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BAY CITY, Mich. - Ashland University senior third baseman Alyssa Kelley (Mentor, Ohio) and Ohio Dominican University freshman pitcher Rachel Stanzel (Angleton, Texas) have been chosen as the GLIAC Softball "Player of the Week" and "Pitcher of the Week", respectively.
GLIAC Softball Player of the Week:
Alyssa Kelley
Ashland
Senior, 3B, L/R
Mentor, Ohio
Senior 3B Alyssa Kelley helped the Eagles to a 7-1 week, 5-1 in GLIAC play, by leading the team in batting average (.593), slugging percentage (.741) and on-base percentage (.633). Kelley drove in the winning run with a 10th-inning single as AU nipped Saginaw Valley State, 3-2 on Saturday. Kelley currently leads the Eagles in batting average (.453), doubles (10), hits (39) and on-base percentage (.515), while she?s tied for the team lead in runs (23). Her efforts have helped AU win 14 of its last 15 games.
Softball Player Weekly Honor Roll: TLindsey Pettit - FS, Carly Borders - UF, Kayleigh Bertram - GV, Taylor Schulty - HC, Juliana Brotzman - LE, Haleigh Edgar - LS, Stacey Klonowski - NU; Kylee Crislip - OD, Jenna Holmes - SV, Nikki Fulton - WS.
2012 "Players of the Week": (3/13) Briauna Taylor - GV; (3/19) Stephanie Foreman - WS; (3/26) Alyssa Kelley - AU.
GLIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week:
Rachel Stanzel
Ohio Dominican
Freshaman, Pitcher. R/R
Angleton, Texas
Freshman pitcher Rachel Stanzel went 4-0 and helped the Panthers to a perfect 8-0 record last week, in cluding a 6-0 GLIAC mark. She compiled a 1.50 ERA in 28.0 innings with four complete games and pair of shutouts. Stanzel allowed just six earned runs on 27 hits and four walks, while striking out 21, including a season-best nine K?s in a one-hit shutout of Saginaw Valley State on Sunday. She extended her winning streak to five games and improved her 2012 record to 8-4.
Softball Pitcher Weekly Honor Roll: Amber McDermott - AU, Hannah Santorah - GV, Katie Ardrey - HC, Emily Somerville- NU, Alexa Gehrls - SV, Sam Cain - WS.
2012 "Pitchers of the Week": (3/13) Emlyn Knerem - AU; (3/19) Andrea Nicholson - GV; (3/26) Rachel Stanzel - OD.
Ashland Eagles
The Eagles were listed among "Others Receiving Votes" in last week's Top 25 poll. The Eagles have won 14 of their last 15 games ... AU has a streak of eight consecutive errorless games ... AU had to go to 10 innings twice last week. The Eagles nipped Saginaw Valley State, 3-2 in 10 frames and held off Lake Superior State, 6-4 in 10 innings ... junior catcher Tawna Garver (Mansfield, Ohio/Hillsdale) blasted a grand slam and drove in five runs in an 11-2 triumph over Northwood. Garver leads the team in homers (3). Last week, she had nine RBI while hitting .391 ... senior third baseman Alyssa Kelley (Mentor, Ohio) hit .593 last week with four doubles and six RBI. Kelley knocked in the winning run with a 10-inning single in the 3-2 win over Saginaw Valley State...freshman Amber McDermott (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) went 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA last week. McDermott, who looks to have the edge in the battle to be AU's No. 2 pitcher behind Emlyn Knerem, is 5-2 on the year. Last week, when Knerem had to be scratched from a start against Walsh due to an upset stomach, McDermott came on to pitch a complete-game five-hitter. McDermott got credit for the win as AU edged the Cavaliers, 2-1 ... Knerem is 15-0 with 131 strikeouts in 93.2 innings.
Ferris State Bulldogs
The Ferris State University softball team opened GLIAC play on the road with six games this past week. FSU played doubleheaders on the road versus Findlay, Tiffin and Wayne State. Included was a sweep over Tiffin on Saturday (March 24)... Senior designated player Lindsey Pettit homered three times in the six-game swing and posted a .778 slugging percentage. She had five RBI's on the trip... Junior pitcher Dana Bowler was 1-1 in the circle for the Bulldogs and had a total of 23 strikeouts in just over 18 innings. She had two complete games... FSU's Lainee Clay posted a team-leading .281 batting average as FSU opened league play. She pounded out eight hits, which included three doubles in 21 at-bats... Ferris State returns to action on Wednesday (March 28) as the Bulldogs visit Davenport for a non-league twinbill. FSU then visits archrival Grand Valley State on Saturday and Sunday (March 31 & April 1) for four league games in Allendale.
