Click here for 2009 GLIAC Softball Tournament Bracket and Live Stats

BAY CITY, Mich. — Due to flooding at the Emerson Park Complex in Midland (Mich.), the 2009 GLIAC Softball Championship tournament will be moved to the Gerstacker Athletic Complex on the campus of Northwood University. The tournament will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday (May 1) and continue through the championship series that will get underway on Sunday (May 3) at 10:00 a.m.

The first round of the tournament will feature No. 2 seed Saginaw Valley State University taking on No. 7 Tiffin University at 10:00 a.m. The other morning matchup has No. 3 Ferris State University taking on No. 6 Northwood University, also at 10:00 a.m. Top seeded Ashland University will begin play at Noon on Friday when it takes on No. 8 seed University of Findlay. Fourth-seeded Wayne State University will play No. 5 Grand Valley State University, also at Noon.

Ashland University has earned the top seed in the 2009 GLIAC Softball Championship after posting a league-best 22-4 conference record. The Eagles, who are 34-10 overall, are lead by pitchers Emlyn Knerem and Logan Hursey. Knerem, a freshman has recorded a 16-5 mark this season with a 1.70 earned run average and 215 strikeouts. Hursey is currently 14-4 on the season with a 1.67 ERA. The Eagles are currently ranked 19th in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II poll.

Saginaw Valley State University, currently listed as an honorable mention in the NFCA poll, earned the No.2 seed in the tournament with an 18-4 GLIAC record and an 31-9 overall record. The Cardinals are led by senior outfielder Marsha Baubien, who leads the league in batting (.416), slugging percentage (.728), on-base percentage (.482), and runs scored (41).

Ferris State University, the No. 3 seed in the championship, has been ranked in the top 10 of the NFCA poll all season. The Bulldogs are currently ranked sixth in the NFCA poll and are lead by junior pitcher Kayle Stevenson who has complied a perfect 10-0 mark with season with a league-leading 0.67 ERA. FSU, the reigning NCAA II Midwest Region champion, went 18-4 in GLIAC play this season and has a 32-6 overall mark.

Wayne State University is the GLIAC’s fourth nationally-ranked squad, having posted a 17-5 record in league-play and a 34-12 overall mark. The Warriors are currently ranked 21st in the NFCA poll and are led by junior pitcher Casey Haynes who’s 0.68 ERA is second best in the GLIAC, while her 207 innings pitched, 24 wins, and 231 strikeouts lead the conference.