Beaubien Named Player of Year as SVSU Garners Eight All-GLIAC Honors

BAY CITY, Mich. – Eight student-athletes have been honored by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for their outstanding performances on the softball field this season, including one player targeted as the best-of-the-best for the 2009 campaign, the conference office announced today (May 1).

Senior Marsha Beaubien (Alpena, Mich.) has been named 2009 GLIAC Player of the Year, as well as garnered a First Team All-GLIAC nod for her towering presence in the batter’s box as she leads the conference with a .416 batting average, and is deadlocked in the #1 spot with nine homeruns, leads the league in runs scored (41), total bases (91), stolen bases (35), is tied for third in hits (52) and is fourth in RBI (36). She also has two triples on the season. She has played, and started in, all 40 games this season for the Cardinals. Beaubien also has been named GLIAC Player of the Week twice this season.

This is the second consecutive year a Cardinal has been named the GLIAC Player of the Year. Last season, then-junior Stacey Kraatz (Howell, Mich.) was tagged the best in the league.

This season, Kraatz was named First Team All-GLIAC, along with senior Jessica Anhel (Oxford, Mich.), Nicole Fick (Columbiaville, Mich./Lapeer West), junior Angela Kaiser (Waterford, Mich.) and Beaubien.

This season, Kraatz is hitting .311 on the season, with 37 hits, including seven homeruns, six doubles, two triples and 33 RBI. She has played, and started in, all 40 games.

Kaiser is hitting .391, second behind Beaubien in the league, is tied for third with Beaubien for third with 52 hits, is second with 37 runs scored, leads the league in triples (7) and is tied for third with nine stolen bases. She also has seven doubles, 17 RBI, and has played and started in all 40 games this season.

This season, Anhel ranks 3rd in the conference with a .384 batting average with 33 hits, including 11 doubles (tied for third in the GLIAC), 18 RBI and scored 14 runs. She has played in 34 games, and started 31.

However, those four weren’t the only Cardinals to receive All-GLIAC plaudits, as sophomore pitcher Jade Fulton (Byron, Mich.) received Second Team All Conference for her pitching efforts this season. She leads SVSU with a 1.27 ERA in 137.2 innings pitched (good for #3 in the GLIAC), and is #2 in the league with 190 strikeouts with a 14-5 record on the mound this season. Fulton also has been named GLIAC Pitcher of the Week, and the Lousiville Slugger/NFCA Division II Pitcher of the Week this season. On March 14, she threw a no-hitter against Southwest Minnesota.

Juniors Nikki Bigelow (Grandville, Mich.) and Kari Bowbly (Elkhardt, Ind.) were named All-GLIAC Honorable Mention. This season, Bigelow is hitting .356 with 16 hits, of which two are doubles, and has knocked in 18 runs.

Bowlby has a 1.88 ERA this season in 48.1 innings on the mound for the Cardinals. She has struck out 33 batters, and racked up an 8-1 record with two complete games.


Contact: Matthew Woodbury (989) 964-4053