Four Bulldogs Placed On All-GLIAC Softball Teams
*2010 All-GLIAC Softball Teams Release* PDF
Four Ferris State University softball players were named to the 2010 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in voting released by the conference's coaches. The announcement was made Friday (May 7) in conjunction with the start of the annual conference tournament.
A first, second, and honorable mention team comprised of 46 student-athletes was selected.
A pair of seniors, designated player-pitcher Rhea Flores (Dearborn Heights/Southgate Anderson) and pitcher Kayle Stevenson (Holland/West Ottawa) were repeat second-team honorees. Sophomore third baseman Makenzi Peterson (Big Rapids) and senior outfielder Rachel Wade (Canton) both received All-GLIAC Honorable Mention nods.
The 2010 GLIAC Player of the Year went to Wayne State's Alison Allen while her teammate, Casey Hanes, was tabbed as the Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season. Katie Martin of Grand Valley State was chosen as the GLIAC's Freshman of the Year and head coach Sheila Gulas of Ashland earned the "Michael J. Corbett" GLIAC Coach of the Year Award for the second year in a row.
Rhea Flores is presently hitting for a .299 average with a team-high tying 38 base hits in 127 at bats this season in 42 contests. The 2009 All-GLIAC Second-Team pick has produced six doubles and 19 RBIs this spring at the plate to go along with eight multiple-hit outings and five multi-RBI game performances. She has recorded at least a base hit in 27 of her 42 contests this season. In the pitching circle, Flores has compiled a 6-0 mark with two saves and a squad-best 1.07 earned run average in 13 appearances. She has generated 29 strikeouts and limited the opposition to a .188 batting average in 46.0 innings this campaign.
Kayle Stevenson, who earned all-league second-team laurels in 2009, sports a 12-6 pitching record and a 1.98 earned run average in 124.0 innings this season in 20 appearances. The southpaw has racked up five shutouts, 16 complete games, 84 strikeouts, and held the opposition to a .204 hitting average. She has fanned at least five or more batters in a contest on nine occasions this season, which includes a season-best nine in a complete-game one hitter at Hillsdale (April 11). In limited action at the plate, Stevenson has had eight official plate appearances without a base hit. She was recognized as the GLIAC Pitcher of the Week earlier this season (April 26).
Makenzi Peterson has turned in her most productive season at Ferris State this spring with career single-season bests in batting average (.343), base hits (36), doubles (nine), RBIs (20), slugging percentage (.505), and on-base percentage (.395). She currently ranks tied for third among the Bulldogs' leaders in hits, which includes a team-most nine doubles and a squad-best tying two home runs, while her RBIs total is second most on the squad. Peterson, who has hit safely in 27 of 37 games this spring, has tallied a team-high tying eight multi-hit outings and five multi-RBI contests to date for the 2010 season.
Rachel Wade is hitting a .271 average with 38 hits in 140 at bats this season. A starter in all 42 games, Wade has chalked up a team-high tying 38 hits with six a career season-best six doubles and two triples. She has drove in a career-high 17 RBIs while notching a season-best eight stolen bases. Wade's eight multiple-hit games ranks tied for the team lead and she has accumulated three multi-RBI encounters. Wade has garnered at least a hit in 28 contests this spring. In the field, she has recorded a 1.000 fielding percentage with 96 putouts and seven assists during her three-year Ferris State career.