Ferris Recruit Dunleavy Earns All-Area Honor

Ferris State University head softball coach Keri Becker has been working hard to strengthen her program over the years.

Last year, the young Bulldogs surprised some teams and started to peak near the end of the season. Next year, the spring 2011, the Bulldogs hope to take a big step with quality young talent returning and some talented newcomers donning the crimson and gold.

One of those coveted newcomers is pitcher Amy Dunleavy, who finished her senior season at Canton and comes to the Bulldogs highly touted for her skills in the circle.

Recently, she earned all-area honors from a local publication in her Detroit-area community. Here is a capsule on Dunleavy:

Amy Dunleavy, Sr. P, Canton:The dedicated, talented Dunleavy did it all again in 2010 for the Chiefs, earning team MVP honors after finishing with a 16-5 record, 1.40 ERA and 186 strikeouts while walking just 17. She provided potent offense, too, with a .451 batting average and .634 slugging percentage.

For her efforts, the National Honor Society member and scholar athlete collected All-District, All-Conference and All-Region honors.

“She worked hard her whole high school career and all the hard work and extra effort she put in has paid off,” said Canton head coach Jim Arnold. “She's had a great career (54 victories) and earned herself a scholarship to Ferris State.”

For the full listing of that all-area team, check out the article here.

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Ferris Adds Two Pitchers To Roster For Next Season In Dunleavy And DeLange

BIG RAPIDS - Part of the cornerstone of success in college softball revolves around having great pitching (and great defense).

Ferris State University, looking to the future, has signed a couple of players who will get the ball from head coach Keri Becker in the years to come. Becker has announced the signings of Amy Dunleavy, a native of Canton in the Detroit area, and Cara DeLange, who comes to Big Rapids from Plainfield, Ill. The signings help Coach Becker strengthen and add depth to her pitching staff as she traditionally likes to have a number of pitchers she can go to on her roster. Dunleavy and DeLange will kick off their Ferris careers with Fall Ball action when they arrive on campus in the fall of 2010.

"Both Amy and Cara will keep Bulldog pitching strong for the next four years and maintain the great competitive tradition of Ferris State Softball," said Becker, is in her 13th season in the dugout for the Bulldogs and is the program's all-time winningest coach.

Becker also added that she thinks Dunleavy and DeLange can help Ferris have one of the best pitching staffs in the GLIAC in time. Traditionally, Ferris has sought to bring pitchers in and mold them over a year or so until they become strong GLIAC-level pitchers. Time will tell if that pattern holds true or if either of these two pitchers (or both) come in ready to deliver the goods right away. One thing is for sure: Coach Becker has a lot of confidence in her two new pitchers of the future.

For the full press release: http://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/sball/2009-10/releases/2010recruits1

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