Grand Valley State's Taylor and Ashland's Knerem Chosen As GLIAC Softball "Player of the Week" and "Pitcher of the Week", Respectively

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BAY CITY, Mich. - Grand Valley State University freshman infielder Briauna Taylor (Livonia, Mich./Franklin) and Ashland University junior pitcher Emlyn Knerem (Brunswick, Ohio) have been chosen as the GLIAC Softball  "Player of the Week" and  "Pitcher of the Week", respectively.

 GLIAC Softball Player of the Week:

Briauna Taylor
Grand Valley State  
5-9, Freshman, INF
Livonia, Mich./Franklin    

Freshman shortstop Briauna Taylor led GVSU to a perfect 6-0 week by totaling team-highs with a .667 batting average and 14 base hits. Taylor scored seven runs last week, with a double, two triples, a home run, and eight RBI. She collected five multi-hit games and had four games of three hits. Against Lake Superior State on Sunday, Taylor was 6-for-6 with a double, triple, three runs scored, and three RBI.

Softball Player Weekly Honor Roll:  Logan Hursey - AU, Lindsey Pettit - FS, Taylor Schulty - HC, Sam Zaborowski - NU, Natalie Wellman - SV, Amanda Temple - TU, Alison Allen - WS.

2011 "Players of the Week":  (3/14) Katie Martin - GV; (3/22) Brittany Omelanchuk - WS; (3/28) Miranda Clearly - GV; (4/4) Marcy Medina - SV; (4/4) Marcy Medina - SV; (4/12) Briauna Taylor - GV.

GLIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week:   

Emlyn Knerem
Ashland
5-8, Junior, Pitcher
Brunswick, Ohio

Senior pitcher Emlyn Knerem pitched a five-inning perfect game in a 14-0 win over Ohio Dominican. In Sunday’s twinbill at ODU, Knerem was 2-0, pitching a complete game in the opener and a perfect seventh inning in the nightcap (AU won, 2-1). On the day, she didn’t allow a hit in six innings with no walks and 10 strikeouts. On the year, Knerem has seven shutouts, two combined shutouts and 178 strikeouts in 115.2 innings.

Softball Pitcher Weekly Honor Roll:  Andrea Nicholson - GV, Laura Homan - HC, Megan Eddy - NU, Jade Fulton - SV, Amber Young - TU. 

2011 "Pitchers of the Week": (3/14) Emlyn Knerem - AU; (3/22) Jade Fulton - SV; (3/28) Amber Young - TU; (4/4) Jade Fulton - SV; (4/12) Emlyn Knerem - AU.

 Ashland Eagles

AU was ranked eighth in the region last week…the Eagles begin this week with an 11-game winning streak. Ashland hasn’t lost since splitting a doubleheader with Grand Valley State on Mar. 26…shortstop Bri Woody (Cleveland, Ohio/Magnificat) hit .333 last week and drove in a team-high 10 runs.  Woody drove in the game-winning run in two games, a 2-1 victory at Ohio Dominican and a 2-1 triumph against Findlay. The shortstop has a 14-game hitting streak…junior third baseman Alyssa Kelley (Mentor, Ohio) begins this week with a team-best 19-game hitting streak.  Kelley is hitting a team-high .434…senior outfielder Erica Miller (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) hit the first homer of her career last week.  Miller is a four-year starter and her first round-tripper came on the 569th at-bat of her career...Emlyn Knerem (Brunswick, Ohio) pitched a five-inning perfect game last Sunday in a 14-0 win at Ohio Dominican.  Knerem has three five-inning perfect games this year. In her career, she has five no-hitters and four five-inning perfect games.

Ferris State Bulldogs

Junior third baseman Makenzi Peterson (Big Rapids) has recorded at least a base hit in 10 of her last 11 contests, which included a team-leading 10-game hitting streak (March 27-April 10).  Peterson, who collected five multiple-hit game performances during that 10-game span, is batting for a .425 average (17-40) with a .575 slugging percentage in her last 11 outings. Junior first baseman Chelsea Morris’ (Jenison) five home runs this season in 28 contests represents a tie for the 11th most single-season roundtrippers in the program’s history.  Morris is one home run away from moving into an eighth-place tie with Laura Crower (2005), Katie Kraai (2007), and Rhea Flores (2009). Sophomore pitcher Dana Bowler’s (Lockport, Ill.) nine victories (9-6 record) this campaign in 18 appearances is a career season best, eclipsing her eight wins (8-10 record) in 20 contests last season.  Bowler sports a 4-1 mark in her last six contests to go with a 3.46 earned run average and 12 strikeouts in 28.1 innings pitched. Ferris State has won seven of its last 10 games to date, which featured a season-best five-game winning streak (April 6-9).

