When Emily Killion stepped onto the Ferris State campus in 2023, the Bulldogs' softball program was searching for an identity. Fast forward four seasons, and the senior catcher from Dundee has been at the heart of a remarkable transformation that has turned the program into a consistent winner.
Killion's journey mirrors the team's ascent. She appeared in just two games during her freshman year, watching from the dugout as Ferris State finished 23-33. But the climb was just beginning. Year by year, the wins piled up—25 in 2024, then 28 in 2025, including a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. For Killion, who played in 40 games that season and collected 28 hits with seven doubles and 17 RBIs, the progress has been deeply personal.
"I was most excited about coming off a postseason run for the first time in so long," Killion said. "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 2026 season proved her optimism was well-founded. The Bulldogs closed the regular season on an 11-game winning streak, playing some of their best softball when it mattered most. They fought all the way to the finals of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time since 2012, pushing top-seeded Saginaw Valley to the limit in a 2-1, nine-inning thriller on May 10.
Though Ferris State finished with a stellar 37-20 record, the Bulldogs were left out of the NCAA Division II Tournament—a tough break for a team that had clearly earned its place among the nation's best. But for Killion and her teammates, the season was a validation of everything they've been building.
That foundation was laid when head coach Jake Schumann took over before the 2023 season, ushering in a new era of growth. The Bulldogs' 25 wins in 2024 marked the program's most in eight seasons, and the momentum has only accelerated. Killion, who batted .224 with 15 hits and 14 RBIs in 31 games this season, has watched the program steadily attract high-quality talent committed to the vision.
One of those impact players is infielder Jadyn Joseph, who burst onto the scene and became the first Bulldog since Amy Blumenstein in 1992 to earn GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors. It's that kind of talent infusion that has Ferris State looking like a program on the rise—and Killion has had the best seat in the house for the entire ride.