The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, March 20, 2015 — 7
Big Ten preview: It’s Michigan and
Minnesota, then everybody else
By CHRIS CROWDER
Daily Sports Writer
In the conference room at the new Donald R. Shepherd Softball
Center, pictures of past Michigan Big Ten championship teams are
proudly displayed on the wall. There’s just one problem: there’s no
room for more pictures.
This fact is proof of how dominant the No. 4 Michigan softball
program is as it’s vying for its eighth consecutive conference
championship.
With arguably the best player and coach in the country in junior
infielder Sierra Romero and coach Carol Hutchins, the Wolverines are
favorites to win the conference, looking to add another picture to the
collection, and in turn, moving the frames to a different, larger wall.
But to achieve the milestone, Michigan will have to navigate past the
following teams.
No. 15 Minnesota (24-4)
If any team in the Big Ten has a better offense than Michigan, it’s
the Golden Gophers. They may be the only team capable of challenging
Michigan for a conference championship.
Minnesota leads the Big Ten in batting average (.351), hits (270) and
doubles (52). Despite a loss to No. 20 UCF, the Golden Gophers have
beaten No. 12 Cal, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 24 Mississippi State.
Their one-two punch of senior utility players Kaitlyn Richardson
(.437 batting average, 31 runs batted in) and Hannah Granger (.474
batting average, 30 runs batted in) are both in the top five in those
categories.
Player to Watch: Sophomore right-handed pitcher Sara Groenewegen
Headlining the pitching staff that leads the Big Ten in strikeouts
is Groenewegen with 167 Ks. She has pitched 109 innings this season,
the most in the Big Ten, taking a majority of the pitching duties for
the Golden Gophers. Her 0.96 earned-run average, .152 opposing
batting average and 15 wins are all best in the Big Ten. She also
has offensive prowess, batting .338 and racking up 11 total bases
in one game twice this season.
Purdue (19-9)
The Boilermakers haven’t played a very competitive schedule
so far, just playing two ranked opponents, including a win against
No. 23 Texas A&M. Purdue leads the Big Ten in triples (nine)
and is second in Big Ten for lowest team ERA (1.78). Freshman
outfielder Maya Hughes may be the future of the program,
batting .315 and stealing 16 bases.
Player to watch: Senior infielder Ashley Burkhardt
Burkhardt is a triple-threat type of player, batting .438 while
hitting eight home runs and batting in 32 runs. She leads the
conference in hits (39) and is second in the Big Ten with 70 total
bases. Her speed keeps teams guessing, as she has the ability to
swipe four bases in one game — a feat accomplished in a March 15
contest against Western Michigan.
Maryland (17-11)
The Terrapins have lost all of their games to currently ranked
teams, but their expertise is in plate vision. They rank second in
the Big Ten in walks (109), and have walked 13 times in one game.
Senior outfielder Erin Pronobis has a .387 average with 45 total
bases.
Player to watch: Senior right-handed pitcher Kaitlyn Schmeiser
Schmeiser is among the top Big Ten pitchers, being the third-best
pitcher in regard to wins (12), innings pitched (109) and strikeouts
(104).
Ohio State (13-9)
The Buckeyes have lost to every ranked opponent they have faced
this season: No. 11 UCLA, No. 9 Auburn and No. 18 Washington
(twice). Freshman outfielder Taylor White earned Big Ten Freshman
of the Week honors after hitting .583 with a home run and a triple at
the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
Player to watch: Senior outfielder Caitlin Conrad
Conrad is the lead-off hitter for Ohio State, batting .358 with 25
RBI and a .642 slugging percentage.
Michigan State (15-12)
While the Spartans have struck out the fourth most in the Big Ten
(139) and teams have stolen 45 bases on the Michigan State defense in
49 chances, they have shown signs of promise. They lost to No. 20 UCF
by run-rule, but have beaten once-ranked Tulsa. Redshirt freshman
right-hander Kristina Zalewski has a 1.63 ERA and 91 strikeouts to
lead the pitching staff.
Player to Watch: Senior outfielder Alyssa McBride
Despite batting in the nine spot for a majority of the season,
McBride — who batted .184 last season — is the leader of the Michigan
State offense, batting .443 with a .538 on base percentage.
Rutgers (10-7)
The Scarlet Knights have shown both excellence and failure at
the plate. In one game, they hit six doubles, but in another, they left
15 on base. The pitching staff has a collective 4.76 ERA, and must
pitch more efficiently if Rutgers wants to remain competitive in the
Big Ten.
Player to watch: Senior outfielder Jackie Bates
Bates has a .439 batting average and is second in the Big Ten with a
.930 slugging percentage.
Northwestern (11-10)
The Wildcats have allowed the least amount of hits in the Big Ten
(120), but that’s only because they haven’t played that many games.
Junior right-handed pitcher Kristen Wood leads the pitching staff
with 84 strikeouts and has held opponents to a .224 batting average.
Northwestern has also struck out 14 times in one game, proving that
its offense is not to be revered.
Player to watch: Senior outfielder Andrea DiPrima
DiPrima’s statistics may fall once Northwestern gets deeper into
the season, but she is currently third in the Big Ten with a .466 batting
average and second in the conference with a .597 on-base percentage.
Wisconsin (13-13)
The Badgers will put pressure on opposing teams on the base paths.
They have stolen 86 bases in 101 chances, leading every other team in
the Big Ten by at least 28 stolen bases. They have had one-run losses
against formidable teams like No. 25 UAB (twice).
