SPORTS 11

Thursday, May 9, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Leadership, selflessness keys to Big Ten Tournament title run

When the Michigan softball team 
entered the conference season, it 
had already suffered ten losses and 
struggled against the likes of South 
Dakota and Louisville. While the 
pitching staff gave the Wolverines 
a chance in most games, especially 
in wins over then-No. 2 UCLA and 
then-No. 5 Washington, the offense 
struggled to produce any sort of 
traction. Failing to find hits with 
runners on base became Michigan’s 
Achilles heel and a run at the Big Ten 
seamed bleak.
But then the Wolverines caught 
their stride and they look like an 
entirely different team. Winning 
the Big Ten with a 22-1 conference 
record, Michigan has turned its 
most glaring weakness into one of 
its most reliable strengths in only 
two months — throughout Big Ten 

play, the Wolverines boasted league-
highs in batting average (.355) and 
RBIs (174). 
Winning its conference during the 
regular season isn’t out of the norm 
for Michigan, though. Since 2008, 
the Wolverines have won outright or 
grabbed a share of the Big Ten every 
year except for one. In that same 
time span, Michigan has won the 
Big Ten Tournament only once. And 
if the Wolverines want to prove that 
they deserve home field advantage 
for the NCAA regional, it could 
very well come down to the team’s 
performance on a weekend that has 
historically been their kryptonite. 
However, Michigan coach Carol 
Hutchins feels there is something 
different in the air this season 
compared to teams of the past 
when the Wolverines fell short of a 
postseason conference title. 
“This year’s team has been 
extremely 
player-driven 
and, 
I 

would say, very much led by our 
senior class,” Hutchins said. “Our 
seniors have been outstanding all 
year from the moment they got back 
to campus in late August and made 
their statement that they wanted 
this team to be different than the 
last couple teams and they wrote out 
their own game plan for that.”
The shift in culture from previous 
years to now not only has started 
with the leadership and experience 
this team brings. Perhaps the 
most important quality Michigan 
possesses is its selfless dynamic.
“Honestly, from the minute we 
got back from our preseason travel, 
our team had kinda found its way 
through some really difficult early 
season games,” Hutchins said. “The 
seniors put the team on their back 
and said, we’re gonna get this done. 
And they’ve done it, of course, on 
the field. And when somebody isn’t 
getting it done, because inevitably 

every game, some people are on and 
some aren’t, they pick each other up. 
They’ve stepped up for each other 
and they never quit.
“This team has reminded me 
all season, especially in our last 
28 games, that they’re just one big 
selfless amoeba.”

So if the Wolverines are able to 
combine this culture with their 
season-long trend of righting their 
wrongs, both past and present, they 
could very well find themselves 
holding that Big Ten Tournament 
trophy that has eluded them year 
after year.

AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Summer Managing Sports Editor

The Daily breaks down and predicts the Big Ten Tournament

After securing the outright Big 
Ten title Sunday, the Michigan 
softball team kicks off the Big Ten 
Tournament with its first game on 
Friday. The Wolverines picked up 
the top seed and earned a first-round 
bye for the sixth time in the last seven 
seasons. The Daily breaks down the 
tournament and gives its predictions. 
Daniel Dash, Daily Sports Writer
Michigan’s 
most 
valuable 
tournament asset: With six players 
batting over .300 and two over 
.400, the Wolverines’ depth and 
consistency separates them from the 
rest of the pack.
Michigan’s biggest tournament 
weakness: The Wolverines will have 
to play three games in two days if 
they advance to the finals, so having 
just two reliable pitchers — whereas 
most teams have three or four — 
could make fatigue an enemy.
Champion 
prediction: 
Minnesota
The Golden Gophers may have 
finished third in the conference’s 
regular season standings, but don’t 
let that fool you. Numbers don’t lie — 
Minnesota is arguably the Big Ten’s 
most talented team. Four Gophers 
are batting over .300, headlined 
by infielder MaKenna Partain’s 
.417 clip. In the circle, right-hander 

