Emily Killion, a senior catcher for the Ferris State Bulldogs, reflected on the progress of the university’s women’s softball program as the team heads into the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with an 11-game winning streak and a 35-18 record. The tournament will take place from May 7 to May 10 in Crown Point, Indiana.
Killion said she was excited about building on last year’s postseason run and optimistic about what this season could bring. “I was most excited about coming off a postseason run for the first time in so long,” said Killion. “To have made it as far as we did last year, with the players we’ve added to the program, we feel good about what we’re going to have the opportunity to do this year.”
The Bulldogs’ improvement has been steady since head coach Jake Schumann took over before the 2023 season. Under his leadership, Ferris State achieved its highest win total in eight seasons during 2024 and continued adding new talent each year. Momentum increased when infielder Jadyn Joseph won GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2023 and Alexis Kozlowski repeated that achievement in 2024.
Killion described how recruiting has focused not only on athletic ability but also team chemistry: “In some ways, I feel like we started from rock bottom as far as building the program up to where it is now,” she said. “We’ve started recruiting players not just for their athletic ability, but also for who they are and how they fit with the team. Our team meshes really well.” She credited Schumann’s coaching style for bringing structure and organization: “We have so much structure and organization, especially in practice. He’s honest and straightforward with us.” She added that new freshmen had blended well into a close-knit group.
The Ferris State Bulldogs women’s softball program competes in NCAA Division II within both conference and non-conference schedules while supporting student-athletes academically and athletically out of Big Rapids, Michigan,according to the official website.
Looking ahead beyond graduation this May, Killion said: “There might be something in the sports industry that I could go after,” adding her hope to start her own marketing company after gaining experience. As her final season continues, she aims not just for wins but also hopes her class leaves behind higher standards for future teams.
