Cardinals Claim the Most D2CCA All-Region Selections

Cardinals Claim the Most D2CCA All-Region Selections

Saginaw Valley State University softball had the most selections to the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Midwest Region team, with four Cardinals being chosen. Junior pitcher Macy Irelan, Junior pitcher/infielder Olivia Elliott, and sophomore pitcher/outfielder Aalana Kimble were named to the first team, the most of any other team. Sophomore utility Ella Reifschneider was on the second team.

Irelan has had a dominant debut season with SVSU. She was named First-Team All-Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association last week. Before that, she was crowned the GLIAC Pitcher of the Year and a first-team All-GLIAC selection after the regular season. She is the second consecutive Cardinal to earn conference pitcher of the year and the third Cardinal pitcher overall to receive the honor. She is 20-3 in the circle this season with one save and a team-high 224 strikeouts. Her WHIP of 0.76 ranks third in all of D2, as does her hits allowed per seven innings of 3.67, and her strikeouts-per-seven innings is currently fifth at 10.2.

Irelan became the first Cardinal pitcher to throw two no-hitters in a single season. Her first came in her 15th start against Parkside, where she was two walks shy of a perfect game in that contest while striking out seven. The second no-hitter happened just two starts later against Davenport. Irelan was three walks from a perfect game in that game. The junior from Owosso, Michigan, set a career-high for strikeouts in a game against Findlay with 17, and she has recorded double-digit strikeouts 10 times this season.

"Macy is a dominant pitcher, a tremendous competitor, and a leader on our team. Her numbers speak for themselves, being top in the country in several pitching statistics. She has been consistent for us in the circle all year long and is a huge part of our success," said Schalk.

Elliott was a First-Team All-GLIAC selection in her first season with SVSU. She currently has 41 hits, seven doubles, and 10 home runs. Her long balls are second-best on the team, and her 42 RBI are second-most on the team. She has 12 games with two or more hits this season, including a 3-for-3 outing against PNW where she registered a career-best six RBI in a single game and was a triple away from hitting for the cycle.

"Olivia is one of the most feared hitters in the conference. She has tremendous power and drives in runs at big moments in the game. Also, she walks more than she strikes out, which can be rare for a hitter with that much extra base power," said Schalk.

Kimble improved on nearly every single stat category inside the circle this season. She holds a 20-5 record with one save and 15 complete games. She has pitched 150 innings and struck out 118 hitters with a 5.51 K/7, an ERA of 2.38, and a WHIP that improved to 1.03. Kimble has pitched in big moments this season, including the championship game of the GLIAC Tournament, where she went the distance in a shutout win over the Parkside Rangers, where she surrendered just two hits. She followed that up with a 4-0 win over Ferris State in the opening game of the Midwest Regional last week. Kimble went 6.2 innings without allowing a hit and struck out nine Bulldogs to earn her 20th victory of the season.

At the plate, Kimble has recorded two or more hits 23 times, including three-hit showings six times, with the most recent being the 4-0 win over Ferris last week, where she also almost pitched a no-hitter. She leads the Cardinals in hits with 69, triples with seven, and is tied for the most runs scored at 43.

"Aalana has taken a big step forward this year in the circle. She can be impossible to hit at times with her location and movement from the left side," said Schalk. "On top of that, she is one of the top offensive players in the conference as well. She is always on base, doesn't strike out, and scores a ton of runs for us."

Reifschneider was also a First-Team All-GLIAC honoree. She has recorded two or more hits in a game 13 times this season, including two outings with three hits. In both of those contests, she was a perfect 3-for-3. Reifschneider leads the team in on-base percentage with .472, walks with 28, stolen bases with 25, and is tied with Kimble for runs scored with 43.

"Ella is an opposing team's nightmare. She is a tough out, has tremendous plate discipline, and can use the short game to get on base at any point. She runs the bases aggressively and will take an extra base if you give her the opportunity. Additionally, she has become a really solid defender in left field and takes away a lot of hits," lauded Schalk.

The Cardinals earned the top seed in the Midwest Region and will host their first Super Regional this Thursday and Friday against the seventh-seeded Indianapolis Greyhounds in a best-of-three series with the winner advancing to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, next week.