After winning eight of their last 12 games, the Bulldogs softball team looks to keep the momentum rolling against tough opponents in the Wayne State Warriors and the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals.
Ferris (21-13, 10-8 in GLIAC) will be taking on the Warriors (19-24, 8-12 in GLIAC) in Big Rapids on Friday. The Warriors boast the third-best offense in the GLIAC, led by sophomore catcher Logan Forman, who ranks third in the conference in home runs with eight and sixth in slugging percentage at .612.
For this matchup and the rest of the season, the Bulldogs will be without pitcher Rylie Haist. The sophomore, who hasn’t pitched since February 28, tore her labrum and will be receiving surgery to repair it. Haist still believes the team has the right approach for a matchup against the Warriors, the pitching staff trusts the defense behind them to make plays.
“We all know what our roles are,” Haist said. “It’s so important to trust yourself and have confidence in your pitches. We have a great defense behind us, and we have full faith in them. Our coaches also do a great job of scouting opponents, so we always take the field with a game plan that we all believe in.”
The Bulldogs still have some of the best pitchers in the GLIAC, such as sophomore Cecelia Bell, who earned a starting job after redshirting her freshman season. Bell sits eighth in the GLIAC in ERA with a 2.78, sixth in batting average against with a .259 and has only allowed two home runs in 80.2 innings.
Head coach Jake Schumann credits his assistant coach and spouse, Sharon Schumann, for the success his pitching staff has had in their tenure with the Bulldogs.“Coach Sharon does an amazing job with our pitching staff,” Schumann said. “Since we have taken over in January of 2023, our team ERA has come down almost three runs and it is a testament to her knowledge and ability to teach young people. All three of our pitchers are experiencing career lows in ERA, not only because they are talented but because they trust Sharon and her ability to lead them.”
To this point in the season, the GLIAC is a tight race, besides Saginaw Valley’s six-game lead over the second-place Bulldogs. Ferris only holds a one-game lead on second place, with Wisconsin Parkside, Davenport, and Grand Valley all within one game of each other. With only 10 games left in the season, Ferris hopes to gain on the Cardinals for the chance to get their first regular season divisional title since 2005.
Ferris will be traveling to Saginaw for their matchup against the Cardinals (31-9, 18-2 in GLIAC) on Saturday. The Bulldogs look to get payback, as when they last faced off against the Cardinals on April 3 at home, they lost both games by scores of 10-1 and 8-0.
The Cardinals have the best offense and pitching in the conference, with their pitching staff being led by junior Macy Irelan, who has the best ERA in the GLIAC with a 1.34, striking out the most batters with 150, while also leading in wins with 14. The way the Bulldogs can get to Irelan is by the long ball, as she has allowed eight home runs this season.
Senior outfielder Riley Kish believes the team can weather the storm against these tough foes, with the way the season has gone so far in the conference, she believes anything can happen.
“Our mindset is always the dawg mentality, that doesn’t change based on who we play,” Kish said. “Our conference right now is neck and neck with bottom teams sweeping top teams and vice versa, it’s really anyone’s game and could not get more competitive.”
The Bulldogs take on the Wayne State Warriors at home on Friday, April 18 at 2 p.m. and again at 4 p.m. then travel to Saginaw for a battle with the Cardinals on Saturday, April 19 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.