Findlay Oilers

The University of Findlay softball team was swept by Ashland University on Thursday in Ashland, Ohio. The Oilers lost the first game by a score of 2-1 and then fell 6-3 in the second contest On Saturday, Findlay swept Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio. The Oilers won the first game by a score of 4-3 in nine innings as Kara Hochevar smacked a two-run homer in the top of the frame to give the Oilers the win. Findlay won the second game 9-1 behind a stellar pitching performance from Tawna Whited, who allowed only one run on three hits in five innings of work. The Oilers added another two more wins to their record when the defeated the Storm on Sunday. The Oilers won the first game by a score of 7-5 as Calli Coppus led the way with three hits, one run scored and one RBI. Brittany Dauterman and Jenna Motuza each added a pair of hits in the game.In the second game, Julia Stalder allowed only two hits in a 5-0 complete game shutout victory for the Oilers. Kara Hochevar smacked a three-run home run in the first inning and finished 2-for-3 during the game to lead the offense. Tori Allen also had a solid day at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with a run scored.

Grand Valley State Lakers

GVSU has won 25 of its last 27 games and recorded its second double-digit win streak of the season, as the Lakers have won 10 consecutive games after a 6-0 week. Grand Valley State, the top team in all of Division II in batting average and slugging percentage, hit .455 last week with a .763 slugging percentage…the Lakers hit 15 home runs last week (including eight on Saturday against Lake Superior State), pushing their season total to 51, which is a new program single-season record. The 2007 GVSU squad held the previous record by parking 43 homers. The main culprits are sophomore Katie Martin (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and sophomore Miranda Cleary (Howell, Mich.). Both sluggers have 15 home runs this season, tied for the third-most in a single-season in GVSU history. Martin ranks third all-time at Grand Valley State with 24 roundtrippers, while Cleary’s 15 blasts this season already put her eighth in Laker career history. Cleary hit five homers last week, including three on Saturday against LSSU, and a team-best 11 RBI…shortstop Briauna Taylor (Livonia, Mich.) hit .667 with 14 hits, seven runs, one double, two triples, a homer, and eight RBI. She recorded four games of three hits and five multi-hit games overall. Sister Brittany Taylor hit .533 with her first two collegiate homers and six RBI.

Hillsdale Chargers

The Hillsdale College softball team faces a challenging week on the diamond, facing three nationally ranked opponents (Indianapolis, Tiffin and Grand Valley State) while playing another (Wayne State) that has been a national contender in recent years…Eight of the team’s 10 scheduled games will take place at home, all in a row after Tuesday’s non league games at UIndy…Hillsdale went 1-3 in a four-game weekend series at Northwood this weekend…Saturday, junior Jessica Guertin hit her 9th home run of the season, giving her 30 for her career…She is the first player in school history to reach that mark in career home runs, and she ranks fourth in the conference with that total this season…Sophomore Kate Hoop belted her second home run of the season, equaling last year’s total…Sophomore Teresa Patterson has shown remarkable improvement this season, raising her batting average by nearly 50 points, and her 20 hits this season have already doubled last year’s total output…Freshman Mary Depner hit her first career home run versus the Timberwolves.

Lake Erie Storm

Lake Erie College dropped all four games in a tight divisional set with Findlay this weekend.  On Saturday the Storm was stopped short, 4-3 in nine innings, and 9-1, while on Sunday the fell, 7-5, and 5-0.  Senior third baseman Brittany Sostre hit two home runs on the weekend, giving her 11 on the season and 19 for her career.    Both totals are Lake Erie records.  Freshman Juliana Brotzman and junior Haley Rathge both also went deep in Sunday’s loss to Findlay. The Storm has five doubleheaders scheduled this week, with midweek non-conference contests against Edinboro and Gannon, and a conference weekend at Saginaw Valley St., Lake Superior St., and Northwood.  

Lake Superior State Lakers

Freshman infielder Dani Reveley (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) led the Lakers in hits with seven and batted .333 as LSSU was 0-8 while playing four double-headers during a five-day period last week. Sophomore catcher Nikki Preuss (Alpena, Mich.) had the team’s best batting average of .364 and hit her first career home run. Senior infielder Ronlea Peterson (Midland, Mich.) also homered last week. For the season, Preuss is batting .345, while freshman second baseman Haleigh Edgar (Tecumseh, Mich.) leads the team in hits with 20 while batting .290. The Lakers are schedule to play their first homestand beginning at 3:30 p.m. Friday against Ohio Dominican. The games will be moved to Boyne City, Mich., if the Sault Ste. Marie fields are unplayable.

Northwood Timberwolves

The Northwood softball team had a busy week, going 4-4 in four GLIAC doubleheaders … the Timberwolves split against Ferris State, dropped a pair at Grand Valley State before going 3-1 against Hillsdale over the weekend … Northwood is now 13-13 overall, 7-7 in the GLIAC … NU had a big week offensively, batting .349 while averaging seven runs a game … for the season, the Timberwolves currently rank third in the GLIAC in runs scored per game, averaging 5.73 … Northwood had nine different players hit over .300 for the week, led by Katherine Johnson (Fenton, Mich.) at .500 … Andrea Martin (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) went 5-5 in the second game of the doubleheader against Hillsdale and finished the week batting .483 … freshman Sam Zaborowski (Taylor, Mich./Cabrini) continued her strong play, batting .385 with 12 RBI’s … she is batting .390 overall in her first season at Northwood.

