Two Ferris State Softball Freshmen Earn All-GLIAC Honors For 2015

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Big Rapids, Mich. - A pair of freshmen from the Ferris State University softball team were honored over the weekend as All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) selections following their rookie seasons with the Bulldogs.

FSU's Sam Bates (Springport) and Emily Reed (Bay City/John Glenn) were both tabbed to the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention squad in the conference voting conducted by the league's member head coaches.

In her freshman season this year, Bates compiled a squad-best 25 runs scored and tallied the second-most hits among FSU's leaders with 43 overall. She also had a team-high 14 doubles with four home runs and 25 RBI's, which placed second among the team leaders. The outfielder/pitcher batted .291 overall with a team-leading .466 slugging percentage and also drew 17 walks. 

In the field, Bates made 59 put-outs while seeing significant action as the squad's primary left fielder in the FSU lineup. She had 71 total catches and six assists in the field. Meanwhile, she also pitched in 12 games as part of the pitching staff and tossed 36.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and 63 hits allowed on the year. Overall, she played in all 52 games for the Bulldogs.

Another freshman, Reed, also saw significant action and played a valuable role as a utility player for the Bulldogs. Reed appeared in 42 contests and totaled a team-leading .323 batting average with 43 hits and 14 runs scored. She placed tied for second on the team with Bates in hits and added seven doubles, two homers and a triple. She also had a .436 slugging figure, which was second on the team, and knocked in a team-leading 27 RBI's. 

The versatile Reed saw the bulk of her action at second base or behind the plate. She had 60 put-outs with 36 assists and 99 total catches. Additionally, she had only three errors in the field in her 42 contests for the Bulldogs.

Ferris State completed the 2015 campaign by playing one of the largest schedules in school history with 52 total outings, including 24 GLIAC contests. The highlights included an impressive 5-2 home win over archrival Grand Valley State and six victories at the FSU Softball Field. The Bulldogs also swept three league foes in Malone, Ohio Dominican and Lake Superior State in doubleheader action.