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Thursday, June 2, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Women’s College World Series Preview
By AVI SHOLKOFF and
BETELHEM ASHAME
Daily Sports Writers
After
early-season
contests,
conference games and tournaments,
Regionals and Super Regionals, just
eight teams remain to compete in
the Women’s College World Series in
Oklahoma City.
Notably absent is No. 1 Florida,
which was upset by No. 16 Georgia in
the Super Regionals, thwarting the
Gators’ attempt to become just the
second team to win three straight
championships in the WCWS.
The Michigan softball team arrives
in Oklahoma City well-rested after a
come-from-behind Super Regionals
victory in which the second-ranked
Wolverines scored four runs in the
top of the seventh inning to vanquish
No. 17 Missouri, 5-4.
“Team 39 has fought really hard
… they’ve had high expectations all
year, and they’ve had to work through
the burden of it,” said Michigan
coach Carol Hutchins. “I’m looking
forward to getting to Oklahoma City
so we can just enjoy playing.”
The Daily previews every WCWS
team, listed in order of the team’s
ranking.
No. 2 Michigan (21-2 Big Ten,
51-5 overall)
With nearly every starter in the
lineup returning from last season’s
runner-up squad, the Wolverines
have
the
experience
and
the
personnel to make a deep run in the
WCWS.
In the circle, junior right-hander
Megan Betsa has pitched all but 0.2
innings of Michigan’s postseason
thus far, allowing just eight runs.
Through two playoff rounds, Betsa
ranks second nationally in strikeouts
per seven innings with 10.7.
Offensively, the Wolverines rank
eighth in postseason batting average
with a .315 clip and have scored 30
runs in their past five games. From
senior centerfielder Sierra Lawrence
in the lead-off spot to junior
shortstop Abby Ramirez in the No.
9 hole, Michigan’s lineup is stacked.
Nearly every player hits at least .300,
with the majority over .320. In the
Super Regional, junior third baseman
Lindsay Montemarano hit two home
runs and finished with four RBI.
Before
competing
against
relatively
weak
conference
opponents, Michigan traveled to the
West Coast and Southeast to face off
against top teams like Florida, No. 8
Florida State and No. 12 UCLA — the
latter two of which the Wolverines
defeated, and both teams are now in
the WCWS.
This is the third and final WCWS
for second basemen Sierra Romero,
Lawrence,
rightfielder
Kelsey
Susalla, right-hander Sara Driesenga
and the Wolverines’ three other
seniors. They will look to avenge a
gut-wrenching loss in last season’s
championship. With Florida not in
the tournament, the Wolverines
are the favorite to bring home their
second title.
No. 3 Oklahoma (17-1 Big 12, 52-7
overall)
Left-hander Paige Parker leads
the Sooners in the circle. Parker
garnered Big 12 Pitcher of the Year
for the second straight season. The
sophomore won 28 games, sported a
1.45 earned-run average and pitched
12 shutouts, the second best in the
nation. In Oklahoma’s victory last
weekend over No. 14 Louisiana
Lafayette,
Parker
pitched
two
complete games.
That offense leads all postseason
teams with a .362 batting average.
Oklahoma’s freshmen anchor the
offense with first baseman Shay
Knighten leading the team in home
runs with 11, second baseman
Caleigh Clifton ranks first in on-base-
percentage with .558 and third
baseman Sydney Romero — the sister
of Michigan’s Sierra — leads the team
in triples and has struck out just four
times in 193 at-bats.
The Sooners return to the WCWS
for the first time since 2014 and
currently hold a 27-game winning
streak, cementing their place as the
team with the most momentum in
the tournament.
No. 4 Auburn (16-7 SEC, 54-10
overall)
Spending much of the year as
a top-five team in the nation, the
Tigers have risen to prominence
thanks in large part to a 17-game win
streak in the middle of their season,
including 13 straight victories over
Southeastern Conference foes.
With a dynamic offense led by
third basemen Kasey Cooper —
one of three finalists for 2016 USA
Softball Player of the Year — Auburn
is making just its second appearance
in the WCWS. The Tigers breezed
through
their
NCAA
Regional,
outscoring their opponents 22-4 en
route to three wins. After a 5-3 loss
to Arizona in the first game of their
Super Regional, Auburn rallied with
4-1 and 6-1 victories to earn a spot in
Oklahoma City.
The Tigers also claimed the SEC
Tournament crown — defeating
Alabama, Florida and LSU in the
process — an impressive feat given
that the conference boasts four of the
eight teams in the WCWS.
No. 6 Alabama (16-8 SEC, 51-12
overall)
In 36 innings this postseason, the
Crimson Tide have allowed just four
runs and three earned. Right-hander
Alexis Osorio leads Alabama from
the circle, pitching 29.1 postseason
innings en route to four wins and
no runs allowed. Osorio dealt with
injuries throughout the season, but
now appears to be fully healthy.
