UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team claimed three individual awards and had nine student-athletes named All-GLIAC when the conference office announced the 2026 awards on Wednesday afternoon.
Olivia Elliott was named the GLIAC Player of the Year this season to earn her first major individual award as a Cardinal. Aalana Kimble (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood HS) added the GLIAC Pitcher of the Year honor to her resume. Kimble is the third SVSU pitcher in as many seasons to earn the award after Macy Irelan (Owosso, Mich. / Owosso HS) won last season and Emily Depew the season before (2024). The final individual award went to head coach Ryan Schalk as he was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year for the third-straight season.
Elliott and Kimble were also named First-Team All-GLIAC along with Ella Reifschneider (Hudsonville, Mich. / Hudsonville HS) and Macy Irelan. Mya Purdy (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS), Kate Pnacek (Coleman, Mich. / Coleman HS), and Kenzie Bromley (Petoskey, Mich. / Petoskey HS) were selected to the second team. Ella Schneider (Southfield, Mich. / Berkley HS) and Emma Helvie (Markle, Ind. / Huntington North HS) earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention.
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.
"Olivia is one of the most feared hitters in the country and her numbers in conference play were simply incredible," said head coach Ryan Schalk. "Obviously, she hits for power, but she also doesn't strike out. She is a complete hitter who can drive the ball but also foul off good pitchers' pitches to get another good one to drive as well as take the ball the other way for a single when the situation calls for it. She is the best power hitter I've ever seen and really carried us offensively throughout the year."
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.
"Aalana is unlike any athlete I've every coached. Her natural ability is off the charts and she took her game to a whole new level this year with her improved approach at the plate. Offensively, she is the toughest out in our lineup and her ability to cover the entire plate makes her an elite hitter. As a pitcher, she continues to dominate teams with her speed, movement, and ability to locate pitches. Defensively, she can run down most balls in the outfield. She is a true 5 tool player if I've ever seen one," said Schalk.
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).
Ella Reifschneider earns her third All-GLIAC honor as a member of the first team outfield. She was a first team selection a season ago and a second team honoree as a freshman in 2024. This season, Reifschneider leads the Cardinals in runs scored with 33 and walks with 23. She has started in 46 of her 47 appearances this season and has 41 hits, two doubles, a triple, 19 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. She has an average of .366, which ranks third among players with 40 or more appearances and she is tied for the best on-base percentage of .500.
"Ella has put together another outstanding season offensively and continues to improve her outfield play. She is a menace to other teams at the plate and nearly impossible to get out more than once a game. She puts the ball in play, bunts for hits, and can hit for some gap to gap power as well. When she gets on base, which is often, she will take an extra base at any opportunity," Schalk said.
Macy Irelan earns her second First-Team All-GLIAC selection of her Cardinal career. She has made 19 starts in the circle and accumulated a 14-4 record with 13 complete games and one save. She leads the Cardinal pitching staff in strikeouts with 126 and has an ERA of 1.92 this season. The 2025 GLIAC Pitcher of the Year leads the team with 7.1 strikeouts per seven innings, second-best in the conference this season. She ranks 22nd in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.20) and 24th in shutouts (6).
"Macy put together another outstanding season in the circle. She is undefeated in conference play and finds a way to work out of any situation that might present itself," lauded Schalk. "In my opinion, she has become a more complete pitcher this year. She is a competitor and typically will find a way to beat the hitter that is standing in the batters box."
Mya Purdy earns Second-Team All-GLIAC for the first time in her career after earning honorable mention during her freshman year (2024). Purdy finished the regular season with 41 hits, 26 runs, two doubles, three triples, and two home runs, while maintaining a .328 average. Her 22 RBI is the fourth-most on the team and she is tied for fifth in walks with 16.
"Mya works hard day in and day out on the details of playing the position as well as understanding her swing. She has been a three year starter for us at short stop and really put it all together this season. She takes away a lot of hits and gets to balls that most people wouldn't be able to. She's had another great year and it's no surprise to me or the rest of our staff that she put up the numbers she did," said Schalk.
Kate Pnacek adds her third Second-Team All-GLIAC this season. She has totaled 32 hits, 20 runs, seven doubles, a triple, three home runs, and 26 RBI.
"Kate put together a very solid senior season. She had another great year in center field taking away hits from gap to gap and put a good season together at the plate as well. She has been a big part of this team for four years and we will certainly miss her in the future," Schalk said.
Kenzie Bromley earns Second-Team All-GLIAC for the second time as a Cardinal. Bromley totaled 21 hits, 20 runs, six doubles, five home runs with 17 RBI.
"Kenzie moved to the outfield part time for us this year and learned that position very quickly," said Schalk. "She has a ton of power, a strong arm, and the athleticism to make plays both in the infield and outfield that a lot of players can't make."
Ella Schneider was named honorable mention for the second time in her career (2025, 2026). She completed the regular season with 29 hits, 16 runs, three doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 15 RBI.
"Ella had another solid year at the plate and continues to improve her defensive game as well. Having her bat in the lineup gives us another power hitter who can lengthen the lineup and help turn it back over to the top," said Schalk.
Emma Helvie was selected honorable mention for the second time in her three-year career (2024, 2026). She has 38 hits, 14 runs, nine doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 32 RBI, while batting .314 for the season.
"Emma is an outstanding catcher physically, but her understanding of the game and setting hitters up is what sets her apart from others to me," praised Schalk. "When you look at how many bases opponents attempt to steal off her compared to other teams, that says a lot. She has a great bat, gets our pitchers a lot of close calls, and shuts down the other teams' running game."
The Cardinals will begin the 2026 GLIAC Tournament on Friday, May 8, at 11:00 a.m. (ET). SVSU will meet the winner of game one on Thursday between Parkside and Purdue Northwest.