bulldogs at her spot in the tennis lineup). Back on the diamond, however, she capped a strong softball career by being named a third-team All-American in 2000. Anne batted .302 with five home runs and 25 runs batted in during the 2000 campaign.

Nadine Crowl: A workhorse of a player who not only got it done with a powerful bat, but also made it happen in the circle where the lefty was a dominant pitcher (particularly during that storybook 1998 season. Down to the end of her career, during the 2000 season that witnessed Ferris win the GLIAC Softball Tournament championship on their home field in Big Rapids, the Coleman native was a key component of that success. She wasn't the most vocal player who has ever suited up for the Bulldogs, but she led by example (a very good example). Throughout her career, she was the model of consistency and efficiency in her production for head Coach Becker. During her final season, in 2000, Nadine was named team MVP as she batted .286 40 hits an six multi-hit games. She tied for the team's lead with 29 RBI and scored 26 runs with 10 doubles, two home runs, a .400 slugging percentage and a .355 on-base percentage

Emily McLean (Captain): She capped her career by being named to the 2006 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Great Lakes Region First Team. This was one year after being named the 2005 GLIAC Player of the Year. Emily was a third baseman who was converted into an outfielder to fill a need for the Bulldogs. In a lot of ways, she could have played in a number of different spots on the diamond and achieved a level of success defensively that would also include success at the plate as well - where she swings a strong bat. The native of Rogers City was first-team All-GLIAC two seasons in a row (2005-06). As a senior, Emily led her Bulldogs with a batting average of .399, a career-best 71 hits and team-best totals in hits, RBI (42), home runs (seven). That is just a small part of the resume for one of the best ever to play for the Bulldogs. She had a career batting average of .355 (that is second all time only to Gifford).

Katie Kraai: A player people once doubted could succeed as a college softball player ended her Ferris career as an all-time great (both as a leader and as a player). Katie came to Ferris and turned into the rock over at third base who got the job done at the hot corner with her glove. As a senior, Kraai was a 2008 All-GLIAC first-team pick as she batted a career single-season best .297 and posted 51 hits, 17 doubles, three home runs and 32 runs batted in. Beyond her play on the field, and her tremendous leadership qualities, Katie was a dedicated student who put the student in student-athlete. The Zeeland native was a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Team choice. By the time the final chapter was written on her career, Katie had become the career Ferris leader in doubles (49) and ranked well in several other categories among the all-time greats at FSU. She willed herself and her teammates to great things in softball.

Sarah Mueller: Near the end of the decade, Sarah proved to be the top player for the Bulldogs as an outstanding utility player who was a top-notch pitcher, a great hitter and a strong presence in the outfield. A native of Santa Clarita, Calif., her dedication to softball and her teammates was evidence as she fought through some painful physical issues near the end of her career to come back and try and will her team to success at the close of the 2009 campaign in the NCAA regional tournament. She could hit for power, she could hit for average, she could pitch, she could run ... she could flat out do it all. Multiple times she was named an All-GLIAC First-Team player for the Bulldogs as a the result of her all-around play for Ferris. She had a career batting average of .317, a career slugging percentage of .486, 108 runs scored, 40 doubles, nine triples and 106 hits. As a sophomore, she was named to the 2007 Daktronics, Inc. All-America Third Team.

Nicki Merchant: A highly-recruited player, the Wayland native became a strong infielder for the Bulldogs and an excellent hitter. She was a first-team All-GLIAC pick her senior season after being named a second-team all-conference performer as a junior. As a senior, she led Ferris in hits with a career-best total of 53. She also was tops on the team in runs scored (23), doubles (12), home runs (three) and RBI (25). She batted .340 as a senior. By the time the final chapter was written on great career in crimson and gold, Nicki ranked second among Ferris' career leaders in home runs (14). Coming from an amazing family of outstanding student-athletes, Nicki was fourth in doubles (36), sixth in hits (175), seventh in RBIs (83) and tied for 13th in batting average (.293). To this day, she continues to rank well among the best to ever play the game for Ferris in softball.

