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Thursday, April 11, 2013 - SA

A lifelong dedication to Michigan

ByALEJANDRO ZUNIGA
Daily Sports Writer
Why Michigan?
How does a softball program
like Michigan's win five consecu-
tive Big Ten titles? How does
it become the first school east
of the Mississippi River to win
a national championship? And
what draws top recruits to Ann
Arbor?
It all starts with the coaching.
The crowd was sparse on
Tuesday afternoon with a chill in
the air, when the Wolverines wel-
comed intrastate rival Western
Michigan. The Wolverines were
halfway through their season,
but it was only their eighth home
game. The winter temperatures
force the program to schedule
almost all of its non-conference
games thousands of miles south,
and even still, weather post-
poned a pair of contests. A light
drizzle rained down on freshman
left fielder Sierra Lawrence when
she stepped to the plate and lifted
a sacrifice fly out to deep center,
and as the Georgia native trotted
back to the dugout, she looked up
at the gloomy sky.
So why Michigan?
"The coaches were just amaz-
ing, and I wanted to play for
them and allow them to make me
a better player," Lawrence said.
"The environment here was just
great."
Before the game, Michigan
coach Carol Hutchins stepped
into the team huddle and deliv-
ered a simple message: Play hard.
And they did. They played hard
for themselves, for the name on
the front of their jersey and for
the coaching staff that gave them
the opportunity to compete at
the collegiate level. Hutchins
doesn't like to talk about it, but
the 29-year veteran recently
became just the third colle-
giate softball coach to win 1,300
games. Maybe that's why Law-

Michigan coach Carol Hutchins recently won her 1,300th career game, and four of her former players are now coaching in the Big Ten.

rence chose Michigan.
"You don't want to go some-
where and trust the coaching
staff and then they leave," Law-
rence said. "Hutch and the rest of
the coaching staff have been here
for awhile."
The coach fondly known as
"Hutch" has led the softball pro-
gram for longer than any of her
current players have been alive.
She's humble, passionate and,
despite graduating from Michi-
gan State, devoted to the Wolver-
ines. She's had the opportunity
to represent the United States,
coaching the U.S. National and
Elite teams, but Hutchins still
prefers donning the maize and
blue.
"There's nothing like Michi-
gan," she said. "I gotta tell ya,
there's nothing like Michigan.
This place really gets in your
heart."
Hutchins' love for the Univer-
sity and her players transcends
the normal confines of a relation-
ship. Hunched over and glar-
ing into the batter's box in the
third-base coach's area during a

recent series against Ohio State,
Hutchins occasionally glanced
over into the visiting team's dug-
out. There, she saw a familiar
face, heard a familiar voice. It
was Kelly Kovach Schoenly, her
former All-American pitcher and
a former colleague who was now
coaching the Buckeyes.
To Hutchins, every Michigan
player who walks through the
glass door into the Donald R.
Shepherd Softball Building is a
member of her family. And it's not
a relationship she takes lightly.
Yes, Schoenly's picture hangs on
the wall, one of dozens oftributes
to former All Americans. But her
number - and almost everyone
else's - is stored in Hutchins's
phone, and the two communicate
regularly.
"They're all my kids. They're
my family," Hutchins said. "I'm
like a proud mother."
Despite wearing scarlet and
gray, Schoenly has plenty of rea-
sons to feel welcomed back to
Ann Arbor. As a Wolverine in the
1990s, she earned All-American
honors, was twice named Big

Ten Pitcher of the Year and was a
three-time all-conference selec-
tion. After she graduated, she
planned on becoming a teacher,
but Hutchins gave her a spot
on the coaching staff and later
helped her earn jobs at Miami
(Ohio) and Ohio State. Schoenly
hasn't looked back.
"Hutch had such an impact on
me, if I even have half that impact
on the girls that I'm coaching,
I'll feel like I did a great job,"
Schoenly said. "I'm thankful that
my life took me through Michi-
gan and through Hutch. She gave
me that push and that opportu-
nity you don't always get when
you're 22 years old. I look to her
as a mentor."
The Wolverines swept the
three-game series against Ohio
State due in part to junior right
fielder Nicole Sappingfield. In
high school, the California native
wasn't even considering play-
ing college softball because she
didn't know much about it. Then,
she was discouraged by stories
of Michigan's dismal winter
weather. Sappingfield committed

