Michigan Wolverines softball

Michigan Wolverines softball

University University of Michigan
Conference Big Ten
Location Ann Arbor, MI
Head Coach Carol Hutchins (31st year)
Home Stadium Alumni Field
(Capacity: 2,800[1])
Nickname Wolverines
Colors Blue and Maize

             

National Championships
2005
WCWS Appearances
1982,[2] 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2015
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Conference Tournament Champions
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2015
Conference Champions
1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

The Michigan Wolverines softball team represents the University of Michigan in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I competition. College softball became a varsity sport at the University of Michigan in 1978. Carol Hutchins has been the head coach since 1985. In 2005, Hutchins' team became the first Division I softball team since 1976 from east of the Mississippi River to win the Women's College World Series.

History

Soluk years

Gloria Soluk was the first head coach of the Michigan Wolverines softball team. When she was hired by Michigan in 1977, it was as Michigan's women's basketball coach, and there was no softball team. She later recalled, "I was asked to serve as the head coach for the first few seasons in order to get things off the ground."[3] In her three seasons as head coach from 1978 to 1980, the Wolverines compiled a record of 50 wins and 25 losses for a .667 winning percentage.

De Carolis years

Bob De Carolis was the Wolverines second head coach, holding that position from 1980 to 1984. In his four seasons as head coach, the Wolverines compiled a record of 114 wins and 81 losses for a .585 winning percentage. In 1982, De Carolis led Michigan to a first-place finish in the AIAW Regional Championships and a third-place finish in the AIAW Women's College World Series.[2] De Carolis remained on Michigan's athletic department staff until 1998 when he accepted a post with Oregon State University. He has been Oregon State's athletic director since 2002.

Hutchins era

Carol Hutchins became the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines softball team in 1985. When she took over as head coach, Hutchins reportedly "had a tiny salary, an only slightly larger budget, and had to take care of her own field, throwing down lime and riding the lawn tractor."[4] Since Hutchins became Michigan's coach, the team has never had a losing season.[5] Hutchins' teams have also won 17 Big Ten Conference regular-season titles and 16 NCAA regional championships. She has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year on fourteen occasions and National Fastpitch Coaches Association ("NFCA") National Coach of the Year twice.[6]

She led the Michigan softball team to its first NCAA Women's College World Series championship in 2005.[6][7] The decisive game was won in dramatic fashion, with a Samantha Findlay home run in the top of the 10th inning, producing a 4-1 final. The 2005 Michigan team was the first team from East of the Mississippi River to win the Women's College World Series.[7][8][9] (Hutchins played shortstop for Michigan State when they won the AIAW national championship in 1976.) The Ann Arbor News described the team's accomplishment this way:

"What happened during the past five months might be the most unlikely accomplishment in the history of a storied athletics program, analogous to setting out to win an NCAA hockey title at the University of New Mexico. Then doing it. Now, before you dismiss that as hyperbole, consider a few factors. Like the fact that, because of cold weather, the Wolverines played their first 33 games on the road, roughly half the season. Try doing that in football or basketball. Then there's recruiting. Softball is still a sport dominated by West Coast talent. ... There's a reason no team East of the Mississippi had won an NCAA softball title until now."[7]

After Michigan beat No. 1 ranked Arizona in March 2005, Hutchins told a reporter, "Yes, there is softball east of the Rockies."[10] The performance of the 2005 team also set Michigan records in several categories:

After winning the World Series, Hutchins and her team visited the White House in July 2005, where they met with President George W. Bush, something Hutchins called "a once-in-a-lifetime experience."[9]

The 2013 team (in blue) in action against Northwestern

In 2006, Hutchins was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame.[11]

In March 2000, Hutchins recorded her 638th win, giving her more career wins than any other coach in University of Michigan history in any sport, male or female.[5] In 2007, she became the seventh coach in NCAA softball history, and the first in any sport at the University of Michigan, to reach 1,000 career wins.[4][5] After winning her 1,000th game, Hutchins told a reporter that her greatest pride did not come from the 1,000 wins, but from her ability to influence how her players look at life, "to get them to work together and to meet standards, to show them they can lead as women."[4] When she was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame, her players presented her with a scrapbook with a note from one saying, "I came here a girl with potential and left here a woman with no limits." Hutchins noted that those 15 words matter more than the 1,000 wins.[4]

In 2009, the Wolverines advanced to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. They won the first game against Alabama by a score of 6-1. In their second game, they lost a close game to Florida by a score of 1-0. They were eliminated in a 7-5 loss to Georgia on May 30, 2009.[12]

In 2015, behind the hitting of Sierra Romero and the pitching of Megan Betsa and Haylie Wagner, Michigan won its sixth Big Ten tournament and its eighth consecutive Big Ten regular season championship.[13]

Through May 10, 2015, Hutchins has a career record of 1,423–469–4 (.752 winning percentage).