Honorable Mention

Jaymee Kent: Came to the Bulldogs from Grand Rapids Community College and immediate paid dividends as a great hitter and solid fielder...
Allison McKibbin: Very good catcher who didn't play long for the Bulldogs, but played well while she was in crimson and gold. Also a very good hitter...
Dana (Peuler) Conklin: Came out of the Grand Rapids area with good credentials and ended her career as a solid player, a great leader and a person of unmatched character...

Amanda Opbroek: Another player of second-to-none character, Opbroek was a strong pitcher and a solid hitter who was a quiet leader during her era...

Melissa Worsley: A strong catcher who helped solidify the Bulldogs' batter combination during her time and also a solid hitter and tremendous leader...

Navreet Gill: One of the better utility players ever to perform for the Bulldogs on the diamond. She was a strong hitter and remarkably consistent...

Laura Crower: A very solid first baseman who was a good hitter. A great student and leader who set a good example...

Amanda Jager: An excellent hitter who could hit for power, had good discipline at the plate and brought great personality to the team...

Krystle Bailey: A rock of stability as a catcher who was an iron woman with the work she did behind the plate game in and game out...

Holly Bruntjens: Another rock of consistency in the pitcher's circle who didn't overpower, but knew how to move the ball. Emerged as a strong hitter and solid outfielder, too...
Lindsay Riskovitch: A quietly efficient middle infielder who has offensive numbers that might surprise a lot of people.

Becker focuses on positives with her shaken Bulldogs

HOUSTON – The season is not over yet, and Ferris State University’s softball team is out to prove it still has a little bite behind the bark.

The Bulldogs dropped to the loser’s bracket and will face Lock Haven at 12:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The winner plays at 5:30 p.m. while the loser’s season comes to an end. Ferris head softball coach Keri Becker, seeking to take a little bit of the pressure off her Bulldogs and remind them that softball is still fun, put a smile on her face. Becker’s reminder came in spite of the 1-0 loss to 22nd-ranked St. Edward’s in round two of the 2008 NCAA Division II Women’s Softball National Championships.

“I put a smile on my face and put my head high,” Becker said. “We have to start walking with a swagger, again, as if we’re winning and we have to come out and play with that kind of a high level of confidence. I asked (the players) if they were up to the challenge and I told them that if they believe in themselves they can still do this … they can still come back.”

Becker also reminded the team that it takes a total team effort to get it done. The offense dried up for Ferris and Becker knows her team needs to rediscover its strength at the plate to keep its season alive.

“I told them this is championship time and anything can happen,” she said. “We were living on borrowed time with all of these 1-0 games and eventually that’s going to come back to get you if you don’t produce more runs. Holly (Bruntjens, a junior who allowed only three hits and the one run) pitched a great game, but we can’t keep relying so much on our pitchers. Our offense has got to come back to life and give us some production.”

Even without the Giles’ home run, the Bulldogs could not have won without a score.

Bulldogs Showing How Much They Want Success At Nationals

HOUSTON – Who knows how long Ferris State University’s remarkable streak will continue in the NCAA Division II Softball Championships?

Currently, the streak is five games and 43 innings; and, most incredible of all, it has come in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Tournament.

Wednesday, in its first competition at the NCAA Division II Softball National Championships since 1999, the Bulldogs kept their streak of shutouts alive. Since a disappointing 3-2 loss to Wayne State, in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament, Ferris has regained its focus. In the Great Lakes Regional Championship, in Edwardsville, Ill., the Bulldogs recorded a shutout of Saginaw Valley State, 1-0; another of Lewis, 1-0 in 15 innings; Wayne State, 4-0; and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 1-0, in the title-clinching victory. Then, on Wednesday at Memorial Park in Houston on day one of the national tournament, Ferris earned a 2-0 win over Francis Marion to keep that streak alive.

