Michigan to travel to 

Seattle for NCAA regional

Beaubien’s perfect game highlights 

doubleheader sweep

The D-1 Softball Committee 

revealed on Sunday that the 
Michigan softball team will travel 
to Seattle in the NCAA regional. 

The 
Seattle 
regional 
is 
a 

double-elimination 
bracket 

consisting of the home team in 
No. 16 Washington, Michigan, 
Western 
Athletic 
Conference 

champion Seattle, and Big Sky 

Conference champion Portland 
State. Michigan will face Seattle 
to open its regional battle on 
Friday night. 

Although 
Washington 
was 

ranked 16th by the committee, 
securing 
the 
final 
regional 

host site of the tournament, its 
resume suggests that they are a 
far-stronger team than that. The 
Huskies were ranked No. 5 in the 
nation entering the final weekend 
of the season. They went 41-11, 
and will pose a serious challenge 
for the Wolverines. 

Due to Seattle being the 16th 

and final regional host in the 
tournament, 
Michigan 
will 

most likely be forced to travel to 
Norman, Okla. to face the No.1 
Oklahoma softball team, should 
it survive the difficult Seattle 
regional. 

The selection comes after a 

strong season for the Wolverines. 
They partook in a conference-only 
schedule in the Big Ten, posting a 
36-6 record, and winning its 22nd 
conference title. The Wolverines’ 
resume is highlighted by key 
series wins against Northwestern 
and No. 23 Minnesota, the two 
other teams representing the Big 
Ten in the NCAA tournament. 

Michigan enters the NCAA 

tournament hot, winning 15 of its 
last 16 games. Matching up with 
Washington on its home field, 
however, will most likely be the 
team’s most difficult test of the 
season. 

In a meeting with reporters 

following the selection, Michigan 
coach Carol Hutchins voiced her 
displeasure in the committee’s 
decision to send the Wolverines 
to Seattle, in a regional housing 
a top five team in the nation, as 

opposed to hosting the regional 
at Alumni field after her team 
produced a successful season in 
the Big Ten.

“(The committee) absolutely 

did not do a very good job,” 
Hutchins said. “They disrespected 
our entire conference … I’m not 
very pleased with (them) at all.” 

Last season’s NCAA softball 

tournament was canceled due 
to 
the 
COVID-19 
pandemic. 

In the last installment of the 
tournament in 2019, Michigan 
hosted a regional in Ann Arbor, 
where they fell to James Madison 
University. 

Michigan has reached the 

NCAA 
tournament 
in 
every 

season since 1995. In that span, 
it has advanced to the super 
regionals 18 times, and continued 
to the College World Series 
12 times. It won the national 
championship in 2005. 

The Wolverines have failed 

to advance to a super regional in 
their past three attempts, marking 
the longest such stretch since 
their NCAA tournament streak 
began in 1995. They will look to 
end their dry spell this weekend, 
with 
regionals 
beginning 
on 

Friday. 

Rutgers pinch hitter Megan Herka 

walked to the plate ready to play 
spoiler. 

No. 18 Michigan had denied the 

Scarlet Knights a spot on base all 
game. Now, marking the potential 
last batter of the day, it was Herka’s 
job to ruin senior left-hander Meghan 
Beaubien’s perfect slate.

It looked like Herka was going to 

do just that, as she took three straight 
balls to start her plate appearance. 
The game wasn’t on the line, but a 
career milestone was. Facing a tough 
count, Beaubien kept her composure.

“If I threw another ball, I was 

gonna walk her anyway,” Beaubien 
said. “So I’m just staying loose and 
telling myself that if I stay loose and I 
throw this pitch, then it’s going to be a 
good one and trusting that they’re not 
going to hit it.”

Feeding Herka a strike and forcing 

a foul tip, Beaubien worked Herka 
back into the corner the Scarlet 
Knights had been stuck in all game. 
The final pitch careened toward 
junior catcher Hannah Carson and 
nestled itself in the well-worn leather 
of her glove.

Ball game.
Perfect game.
As Beaubien leapt into the air to 

celebrate an achievement that most 
pitchers can only dream of, Michigan 

celebrated an 11-0 win that could only 
be described as dominant in every 
measurable way.

A key part of that was the 

Wolverines’ defense. Out of 15 
batters, 13 were put out by the field. 
As much as the perfect game is an 
accomplishment for Beaubien, it also 
speaks to Michigan’s ability to back 
up its pitchers.

“I give a lot of credit to the defense 

today,” Beaubien said. “I didn’t have 
a lot of strikeouts, but the defense is 
making some great plays so I think 
that was a really big team effort and 
proud of my outfielders and I think 
everyone did a great job.”

Part of that team effort came from 

freshman catcher Keke Tholl, who 
made a spectacular catch on a foul ball 
in the fourth inning. First baseman 
Gabrielle Callaway tipped the ball in 
the air toward the first base line. Tholl 
popped out of her stance and chased 
it, diving forward to make the play.

The outcome suggests Rutgers’ 

at-bats were lackluster all game, but 
hitters were able to put the ball in 
play, sometimes deep. Every time that 
happened, though, they couldn’t find 
the gap and the Wolverines made an 
out.

No matter what the fielders could 

do to help her, the perfect game 
came down to superb pitching from 
Beaubien. 
The 
Scarlet 
Knights 

couldn’t get comfortable at the plate, 
and the edge that she had gained in 
Friday’s win meant she was attacking 

everyone that stepped in the batter’s 
box. Rutgers was forced to deal with 
poor pitches that left them empty 
handed.

Often, those led to quick, easy outs. 

Beaubien’s two strikeouts over the 
five innings is an uncharacteristically 
low count considering she averages 
around 9.88 strikeouts per seven 
innings. She didn’t need to get many, 
though, because the Scarlet Knights 
did the work for her.

In fact, the biggest challenge for 

Beaubien to overcome may have 
been keeping focused on the game 
itself rather than the upcoming 
milestone. That meant returning to 
the methodology that has guided the 
Wolverines all season.

“I was just trying to focus on one 

pitch at a time,” Beaubien said. “I 
didn’t want to get too excited about 
that possibility. The second you get 
too excited and start thinking about 
that, that’s when you’re most likely 
gonna give it up.”

Beaubien’s perfect outing was 

a fitting way to end what could be 
the last home start of her career. As 
the NCAA Tournament looms and 
Michigan focuses on winning its 
upcoming regional, this game proved 
that Beaubien’s not done yet. 

“I tell you, there’s some things I 

want from Megan Beaubien that are 
bigger than that,” Michigan coach 
Carol Hutchins said. “I want her to 
play on the biggest stage. And I want 
her to help take us there.”

 PAUL NASR

Daily Sports Writer

 CONNOR EAREGOOD

Daily Sports Writer

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily

Meghan Beaubien threw the first perfect game of her career against Rutgers.

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily

Michigan will travel to Seattle for the NCAA regionals. 

Thursday, May 20, 2021

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS 13

