UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team earned two yearly awards as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced the recipients and All-GLIAC teams on Wednesday morning. Senior pitcher Emily Depew was selected as the GLIAC Pitcher of the Year while second-year head coach Ryan Schalk was tabbed the GLIAC Coach of the Year.

Depew was listed among the First-Team All-GLAIC recipients and was joined by teammates Sydney Herioux (second base), Maddie Campagna (outfield), and Aalana Kimble (utility). Ella Reifschneider was named Second-Team All-GLIAC as a designated player. She was joined by Sara Moos, who made the second team as an at-large selection.

Two newcomers in shortstop Mya Purdy and catcher Emma Helvie were the SVSU All-GLIAC honorable mentions this season.

Schalk was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. He led the Cardinals to a share of the GLIAC Regular Season Championship (the first regular season title since 2009) in just his second season and coached GLIAC Pitcher of the Year Emily Depew. SVSU recorded a third consecutive 30-win season with a 30-19 overall mark and a 16-8 conference record. The Cardinals won their second-consecutive GLIAC Tournament Championship last season and enter this year’s tournament as the No. 2 seed. This year’s Cardinal softball team leads the league in home runs, RBI, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. SVSU pitchers led the GLIAC with 305 strikeouts and a K/7 mark of 6.56 heading into the GLIAC tournament.

“Anytime you are lucky enough to get an award as a coach, it just means you have great players and great people around you,” Schalk said. “I’m just lucky enough to show up every day and work with our student-athletes, coaching staff, student managers, grounds, and everyone else that supports our team. As a coach, I just try to make sure our student-athletes stay focused on academics first, doing the right thing on and off the field, and keeping things in perspective for the team. At the end of the day, softball is just a game. The important thing is getting a quality education and learning life lessons for their time after softball.”

Depew is the second SVSU pitcher to earn GLIAC Pitcher of the Year. She finished the regular season with an 18-6 record and maintained a 2.02 ERA and a WHIP of 1.09, finishing top-10 in the GLIAC in those categories. Depew was dominant at the plate, striking out a conference-best 161 batters this season, a total that ranks 41 in NCAA Division II. The four-time All-GLIAC First-Team selection reached double-digit strikeouts three times this season and registered her fourth no-hitter of her career in the 8-0 win over Ferris State on the last day of the regular season. Depew is the only Cardinal pitcher to achieve four career no-hitters and is just one of two SVSU pitchers to have reached 600 career strikeouts. The Lowell, Michigan, native sits in the top 50 in the nation in complete games (49), shutouts (25), strikeout-to-walk ratio (43), strikeouts, and victories (35).

“Emily has been unhittable at times this year and has done a great job evolving her pitching arsenal and command throughout the years,” said Schalk. “She has been able to put the ball exactly where she wants to this year which has made her extremely difficult to hit off.”

Herioux has had a career season in her final year with the Cardinals, hitting career marks in hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, stolen bases, and all three hitting averages. She is fourth on the team in hits with 45, third with eight doubles, and fourth with 22 RBI. The two-time All-GLIAC honoree finished with 10 multi-hit games including four contests with three hits. She set a season-high mark of five RBI in a win over Parkside where she went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a home run, the first of her career.

“Syd has stepped up her game big time the last couple of years offensively and has always been steady defensively at second base,” Schalk said. “She works hard at her craft every single day and it has shown big time this year. She is as competitive as anyone and has become a great all-around player for us.”

Campagna is on the All-GLIAC list for the first time in her career as she compiled 20 runs, 49 hits, five doubles, a triple, five home runs, and 28 RBI. She is holding onto a .386 batting average, a .403 on-base percentage, and a .559 slugging percentage. She has set career highs in runs scored, hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average. Campagna hit her first career triple this season and registered 13 multi-hit games with three hits six times among those outings. She matched a season-high of three RBI three times this year with the best of those games coming against Bloomsburg where she went 3-for-4 at the plate.

“Maddie had an outstanding senior season for us,” Schalk said. “Her numbers speak for themselves, but she is also the ultimate teammate. She celebrates other’s successes and will do whatever it takes for the team to win games. She has been a big part in the success of our team this year, while hitting in the middle of the order for most of the season.”

Kimble is one of three freshmen to make the All-GLIAC First Team. The utility/pitcher has recorded 44 hits, 24 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, and 21 RBI at the plate. She is hitting .338 through the regular season with nine stolen bases and eight walks. She has 10 multi-hit games, with three hits coming in three games in her debut season. Inside the circle, Kimble has made 23 appearances, second-most on the team, and finished 6-7 with four saves heading into postseason play. The Kentwood, Michigan, product has sat down 53 batters on strikes and maintains a 2.63 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.

“Aalana had a monster year as a freshman, which isn’t always easy making the jump from high school to this level of play,” Schalk said. “When she is confident and playing all out, she’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen. She can bunt, hit, slap, steal bases, and pitch, which makes her the ultimate Utility player.”

Reifschneider is another freshman making an All-GLIAC team for the Cardinals. She finished tied for the most hits on the team with 51 while leading the Cardinals with 43 runs scored. She has hit six doubles, one triple, and recorded 11 RBI as the lead-off hitter for SVSU. She is one of two Cardinal bats to record four hits in a single game, a mark she has met twice this season. Reifschneider finished the regular season with a team-high 15 multi-hit performances in her debut season.

“Ella came out red hot right away as a freshman,” Schalk said. “She has hit in the leadoff spot pretty much all year, played some shortstop and outfield, but has been a mainstay in the DP position for us. She is the ideal lead-off hitter because of her patience, ability to draw a walk, bunt for a hit, swing away, and drive the ball in the gap when needed.”

Moos is a three-time All-GLIAC selection including a first-team honor in 2022. She is tied for the lead on the team in hits with 51 and leads the team in doubles with 20, a single-season record she broke this past weekend. She is batting .325 through the regular season and has scored 18 runs, two home runs, 36 RBI, and 12 walks. The senior third baseman has recorded 13 multi-hit games including two with three hits, both of those occasions happening against conference opponents.

“Sara has been the cornerstone of our infield for years now and had one of her best years yet offensively,” Schalk said. “On the defensive side, to not make an error in conference play is extremely impressive. She has been able to get on base, drive in runs, and hit for power this year, which has made her a tough out.”

Purdy has 38 hits, 27 runs, two doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 22 RBI for her freshman season. She has recorded one four-hit game with eight other multi-hit outings during 2024.

Helvie is the second All-GLIAC honorable mention for the Cardinals. She has seen action in 25 games and recorded 14 hits, five runs, two doubles, a triple, a home run, and nine RBI in those appearances.