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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.

