SPRING 2008 BLOG 9: Ferris ends on a high note with two wins – now looks ahead

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Ferris State had the look of a team hungry to finish its annual spring softball trip on a high note and that showed Saturday at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla.

A strong finish was important for the team. A 4-2 start turned nightmarish as the Bulldogs fell to three games below .500 at just 5-8 entering their final day of the trip to central Florida. Adversity – as is so often the case – is a true test of character for a team as Ferris discovered on Saturday. It was decision-making time for the Bulldogs who had to decide on what note they wanted their Florida trip to end with games against St. Xavier and New Haven left.

Ferris answered the loud call, however, and played some of its best ball of the week as the team secured wins of 8-4, against St. Xavier, and 8-0, against New Haven to end the trip just an eyelash below the .500 mark at 7-8.

Perhaps, most importantly of all, head coach Keri Becker’s team now has a point of reference to figure out where they want their season to go from here.

Here is an early evaluation of the Bulldogs:

INFIELD: Ferris has a veteran presence on its infield with Amanda Jager, an experienced junior, playing first base; Amanda Harrington, a sophomore, solidifying the team up the middle from second base; McKenzie West, a junior, who returns at shortstop with starting experience; Katie Kraai, a senior, who has become a cornerstone at third over the years; and Krystle Bailey, who has been a rock-solid presence behind the plate as the starting catcher. Becker also has used redshirt freshman Rachel Mueller, at first base, and freshman Lynsay Weaver, at shortstop, to mix things up during portions of the trip.

OUTFIELD: This was the area where the Bulldogs knew they were going to be a little youthful with a lack of experience. Juniors Sarah Mueller and Holly Bruntjens are pitchers who have had some time in the outfield in the past. Another pitcher, Kayle Stevenson, also has been inserted into the outfield, mostly in right, this spring so far. Becker also has mixed true freshmen like Weaver, Colleen Roney, Brooke Lewis as well as redshirt freshman Rachel Wade – among others – in the outfield. There is some potential out there on the grass, for the Bulldogs, but gaining confidence and experience will be a big key for Ferris.

PITCHERS: Ferris has a deep roster of pitchers and all saw action during the week in the circle for Becker. Mueller, Stevenson, Bruntjens, Rhea Flores and Jager all had opportunities to prove themselves as Ferris continues its evaluation for the upcoming Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule that begins not long after the return to Michigan. Like the rest of the squad, the pitchers had their highs and lows, but when they were on their game they were awful tough. On Ferris’ final day, which featured games against St. Xavier and New Haven, the Bulldogs enjoyed strong pitching efforts from Mueller and Bruntjens as the offense also came through for a pair of wins.

OFFENSE: Ferris, at times, blinded opponents with flashes of offensive brilliance as it used the long ball, at times, and used the short game, at other times, to find success with run production. One of the early bright spots was the production of the lower half of the order which showed some potential to put a lot of runs on the scoreboard as Bruntjens, Weaver and Roney had their bright spots delivering hits and driving in runs. Jager has been off to a hot start swinging the bat and working her way on base via the walk or as a result of being hit by pitches. Bailey, hitting in the No. 3 spot, had a big final day as she batted 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI against St. Xavier and then 1-for-2 with a run scored and a run driven in against New Haven.

DEFENSE: This is an area of concern for the team, but when the focus was present the Bulldogs were solid behind their pitching staff. When the defense and pitching clicked together, with a little bit of scoring, Ferris proved tough to handle. Over the course of the week, Ferris started to cut down on some of the errors that had plagued them at times.

ANALYSIS: The team is not in its ideal position, with a record of 7-8, but they do now have a point of reference from which to look ahead. Ferris must continue to cut down on errors (mental and physical errors), find ways to string hits together a little better and stay mentally tough and together from start to finish. The pieces are in place – as proven by the team’s preseason No. 25 national ranking and how high the Bulldogs were picked to finish in the GLIAC.

Now, it’s time to just do it.

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SPRING 2008 BLOG 3: Ferris State Athletics Hall of Famer Pays Bulldogs A Special Visit

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The passion Bob Leach, a 2000 inductee of the Ferris State University Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame, has for the university is unquestioned. Leach and his wife, Mary Louise, spent two days in Kissimmee, Fla. in a show of support for the Bulldog softball team competing in the annual Rebel Spring Games to begin softball season.

Leach, who is and enthusiastic supporter of Ferris athletics financially and as a fan, had an inspirational message for the Bulldogs’ softball players following a 3-2 win over Minnesota State at the Osceola County Softball Complex. The man who coached Ferris’ 1968 undefeated football team that finished 7-0-1 – the only team to go through an entire season undefeated – knows a thing or two about success, the crimson and gold and what it means to be a true Bulldog.

