Ferris State Softball Qualifies For 2010 GLIAC Tournament
The Ferris State University softball team will take to the diamond for the 2010 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Softball Tournament this weekend (May7-9) at the Emerson Park Softball Complex in Midland, Mich., with aspirations of claiming the tournament championship trophy.
Ferris State, which is currently 26-16 overall this season under 13th-year head coach Keri Becker, are the tournament's fourth seed and will face fifth-seed Tiffin (Ohio) this Friday (May 7) in their opening-round contest of the double-elimination conference tourney. Opening pitch is slated for noon (EDT) at Diamond Three within the Emerson Complex.
The Bulldogs tied Northwood for third place in the final 2010 regular-season conference standings as both teams finished with 17-9 league records. Northwood gained the higher seed as a result of prevailing in head-to-head competition versus Ferris.
Those GLIAC teams qualifying for the 2010 postseason league tournament in seeding order are #1 Wayne State, #2 Ashland, #3 Northwood, #4 Ferris State, #5 Tiffin, #6 Saginaw Valley State, #7 Grand Valley State, and #8 Hillsdale. Wayne State captured this year's conference's regular-season crown as a result of producing a first-place 21-5 conference mark.
The 2010 GLIAC Softball Championship game is set for this Sunday (May 9) at 10 a.m. (EDT) and if necessary per the double-elimination format, a second game will follow at noon (EDT) to determine the tournament champion. The winner of the GLIAC Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament (May 14-16) at a campus site to be announced.
A season ago, Saginaw Valley State claimed its second straight GLIAC Tournament title with a 1-0 decision over Wayne State in the 2009 championship contest (May 3) at Northwood's Fisher Stadium in Midland, Mich. Ferris State has won two conference tournaments (2000 and 2005) in the program's history to date.
The 2010 season represents the sixth consecutive year in which only the top eight of the conference's 10-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.
For more information about the 2010 GLIAC Softball Tournament, please visit this link: www.gliac.org/sports/sball.
2010 GLIAC
Tournament Schedule
Friday, May 7 - Emerson Park
10:00 am Game 1 (Currie Stadium) #2 Ashland vs. #7
Grand Valley State
10:00 am Game 2 (Diamond 3) #3 Northwood vs. #6 Saginaw
Valley State
Noon Game 3 (Diamond 3) #4 Ferris State vs. #5 Tiffin
Noon Game 4
(Currie Stadium) #1 Wayne State vs. #8 Hillsdale
2:00 pm Game 5 (Currie Stadium) Loser Game 1 vs.
Loser Game 2
2:00 pm Game 6 (Diamond 3) Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
4:00 pm Game 7 (Diamond 3) Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
4:00 pm Game 8 (Currie Stadium) Winner Game 3 vs.
Winner Game 4
Saturday, May 8 - Emerson Park
10:00 am Game 9 (Diamond 3) Loser Game 8 vs. Winner
Game 5
10:00 am Game 10 (Currie Stadium) Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6
Noon Game 11 (Currie Stadium) Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8
Noon Game 12 (Diamond 3) Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10
2:00 pm Game 13 (Currie Stadium) Winner Game 12
vs. Loser Game 11
Sunday, May 9 - Emerson Park
10:00 am Game 14 (Currie Stadium) Winner Game 11 vs. Winner
Game 13
Noon Game 15 (Currie Stadium) If necessary
Note: All start times are Eastern Daylight (EDT) and subject to change.