* - Weekly notes are submitted by the GLIAC member Sports Infomation departments
Weekly Notes
Ashland University
Eagles
Ashland went 8-6 at the Rebel Spring Games in Orlando, Florida, winning seven of its last 10 games…the Eagles owned a .387 on-base percentage as a team and outscored its opponents 53-37 on the trip…AU manufactured runs very well in Florida. The Eagles totaled 22 sacrifice bunts (compared to nine for their opponents) and stole 21-of-24 bases, while their counterparts were just 6-of-7 in that category…freshman pitcher Logan Hursey (Zanesville, OH/John Glenn) went 3-2 with two saves and a 1.34 ERA, including a 2-0 no-hitter against Chestnut Hill. The rookie struck out 29 batters in 41.2 innings; allowing just 29 base hits…freshman outfielder Erica Miller (Indianapolis, IN/Franklin Central) hit .400 and leads the team with 18 hits. She has already tallied six multi-hit games (five two-hit games and one three-hit contest) in the early part of the season…junior designated player/pitcher Shannon Gray (Nova, OH/Crestview) leads the team with a .435 batting average and is second on the team with seven runs. She owned a seven-game hitting streak during the trip and tallied a .652 slugging percentage..
Weekly Notes
Ferris State University
Bulldogs
Junior first baseman-pitcher Amanda Jager (Kalamazoo/Comstock) has registered a team-high five multiple-hit games in 15 contests this season, which included a three-for-four hitting effort with three RBIs against Upper Iowa (3/10) at the Florida Rebel Spring Tournament. She compiled a squad seventh-best six multi-hit game performances a season ago in 41 outings... Senior third baseman Katie Kraai (Zeeland) moved into fifth place among the school’s all-time leaders in doubles with 37 second-base hits to date in 164 career games. Kraai, who has five doubles in 15 contests this spring, is two shy of matching Theresa Luciow (1993-96) and Emily McLean’s (2003-06) third-place 39 doubles career totals... Junior shortstop McKenzie West (Jenison) is five hits shy of posting her 100th career base hit. West has amassed 95 hits in 331 at bats over an 111 career game span. She compiled a career single-season high 45 hits in 52 outings as a freshman in the 2006 campaign... Junior catcher Krystle Bailey (Wyoming/Rogers) is midst a current team-leading five-game hitting streak and is batting .500 with seven hits in 14 plate appearances during that span (3/13-15). A season ago, Bailey hit safely in a career-best 10 contests (4/18-29)... Ferris State has outscored its opponent 12-4 in the second inning alone this season and are 4-2 when leading after the initial two frames. The Bulldogs have generated 61.7% (37-60) of their scoring in the first four innings this campaign.
Weekly Notes
University of Findlay
Oilers
The Oilers have started the season 0-10, losing all of their games on their spring trip to the Rebel Games in Orlando, Florida…Junior Jeanne Hilvers has led the offense by hitting .467 in seven games…Senior Jessica Rolston has a team-high four RBI’s…Junior Katie Yarnell has led the pitching staff with a 5.25 earned run average.
Weekly Notes
Gannon University
Golden Knights
Gannon opened the season with a 15-7 record in Florida and at the Salem Invitational … went 11-1 at the Rebel Games in Orlando, Florida … is 6-1 against Great Lakes region opponents this season … head coach Beth Curtiss picked up her 250th career coaching victory with a 6-1 victory against Shippensburg on March 8 … Holli Michaels (Tacoma, Wash./Curtis) has Gannon’s best average through 22 games, hitting .379 and has made only one error in 70 chances … Kara Hensley (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) and Carol Kienzl (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) are also hitting over .300 with averages of .371 and .352 … Henley is hitting .412 (14-34) with runners on base and .417 (10-24) with runners in scoring position … Kadie Ondrus (Curtice, Ohio/Clay) owns a 1.20 ERA in her first seven starts … after allowing five runs (three earned) in her first outing at Nova Southeastern, Ondrus has surrendered only four earned runs in her last 34 2/3 innings … Gannon has not lost a game this season when leading after the first inning or after any inning … the Lady Knights are 9-0 when scoring first.
