Ferris State Softball Opens GLIAC Tourney Play Friday As Number Four Seed
Big Rapids, Mich. - The "second" season for the Ferris State University softball team begins this weekend (April 29-May 1) as the Bulldogs seek to claim their third Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament title in the program's history.
The Bulldogs along with seven other teams are scheduled to compete in the 2016 GLIAC Softball Tournament, which will take place at Marathon Diamond Fields in Findlay, Ohio.
Ferris State, which presently has a 34-16 overall record with a third-place tying 19-7 GLIAC mark this season, is the fourth seed and will go up against number-five seed Ashland this Friday (April 29) in an opening-round tilt at the double-elimination conference tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. (EDT) with the winner to play the Wayne State-Tiffin winner on Friday at 4 p.m. (EDT) in the winner's bracket.
FSU, under first-year head coach Wally King, has presently won its last nine games overall with the impressive streak including eight-straight home wins this past week to wrap up the regular season. The Bulldogs' opponent, Ashland, concluded the regular season at 25-21-1 overall along with a 15-10-1 conference mark.
Comprising the eight-team tourney field are Wayne State, Grand Valley State, Hillsdale, FSU, Ashland, Saginaw Valley State, Findlay and Tiffin in seeding order. Wayne State claimed the top overall seed after winning the GLIAC regular-season crown.
The 2016 GLIAC Softball Tournament Championship game is set for this Sunday (May 1) in Findlay. A 10 a.m. (EDT) starting time is scheduled for the title contest and if necessary per the double-elimination format, a second game will follow to determine the conference tournament champion. The winner of the GLIAC Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament (May 5-7) at a campus site to be announced.
Ferris State has won two conference tournaments (2000 and 2005) in the program's history to date. The Bulldogs have registered a 16-14 record (.533) in GLIAC Tournament play since 2005. This year's berth will represent FSU's first trip to the league tournament since 2013.
The 2016 season represents the 12th consecutive year in which only the top eight of the conference's current softball playing institutions qualify for the GLIAC Tournament. The criteria is based upon each team's regular-season conference record. The 1985 campaign marked the league's first-ever postseason tournament in softball.
Ferris State's 34 total wins to date this year are the fifth-most in a single campaign in school history. The Bulldogs also have more than doubled their win total from a year ago when they closed the year with 16 victories.
The complete conference tournament bracket can be found at this link:
GLIAC Tourney Bracket