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Thursday,May 10, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

Beaubien highlights All-Big Ten selections for ‘M’

In a season where the No. 16 
Michigan softball team (18-3 Big 
Ten, 43-10 overall) reclaimed its 
spot atop the Big Ten standings, 
it’s only natural that the acco-
lades have come pouring in.
Four Wolverines were named 
to All Big-Ten teams Wednes-
day, with freshman left-hander 
Meghan Beaubien — named Big 
Ten Pitcher of the Year and Big 
Ten Freshman of the Year — 
highlighting the slate. She and 
senior first baseman Tera Blanco 
were also unanimous All-Big Ten 
First Team selections. Joining 
them on the first team was junior 
second baseman Faith Canfield, 
while junior catcher Katie Alex-
ander 
garnered 
second-team 
honors.
Additionally, 
Beaubien 
and 
freshman 
shortstop 
Natalia 
Rodriguez made the inaugural 
All-Big Ten Freshman Team, 
while Canfield was recognized 
for her glovework as the second-
base representative on the All-
Big Ten Defensive Team. Senior 
catcher Morgan Swift was Mich-
igan’s Sportmanship Award hon-
oree.
For her work in leading a rela-

tively young team to the top of 
the conference standings, Michi-
gan coach Carol Hutchins was 
named Big Ten Coach of the Year 
— the 17th time she has received 
this honor.
The Daily breaks down each 
all-conference 
selection 
and 
their best performances in con-
ference play.
Meghan Beaubien
People knew Beaubien was 
going to be good, but they’d be 
forgiven if they didn’t think she 
was going to be this good. No-
hitters, statistical milestones, 
national recognition — Beaubien 
has them all.
Beaubien ranks fifth in the 
country and first in the Big Ten 
with a 0.90 earned-run aver-
age and leads the nation with 32 
wins — including a 16-1 confer-
ence record. She is just the 11th 
pitcher in school history to rack 
up 30+ wins. As if that weren’t 
enough, she also threw three no-
hitters and combined for anoth-
er with freshman right-hander 
Sarah Schaefer.
Due to her eye-popping statis-
tics, Beaubien was also named a 
top-10 finalist for the USA Soft-
ball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Best performance: May 5 vs. 
Ohio State — 5 IP, 1 H, 5 Ks

Though Beaubien threw two 
no-hitters 
against 
conference 
foes in Purdue and Maryland 
and had games where she gar-
nered twice as many strikeouts, 
her start against the Buckeyes 
— her final of the regular sea-
son — was her best because the 
lights were brightest. Against 
one of the toughest offensive 
teams the Wolverines would 
face, Beaubien delivered, making 
Ohio State batters look silly time 
and time again. The lone hit she 
allowed was to Lilli Piper — one 
of the best hitters in the confer-
ence — and Piper was thrown 
out attempting to advance to 
third base with no damage done. 
Michigan would eventually win 
the game, 8-0.
Tera Blanco
After a down season by her 
standards last year, Blanco large-
ly returned to form at the plate 
while also serving as the Wol-
verines’ No. 2 starting pitcher, 
behind Beaubien.
In conference play, she batted 
.438 with an on-base percentage 
of .645 and a slugging percent-
age of .813. She also knocked ten 
home runs — five in conference 
games — and drove in 23 runs. 
Her OBP and RBI marks were 
both second in the Big Ten.

This is the third consecutive 
year that Blanco has been named 
to the All-Big Ten First Team.
Best performance: Mar. 31 vs. 
Purdue — 3-3, 2 HR, 4 RBIs
In the second game of a week-
end series against Purdue, Blan-
co had a game for the ages. She 
reached in all four of her plate 
appearances — garnering three 
hits and a walk — in Michigan’s 
11-1 win. In the fourth inning, 
she hit a home run into the out-
field of Ray Fisher Stadium, and, 
not to be outdone, ended the 
game in the fifth when she blast-
ed another pitch off the camera 
tower in center field for a walk-
off three-run shot.
Faith Canfield
As the Wolverines’ leadoff bat-
ter, Canfield’s job was to set the 
tone for every game and serve as 
a catalyst for the rest of the line-
up. She did just that.
In Big Ten play, Canfield post-
ed a batting average of .417 — just 
behind Blanco for fifth in the 
conference. She also had seven 
doubles, 15 RBI and only one 
strikeout. She also showcased 
her speed with four stolen bases.
Defensively, Canfield posted 
a fielding percentage of 1.000 — 
unusual for a middle infielder — 
and demonstrated her ability to 
make both the routine and flashy 
plays, earning her a spot on the 
All-Defensive Team.
Best performance: May 5 vs. 
Ohio State — 3-4, 2B, SB, 2 RBIs
In one of the most important 
series of the year and against the 
toughest opponents Michigan 
would face in conference play, 
Canfield came through. With the 
Wolverines up 1-0, an RBI single 
and an error by the Buckeyes’ 
right fielder extended Michigan’s 
lead to a more-comfortable 3-0. 
Then, in the bottom of the fifth 
with runners on first and second, 
two outs and the score sitting at 
6-0, Canfield hit a deep double to 
right-center field to score both 
runners and end the game early 
with a run-rule rivalry win.
Katie Alexander
Though her stats weren’t as 
flashy as Blanco’s or Canfield’s, 
Alexander made her presence 
known both at the plate and 
behind it. Not only did the former 
bullpen catcher develop into an 
offensive force, she also caught 
all six of the Wolverines’ no-hit-
ters — a program record — and 
managed the varying personali-

ties of the newcomer Beaubien 
and the veteran Blanco.
Alexander earned her second-
team nod by batting .351 in con-
ference play with 11 RBIs, five 
doubles, two triples and a home 
run and even added a stolen 
base. Defensively, she boasted a 
.994 fielding percentage and Big 
Ten opponents went just three-
for-nine on stolen base attempts 
with Alexander behind the plate.
This is her first all-conference 
nod.
Best performance: Apr. 6 at 
Penn State — 3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs
After an up-and-down start to 
her season, Alexander broke out 
in State College. In Michigan’s 
14-2 run-rule win, Alexander 
had an RBI single in the second, 
a double in the fifth and a two-
out, bases-loaded RBI single in 
the sixth — part of a seven-run 
rally that extended the Wolver-
ines’ lead from five runs to 12 
runs and ended the game early.
Other honorees
Rodriguez — along with Beau-
bien a representative on the 
All-Big Ten Freshman Team 
— didn’t post the eye-popping 
traditional stats of some of her 
teammates, but she made her 
presence known in other ways. 
A vacuum at shortstop, Rodri-
guez showed off her range by 
saving many a would-be hit. She 
posted a .913 fielding percentage 
in conference play. At the plate, 
the slap-hitter punished oppos-
ing defenses with her speed and 
was a perfect three-for-three in 
stolen bases.
Swift, Michigan’s Sportsman-
ship Award winner, served pri-
marily as the bullpen catcher and 
appeared in just four games over 
her career with the Wolverines 
— and only one in 2018. Though 
her lone career at-bat was three 
years ago, Swift is still an impor-
tant veteran leader on the team. 
A stalwart in the classroom as 
well, Swift double-majored in 
business 
administration 
and 
mechanical engineering and was 
named Academic All-Big Ten in 
2016 and 2017.
Hutchins kept her team calm 
through a bad start to non-con-
ference play and led them to an 
18-3 conference record — includ-
ing a 15-game winnings streak. 
Michigan won 37 of its last 41 
games and will once again be the 
top seed in the Big Ten Tourna-
ment.

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer

ALEC COHEN / DAILY