Weekly Notes
Grand Valley State University
Lakers
Grand Valley State University has started off the season with a 15-6 record and are currently ranked No. 7 in Division II by the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association. Senior Sarah Holland (Byron Center, Mich.) has been an offensive leader for the Lakers, posting a batting average of .389 to go with team highs in extra-base hits (14) and runs batted in (17). The Lakers are batting .332 as a team and are holding opponents to a batting average below .200. They have outscored their opponents by a 110-46 margin through 21 games. The pitching staff has recorded a team earned-run average of 2.39, while opposing pitchers are currently holding an earned-run average near 7.00. Pitchers have struck out batters 89 times while walking just 27. Also, the pitchers have given up just 102 hits through 136.2 innings of work.
Weekly Notes
Hillsdale College
Chargers
The Hillsdale College softball team is off to a rough start to the 2008 season, losing all 10 games it played in Florida, and is 2-12 overall…First-year head coach Jamie Meyers recorded her first coaching victory on March 3 in a 7-6 win over Charleston (W.Va.)…Meyers was a four-year starter for the Chargers at shortstop, concluding her playing career in April 2007, and finishing as the school’s all-time leader in career home runs (19)…Senior Katie Botsis led the team with two home runs in the team’s first 14 games, and her 5 RBI now place her sixth on the school’s career runs batted in list with 72…Sophomore Devon Trimmer is the only player on her team in that class, and had hits in seven of the team’s 10 games in Florida…Trimmer is bating .349 overall and is the only player on the team bating over .300 for the season…Junior Britt Sevey has bounced back from an injury-shortened season in 2007 to post a .289 batting average through the team’s first 14 games, easily the best start to a season of her career…Freshman pitcher Kellie Hirst recorded her first collegiate pitching victory over Charleston on March 3…Fellow pitcher, junior Jamie Vandenburgh, had her first pitching win since 2006 that same day over the same opponent.
Weekly Notes
Lake Superior State University
Lakers
Five Lake Superior State games scheduled during the past two weekends have been cancelled due to inclement weather…The Lakers finished 4-14 during their spring break trip to Florida, March 1-9…Junior infielder Rachel Hall (Southgate, Mich.) totaled 16 hits and batted .302 to lead the Lakers at the plate in Florida. Junior third baseman Katie Brandt (White Cloud, Mich.) batted .271 and totaled a team-high nine RBIs….Junior pitcher Nikki Christensen (Marquette, Mich.) was 2-8 and totaled 35 strikeouts while handling most of the pitching duties for the Lakers. She had an ERA of 6.59 through 54.2 innings…Senior pitcher Stephanie Reveley (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) was 0-4, and freshman hurler Jennie Elliott (Frankfort, Mich.) was 2-0 before suffering a finger injury during a pre-game warm-up. Elliott is expected to be back in the lineup when the Lakers play their GLIAC opener at SVSU on March 29.
Weekly Notes
Mercyhurst College
Lakers
Mercyhurst is off to a 10-8 start, having played in the Gene Cusic Tournament, the Francis Marion Invitational and the Salem Invitational…The Lakers have won seven of their last nine contests to move over .500. The team has not finished a season better than .500 since 1991 and went 23-23 a year ago…Erin Ratajczak leads the team with a .406 batting average and Jessica McNurlen is hitting .400 with two homers and a team-best 11 RBI…McNurlen hit both of her homers in a 4-3 victory over Shippensburg. Her second homer was a two-run blast in the eighth inning to clinch the win…Freshman pitcher Amanda Norman has gotten her career off to a strong start with a 1.83 ERA in 46 innings pitched, leading the team in both categories.