Ohio Dominican Panthers

The Panthers dropped six games this past week, all GLIAC contests, extending their losing streak to a season-high nine games. At Tiffin on Thursday for their first ever GLIAC road doubleheader, ODU dropped two to the Dragons 7-2 and 7-0 before falling 4-1 and 4-0 to Ashland on Saturday, and 14-0 and 2-1 to the Eagles on Sunday’s Senior Day. The Panthers fell victim to a pair of impressive pitching performances, including a one-hit, complete game shutout by Tiffin starter, Mindy Meredith, in game two and a shortened five-inning perfect game by Emlyn Knerem in game one’s setback on Sunday. ODU battled to square game two against Ashland later in the day with a sacrifice fly by Brooke McCartney (So./Salem, OH), but the Eagles spoiled the Senior Day festivities with a game-winning walk off single in the bottom of the seventh to earn the 2-1 decision. Despite just two hits for the week, McCartney accounted for three of the Panthers’ four RBI. ODU hits the road next weekend for a six-game, three-day Michigan conference swing beginning at 3:30 p.m. this Friday with a doubleheader at Lake Superior State.

Saginaw Valley State Cardinals

The Cardinals went 4-2 over the past weekend; sweeping Lake Superior State University by scores of 3-0 and 7-,1 before seeing their 10 game winning streak stopped on Saturday by Ferris State 1-0 and 9-7.  SVSU would rebound with two victories on Sunday, taking the first game by a score of 11-8 and the nightcap by a score of 12-5.  SVSU is now 25-10 overall on the season and 12-4 in the GLIAC.  The Cardinals will play six games in three days starting Friday, they will welcome in Lake Erie, Ashland and Ohio Dominican.  It will be the first visit to University Center for a softball contest for either the Storm or the Panthers in program history.  Natalie Wellman and Kalie Burdick both had big weekends for the Cardinals', Wellman pounded out 11 hits enroute to a .550 batting average over the six games and Burdick racked up nine hits to improve her season average to .417.  The pitching duo of Jade Fulton and Alexa Gerhrls had a solid weekend, as they both recorded 2-1 records.  Fulton added 35 strikeouts to bring her season total to 216, she now stands just 50 strikeouts from breaking the single season record that was set in 1992.  Through 35 games this season SVSU is hitting .313 with 24 homeruns.  The Cardinals have also stolen 47 bases on the season and have committed just 29 errors.  

Tiffin Dragons

Tiffin University is ranked 32nd in the latest NFCA poll while also moving up to 3rd in the Midwest Region…Amanda Temple had the best week offensively, batting .476 in 21 at-bats. Stephanie Bobotas also batted .500 in 6 games covering 14 at-bats. Tiffany Smith had a productive week as well, hitting 2 home runs for 10 RBIs in a doubleheader sweep of Wayne State Saturday…Tiffany Smith increased her average to .317 this season with a team-best 5 HR and 26 RBIs, including setting a new career home run record earlier in the week…Temple is batting a team-best .388 with 25 RBIs and 11 doubles…Meagan Baird is hitting .313 and Lesy Herbert is at .300 while Lauren Mazzuca is batting .289 but also has good production with 29 runs scored, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, and 14 RBIs…Mindy Meredith holds a 9-2 record with a 1.05 ERA including 93 strikeouts in 66.2 innings of work with 2 saves, while Amber Young and Abbey Cooksey both have 5-3 records. Young sports a 1.33 ERA while Cooksey also has 3 saves.

Wayne State Warriors

Wayne State split its four-game weekend series with Tiffin, despite being outscored 21-6, after having Wednesday’s contests at Findlay postponed … head coach Gary Bryce, in his 30th season with the Warriors, has increased his all-time win total to 996 … only 16 coaches prior to 2011, in all three divisions combined, had reached the 1,000-win plateau … junior right fielder Alison Allen (Redford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) went 5-for-10 against the Dragons with three walks for a .615 on-base percentage … she accounted for the only run in Sunday’s nightcap with a solo home run … earlier on Sunday, she became the 10th player in WSU history with 200 career hits … junior pitcher Sam Cain (Taylor, Mich./Kennedy) tossed a two-hit shutout in Sunday’s second game … the Warriors are 12-1 in 2011 when holding opponents to two runs or less … WSU’s two one-run victories on Sunday improved its one-run record to 4-3 … junior shortstop Lauren Histed (Shelby Twp., Mich./Utica) batted .400 (4-for-10) against TU with two RBI.