<, ' - A Monday, May 21, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com 734-764-8585 MICHIGAN 7, OREGON STATE 0 Blue heads to Supers, By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN Daily Sports Writer Three up, three down can be either a good or bad thing for a softball team. It was the best possible outcome for Michigan this weekend The Wolverines won all three of their games in the Ann Arbor Regional, capped off by a 7-0 victory over Oregon State in the final. Now the NCAA Tour- nament No. 9 seed is on its way out of Ann Arbor and down south to Waco, Texas, where Michigan will face No. 8 seed Baylor in a Super Regional. "The kids, I think, rose to the chal- lenge this weekend," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. As the importance of each game increases, Michigan is coming togeth- er as a team, operating as a well-oiled machine. The Wolverines' confidence is visibly increasing as well. "Our kids, they came to play," Hutchins said. "They went after it. They played the kind of softball that I want to see them continue to play." Senior Tiffany Worthy put it simply. "I'mjust determined not toget beat," said Worthy, who had 3 hits and 5 RBI on the weekend. "I don't want to get beat." And while Michigan's offense cer- tainly contributes to the peaking play of the Wolverines, they are making their fourth straight Super Regional appearance thanks to senior Lorilyn Wilson's pitching. Hutchins gave Wilson the ball, ask- ing her to lead the team through the Regional, despite splitting starts with freshman Nikki Nemitz for the major- ity of the year. This is the first time since Michigan's frigid March series with Northwestern a Wolverine pitcher Hutchins's hands- off strategy works By DAN FELDMAN Daily Sports Editor Senior pitcher Lorilyn Wilson began to cry as she hugged her teammates fol- lowingthe Wolverine softball team's Regional victory yes- terday. All the while, Michi- gan coach Carol Hutchins looked on with an approving grin. "I was so happy because we won, but sad because it's the last time we'll ever get to play a game here," Wilson said. Not long ago a happy end- ing for Wilson in Ann Arbor wouldn't have seemed pos- sible. Just 15 days earlier, the Wolverines lost7-0 to a medi- ocre Michigan State squad. Wilson was roughed up for four earned runs in three innings. "I was very concerned at that point that we didn't want to play any more," Hutchins said. As she did each week- end to that point, Hutchins started both Wilson and freshman Nikki Nemitz in the Big Ten Tournament the following weekend. Wilson shutout Illinois in the opener and Nemitz struggled against Northwestern. So this weekend, Hutchins decided it was time for Mich- igan softball to become the Lorilyn Wilson show. "I always knew Hutchins had confidence in me," Wil- son said. "In the past seasons, it's been whether I've had it in myself. And then this year, I just had to grow up and be like 'Lorilyn, bitethe ... bullet. Just do what you do. You've just got to go out there and play like you have no time to waver.' " The other part of Hutchins's postseason plan is to take more of a hands-off approach. Even though Michigan's starting lineup features four freshmen, Hutchins let her players take care of their own business. "The game was in their hands allweekend,"Hutchins said. "I didn't do one thing out there except cheer for them." The first-year batters com- bined to hit .297 with eight RBI and six runs in the three games this weekend. And against Louisville Saturday, freshman pitcher Nikki Nemitz relieved Wil- son with the bases loaded and just one out in the sixth inning. The southpaw retired the next two hitters and allowed just a harmless lead- off single in the seventh to pick up the save. But that kind of produc- tion comes as no surprise to the Wolverines' seasoned veterans. "They're not really fresh- men anymore," senior catch- er Tiffany Worthy saidbefore the tournament. "School's over and they're sophomores now. I don't really think of them as freshmen. They've played more games than some seniors have." There was one last key adjustment Hutchins made. Entering the Regional, the Wolverines had hit just one home run in their previous nine games. So, Hutchins had the team doing a half-swing See SOFTBALL, Page 14 Senior Lorilyn Wilson took a big leap in roving out of Jennie Ritter's shadow this weekend. made consecutive starts ina weekend. she will." And she took the ball confidently, While Wilson may be more focused getting the win in each of Michigan's than before, limiting Oregon State to games over the weekend. Over three two hits after its 17-run performance starts and 19.1 innings, Wilson surren- Saturday against Eastern Michigan dered just three runs on six hits. Some- and Louisville, Michigan's offense times prone to inconsistency, Wilson made it significantly easier for her by (26 strikeouts, one walk) shed that skin giving Wilson a lead in each game by and shined in her role replacing Jennie the second inning. Ritter, who led the Wolverines in the The Wolverine offense averaged past two postseasons. more than five runs and eight hits while "I think, without a doubt, to get becoming one of the nation's final 16 through a tournament, to get through teams. Freshman third baseman Mag- a Regional tournament and to get gie Viefhaus (.545 weekend batting through the Super Regional, you have average) secured Michigan's insur- got to have a go-to pitcher and that was mountable first-inning lead against Lorilyn this weekend," Hutchins said. Oregon State with a grand slam to put And others noticed, too. the team up by five. "I think she's extremely capable of "I think when they have confidence carrying this team," Louisville coach in themselves, they play the kind of Sandy Pearsall said. "Honestly, she is a softball they are capable of," Hutchins kid who could take them a long way. So said. "I believe (we) can win it next if she can stay focused through a game, weekend."