anyway after speaking with the
coaching staff.
"The coaches had a lot to do
with it," Sappinfield said of her
decision to come to Ann Arbor.
"To me, they're the best coaching
staff in the country."
Hutchins is known for the
stern personality that she hides
behind steely blue eyes, but that
fire seems to inspire her teams
to perform better. Training tire-
less hours at the Oosterbaan
Fieldhouse during the colder
months and traveling thousands
of miles each weekend to warmer
states for non-conference series,
Hutchins puts pressure on her
players to perform and rarely
breaks her icy glare. But her rela-
tionship with her teams is one of
hard-earned respect and com-
mitment to the sport, one that
often lasts beyond the college
years.
Schoenly is one of four for-
mer Wolverines coaching in
the 12-team Big Ten (two head
coaches and two assistants),
and Hutchins hopes more come
from her current roster. Halfway

through the season, her team has
jelled, winning 13 consecutive
games and holding sole posses-
sion of first place in the Big Ten.
They have grown close over their
shared love for softball, and that
gives Hutchins a reason to smile.
During their game against
the Broncos, junior first base-
man Caitlin Blanchard smacked
a line drive that whistled straight
towards Hutchins near the
third-base bag. Backpedaling
deftly, the coach barely stepped
out of the way in time, and both
Blanchard and Hutchins burst
out laughing.
"We're a really close-knit
group," Hutchins said. "You go
through the war every year with
these kids."
Hutchins relies on traditions
to make it through that war alive.
Before games, as the opponent is
introduced by the public-address
announcer, each player leans
over near the dugout and etches
a picture into the ground. Some
draw numbers; others, shapes.
Hutchins rewards a Michigan
batter who hits a home run by
tossing her a peanut M&M as she
rounds third base. These are cus-
toms that span back as far as the
players can remember, traditions
that Hutchins says help loosen
the players during tense situa-
tions.
This is the softball program
that Hutchins has created. A
head coach for 29 seasons and
an assistant for two more, Carol
Hutchins is Michigan softball.
"This has been my life, and it's
made me so happy," she said.
She starred at Michigan State,
so her picture will never be onthe
All-American wall of the Donald
R. Shepherd Softball Building.
But most of those faces came to
Michigan because of Hutchins,
and every single one of them is a
member of the Michigan softball
family- even though some ended
up at rival schools.

Only rain can stop 'M'

By SIMON KAUFMAN
Daily Sports Writer
With the Michigan softball
team up 8-0 heading into the bot-
tom of the fourth inning Tuesday
against Western Michigan, Ali-
cia Keys's "Girl on Fire" played
over the speakers at Alumni
Field.
"This girl is on fire."
For the Wolverines as of late,
though, the tune has sounded
more like "These girls are on
fire."
Because these girls and this
team are rolling right now.
No. 12 Michigan is riding a
14-game winning streak that
started in mid-March. It was
hoping to extend it Wednesday
against Eastern Michigan, but
the game was cancelled due to
weather. Big offense and strong
pitching has provided the frame-
work for a team that has forgot-
ten what it's like to lose.
"You want to get in a groove
each season," said Michigan
coach Carol Hutchins. "And
we're starting to get into that
groove."
Highlights from the streak
include wins over No. 2 Ari-
zona State, then-No. 14 Arizona
and sweeps of Big Ten foes Pur-
due, Penn State and Ohio State.
Along the way, Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins also picked up
her 1,300th win - becoming the
third NCAA softball coach in his-
tory to reach that mark.
For the Wolverines (9-0 Big
Ten, 32-7 overall), strong pitch-
ing has been the key to winning.
During the streak, Michigan
pitchers have given up 38 runs
- less than three per outing. In
comparison, in the Wolverines'
last fourlosses, opponents scored
an average of8.5 runs against the
team.
In the circle, sophomore
left-hander Haylie Wagner has
relieved fellow sophomore right-
hander pitcher Sara Driesenga
of having to pitch every inning.
With Wagner injured at the
beginning ofthe season, the team
depended on Driesenga. Now
with the duo splitting duties on
the mound, Driesenga is able to

Michigan coach Bev Plocki is getting contributions from a gymnast who has been in Ann Arbor for just four months.
Casanova's early start paying off

Sophrore left-handeor Ha Weagner is cominghback strong after missing
the first 19 games of the season, going 1t-1 with a 1.18 tRA.

get more rest.
"Having two pitchers, we can
always rely on each other," Wag-
ner said. "It takes a lot of pressure
off of Sara or vice versa, which
takes alot of pressure off of me."
Since Michigan's home open-
er - two wins into the streak
- Wagner and Driesenga have
a combined 56 strikeouts in 62
innings. Opponents are hitting
just .206 and .223, respectively,
against them.
Offensively, the Wolverines
have averaged more than nine
runs a game during the streak.
Junior centerfielder Lyndsay
Doyle and junior right fielder
Nicole Sappingfield have done
their job of setting the table. The
top two hitters in the lineup,
respectively, have combined for
27 hits and just as many runs in
the last 14 games.
With Doyle and Sappingfield
reaching base consistently, it has
given freshman shortstop Sierra
Romero - who has been consis-
tently hitting the cover off of the
ball all year - opportunities to
add to her impressive stat line.