“I told them that performance builds tradition and tradition builds performance … tradition and performance truly go hand in hand,” said Leach, who spends this time of the year in the Florida home he and his wife keep. “The thing I like about this team, in the two days I was able to watch them, is they truly played like Bulldogs and I told them that. A Bulldog is going to keep on fighting and is never going to quit. I think our ladies showed that in the games I was able to see them play.”

Ferris’ annual spring softball trip is a special time for Leach, who looks forward to making the short trip to Kissimmee. He was able to watch the Bulldogs’ Saturday victories over St. Joseph’s (Ind.), 4-3, and Northern Kentucky, 10-2. The team sputtered a bit in a 2-0 loss to Shippensburg (Pa.) to begin the day. Kayle Stevenson took the loss as she pitched seven innings, allowed four hits, three walks and struck out three. The good news, however, was that freshman outfielder Lynsay Weaver continues her hot start to the season as she had two hits in three trips to the plate in the loss. Weaver, a Bay City native, continued to excel in the second game as she was 2-for-3 with a solo home run. Shortstop McKenzie West also smacked a home run in the sixth inning as the Bulldogs rallied for a 3-2 win over Minnesota State to finish Sunday on a high note.

Leach watched the games, like a hawk, while he also took time to meet with as many fellow Bulldogs as he could during the two days he was in Kissimmee.

“It’s tremendous to be part of this and to get to spend time getting to know the players and the coaches and their families,” said Leach, also has been inducted in the Great Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame (1990) and the Mecosta County Sports Hall of Fame (1985). “It’s nice to meet so many people who have a connection with Ferris and Big Rapids … even when we are this far away.

“I love supporting Ferris sports whether its men’s or women’s sports … it’s not just about supporting football for me,” said Leach, who coached the 1968 team to the 7-0-1 record after the program had gone just 1-26-2 in the three seasons prior to his arrival in 1967. “We like to support all of the kids both financially and as fans. I believe in Ferris and love Ferris and I know supporting the university and kids are important because that is supporting our future.”

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SPRING 2008 BLOG 2: ‘Just a matter of time’ before Ferris’ offense comes to life

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Its understandable if first baseman Amanda Jager and her teammates felt a little concerned as their offense sputtered a bit during their first day of competition at the Rebel Spring Games inside of the Osceola County Softball Complex.

For the first six innings of their opening game, the Bulldogs struggled to do much of anything against St. Joseph’s (Ind.) starting pitcher Sara Somogyi. There was, however, no panic button pressed. Then, at practically the proverbial 11th hour, Ferris’ offense finally came to life – albeit aided by fielding miscues from the regional rival Pumas. Ferris’ hitting confidence returned and soared and the rest was – as some people like to say – history. The Bulldogs escaped with a 4-3 nine-inning big regional win, over St. Joseph’s, and ended the day in style with another important victory against a regional foe – a stunningly-easy 10-2 triumph over Northern Kentucky in just five innings.

“It did take us a while to get our bats going (Saturday), but then again we were also facing a good pitcher (Somogyi) and that had something to do with it,” said Jager, who has moved over to first base this spring to take over for Laura Crower, who had become a mainstay for the Bulldogs at that corner. “Then, after struggling to hit the ball in the first game … we really got it going in the second game.”

That was indeed the case as the Bulldogs confidence soared in its second game of the day – against a Northern Kentucky team that, perennially, has ranked among the best teams in the region and in the nation. The Bulldogs rolled to a decisive rout of the Norse, in just five innings due to the mercy rule, to begin the spring 2-0. While Florida has been a place where the offense has struggled to get going early, over the years, Saturday’s nightcap was the perfect ending to the first day of competition on the diamond for Ferris.

With the GLIAC shaping up to be one tough doubleheader after another, the Bulldogs now understand they must have their “A+” game from start to finish to match last year’s achievements (reaching the NCAA Division II Tournament) or perhaps go even beyond that. That “A+” game looked good on Saturday against NKU. In the circle, steady junior pitcher Holly Bruntjens’ patented drop ball was practically unhittable as she ended up with seven strikeouts and kept the Norse off balance from start to finish while she was out there.

At the plate, Ferris was at least as impressive swinging the bat with 10 runs on 12 hits, three players with more than one hit. On top of that, the Bulldogs got help from one of their rookies as freshman outfielder Lynsay Weaver belted a 2-run homer to fire up her teammates a little more. Junior catcher Krystle Bailey, senior third baseman Katie Kraai and junior shortstop McKenzie West all had at least two hits – including Bailey’s 3-for-3 effort with the bat.

“It felt amazing when we finally got it going against Northern Kentucky,” Jager said as she finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored in the win over NKU after she scored the winning run in the day's opening win over St. Joseph's. “We have good pitchers and going against them everyday in practice has been making us better and giving us even more confidence. We felt like, even though we struggled in the first game, that it was only a matter of time before we adjusted to what was happening and really started to hit the ball the way we know that we can hit it.”

Hopefully, for the young Bulldogs, it’s just a sign of more good times to come.

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