Amber Fiser boasts a conference-best 
1.25 ERA. Minnesota has won this 
tournament the last three years, so 
the roster knows what it takes.
Dark horse candidate: Illinois
Despite being the No. 9 seed, the 
Fighting Illini enter the Big Ten 
Tournament with the conference’s 
best offense. Illinois’ league-high 
.319 team batting average and .520 
slugging percentage could spearhead 
a Cinderella run, but its pitching staff 
must avoid imploding.
Lily Friedman, Daily Sports Writer
Michigan’s 
most 
valuable 
tournament asset: With five seniors 
starting in the Wolverine lineup, 
experience will be the team’s biggest 
asset going into the tournament. 
Under players like senior second 
baseman Faith Canfield and senior 
catcher Katie Alexander, the entire 
Michigan lineup has experience with 
close games and has thrived under 
the leadership of its seniors in tough 
innings.
Michigan’s biggest tournament 
weakness: 
A 
big 
problem 
for 
Michigan thus far this season has 
been 
inconsistency. 
While 
the 
Wolverines have won some matchups 
against 
highly-ranked 
opponents 
like No. 1 UCLA, the team’s struggles 
against subpar competition like 
South Dakota could pose an issue in a 
one-and-done tournament.
Champion 
prediction: 
Minnesota

Watching its third game against 
Northwestern, Minnesota looked 
strong, especially defensively. With 
right-hander Amber Fiser pitching 
tight like she did against formerly 
undefeated Northwestern and the 
rest of the pitching staff combining 
for its season-ERA of .171, Minnesota 
could play well enough defensively to 
lock in a tournament win.
Dark horse candidate: Ohio State
Though seeded fourth, Ohio State 
fell below Michigan, Northwestern 
and Minnesota in the regular season 
as far as competing for a Big Ten title. 
But the Buckeyes are still a strong 
contender to make a tournament run. 
Handing the Wolverines their first 
and only Big Ten loss this season, 
Ohio State could be in position to get 
hot in the tournament and make a 
championship run.
Lane Kizziah, Daily Sports Writer
Michigan’s 
most 
valuable 
tournament asset: Even early in 
the season when their offense was 
lacking, the Wolverines could count 
on their fielding to keep them in most 
games. Michigan currently leads the 
Big Ten with the fewest errors and 
the highest fielding percentage.
Michigan’s biggest tournament 
weakness: Pitching has frequently 
posed a problem for the Wolverines. 
While both freshman right-hander 
Alex Storako and sophomore left-
hander 
Meghan 
Beaubien 
are 
among the top 10 pitchers in the 

conference, Storako has struggled 
to remain consistent in later innings 
while Beaubien has already pitched 
183.2 innings and has seen her own 
performance fluctuate as the season 
has progressed. 
Champion 
prediction: 
Northwestern
Despite having a relatively young 
team, the second seeded Wildcats 
boast strong pitchers, including 
freshman Danielle Williams with 
an ERA of 1.46. Coupled with 
dependable fielding, Northwestern’s 
defense can hold most opponents to 
just a few runs. The Wildcats’ lack of 
command at the plate — a combined 
batting average of .273 — will likely be 
their biggest weakness. 
Dark horse candidate: Wisconsin
The fifth seeded Badgers may be 
the most well-rounded team. Not only 
do they possess the best hitter in the 
conference — Kayla Konwent with 
a batting average of .479 — they can 
also hold their own on defense. They 
have decent fielding statistics and the 
depth of their pitching staff should 
not be underestimated. Coming in 
with wins against Illinois, Indiana, 
and Nebraska, Wisconsin may have a 
shot this weekend.
Akul Vijayvargiya, Daily Sports 
Writer
Michigan’s 
most 
valuable 
tournament asset: With five seniors 
in the lineup and a conference-high 
332 runs scored throughout this 

season, 
the 
Wolverines 
possess 
leadership and a batting prowess they 
haven’t seen since the times of Sierra 
Romero.
Michigan’s biggest tournament 
weakness: Though the Wolverines 
are lucky to have such a reliable No. 
2 pitcher in freshman right hander 
Alex Storako behind sophomore All-
American Meghan Beaubien, both 
might be somewhat gassed by the 
end of the weekend which could hurt 
them in the championship game.
Champion prediction: Michigan
Coach 
Carol 
Hutchins 
has 
this team primed to win in the 
postseason. Not only will experience 
and consistency in the batting lineup 
bode well for the Wolverines, but the 
team has shown it can win against the 
likes of Minnesota and Northwestern 
with victories over No. 2 Washington 
and No. 3 UCLA. The first round 
bye will prove to be pivotal for the 
pitching staff as well since it might 
give Beaubien and Storako the last 
bits of energy they need to finish the 
weekend strong.
Dark horse candidate: Illinois
The Fighting Illini lost to the 
Wolverines by only one run in two of 
the three games they played against 
each other, so don’t count them out if 
they are to go against the top seed on 
Friday afternoon. If Illinois is able to 
clear that hurdle, it has the offensive 
firepower to spark another win or 
two on Saturday.

DAILY SOFTBALL BEAT
Daily Sports Writers

ALEC COHEN/Daily
The Michigan softball team kicks off the Big Ten Tournament Friday.

