FERRIS STATE SOFTBALL RELEASES ITS 2007 SEASON SCHEDULE
Bulldogs Start Season With Annual Florida Trip; Home Opener Is April 1
 | Sophomore pitcher Amanda Jager and her Bulldog teammates to play 14 home games in 2007 campaign. |
Head coach Keri Becker has announced the 2007 season schedule for the Ferris State University softball team, which includes games against nine NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region opponents.
The 2007 48-game regular season schedule features seven home dates and three tournaments, beginning with the team's annual appearance at the Florida Rebel Spring Tournament (March 3-10) in Kissimmee, Fla.
“The team is anxious to travel to Florida to open the 2007 season,” said Keri Becker, who will begin her 10th season at Ferris State this spring and holds the distinction of being the school’s all-time winningest coach. "The indoor practices have gone well and I feel like we are prepared to be competitive. We play nine regional opponents so the schedule is an excellent opportunity to become ranked early in the season. While our primary goal isn't simply to be ranked, wins in this column of the NCAA ranking criteria will help us down the stretch."
Ferris State will play 14 non-league contests during a seven-day period in Florida. Following the tourney, the Bulldogs will return home to prepare for a pair of tournaments on consecutive weekends. Ferris will take part in the Great Lakes Region Mini-Showdown from March 17-18 at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., and then venture to Detroit, Mich., the following weekend (March 24-25) to participate in the Wayne State Invitational.
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) slate begins March 28 with a two-game road series versus Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. The Bulldogs then face Lake Superior State on April 1 in their 2007 season home opener at the FSU Varsity Softball Field in Big Rapids, Mich. Game one of the doubleheader will start at 1 p.m. (EDT). The April portion of Ferris State's schedule includes 24 games, including non-conference twinbills against Wayne State (April 12), at Aquinas (April 17), and versus Cornerstone (April 24). Coach Becker's squad will wrap up regular action on April 27-28 in Erie, Pa., as the Bulldogs square off against Mercyhurst (April 27) and Gannon (April 28) in a pair of GLIAC doubleheaders.
Ferris State, which finished 26-26-0 overall and 10-10-0 in the GLIAC a season ago, will go up against three teams ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll in Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (fifth), Gannon (tied for 16th), and Southern Indiana (23rd).
The 2007 GLIAC Softball Tournament will be held May 4-5 at the Emerson Park Softball Complex in Midland, Mich., for the third consecutive year. The top eight teams with the best regular-season conference records will qualify for the double-elimination tourney.
"Our schedule will be tough, but will prepare us for the rigors of the GLIAC schedule," said Becker. "The GLIAC has always been unpredictable and this year will be no different. Once this is certain and that is the Bulldogs will be ready to contend for that league title once again.
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