Courtesy of the GLIAC
BAY CITY, Mich. – The head softball coaches of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) chose Grand Valley State University and Tiffin University to win the league's 2012 North Division and South Division titles, respectively.
This year's crop of GLIAC Softball talent will try to duplicate to Conference's recent success that includes Saginaw Valley State University's trip to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship last season. League teams will battle for supremacy throughout the regular season before they travel to Findlay, Ohio for the annual GLIAC Softball Tournament (April 27-29) at the Marathon Diamonds.
Grand Valley State University was picked atop the North Division with 24 points and four of six first-place votes while Tiffin University was picked first in the South Division with 23 points and four first-place nods.
In the North Division, Saginaw Valley State was second with 22 points and two first-place votes, Ferris State University was third with 16 points, followed by Northwood University in fourth with 14 points. Hillsdale College was fifth with nine points and Lake Superior State University was sixth with five points.
In the South Division, Ashland University was picked second with 22 points and two first-place votes, and Wayne State University was third with 18 points. The University of Findlay and Ohio Dominican University tied for fourth place with 11 points, while Lake Erie College was picked sixth with five points.
Saginaw Valley Overview: The 2012 SVSU Cardinals will look to return to the NCAA Division II World Series after an incredible run in 2011. Interim Head Coach Tim Rousse guided Saginaw Valley to a 42-18 record, and the second appearance in NCAA Championships in school history. SVSU will also be looking to make a school record fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA postseason.
Rousse and the Cardinals welcome four players back that garnered All-GLIAC honors in 2011; Seniors Ashley Coffin, Natalie Wellman and Kalie Burdick will lead an experienced squad in 2012. Coffin appeared in and started 58 games for the Cardinals last season, recording 61 hits on the season with 11 doubles, five home runs and a triple. Wellman was the only Cardinal to start all 60 games during the 2011 season. She posted a .346 batting average, good for third on the team. She also led the team with 65 hits and 12 doubles. Burdick Appeared in 50 games and recorded 43 hits, ten doubles and four home runs. She scored 16 times and drove in 21 runs on the season. She finished 2011 with a .352 batting average, good for fourth on the team. Medina, one of the best freshman in the GLIAC last season, will look to build on a season in which she garnered All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honors and Daktronics First Team All-Region honors. She played in all 60 games, starting in 59. She led the team with a .376 batting average and 65 hits and was second on the team with 42 runs batted in and 39 runs scored. She also recorded eight doubles, one triple and seven home runs on the season.
The Cardinals will have to replace GLIAC "Pitcher of the Year" Jade Fulton in 2012 and will look to a trio of pitchers in returners Alexa Gehrls and Jill Kaltz and newcomer Jillian Williamson to fill the void left by one of the best pitchers ever to toe the rubber in the GLIAC. Gehrls appeared in 23 games in the circle in 2011, starting 19 of them. Gehrls pitched 93.1 innings with 99 strikeouts and a 2.99 earned run average, while posting a 10-5 overall record on the season with six complete games. Kaltz was 1-2 overall in eight games played. Williamson, a junior transfer from Eastern Michigan, will be looked to add stability to a young staff.
Coaching: Tim Rousse is in his second season as head softball coach at Saginaw Valley State.
2011 Record: 42-18 overall, 22-9 GLIAC
SVSU will begin their 2012 season on March 3, when they travel to the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. The Cardinals will play 14 contests while in Florida from March 3-9.