Findlay Oilers
The University of Findlay won both games of a doubleheader against non-conference foe Concordia before going 3-3 (.500) in three conference twinbills for an 11-8 record overall... Senior Carly Borders had one hit in seven of UF's last eight games as Findlay went 5-3 last week. She scored five runs and drove in eight RBI in addition to starting six games at first base and the other two as the designated player. Borders' two-RBI homer in the bottom of the 8th inning against Ferris State in game one gave the Oilers the win, 6-4. In the nightcap against the Bulldogs, Borders helped to ignite the Oiler offense with another 2-run homer in the first inning ... The Oilers will host Notre Dame College on Wednesday, March 28 for a non-conference doubleheader. This weekend, the Eagles of Ashland University soar into town for four games at Findlay starting on Saturday, March 31 and continuing through Sunday, April 1.
Grand Valley State Lakers
#18 Grand Valley State went 7-1 last week and outscored its opponents 88-13 in four doubleheaders. The Lakers also outhit its foes 107-25, which included 36 extra-base hits for GVSU (30 doubles, three triples, three homers) on Tuesday against Rochester, the Lakers scored the most runs in a doubleheader in program history since the 1975 season, as GVSU routed the Warriors 21-0 and 24-0. It is a new team record for most runs scored in a twinbill without giving up a run...junior second baseman Kayleigh Bertram (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) hit a team-high .615, going 16-for-26 with 12 runs and eight RBI. Classmate and right fielder Emily Jones (Lapeer, Mich./Lapeer West) hit a crucial three-run homer in the 3-1 win over Wayne State on Saturday and tallied 12 RBI over the week. She recorded four doubles, a triple, and a home run in seven games...junior pitcher Hannah Santora (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) won all four of her outings, going 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA. She gave up just 11 hits in 22.0 innings and struck out 20 batters, while opponents hit just .141 off the righty. Her best effort was a complete-game one-hitter at Tiffin on Saturday afternoon.
Hillsdale Chargers
The Hillsdale College softball team is off to one of its best conference starts in years with a 4-2 record over three days last weekend ... The Chargers had to play all the games on the road, including against perennial power Wayne State and defending conference champ Tiffin... The team's Friday sweep over the Warriors was its first in at least 15 years... Hillsdale's 46 stolen bases as a team are its most since it became a Division II school in 1998?Senior OF Allison Hetrick is off to her best start, batting a team-best .408, and is just four hits away from tying her single-season record for hits in a season... Hetrick's seven stolen bases are also a career-best in a season... Junior Taylor Schulty had a career-high four hits in the team's win over Findlay Saturday, and is second on the team with a .356 batting average... Freshman pitcher Katie Ardrey has wins in five of her last seven starts and is the first freshman pitcher with five wins for Hillsdale since Aimee Genter had 10 in 2005... The Chargers play Spring Arbor in a non-league doubleheader Wednesday before hosting Lake Superior State this weekend in their home opener.
Lake Erie Storm
Lake Erie College matched its win total in conference play a season ago with a pair of conference wins on the week against Lake Superior State and Northwood, going 4-of-6 overall. The Storm also picked up a pair of non-conference wins over Ursuline College Tuesday. Sophomore Juliana Brotzman (Madison, Ohio/Madison) led the Storm batting .548 on the week in 10 games. Brotzman is now on a 13-game hitting streak going as she had 17 hits on the week. Lake Erie's other offensive leader was senior catcher Megan Foley (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) who batted .379 on the week with nine runs scored and 10 runs batted in, including a game-tying grand slam in the win over Lake Superior State Saturday. Sophomore Dawn Ondercin (Sheffield, Ohio/Brookside) won two games and saved another, posting a 3.15 ERA over 40 innings last week.
Lake Superior State Lakers
Lake Superior State finished 1-5 during its first weekend of GLIAC competition. Sophomore second baseman Haleigh Edgar (Tecumseh, Mich.) batted .429 with nine hits to lead the Laker offense. Freshman designated hitter Brandi Anderson (Negaunee, Mich.) batted .417 with five hits, and sophomore catcher Ali Lince (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) hit .238 with a team-high six RBI and one home run. Overall, sophomore shortstop/catcher Amanda Maxon (Munising, Mich.) leads the Lakers with a .325 average, 13 hits, three home runs and nine RBI. The Lakers play a four-game set at Hillsdale beginning March 31.
