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Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

By KEVIN SANTO

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan softball team 

will begin the Regional round of 
the NCAA Tournament on Friday 
at Alumni Field. The Wolverines 
will host California, Pittsburgh 
and Oakland. Only one team can 
emerge from the double-elimina-
tion Regional round to move on 
to the Super Regional. The Daily 
breaks down each team compet-
ing for a chance to survive and 
advance.

No. 3 Michigan
The Wolverines (21-2 Big Ten, 

51-6 overall) are the NCAA Region-
al favorites.

Michigan will be playing with 

home-field advantage and is com-
ing off a Big Ten regular season and 
tournament title, not to mention 
they’re on a 20-game win streak. 
Junior co-captain and second base-
man Sierra Romero was just named 
ESPN’s Player of the Year and is on 
a hot streak entering the tourna-
ment — something that won’t bode 
well for opponents.

In three games at the Big Ten 

tournament, Romero went 5-for-
8 with 11 runs batted in and three 
home runs.

Sophomore left fielder Kelly 

Christner trails just Romero in 
team batting statistics, boasting 18 
home runs and a .420 batting aver-
age while leading the Wolverines 
with 74 hits.

Michigan’s pitching corps is 

expected to be dominant as usual, 
as the duo put together strong per-
formances in the Big Ten Tourna-
ment. 
Sophomore 
right-hander 

Megan Betsa recorded 15 strike 
outs and allowed zero walks in 
seven innings. Senior left-hander 
Haylie Wagner allowed only one 
run on three hits to lead the Wol-
verines to victory in the tourna-
ment championship.

With everything clicking for 

Michigan, it’s hard to imagine an 
upset in Ann Arbor.

California
The Bears (10-14 Pac-12, 38-16) 

will prove to be the greatest 
obstacle of the Regional for the 
Wolverines. Cal has a number 
of impressive wins against top-
ranked teams, defeating No. 8 Ten-

nessee, No. 9 Florida State and No. 
12 Arizona. Only three of its losses 
during conference play came at the 
hands of an unranked team.

There’s no questioning that the 

Bears have been battle-tested by 
a powerful Pac-12 conference, but 
they will need a number of players 
to produce in order to emerge from 
the Regional.

Centerfielder Jazmyn Jackson 

has been exceptional in her first 
season for Cal, recording a .446 bat-
ting average and leading the team 
with 78 hits. Left fielder Cheyenne 
Cordes and catcher Danielle Hen-
derson have been dominant power 
hitters this year, boasting 15 and 14 
home runs, respectively. The duo 
have also accounted for 119 of the 
team’s 286 RBI.

Though the Bears are more than 

capable at the plate, they are not 
nearly as strong in the circle. Right-
hander 
Katie 
Sutherland-Finch 

leads the team in innings pitched 
with 168, but has accumulated a 
mediocre 3.79 earned-run average.

Cal could make a push to emerge 

from the Regional, but it will likely 
be faced with the difficult task of 
outscoring Michigan.

Pittsburgh
The Panthers (11-13 ACC, 35-20) 

have earned their first bid to the 
tournament in program history 
and are looking to continue to take 
down powerhouse teams. Though 
Pittsburgh has an unimpressive 
record, it is fresh off a huge perfor-
mance in the ACC Tournament.

The second and third-ranked 

teams of the tournament, Notre 
Dame and North Carolina, were 
handed losses at the hands of the 
Panthers, and the selection com-
mittee awarded Pitt by punching 
its ticket to Ann Arbor.

The Panthers have unimpres-

sive stats — they are fifth in bat-
ting average in the ACC, recording 
a .293 team batting average. They 
also are eighth in the conference 
with a 3.90 ERA.

Despite the low batting average, 

Pitt still is first and second in the 
ACC with 445 hits and 82 doubles, 
respectively.

The Panthers struggle from the 

circle as well, accumulating a 3.90 
ERA that could be exploited by the 
other three teams in the field.

Pitt will have a tough road to 

get through the Regional, but at 
the moment it appears nothing is 
impossible for this team.

Oakland
The Golden Grizzlies’ are the 

Cinderella of the Ann Arbor region-
al. Oakland (14-6 Horizon League, 
27-22) reigns as both the regular 
season and tournament champion 
of its conference, but that isn’t as 
impressive when compared to the 
competition of the Big Ten, ACC or 
Pac-12.

It would be shocking if the Gold-

en Grizzlies advanced through 
Regional play, but they have a 
handful of players that could turn 
their current dream into a reality.

One of Oakland’s biggest assets 

is its speed on the base paths. 
Third baseman Morgan Muron and 
shortstop Sarah Hartley are both 
21-for-22 in stolen base attempts.

Hartley leads the team in home 

runs as well with 11 while posting a 
.366 batting average. The underdog 
squad’s biggest threat at the plate 
is first baseman Sara Cupp, who 
boasts a team-high .382 batting 
average and 43 RBI.

The 
Golden 
Grizzlies’ 
have 

leaned on right-hander Erin Kown-
acki in the circle this year, who 
maintains a 2.43 ERA and leads her 
team in appearances by 15 games.

Oakland’s journey will likely 

end at Alumni Field, but nothing is 
guaranteed in the NCAA Tourna-
ment.

NCAA Regional Preview: 
Wolverines set to defend 
home turf

Despite injury, 
Driesenga is 
dedicated to seeing 
Michigan succeed

By TYLER SCOTT

Daily Sports Writer

As good as sophomore right-

hander Megan Betsa and senior 
left-hander Haylie Wagner have 
been heading into this weekend’s 
regional round of the NCAA tour-
nament, the Wolverines’ pitching 
rotation today looks considerably 
different than anyone would have 
guessed it would during the early 
stages of the 2015 season.

Senior right-hander Sara Dries-

enga started the season as one of 
three major threats in the circle 
for the Michigan softball team. On 
February 21, Driesenga pitched five 
complete innings, allowing just 
four hits and one earned run dur-
ing a 13-1 Michigan win over Lip-
scomb. And then her season was 
derailed.

“You don’t expect (an injury) 

coming into the season,” Driesenga 
said. “I always expected to be able 
to contribute on the field.”

The game against Lipscomb 

would prove to be Driesenga’s last. 
Since appearing in eight games for 
the Wolverines at the beginning of 
the year, she has missed the major-
ity of the season with an injury 
— forcing the two-time first team 
All-Big Ten pitcher to adjust to a 
new role on the team.

As frustrating as it is being 

unable to take the field with her 
teammates and help win games for 

Michigan, Driesenga knows what 
she wants each player to be focused 
on heading into the NCAA tourna-
ment.

“Even if we do come out and 

score a lot of runs like sometimes 
we have, not getting complacent 
with that and not being content, 
always wanting to get better,” Dri-
esenga said. “Because those little 
things and that mindset is what’s 
going to make all the difference in 
the postseason.”

It would have been interesting 

to see how differently Michigan’s 
season would have taken shape had 
Driesenga, a team captain with a 
2.07 career ERA, not been injured. 
Throughout her career, Driesenga 
was an adequate producer at the 
plate as well, batting a career .272 
average and a .444 slugging per-
centage when she played mainly as 
a designated and utility player.

Instead, the Wolverines lost a 

decorated veteran on the field, but 
gained a steadfast leader in the 
dugout that still wants to contrib-
ute to her team in any way she can.

“Really what I’ve been focusing 

on is watching the game and really 
being into every pitch,” Driesenga 
said. “I guess (I’ve been) learning 
the certain tendencies of my team-
mates and trying to help them if 
they’re struggling. Or if they’re 
doing well I make sure to tell them, 

See DRIESENGA, Page 10

