Following 13 games in four different states, Bulldog softball returns to Big Rapids for their first home games of the season this weekend.
For their first home matchup, the Bulldogs (12-6, 1-1 in GLIAC) take on the Purdue Northwest Pride (6-17-1, 1-3 in GLIAC) on Saturday. Returning home for the Bulldogs means a lot to the team. Senior third baseman Brooklyn Verbeek is excited to be back on home turf and is happy to play in front of the fans again.
“We are beyond excited to get back on our home field,” Verbeek said. “It is crazy how fast the season is progressing. We truly have the best fans in the GLIAC and many of our parents travel to all of our games and support our team in many ways. We also have a lot of support from many members of the Big Rapids community, so getting to play on our home turf again is very exciting for us.”
Coming into the doubleheader, the Pride have lost all seven of their games this year in foreign territory, but all-time against the Bulldogs, the Pride have a 17-10 record and beat Ferris in both matchups last season. The Pride is led on offense by junior catcher Olivia Hernandez, who has a .393 batting average, a 1.041 OPS, three home runs, 21 RBIs, and a .589 slugging percentage.
On the pitching side, the Pride has the weakest rotation in the GLIAC, totaling a team ERA of 5.81 the highest in the conference, a 2.10 WHIP and a .321 batting average, which tops the GLIAC.
For the Bulldogs, their pitching rotation is one of the strongest in the GLIAC, with a team ERA of 2.60, a WHIP of 1.33, and the second-lowest batting average against, with a .256 average. One of the stars of the pitching staff is sophomore Cecelia Bell, who has pitched 45 innings with a 2.18 ERA which is sixth in the GLIAC, a 1.27 WHIP and two saves, while only giving up 14 earned runs, which is the least in the GLIAC.
The Bulldogs then take on their heated rival in the 2024 regular season GLIAC champions in Grand Valley State Lakers (11-15, 2-2 in GLIAC) the following day on Sunday.
Senior outfielder Riley Kish loves the natural rivalry with Grand Valley and loves it when the team gets to face the Lakers.
“Being a Bulldog comes with the natural rivalry against Grand Valley,” Kish said. “Our team has always said that Grand Valley will always show up against us, so we have to go that one step higher. They are a tough rival, and the games are always close. I think this year we have a really good all-around team and of course we always want the sweep against them. Softball is anyone’s game which makes our sport so exciting and fun, hopefully we can have a great fan base in our stands against the Lakers.”
The Lakers are led on offense by 2024 first-team All-GLIAC senior infielder Morgan Spicer, who has a .282 average, seven doubles, five triples and a .521 slugging percentage.
The Bulldogs’ offense has had a freshman boost this season thanks to shortstop Jayden Marlatt, who sports a .395 batting average, three doubles, four triples, which is tied with Spicer for the most in the GLIAC, seven RBIs and a .651 slugging percentage.
While the Bulldogs have had a great start to the season, junior second baseman Jadyn Joseph is happy with how the team has fought through injuries to get to where they are now.
“We have had to battle a few injuries this year,” Joseph said. “However, we are battling as a team. Overall, we feel good and winning feels even better.”
The Bulldogs welcome Purdue Northwest to Big Rapids for their doubleheader on Saturday, March 29, with games at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Then, on the following day, Sunday, March 30, the Lakers come to town for games at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.