Player to watch: Senior outfielder Maria Van Abel
Van Abel is the catalyst of the Wisconsin offense, leading the Big
Ten in stolen bases (21) while batting .407 with 35 hits.
Nebraska (12-12)
The Cornhuskers score in bunches (averaging close to nine runs a
game) and are second in the Big Ten in batting average (.348). Eight
players have started at least 15 games and have a batting average
over .300. But they have lost to all of their ranked opponents, and the
pitching is to blame. Hitters have punished the pitching staff to the
tune of a .317 average and a 5.47 ERA.
Player to Watch: Junior outfielder Kiki Stokes
Stokes is batting .444, slugging .806 and has an on base percentage
of .549.
C
arol Hutchins has been Michigan’s softball coach for decades.
Everybody knows that. She has won 17 Big Ten regular-season
conference championships, 16 NCAA regional championships
and a national championship in 2005. She’s in the NFCA Hall of Fame,
too.
Michigan softball’s inaugural season was in
1978. By 1985, Hutchins was the head coach,
and has been the general to lead the Wolverines
into battle ever since. Entering the 2015 season,
Hutchins has amassed a career 1,349-452 record
and a .746 win percentage.
With Hutchins at the helm, there will always be
talk of league championships, of winning streaks
that stretch into the 20s and of making a run in the
postseason NCAA Women’s College World Series.
With her résumé and the program’s continued
success, it’s obvious that the Wolverines should
have no trouble putting together a respectable season. Undoubtedly,
Michigan will add to Hutchins’ win total. But really, the number of
wins won’t matter. For Team 38, the last win of the season will be the
one that carries the most significance.
Hutchins is the grand master behind the chessboard, and has all
the pieces in place to make a championship run. But ultimately, it’s the
players, not the coach, who execute the plan of attack.
Michigan, even with a legendary coach and a lineup full of stars, lost
to the No. 1 Florida Gators to open the season. It served as a reminder
for the Wolverines that despite their perennial status as a member of
softball’s elite, beating champions, or even becoming them, is never
an easy task.
This Michigan team has already taken some lumps. Against Florida,
it was senior left-hander and 2014 second-team All-American Haylie
Wagner who threw a wild pitch to let a Gator baserunner score from
third and clinch the game.
But it was only one bad pitch, and only one game, the first in a long
season.
By Spring Break, Michigan had built a 19-game win streak, and
had hit 20 home runs through five games at the Arizona State Slugger
Invitational, but fell in back-to-back games to then-No. 22 Arizona
State, and again to Florida.
Against Florida, Michigan had chances to even up its head-to-head
record, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first and holding on until the
sixth when Florida scored three runs to earn its first lead. Michigan
was unable to conjure up any offense and did nothing against the
Gators in the seventh, losing 3-2.
It’s worth noting that the Spring Break losses to Florida and Arizona
State came at the end of a long road trip for Michigan, at which point
the Wolverines had flown to every game they had played. But when
the Wolverines finally got back to Ann Arbor, after some much-needed
rest, the first home game ended in disappointment, too.
Kent State, the Wolverines’ only unranked loss, squeaked away
with a win behind junior right-hander Emma Johnson and her .96
earned-run average to upset Michigan, 3-0.
Statistically, the Wolverines are already among the best in the
Big Ten in multiple categories, but again, the Wolverines’ ability to
compete at an elite level isn’t what is in question. At times, Michigan
has looked deserving of its ranking, and before the losses to Arizona
State and Florida in early March, it was primed to move up in the
rankings even further. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, timing is
everything.
No one calls into question the ability or character of anyone on the
Michigan coaching staff, and no one should. But in the few times when
Michigan has been faced with truly top-tier competition, mainly
against Kent State’s Johnson and Florida, it has stumbled.
It’s an old cliché in sports that a good team has to beat the teams
it’s supposed to beat, and there’s zero doubt Michigan will continue
to do that. What will define this team are the games Michigan isn’t
“supposed” to win, when they’ll be evenly matched.
Michigan is very good, there’s no doubt about that. But how the
Wolverines grow from the early-season losses, and more importantly,
how they respond in future high-pressure situations, will ultimately
determine the outcome of this season. Should they capitalize, they
will have the possibility to be great once again under Hutchins’ watch.
Tyler Scott can be reached at tylscott@umich.edu.
STAFF PICKS
Tyler Scott
Chris Crowder
Ted Janes
46-9
19-4
Romero
Romero
Blanco
Michigan
Minnesota
Kristen Wood
Rutgers
Super Regionals
47-8
19-4
Romero
Sierra Lawrence
Aidan Falk
Michigan
Minnesota
Sara Groenewegen
Purdue
WCWS
47-8
20-3
Megan Betsa
Sierra Romero
Taylor Swearingen
Michigan
Minnesota
Ashley Burkhardt
Nebraska
WCWS
Kevin Santo
The Daily softball writers
do their best to predict
what will happen in the
world of college
softball this season.
48-7
20-3
Sierra Romero
Kelsey Susalla
Tera Blanco
Michigan
Minnesota
Romero
Wisconsin
WCWS
Michigan overall record
Michigan Big Ten record
Michigan MVP
Michigan Offensive POY
Michigan Freshman of the Year
Big Ten regular season champion
Big Ten regular season runner-up
Big Ten MVP
Big Ten surprise team
Michigan’s season ends here
TYLER
SCOTT
A good team, with
a chance for greatness
Softball Preview
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Carol Hutchins’ team has won seven straight Big Ten titles, but this year, it is searching for its second Women’s College World Series appearance since 2009.