“I think we’ve just wanted it and I think that has been the big key to our success (since the GLIAC Tournament),” said Ferris junior pitcher Sarah Mueller, who picked up the win against Francis Marion and also had a couple of hits with a run scored as the Bulldogs improved to 35-16. “I think we’re all focused again and we all just want to win so bad right now so we can keep this season going.”

There also is another motivation for Mueller and so many of the other Bulldogs.

“We want to keep our season going for as long as possible … we just don’t want it to end,” said Mueller, who leads the Bulldogs into today’s (Thursday) second-round NCAA Division II National Softball Tournament against No. 22 St. Edward’s, a first-round winner over Barry. “We don’t want Katie (Kraai, the Bulldogs’ lone senior) to play in her last game. … We want her to play for as long as possible.”

Ferris Answers Its First Challenge At National Championships

HOUSTON – It’s only natural to feel some nerves in your first appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball National Championships.

The atmosphere, particularly with so much at stake, can be akin to overwhelming for a lot of first-time players. Ferris State University’s team, making its first appearance in the national tournament since 1999, had some players battling a powerful case of butterflies. Junior starting pitcher Sarah Mueller, who got the ball in the team’s first-round contest against Francis Marion (38-15), spoke of some nerves the team felt. But, any anxiety was quickly put to bed as game time neared.

“I think before the game there were some of us who were feeling some jitters with this being our first time playing in this kind of an atmosphere at nationals, but then once we got into our warm-ups we started to relax a little more,” said Mueller, who had a strong day at the plate with two hits in four trips with a run scored. “After that (warm-up), we were a lot more calm feeling and we were ready to just go out and play some good softball.”

The Bulldogs did indeed play some good softball against Francis Marion.

Mueller in particular had a day as she threw a complete seven innings, allowed four hits and stuck out four to lead Ferris to a 2-0 win over the Patriots at Memorial Park. The shutout means the Bulldogs, now 35-16, have held their opponent scoreless for five straight NCAA Tournament games – including the four in Edwardsville, Ill. that put the Bulldogs in the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championships.

Junior first baseman Amanda Jager had an RBI single in the third inning and junior outfielder Holly Bruntjens increased the lead to 2-0 with an RBI hit in the top of the fifth. Like Mueller, Jager had two hits in four trips and also scored a run with her RBI.

“I left the players to do warm-ups on their own to get into their own mood,” Ferris head coach Keri Becker said as her Bulldogs and Francis Marion were the only two teams that entered the national tournament unranked according to the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. “The team had what I would call more of a calm confidence about them when they stepped on the field for the game. They weren’t overly excited, but they were ready to go. They came out relaxed and ready to play.”

Becker was pleased with the performance of Mueller.

“I went out before the game and told her that she needed to be ready to play in the first inning and not by the third inning … I told her we needed her right off the bat,” Becker said of Mueller, who credited a sharp curveball for her success against the Patriots. “I challenged her and I think she responded very well to being challenged like that. She pitched very well.”

Ferris advances to round two where it takes on No. 22 St. Edward’s (a 5-4 winner over Barry in the first round). The teams face each other at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Ferris' Sarah Mueller Named To 2008 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II All-Region Team

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Ferris State University senior softball standout player Sarah Mueller earned some well-deserved post-season recognition from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as part of the 2008 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II All-Region team.

Mueller, a junior pitcher and utility player, earned 2008 All-Great Lakes Region Second Team honors for her efforts on the diamond – for her combined body of work as a pitcher, outfielder and standout hitter. Mueller becomes the second Bulldog to receive all-region accolades as she joins junior first baseman Amanda Jager who was recognized as a second-team all-region pick by Daktronics earlier this week.

Mueller, who has elevated her play of late as a hitter especially, is coming off a 2007 campaign during which she was named an All-American. She entered the Lewis winner’s bracket game on Friday hitting .324 through 45 games with 47 hits, 10 doubles, six triples, three home runs and 29 runs batted in. As a pitcher, Mueller entered Friday 14-6 with a 2.06 earned run average and 56 strikeouts. In the 1-0 win in 15 innings, over Lewis at the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament in Edwardsville, Ill. Mueller, now 15-6, earned the victory as she threw all 15 innings, allowed six hits, one walk and struck out five.

