Four Ferris State Softball Players Claim All-GLIAC Honors For 2017 Season
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Big Rapids, Mich. - A total of four Ferris State University softball players have earned All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) accolades for the 2017 campaign as the league's all-conference awards were announced in conjunction with the postseason tournament on Saturday in Findlay, Ohio.
The Bulldogs had a first-team All-GLIAC honoree in freshman first baseman Sarah Meredith (Rogers City). Senior shortstop Sarah Johnson (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) garnered All-GLIAC Second-Team laurels with both junior pitcher/outfielder Sam Bates (Springport) and sophomore infielder Lexi Hongisto (Gladstone) claiming honorable mention recognition.
Together, the four helped lead the Bulldogs to a second-straight conference tournament appearance this season.
As a rookie, Meredith batted a team-leading .344 on the year with 22 hits, 12 RBI's and 10 runs scored in 64 total at-bats. She played in 30 games and also drew eight walks while belting two homers and notching a double.
Johnson hit .331 from the leadoff position and compiled 45 hits along with 24 runs scored and nine RBI's in 40 contests. Overall, she batted a team-high 136 times and hit three doubles with a home run and five walks.
Hongisto saw the bulk of her action at third base and posted a .321 batting average in 41 games. She drew 131 at-bats and notched 42 hits, a team-high 32 RBI's and a squad-best 16 doubles. She also scored a team-high tying 28 times and had a team-leading six homers along with a triple and nine walks.
Finally, Bates was the Bulldogs' primary pitcher as a junior and had a team-leading nine wins. She recorded a 2.63 earned run average with 133.1 innings pitched in 26 appearances. Bates started 19 games and posted 13 complete game efforts while striking out 50 batters. Meanwhile, at the plate she posted 30 hits with eight doubles and 14 RBI's in 114 plate appearances over 40 games while batting .263 on the year.
The all-conference teams were determined by a vote of the league's member head coaches and announced during the awards presentation at the Marathon Diamonds Complex.