During the streak, Romero has
racked up 23 RBI and increased
her batting average 50 points
from.361 to .411.
Most vital to Michigan's suc-
cess is its depth. During the
streak, senior second baseman
Ashley Lane and senior third
baseman Amy Knapp have pro-
vided an offensive boost and
have been strong in the field.
Lane owns 13 RBI and three
home runs during the consecu-
tive 14 wins, and Knapp has col-
lected 10 runs and collected 12
hits during the span.
Despite the streak, the Wol-
verines have been conditioned
by Hutchins to take it one day at
a time.
"We don't really think about
the streak," Wagner said. "We
just play it one game at time,
and (play) one-pitch softball. Of
course it's great to have a win-
ning streak, but we're just going
to keep playing Michigan soft-
ball."
NOTE: Friday's home game
versus Michigan State has been
moved from 6 p.m. to 4 p.m.

By CINDY YU years," said Michigan coach Bev
Daily Sports Writer Plocki. "She has character, integ-
rity and all the things we look
Hailing from the same gym for. Her priorities are in the exact
as Olympic all-around champi- order they need to be in."
ons Carly Patterson and Nastia Transitioning from a small, pri-
Liukin, freshman Briley Casanova vate high school to a large, public
was ready to represent the Wol- university is something that Casa-
verines, despite joining the team nova embraces whole-heartedly.
just 10 days before the official She said she loves experiencing a
season-opener in Cancun, Mex- completely new atmosphere from
ico in early January. The newest the southern comfort she grew
addition to the No. 7 Michigan up with. The bubbly Dallas native
women's gymnastics team (12-2 exudes positivity and a high level
Big Ten, 24-2 overall) graduated of pride for competing for Michi-
high school a semester early to gan.
begin the competitive season with "I try to be happy all the time,"
Michigan. Casanova said. "I think that's just
A two-time U.S. junior nation- a personality thing. That's how
al team member, Casanova has I was raised. Just always smile,
many accolades, including the always laugh, embrace life and
2012 Women's Junior Olympic live it to the fullest. I like applying
Level 10 National Vault Cham- that to my school. I've always had
pion in the Senior 'B' division school pride for my past schools
and a third-place finish in the all- ... so I just know that once you're
around at the 2009 International welcome into a family, you repre-
Junior Gymnastics Competition. sent it."
Though Casanova has had less Casanova said her favorite part
time to adjust to a new school, of gymnastics is competing in
training facility, coaches and the floor exercise, where she can
academic curriculum than her show off her personality through
teammates, she has adapted well- dancing and tumbling. Ever since
and proven to be a valuable team she was little, she loved perform-
member. It doesn't hurt that her ittgbefore an audience.
former teammate and freshman At the Big Ten Championships
companion Austin Sheppard is on March 23, Casanova struggled
right alongside her. with consistency, faltering on the
"She's mature beyond her landings of two of her tumbling

passes and scoring below a 9.825
on the event for the first time all
season.
"(The Big Ten Championships)
just wasn't my day," Casanova
said. "I let the emotions get to me,
and that was a weakness that I'm
still learning about and need to
overcome. I used that bad day to
push me harder for regionals, and
I think that helped me a lot."
Last Saturday at the NCAA
Regionals, Casanova hit a cru-
cial balance beam routine in the
anchor position - the most nerve-
racking spot in the lineup - high-
lighted by a stuck backhandspring
to back layout flight series. Her
9.725 score prevented the team
from counting a fall and gave it a
nice cushion over No. 13 Nebraska
and No. 16 Illinois heading into
the Wolverines' final event.
"I think that did wonders for
her confidence," Plocki said. "To
go up there in that situation ...
and hit that routine shows a lot of
composure for a freshman."
While Casanova has competed
sporadically on vault, beam and
floor, her role is likely to expand
in the next season. After all, she's
only been in Ann Arbor for four
months.
"I definitely look for her to
compete at a whole different level
next year than where she is right
now," Plocki said.

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