Ferris Survives A Marathon; Records A Big Win

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – It was a marathon, but Ferris State University finally had the answer ... deep into the 15th inning in a game that evolved into a test of wills perhaps even more so than a test of skills.

Junior catcher Krystle Bailey – standing at the plate with the bases loaded – was the last of many heroes in truly a team-oriented victory in a winner’s bracket game of the 2008 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Bailey, composed and disciplined, drew a walk with the bases loaded to earn the Bulldogs (32-15) a huge 1-0 win, in 15 innings, over Lewis University to remain unbeaten and in the winner’s bracket of the regional tournament.

“It’s a real big deal for us to be able to get this win and to stay in the winner’s bracket … It was a great team win and we really came out pumped up and ready to go,” said Bailey, who batted 1-for-5 with the all-important RBI in the 15th inning. “It was nice for us to be able to come out the way we did because we had to sit out all day Thursday (due to rain and games that had to be made up) and not have the chance to play. Even with the weather and everything we all stayed pumped up.”

After 14 and a half scoreless innings, Ferris finally benefited from a golden opportunity as Lewis committed two costly errors – on Bulldog bunts – to set the stage for Ferris’ win. After sophomore second baseman Amanda Harrington dropped a sacrifice bunt moved the runners and opened up first base, the Flyers chose to use a little strategy to try and cut down a runner at the plate. With two runners already on base, Lewis pulled its outfield in and elected to intentionally walk junior pitcher Sarah Mueller, to put Bailey in the position to make the play.

Ferris’ starting catcher worked the count and drew a walk on a pitch that was called a little high to leave the Bulldogs exhilarated and Lewis angry and frustrated at the close of a grueling contest.

“I knew I had to look for a good pitch, be patient and lay off of the high stuff,” Bailey said. “When the (home plate) umpire said “ball four” I was excited and the only thing I was thinking was to make sure I touched first since I knew we had it. This is just a huge win for us to keep this going.”

The Bulldogs face Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Wayne State which remained alive in the winner’s bracket with a 2-1 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville late on Friday.

No butterflies for Bulldogs in NCAA opener

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – After a disappointing and abbreviated run in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament last weekend in Midland, Ferris State University had ample motivation entering this week’s NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Championship Tournament.

The Bulldogs (31-16), seeded sixth in the regional field, looked like a motivated and confident team as it entered a first-round contest against No. 3 Saginaw Valley State University – a GLIAC rival – at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville University’s Cougar Field. Ferris shrugged off a late-night arrival at its hotel in Alton, Ill. and overcast (sometimes rainy) weather conditions to triumph on the big stage. Considering the Cardinals had just stunned Ferris in last weekend’s GLIAC Tournament in Midland, with a come-from-behind 10-4 win, the Bulldogs had plenty to be fired up about.

“It was amazing to be able to get this win and it’s especially amazing for us because it is against Saginaw Valley,” said junior pitcher Holly Bruntjens, who started her career at Saginaw Valley State before she transferred to Ferris. “It was big for us to get off to a good start and it feels good to be able to get that first win after what happened to us, especially against them, in the GLIAC Tournament.”

In a pitcher’s duel, it was the Bulldogs who mustered the game’s lone run – a solo homer off the bat of starting centerfielder Sarah Mueller, in the top of the fourth inning, off GLIAC Player of the Year Stacy Kraatz for the 1-0 win.

That was all the offense Bruntjens would need as she tossed seven innings, allowed three hits and struck out three to improve her record to 13-8. Bruntjens had all of her pitches working well as she kept the Cardinals’ explosive hitters off balance from start to finish. She could hardly have scripted a more gratifying victory for her, personally, and the Bulldogs, as a team.

“Everything was working for me in this game,” Bruntjens said. “I only have three pitches (fastball, dropball and a changeup) so, if they’re not working, I’m going to be in trouble. Fortunately, they were working for me (against the Cardinals).”

