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Thursday, May 19, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

NCAA Softball Regional Preview

By AVI SHOLKOFF

Daily Sports Writer

After a devastating loss to No. 

23 Minnesota last weekend, the 
Michigan softball team traveled 
back home to Ann Arbor with only 
one week to prepare for an NCAA 
Regional. 
The 
second-ranked 

Wolverines will host Valparaiso in 
their first matchup Friday night. 
With Notre Dame and Miami (Ohio) 
rounding out the four-team regional, 
the Daily previews each team in the 
Ann Arbor regional.

No. 2 Michigan

Despite its loss in the Big Ten 

tournament final, No. 2 Michigan 
remains the overwhelming favorite 
to advance from the region. The 
Wolverines (22-2 Big Ten, 46-5 
overall) lead the nation in scoring 
with 8.41 runs per game and rank 
second nationally in batting average 
with an impressive .355 clip.

Senior second baseman Sierra 

Romero didn’t record a hit in six 
at-bats during the first two games of 
the Big Ten tournament but notched 
three hits, including a home run, in 
the championship game. Romero 

sits seventh in the nation with a .472 
batting average and ranks first in 
runs per game. Senior centerfielder 
Sierra Lawrence adds offensive 
support in the leadoff spot, hitting 
.452 and scoring 1.39 runs per game, 
good for first in the nation.

In the circle, Big Ten Pitcher of 

the Year Megan Betsa will look to 
improve on her erratic performance 
in last weekend’s tournament. Betsa 
leads the nation in strikeouts per 
seven innings (11.5), but will need to 
keep her walks down in order to give 
the Wolverines a winning chance.

Though not as overpowering as 

Betsa, fifth-year senior right-hander 
Sara Driesenga maintains a solid 
presence in the circle with her ability 
to force ground balls. She posted a 
2.13 earned-run average and tallied 
21 wins this season.

Because of its top-to-bottom 

offensive firepower, Michigan is 
most likely to advance to the Super 
Regional. Every player currently sits 
at .300 clip, and no other team in the 
region can match that stat.

No. 20 Notre Dame

Much like Michigan, offense 

is vital to Notre Dame’s success, 

ranking fifth nationally in batting 
average with a solid .351 clip and 
scoring seven runs per game. The 
Fighting Irish (13-7 Atlantic Coast, 
41-11 overall) finished third in the 
ACC and made it to the tournament 
final, where it lost to No. 8 Florida 
State.

Notre 
Dame’s 
lineup 
begins 

with center field speedster Karley 
Wester, who sports a .440 batting 
average and 42 stolen bases, good 
for ninth in the nation. Right-
hander Caitlyn Brooks and infielder 
Michaela Arizmendi add power 
to the lineup with 11 and 10 home 
runs, respectively. Arizmendi leads 
Notre Dame with 59 RBI and Brooks 
ranks second with 52. In the circle, 
left-hander Allie Rhodes notched 
18 wins alongside 148 strikeouts to 
anchor the Fighting Irish’s pitching 
staff.

Notre Dame will look to advance 

further than last season, when 
it reached the final game of its 
regional, only to fall to Kentucky in 
the final inning. Despite qualifying 
for the NCAA tournament in their 
previous 17 seasons, the Fighting 
Irish have never advanced past the 
regional stage.

Because 
of 
its 
prestigious 

conference schedule and NCAA 
Tournament 
experience, 
Notre 

Dame has the best chance of 
upsetting Michigan this weekend.

Miami (Ohio)

Miami arrives in Ann Arbor after 

winning four consecutive games to 
emerge victorious in its conference 
tournament.

The 
Redhawks 
(15-7 
Mid-

American, 34-21 overall) ranked 
second in the MAC with a .284 
batting average and 55 home 
runs, 11 of which came from their 
lead-off hitter, infielder Michaela 
Schlattman. Outfielder and No. 3 
hitter Taylor Shuey leads the team 
with 47 RBI and a .378 batting 
average.

Spearheading Miami’s rotation 

is right-hander Amber Logemann 
who pitched 207 innings this 
season. Logemann doesn’t strike 
many batters out but manages 
to hold opposing batters to a low 
.227 average. Logemann received 
the MAC Tournament MVP after 
winning all four starts and allowing 
just four runs in 32 innings.

Inconsistency best sums up the 

Redhawks’ seasonal performance, 
as they have had winning and losing 
streaks of at least five games.

While its offense may be potent 

for the MAC and it may be riding 
a 
seven-game 
winning 
streak, 

Miami pales in comparison to 
Michigan and Notre Dame. With the 
Redhawks’ lack of tougher regular-

season competition, they will have 
a difficult time against the Big Ten 
champions and ACC-runners up in 
the Wolverines and Fighting Irish, 
respectively.

Valparaiso

Valparaiso (8-14, Horizon League, 

18-32 overall) finished sixth out of 
nine teams in the regular season in 
the Horizon League. The postseason 
though, told a different story. The 
Crusaders received an automatic 
NCAA Tournament bid through 
four consecutive upset victories en 
route to a conference championship.

Offensively, infielder Sam Stewart 

catalyzes Valparaiso, leading the 
Crusaders with seven home runs 
and 32 RBI. In the circle, Taylor 
Weisenhoffer will look to hold her 
own against Michigan’s powerful 
hitters Friday. The right-hander 
finished second in the Horizon 
League in strikeouts with 159 and 
fourth in opponents’ batting average 
with .248.

Valparaiso faced only one ranked 

opponent this season, an early 16-5 
run-rule loss to then-No. 10 Florida 
State.

Now in the NCAA Tournament 

for the first time since 2013, the 
Crusaders will look to show that 
they belong in the tournament 
despite a lackluster regular-season 
record. But Valparaiso has yet to 
face a team nearly as powerful as 
the Wolverines, and may struggle 
against such a dynamic offense.

DELANEY RYAN/Daily

In her final season, centerfielder Sierra Lawrence leads the nation in runs per game.

