UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team was chosen to repeat as GLIAC champions in the 2025 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Preseason Coaches Poll that was released by the league office on Friday (Feb. 7) afternoon.
The Cardinals collected seven first-place votes for a total of 49 points to sit atop the preseason standings. Grand Valley State trailed SVSU by eight points with one first-place vote to finish in second. Ferris State tallied 34 points to beat out Purdue Northwest by two points for third and fourth place. Parkside edged out Wayne State to land fifth with 25 points, while the Warriors finished with 23. Davenport and Roosevelt finished off the standings with 12 and eight points, respectively.
The Cardinals had a historic season in 2024 after winning a share of the GLIAC Regular Season Championship and their third-straight GLIAC Tournament Title. Led by 2024 GLIAC Head Coach of the Year, Ryan Schalk, SVSU finished with a 35-22 record, the third-straight 30-win season for the program.
Saginaw Vally State returns four All-GLIAC performers from a season ago including First-Team selection Aalana Kimble, Second-Team member Ella Reifschneider, and Honorable Mentions Mya Purdy and Emma Helvie.
Kimble tied for fourth-best on the team in hits with 48 during her freshman season. She also has the most doubles of any returner from last year's team. She brings experience in the circle for SVSU also with 105.0 innings pitched and an 8-8 career record with four saves and seven complete games under her belt.
Reifschneider led the team in hits last season with 63 and had the best batting average with .399 in the leadoff spot for the Cardinals as a freshman. She collected seven doubles, a triple, 12 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.
Purdy had the fifth-most hits with 45 in her debut season with three doubles, three triples, and five home runs on her stat line a season ago. Helvie contributed 15 hits, two doubles, a triple, a home run, and 10 RBI.
In total, the Cardinals return 14 players from last year's team with five players seeing significant time on the field. Nine newcomers join the team this year with five freshmen and four transfers including junior pitcher Macy Irelan and sophomore infielder Kenzie Bromley who both came from NCAA Division I Kent State University.
Saginaw Valley State softball begins the 2025 season with a trip to Georgia to face Georgia College and North Georgia in doubleheader matchups. The Cardinals play Georgia College on Friday, February 21 with game one beginning at 3:00 p.m. The games at North Georgia are scheduled for Saturday, February 22 at noon. The GLIAC season kicks off at home against Ferris State on Saturday, March 22 with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.