Ferris Battles To Win Over Mercyhurst

MIDLAND – It wasn’t pretty, but Ferris State University opened the 2008 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament with a 3-1 victory over Mercyhurst at Currie Stadium in Emerson Park.

Sarah Mueller, a junior who played center field, finished with one hit in three trips to the plate and had two runs driven in. That was at the top of the order, Where the Lakers may have really been hurt was at the bottom of Ferris’ lineup where redshirt freshman Rachel Wade, batting eighth, and junior pitcher Holly Bruntjens, batting ninth, inflicted some of the damage. Wade batted 2-for-3 with a run scored and one driven in while Bruntjens had two hits in three trips with a run scored.

Junior first baseman Amanda Jager had two hits in two trips to the plate with a run scored and a walk.

“I think we had a little too much tension out there on the field and we definitely are going to need to loosen up a little and get back to playing our game,” said Ferris head coach Keri Becker, who was named the 2008 “Michael J. Corbett” GLIAC Coach of the Year. “We know we’re going to need to play better and we’re going to need to score some more runs as we go through this tournament.”

In the circle, Holly Bruntjens was her usual steady self as she tossed seven innings, allowed five hits, one run (earned), walked none and struck out four. The Bulldogs committed a couple of errors, but they were able to overcome those miscues by playing overall steady from start to finish in the contest. It wasn’t the prettiest victory, but a win is a win.

In spite of the win, Becker knows her team has to play better in its next game on Friday, scheduled to be against a Saginaw Valley State team that has been near the top of the conference standings all season.

Five Bulldogs Named To GLIAC All-Conference Softball Teams

MIDLAND – Ferris State University had five of its players named to the 2008 All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Softball Teams and two others who were honorable mention selections.

Earning first-team All-GLIAC honors were junior first baseman Amanda Jager, and junior utility player Sarah Mueller. Named to the second-team all-league were junior pitcher Holly Bruntjens and sophomore second baseman Amanda Harrington. The honorable mention picks for Ferris were junior catcher Krystle Bailey and freshman outfielder Lynsay Weaver, who also has played at shortstop for the Bulldogs.

“You don’t have the success we’ve had without good players and the players who were recognized have played a big role in the success of our team this season,” said Ferris State head coach Keri Becker, who was named the “Michael J. Corbett” GLIAC Coach of the Year. “For me, winning an individual award, like Coach of the Year, can only happen if you have players who perform well on the field.”

Jager’s honor is well deserved with her consistency hitting the ball and, in general, getting on base for teammates to drive her in. Through Friday morning’s game against Mercyhurst, to start the GLIAC Tournament, Jager was batting .389. Mueller, with her pitching and her hitting near the top of the Bulldogs’ order, has been doubly important for the team throughout the spring. Harrington and Bruntjens bring a steady component for Ferris that avoids peaks and valleys. Bailey has been a rock of stability behind the plate and Weaver is just scratching the surface of her great potential.

In other awards news, “Player of the Year” was Saginaw Valley State’s Stacy Kraatz, “Pitcher of the Year” was Wayne State’s Molly Yetman and the “Freshman of the Year” was Ashland’s Erica Miller.

SPRING 2008 BLOG 10: Weather cooperates, bats come alive for Bulldogs

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – Leaving behind ideal weather and softball-playing conditions, in Florida, Ferris State found itself back indoors upon its return to Michigan.

The Wayne State Tournament was canceled and bad weather also cost the Bulldogs a home doubleheader against Aquinas, scheduled for Wednesday. Saturday, however, the weather was not perfect, but it was more than good enough to put the softball in play as Ferris welcomed Gannon to the FSU Softball Field to begin Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference competition.

“It’s always nice to be able to get back on the field after you come back from Florida,” said Ferris head softball coach Keri Becker as her team is now 9-8 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC. “The weather is something you have to deal with. We actually were able to work on a lot of things inside and we accomplished a lot so when we got back on the field, outside, we were able to get back at it.”