Northwood Timberwolves
Northwood went 2-4 last week, earning a split at Ashland and Lake Erie while dropping a pair at Ohio Dominican ... Northwood is now 5-13 overall, 2-4 in the GLIAC ... the Timberwolves had a strong week at the plate, batting .311 overall ... Rachel Hammer (Commerce, Mich./Lakeland) led the way for the Timberwolves in hitting, batting .522 for the week ... Paige Shields (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina) also had a strong week, finishing with a .500 batting average ... sophomore shortstop Stacey Klonowski (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) had three home runs in the doubleheader at Lake Erie, giving her seven on the season ... that total already ranks her fourth for a single season in Northwood history ... the Timberwolves will host Grand Valley State Wednesday before taking on SVSU Saturday and Sunday.
Ohio Dominican Panthers
After hitting just .168 (31-of-185) en route to seven losses in eight games on their recent Spring Break trip to Texas, the Panthers rebounded with a perfect 8-0 homestand this past week that included sweeps of Notre Dame (5-2, 6-3) in Wednesday's home opener and GLIAC foes Lake Superior State (3-0, 6-0), Northwood (5-4, 6-0) and Saginaw Valley State (6-0, 10-6). ODU remains atop the GLIAC standings with the only unblemished record in conference play at 6-0, and is two games above .500 for the first time this year at 12-10. The eight wins matches the longest win streak since April 2006 and is just five shy from tying the program record for consecutive home wins of 13 set back in 2005. Head coach Marcella Vanlandingham picked up career win No. 500 on Saturday and now sits at 502-378 (.570) in her 17th season at ODU. Senior Kylee Crislip (Louisville, OH) hit safely in seven of the eight games, including three multi-hit efforts, finishing the homestand 10-of-24 (.417) with nine RBI, four homeruns, 23 total bases and a .958 slugging percentage, while scoring six runs and walking three times for a .481 OBP. She recorded her second career multi-homerun game in Sunday's opener versus SVSU. Sophomore Danyelle Delligatta (Sidney, OH) hit .524 (11-of-21) for the week with six RBI, six doubles and .583 OBP.
Saginaw Valley State Cardinals
The Saginaw Valley State University softball team went 2-4 over their weekend trip to Ohio, defeating Lake Erie in both contests before falling to both Ashland and Ohio Dominican on Saturday and Sunday. Pitcher Alexa Gehrls (Caledonia, Mich.) had a strong weekend, despite notching only one win. She pitched 15 innings in three games with 15 strikeouts, while allowing only eight walks. Infielder Lindsey Hayward (Ancaster, Ont.) had four hits and four RBI's and Jenna Holmes (Jenison, Mich.) had two homeruns and five RBI's. As a team the Cardinals have a batting average of .241 and a .311 slugging percentage overall on the season, while the pitching staff is holding a 1.70 team ERA. Saginaw Valley will be back in action when they face Northwood on Saturday (Mar. 31) in their 2012 home opener. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
Tiffin Dragons
The Dragons went 2-4 to open conference play, dropping a number of close games as the team managed to hit just .207 and scored just 5 runs in their first five GLIAC matchups...Caitlin Houk and Emily Shaw led the team with both hitting .333 for the week...Amanda Temple also hit .316 while Chelsea Von Driska hit .300...Amber Young posted a 1.57 ERA in 3 games while fanning 24 batters in 22.1 innings but won only once in three starts. Abbey Cooksey also went 1-2 with a 3.23 ERA over 3 starts... TU?s pitching staff managed a 2.15 ERA in 6 games but won only twice in six games.
Wayne State Warriors
Wayne State compiled a 2-4 record at home last weekend dropping three games by a total of four runs ... senior shortstop Lauren Histed (Shelby Twp., Mich. / Utica) led WSU with a .412 batting average (7-for-17) ... sophomore second baseman Nikki Fulton (Stratford, Ont. / St. Michael Catholic S.S.) batted .400 (8-for-20) over the weekend with two home runs and four RBI along with four walks for a .500 on-base percentage ... senior first baseman Rebecca Ryan (Westland, Mich. / Dearborn Divine Child) also drove in four runs while hitting .381 (8-for-21) ... senior Alison Allen (Redford, Mich. / Farmington Hills Mercy) batted .300 (6-for-20) and also had four runs score on two at-bats on Sunday as an error on each batted ball allowed two runs to score ... senior pitcher Sam Cain (Taylor, Mich. / Kennedy) tossed a three-hitter to defeat Ferris State in game two, allowing just an unearned run ... she notched her second career save in the opener by retiring the final six Bulldog batters ... the Warriors conclude their 10-game homestand with a four-game series against Ohio Dominican this Saturday and Sunday.
