12

Thursday, May 7, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

Previewing the Big 
Ten Tournament

By KEVIN SANTO

Daily Sports Writer

With the 2015 Big Ten Softball 

Tournament 
beginning 
Thurs-

day, the Michigan Daily examines 
what the top teams must do to hoist 

the champion-
ship 
trophy 

on Saturday at 
Buckeye 
Field 

in 
Columbus, 

Ohio.

Given 
the 

outcome of the 
regular season, 
it appears that 
the 
tourna-

ment will be 
two-horse race 
between Michi-
gan and Min-
nesota. 
Both 

teams 
domi-

nated Big Ten 
play with little 
resistance, but 
nothing is guar-
anteed to either 

team in their pursuit of the 
 

championship.

No. 1 MICHIGAN WILL WIN 

IF … it doesn’t try to fix what isn’t 
broken. The third-ranked Wolver-
ines (21-2 Big Ten, 48-6 overall) 
are on a roll heading into tourna-
ment play, boasting a 17-game win 
streak and a regular season con-
ference title.

With sophomore right-hander 

Megan Betsa — the Big Ten Pitcher 
of the Year — in the circle, it’s hard 
to believe that many teams are capa-
ble of scoring enough runs to topple 
Michigan from its current throne. 
Even if Betsa finds herself in trou-
ble, senior left-hander Haylie Wag-
ner is another ace who can pitch 
shutout softball for the Wolverines.

On the offensive end, Michigan 

has a dominant lineup bolstered 
by junior second baseman Sierra 
Romero and sophomore left fielder 
Kelly Christner. Romero leads the 
Big Ten in runs batted in with 63 
and Christner is tied for second in 
the conference with 18 home runs.

Realistically, if the regular sea-

son is any indication, Minnesota 
is the only threat to the Wolver-
ines. The Golden Gophers handed 
Michigan its most recent loss on 
April 3, a 9-1 six-inning run-rule 
victory.

No. 2 MINNESOTA WINS IF 

… right-hander Sara Groenewegen 
pitches lights-out from the circle. 
Groenewegen, who boasts a 1.52 
earned-run average, trails only 

Betsa in the Big Ten standings in 
the category. Groenewegen also 
excels at the plate, leading her 
team in home runs and finishing 
second on her team in both bat-
ting average and hits. Despite, 
her presence at the plate, Groe-
newegen’s pitching is still more 
vital for her team’s success.

The 
12th-ranked 
Golden 

Gophers (20-3, 46-8) will likely 
reach the championship game with 
ease, given that they have only lost 
three conference 
matchups: 
two 

against Michigan 
and one against 
Nebraska.

In those loss-

es, 
Groenewe-

gen allowed 15 
hits and 10 runs 
in 9.2 innings 
pitched. Howev-
er, in Minneso-
ta’s most notable 
conference win against the Wol-
verines, she posted 10 strikeouts 
while allowing just four hits and 
one run in six innings.

With the likelihood of both 

Minnesota and Michigan reach-
ing the final, Groenewegen will 
need to put together an elite per-
formance. Because in the Wolver-
ines’ 54 games this season, their 
six losses have come when they 
were held to four runs or less.

Shutting down a high-pow-

ered, home-run-hitting Michigan 
lineup is no easy task, but if Groe-
newegen can rise to the occasion, 
Minnesota has an opportunity to 
steal the tournament hardware.

THE 
UNDERDOG 
TO 

WATCH FOR IS… Nebraska, but 

“underdog” may be an overstate-
ment. Though the conference 
has been primarily dominated 
by Michigan and Minnesota, the 
Cornhuskers are still the No. 3 seed 
of the tournament.

To pull off an upset, Nebraska 

(17-6, 32-20) will need to thrive at 
the plate. An ace hasn’t emerged 
during the regular season, as right-
hander Emily Lockman is statisti-
cally the best option in the circle 
for the Cornhuskers with an unim-

pressive 
4.21 

ERA.

But Nebraska 

has players in the 
top four of four 
individual 
Big 

Ten 
categories: 

batting average, 
on-base percent-
age, runs scored 
and hits.

Specifically, 

third 
baseman 

MJ Knighten will need to have dom-
inating performances and continue 
to record numbers consistent with 
her .427 batting average and 76 hits. 
Centerfielder Kiki Stokes will need 
to contribute as well, as she was 
second in the Big Ten in on base per-
centage and fourth in runs scored.

Both Knighten and Stokes gar-

nered First-Team All Big Ten hon-
ors, but it will be tough for Nebraska 
to succeed if its mediocre pitching 
corps matches up with Michigan 
and Minnesota’s aces.

It would be unexpected for 

Nebraska to come out on top in 
a pitching duel, so its only hope 
is to outscore opponents and give 
its pitchers a cushion to work 
with.

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Junior second baseman Sierra Romero will lead the heavily favored and top seeded Wolverines to the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus.

Michigan 
at Big Ten 
Tournament

Matchup: 
Michigan (21-2 
Big Ten, 48-6 
overall) v. 
either Mary-
land (9-14, 
27-26) or 
(9-14, 28-27)

When: Friday 
2:30 P.M.

Where: Buck-
eye Field, 
Columbus

TV/Radio: 
BTN

It appears that 
the tournament 
will be a two-

horse race