Weekly Notes
Northwood University
Timberwolves
Northwood is now 10-11 on the season after going 2-3 at the West Virginia Wesleyan Tournament in Salem, Virginia … the Timberwolves earned victories over Shepherd and Alderson Broadus while dropping contests to Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and West Virginia Wesleyan … Northwood had six home runs in the five games after not having any homers in their first 16 games of the season … Alyssa Eppler (Monroe, Mich./Jefferson) had eight hits on the trip, including her first home run of the season … Korey Schluckbier (Reese, Mich.) had a pair of homers on the trip … NU had three home runs in one inning against West Virginia Wesleyan … Northwood will attempt to get conference play going Sunday when they host Lake Superior … game time is set for 1 p.m.
Weekly Notes
Saginaw Valley State University
Cardinals
The SVSU Softball team began its season with trips down to Texas and Florida this season under first year head coach Everett Roper. The team returned with a #21 ranking in Division II softball as they tallied a 12-4 record, including a victory over then-#2 and defending national champion SIU-Edwardsville. Since returning from their spring trip the Cardinals have gone 2-2 and hold a #23 position in the weekly NFCA rankings. Junior Stacy Kraatz (Howell, Mich./Hartland HS) has been one of the Cardinals most consistent players this spring, as she raked the ball for a .400 batting average (26-for-65), including two home runs and ten RBI’s. She also scored 15 runs and tallied four doubles and one triple. On top of that, she’s 4-for-4 on stolen bases on the season and has struck out only three times. In the circle, Kraatz has continued her dominance this season, starting the year with a 5-2 record and a 1.33 ERA, including four complete games, two shutouts, and one combined shutout. In 42.0 innings pitched, she’s allowed only 30 hits. Joining the stellar pitching staff this season is Jade Fulton (Byron, Mich./Byron HS), who has performed well above expectations for a true freshman. Fulton has compiled a 4-1 record, including two complete games and one shutout. In 50.0 innings pitched, Fulton has tallied an incredible strikeout ratio, stacking up 51 strikeouts. She is currently sporting a 2.10 ERA, and also has four saves on her résumé. Junior Marsha Beaubien (Alpena, Mich./Alpena HS) is hitting the ball at .388 (19-for-49) clip this season and has scored ten runs. Among her 19 hits are four doubles and one triple, and she has collected eleven RBI’s in the 20 games. She has collected five steals in six attempts, as well. SVSU plays Madonna onMarch 25th before moving into the GLIAC portion of their schedule when the travel to Northwood on March 26 and host Lake State on March 29.
Weekly Notes
Wayne State University
Warriors
The Wayne State University softball team enters the final week of March with a 12-9 overall record … the Warriors were 5-8 before winning seven of their last eight contests during spring break … last weekend’s WSU Invitational was canceled due to weather … senior pitcher Molly Yetman (Cambridge, Ont.) was named NFCA National Player of the Week on March 12 after recording back-to-back shutouts including a no-hitter of Shippensburg … she is currently 10-2 with a 0.65 earned-run average along with 101 strikeouts in 75 innings … WSU has four wins over teams that went to last year’s NCAA tournament (SIUE, Lock Haven, Shippensburg and Minnesota-Duluth) … senior first baseman Lindsey Perry (Taylor, Mich./Kennedy) leads the squad with a .408 batting average and a .455 on-base percentage … sophomore Stephanie LeClair (Kitchener, Ont.) along with senior catcher Sarah Berry (Acton, Ont.) are tied for the team lead with eight doubles … Berry also has a team-high 14 RBI, while LeClair leads the squad with a .609 slugging percentage … junior outfielder Sarah Teller (Chesterfield Twp., Mich./ L’Anse Creuse North) needs two hits to equal her previous season-best of 19 set last year … Perry has moved into 10th all-time with 97 runs scored, fifth all-time with 16 home runs and is tied-for-ninth with 86 RBI … Yetman is fourth in career strikeouts with 401.
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