Posted: Apr 24, 2014

STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT: Softball's Alex Wittman

By Nichole Boehnke
FerrisStateBulldogs.com

Alex Wittman
Softball
Outfield

Finishing up her last season, senior Alex Wittman has no regrets with her softball career.

Wittman, from St. Joseph, Mich., currently is midst her final campaign with the Bulldogs as they eye a potential berth in the GLIAC Tournament. In the 2014 season, she has hit two homeruns, to tie with senior teammate Amy Dunleavy for second most on the team following freshmen Casey Bias, who leads the team with five total homeruns.

Dunleavy is the only other senior besides Wittman and both serve as leaders for the other players as they have 10 underclassmen on the team. Wittman has been preparing for this role her entire life as she followed in her dad's footsteps to become a collegiate athlete. Her dad, Mickey Wittman, played basketball for Miami University.

This is her fourth year playing outfield for the Bulldogs. So far in the season, Wittman has started 27 contests and looks forward to the final eight games in the regular season.

The Bulldogs end the regular-season against archrival Grand Valley State on Monday, April 28. The top eight teams in the league will qualify to play in the GLIAC Tournament hosted by Findlay beginning May 2.

According to Alex

Why did you decide to come to Ferris?

"When making the decision between Ferris State, Saginaw Valley State, and Hillsdale, I liked the feel of progress Ferris had been making. Ferris has a successful history with softball and the former coach, Keri Becker, roped me in to be a part of the team to work to be a part of a legacy."

What has been your favorite memory from competing for Ferris?

"Last season there were so many make-ups and delays we had eight games in four days to end the season and finished the week 8-0. That result made us second in the GLIAC and we went on to play in the NCAA tournament. It's a fun experience to share with the girls on the team. Not very many people get to say they were a part of something like that."

What is your favorite part about the softball team?

"This team is a lot different than any other I've been on at Ferris. Physically, we have 7 new faces with everyone that graduated. The attitude of the team is fun, scrappy and to fight for everything, it's refreshing."

What is your favorite thing about being on softball team here at Ferris?

"It's nice to have an outlet, if I have a horrible day I can come to practice and blow off steam and relax. I love the relationships I've made over the years and getting to know all the different girls. I couldn't imagine college without the team. As a freshman, I had 15-16 girls with me right away. I didn't have to worry about finding friends and even now it's still nice to always have them around."

Do you have any talents or interesting hobbies?

"I like to think I do. I am Editor in Chief of the Torch and I oversee the staff of over 30 people who work on a weekly publication. I've been working there for 4 years so basically writing is my hobby. I guess I'll need to find some more after graduation."

When was your first memory of playing softball?

"I started playing when I was 11 years old. I played soccer before that and was obsessed. My dad had to beg me to play softball. We went to the first day of tryouts and there was a ground ball up the middle that I backhanded. That's when my dad told me I had to stick with it."