GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced its 2026 All-GLIAC Softball Teams and postseason awards on Wednesday, one day prior to the start of the GLIAC Softball Tournament in Crown Point, Ind. The awards were voted on by the conference softball coaches.
Saginaw Valley State designated hitter Olivia Elliott was named GLIAC Player of the Year while Cardinals teammate, junior Aalana Kimble, was honored as pitcher of the year. Ferris State outfielder Ava Gardner received GLIAC Freshman of the Year recognition.
SVSU's Ryan Schalk repeated for a third time as GLIAC Coach of the Year, after leading the Cardinals to the 2026 regular season title and 23 conference wins for the second consecutive season.
2026 GLIAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Olivia Elliott, Saginaw Valley State
Olivia Elliott leads the Cardinals with a .755 slugging percentage (2nd in the GLIAC), home runs with 10 (also 2nd in the GLIAC), and RBI with 43 (t-5th in GLIAC). She is fourth on the team in batting average, hitting .396 through the regular season. She is second in hits with 42 and is third with eight doubles. Elliott has recorded two or more hits in a single game 10 times this season, with a season-high four hits in the second game at Roosevelt on April 12. She hit two home runs in a 12-2 win over Davenport on March 22, going a perfect 2-for-2. This is her first major award as a Cardinal and her second consecutive season earning first-team All-GLIAC honors.
2026 GLIAC PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Aalana Kimble, Saginaw Valley State
Aalana Kimble continues the tradition of SVSU GLIAC Pitcher of the Year awards as she becomes the third-straight Cardinal pitcher to earn the honor. Kimble has been a first-team All-GLIAC selection every season of her career, twice as a pitcher (2025, 2026). She leads SVSU in almost every offensive category this season: at-bats (144), hits (63), doubles (12), and batting average (.438). She currently ranks first in the NCAA in Toughest to Strike Out with a mark of .007 in that category. Kimble was dominant inside the circle this year. She leads all Cardinal pitchers in appearances (27), wins (16), complete games (16), innings pitched (143.2), ERA (1.61), and WHIP (.98). She recorded two no-hitters this season to join teammate Macy Irelan as the only SVSU pitchers to achieve more than one in a single season. Her seven shutouts lead the conference and rank 13th nationally and her 1.61 ERA and 0.98 WHIP rank 21st in D2.
2026 GLIAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Alexis Kozlowski, Ferris State
Ferris State University junior first baseman Alexis Kozlowski helped lead the Bulldogs to a 35-18 regular season record, which ranks as the program's most wins in a decade, and a runner-up conference finish this spring. Kozlowski has hit a team-leading .399 overall this year with a squad-best 55 RBI's on 67 hits in 53 games. She's also belted seven home runs, three triples and 18 doubles with 40 runs scored and an impressive .667 slugging figure. In the field, she's been the every day starter at first base and recorded a .991 fielding percentage with 330 put-outs on the year. The three-time all-conference choice has tallied 22 multi-hit games this campaign.
2026 GLIAC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Ava Gardner, Ferris State
Ferris State University freshman standout Ava Gardner has had an impressive rookie campaign for the Bulldogs, who have notched the program's most wins in a decade with a 35-18 regular season mark to go with a league runner-up finish. Gardner has played in all 55 games and ranked among the team leadres with 64 hits, 44 RBI's, 15 doubles, 10 home runs and two triples while posting a .386 batting average. She's also notched 42 runs scored and registered a .681 slugging percentage. The freshman has been the starter in left field for the Bulldogs and recorded a .972 fielding percentage with only two errors in the field. This spring, Gardner was tabbed as a candidate for national player of the year honors and earned All-GLIAC First Team recognition.
2026 GLIAC COACH OF THE YEAR
Ryan Schalk, Saginaw Valley State
Ryan Schalk has earned his third consecutive GLIAC Coach of the Year award after leading the Cardinals to their third GLIAC regular season title, second outright, in the same number of seasons. The 2026 SVSU softball squad finished the regular season 34-14 overall and 23-5 in conference play. The team has finished with 30 or more wins every season with Schalk at the helm, and the 23 wins in GLIAC play match the program's highest conference win total, set last year. Those are the only two 20-win conference marks in SVSU history. Saginaw Valley State boasted the best pitching staff this season with a GLIAC-leading 2.13 team ERA. Cardinal pitchers also held batters to a conference-low batting average of .216 and posted an impressive 14 shutouts this season (seven more than the next-best team, Parkside). Offensively, SVSU was in the top three in almost every major category, with the best mark in the league in on-base percentage (.401). The Cardinals were second in runs scored (279), second in RBI (243), third in team batting average (.308), third in home runs (31), third in slugging percentage (.452), and third in walks (174).
| FIRST TEAM ALL-GLIAC |
| C |
Chloe Parker, Davenport |
| 1B |
Alexis Kozlowski, Ferris State |
| 2B |
Kylie Dugan, Purdue Northwest |
| SS |
Gracie Jensen, Purdue Northwest |
| 3B |
Mia Johnson, Parkside |
| OF |
Ella Reifschneider, Saginaw Valley State |
| OF |
Ava Gardner, Ferris State |
| OF |
Emma Gillard, Ferris State |
| DH |
Olivia Elliott, Saginaw Valley State |
| UT |
Elly Koopman, Wayne State |
| AL |
Eliana Eiland, Grand Valley State |
| AL |
Camryn Hall, Grand Valley State |
| P |
Aalana Kimble, Saginaw Valley State |
| P |
Casey Jo Vermett, Parkside |
| P |
Macy Irelan, Saginaw Valley State |
| SECOND TEAM ALL-GLIAC |
| C |
Elizabeth Wesolowski, Grand Valley State |
| 1B |
Emma Fair, Purdue Northwest |
| 2B |
Jadyn Joseph, Ferris State |
| SS |
Mya Purdy, Saginaw Valley State |
| 3B |
Kailyne Luna, Davenport |
| OF |
Kylie Madura, Purdue Northwest |
| OF |
Kate Pnacek, Saginaw Valley State |
| OF |
Jessy Del Toro, Purdue Northwest |
| DH |
Grace Usher, Grand Valley State |
| UT |
Kenzie Bromley, Saginaw Valley State |
| AL |
Ella Dvoracek, Roosevelt |
| AL |
Faith Edwards, Grand Valley State |
| P |
Karli Dorr, Grand Valley State |
| P |
Cecelia Bell, Ferris State |
| P |
Katie Shuboy, Ferris State |
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-GLIAC
Chloe Bruman, Davenport
Hannah Tahaney, Davenport
Ella McDonald, Ferris State
Emma Herremans, Ferris State
Kylee Hoebeke, Grand Valley State
Jasmine Mauk, Grand Valley State
Ava Swain, Parkside
Megan Medlin, Parkside
Amanda DeBoer, Purdue Northwest
Hailie Charmat, Purdue Northwest
Sophia Barofsky, Roosevelt
Rebecca Urbaniak, Roosevelt
Ella Schneider, Saginaw Valley State
Emma Helvie, Saginaw Valley State
Ellery Garver, Wayne State
Hunter Near, Wayne State