To start game one, the Bulldogs showed some signs of some of the troubles that plagued them at times in Florida. Ferris fell into a 2-0 hole as the Lady Knights capitalized on a pair of Bulldog errors to claim an early lead. This time, however, Ferris showed it has learned from some of the lessons of its time in the Sunshine State.

Junior first baseman Amanda Jager had an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning, but that was just the beginning. Sophomore second baseman Amanda Harrington had an RBI double, Sarah Mueller had an RBI double and junior catcher Krystle Bailey had an RBI double to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead – in a heartbeat.

“It was perseverance,” said Becker as she reflected on her team’s come-from-behind 4-2 win in game one that set the stage for a sweep as the Bulldogs took game two 5-0 to begin league play 2-0. “That’s one of the things about this team that’s so good. They’ve persevered through a lot of things and they realize that there’s too much talent and too much potential on this team not to be able to come out of (the early struggles).”

In game two, senior third baseman Katie Kraai finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and two driven in, Jager was 1-for-3 with a run scored and one driven in, Bailey was 1-for-3 with a run scored and one driven in and freshman outfielder Lynsay Weaver also was able to drive in a run.

In the circle, Ferris enjoyed solid pitching performances from game-one junior starter Holly Bruntjens (seven innings, six hits, two runs, two walks and three strikeouts) and game-two junior starter Sarah Mueller (seven innings, two hits allowed, one walk and four strikeouts) to complement a defense that got tougher as the day went on.

SPRING 2008 BLOG 7: Early spring schedule is rich with opportunities for Bulldogs

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Once again, the wire-to-wire race for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball championship is shaping up as a hard-fought one.

If nothing else, the annual Rebel Spring Games has been an opportunity for Ferris State University to take an early peek at the competition in the GLIAC this spring. While there is, of course, snow and chilly weather in the upper Midwest that will wreak the usual havoc on the early portion of the season, that has not prevented the usual travel to Florida to sneak in some of those early games prior to the start of the league schedule. After a hot start this spring, Ferris has stumbled through some rough times with losses in six of their last seven games. The latest setbacks have come at the hands of regional rival Wisconsin-Parkside (5-2) and Central Missouri (3-0), both on Friday, at Fortune Road Complex during the Rebel Spring Games.

In spite of the current hard times, Ferris expects to figure prominently in the mix this season for a GLIAC championship – and hopefully more. The Bulldogs are confident the talent on their current 14-player roster will pay dividends by the time everything is said, done and written. Ferris has been working to plug players into different positions with, for example, Amanda Jager now playing regularly at first base along with some mixing and matching in the outfield with Holly Bruntjens, Sarah Mueller, Colleen Roney, Rachel Wade and Lynsay Weaver among others in that group. One of the issues for the Bulldogs will be to maintain focus from start to finish this spring and begin to realize the potential that is clearly evident.

The GLIAC already is looking up for grabs this season as the Bulldogs already have had a chance to watch a number of rival teams they will see upon their return to Michigan. Saginaw Valley State suddenly is nationally ranked and playing with confidence under a first-year head coach. Grand Valley State remains strong with some capable hitters at the top of its lineup while Wayne State and Ashland are likely to figure prominently in the league, region and national pictures. Northwood is going to be a solid as will Gannon and others. The bottom line in the GLIAC remains pretty simple: No easy days no matter who you play in a league with so many talented and well-coached softball teams.

In addition to the league games, the Bulldogs also have to be conscious of their regional foes as well. Already in Florida, the Bulldogs have begun to make their case for regional rankings with some solid efforts against some in-region opponents (including wins over Southern Indiana, St. Joseph’s and Northern Kentucky). But, three of the team’s losses have been to regional opponents (a painfully-frustrating one-run, extra-inning loss to defending NCAA Division II national champion Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, one to Indianapolis and the latest on Friday to Wisconsin-Parkside).

Ferris has its work cut out for it this spring.

So, whether it’s a regional opponent or a conference opponent – anticipate some big-time competition.