At the plate, lead-off hitter
Haylie McCleney ranks first on the
Crimson Tide in batting average,
stolen bases, doubles and on-base
and
slugging
percentage.
She
earned All-SEC first team for the
third time in her career.
Alabama finished fifth in the SEC,
which remains one of softball’s most
difficult conference. The Crimson
Tide also swept No. 11 Washington
in their Super Regional and defeated
Florida twice in the regular season.
Thursday, Alabama will face
Oklahoma
in
its
first
game,
attempting to end the Sooners’
27-game winning streak.
No. 8 Florida State (21-2 ACC,
53-8 overall)
The Seminoles are making their
ninth appearance in the WCWS.
Florida State dropped just two
conference games all year and
won its third consecutive ACC
Championship — 13th overall in
the conference’s 25-year history in
softball.
The Seminoles roll into the WCWS
riding a 10-game winning streak.
Florida State defeated Florida A&M,
1-0, and South Carolina, 4-0 and 2-1,
in their Regional, while sweeping
Utah in the Super Regional. Backed
by a commanding pitching staff,
Jessica Burroughs and Meghan Kind
— both with ERAs hovering around
2.00 — will pose a great challenge.
Florida State took on Michigan
twice in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
back in February, but couldn’t keep up
with the Wolverines’ overpowering
offense,
falling
6-2
and
10-3.
However, in the midst of a surge of
momentum, the Seminoles look likely
to keep rolling in the WCWS. But
their first opponent, Georgia, may be
riding even more momentum having
just knocked off two-time defending
national champion Florida.
No. 10 LSU (13-11 SEC, 50-16
overall)
The Tigers upset No. 7 James
Madison in their Super Regional last
weekend to return to the WCWS for
the second straight year. Pitching
is the key to LSU’s success, with its
three starters posting ERAs below
2.30. Right-hander Carley Hoover
anchors the rotation, striking out 214
batters in 177.2 innings. At the plate,
infielder Bianca Bell earned first-
team All-SEC honors after hitting
.386 with 12 home runs.
LSU was swept by both Florida
and then- No. 16 Kentucky, but the
Tigers did beat No. 6 Alabama twice
at home and reached the final of the
SEC tournament before losing to No.
4 Auburn.
Though the team is young — it
started three freshmen in the final
Super Regional game — but has
proved it can compete with the top
teams this season.
The Tigers take on Michigan, the
highest ranked team in the WCWS,
in their first game Thursday.
No. 12 UCLA (16-5-1 Pac-12,
40-14-1 overall)
A
national
powerhouse
with
11 WCWS titles, most recently in
2010, the Bruins battled their way to
Oklahoma City with a major upset
of No. 5-seed Oregon. After taking
an 8-1 loss to the Ducks to open its
Super Regional, UCLA looked likely
to be sent packing, but the Bruins
roared back on the second day of
competition with back-to-back 2-1
victories.
UCLA boasts a dominant offense
spearheaded by second team All-
Americans Mysha Sataraka and
Delaney Spaulding. Sataraka leads the
team with a .763 slugging percentage
and a .561 on-base percentage, while
Spaulding leads the team with 17
home runs and 61 RBI.
The Bruins also played Michigan
in February during the Mary Nutter
Collegiate Classic and fell just short
against the Wolverines, 8-6, off a late
three-run homer. However, with a
major boost from a Super Regional
win, Auburn will hacve its hands full
with UCLA.
No. 16 Georgia (12-12 SEC, 45-18
overall)
The
Bulldogs
are
the
most
surprising inclusion in the WCWS.
They are the lowest seed of the eight
teams, and they needed to defeat top-
ranked Florida twice in Gainesville,
Fla. Led by right-hander Chelsea
Wilkinson, who sports a 1.84 ERA
alongside 27 wins, Georgia swept the
Gators en route to the WCWS.
First baseman Tina Iosefa leads
the nation in home runs and RBI with
23 and 86, respectively, and outfielder
Cortni Emanuel adds speed at the
top of lineup, stealing 32 bases in 32
attempts, third best in the SEC.
Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs
lost to UCLA via the run-rule, 14-6.
In conference play, they faced off
against Auburn, LSU and Alabama,
but failed to win more than one game
in any of those series. The Bulldogs
could not advance past the first round
in the SEC tournament, losing to Ole
Miss, 4-2.
Georgia is led by its powerful
offense that run-ruled its first 10
opponents including seven shutouts.
The Bulldogs’ offense will need to get
going against a pitching rotation as
powerful as Florida State’s in its first
matchup.
MARINA ROSS/Daily
Sierra Romero was named USA Softball Player of the Year on Tuesday.