Championships

NCAA Women's College World Series National Championships

Season Record Coach
2005 65-7 Carol Hutchins

Conference Championships

Season Conference Record Head Coach
1992 Big Ten Conference 22-6 Carol Hutchins
1993 Big Ten Conference 21-5 Carol Hutchins
1995 Big Ten Conference 22-6 Carol Hutchins
1996 Big Ten Conference 20-4 Carol Hutchins
1998 Big Ten Conference 22-1 Carol Hutchins
1999 Big Ten Conference 21-3 Carol Hutchins
2001 Big Ten Conference 17-3 Carol Hutchins
2002 Big Ten Conference 15-3 Carol Hutchins
2004 Big Ten Conference 17-3 Carol Hutchins
2005 Big Ten Conference 15-2 Carol Hutchins
2008 Big Ten Conference 18-2 Carol Hutchins
2009 Big Ten Conference 17-3 Carol Hutchins
2010 Big Ten Conference 18-1 Carol Hutchins
2011 Big Ten Conference 18-2 Carol Hutchins
2012 Big Ten Conference 18-5 Carol Hutchins
2013 Big Ten Conference 20-2 Carol Hutchins
2014 Big Ten Conference 18-5 Carol Hutchins
2015 Big Ten Conference 21-2 Carol Hutchins

Conference Tournament Championships

Year Conference Tournament Location Head Coach
1995 Big Ten Conference Ann Arbor, MI Carol Hutchins
1996 Big Ten Conference Ann Arbor, MI Carol Hutchins
1997 Big Ten Conference Iowa City, IA Carol Hutchins
1998 Big Ten Conference Ann Arbor, MI Carol Hutchins
2000 Big Ten Conference Iowa City, IA Carol Hutchins
2002 Big Ten Conference Ann Arbor, MI Carol Hutchins
2005 Big Ten Conference Ann Arbor, MI Carol Hutchins
2006 Big Ten Conference Evanston, IL Carol Hutchins
2015 Big Ten Conference Columbus, OH Carol Hutchins

Year-by-year record

[14]

Year Head Coach Record Big Ten Standings Big Ten Tournament NCAA Tournament
1978 Gloria Soluk 12-6 - - N/A -
1979 Gloria Soluk 21-8 - - N/A -
1980 Gloria Soluk 16-11 - - N/A -
1981 Bob De Carolis 19-16 - - N/A -
1982 Bob De Carolis 31-14 4-0 1st Final AIAW Regional champion, WCWS (AIAW National) 3rd
1983 Bob De Carolis 32-27 9-15 6th N/A -
1984 Bob De Carolis 32-24 12-12 4th N/A -
1985 Carol Hutchins 28-20 16-8 2nd N/A -
1986 Carol Hutchins 32-17 12-12 5th N/A -
1987 Carol Hutchins 39-17 17-7 2nd N/A -
1988 Carol Hutchins 29-20 15-9 2nd N/A -
1989 Carol Hutchins 42-20 16-8 2nd N/A -
1990 Carol Hutchins 29-27 12-12 4th N/A -
1991 Carol Hutchins 36-19 15-9 3rd N/A -
1992 Carol Hutchins 37-24 22-6 1st Final NCAA Regional runner-up
1993 Carol Hutchins 46-13 21-5 1st Final NCAA Regional runner-up
1994 Carol Hutchins 34-26 18-10 T3rd N/A -
1995 Carol Hutchins 50-12 22-6 1st Champion NCAA Regional champion, WCWS first round
1996 Carol Hutchins 51-14 20-4 1st Champion NCAA Regional champion, WCWS first round
1997 Carol Hutchins 56-16-1 18-4 2nd Champion NCAA Regional champion, WCWS first round
1998 Carol Hutchins 56-7 22-1 1st Champion NCAA Regional champion, WCWS first round
1999 Carol Hutchins 51-13-1 21-3 1st Final NCAA Regional champion, WCWS first round
2000 Carol Hutchins 45-16-1 13-4 2nd Champion NCAA Regional first round
2001 Carol Hutchins 43-17-1 17-3 1st Final NCAA Regional champion, WCWS first round
2002 Carol Hutchins 50-11 15-3 1st Champion NCAA Regional champion, WCWS first round
2003 Carol Hutchins 44-16 13-5 2nd Semifinals NCAA Regional runner-up
2004 Carol Hutchins 54-13 17-3 1st Quarterfinals NCAA Regional champion, WCWS first round
2005 Carol Hutchins 65-7 15-2 1st Champion NCAA National champion
2006 Carol Hutchins 44-15 14-4 2nd Champion NCAA Regional champion
2007 Carol Hutchins 47-13 12-4 3rd Semifinals NCAA Regional champion
2008 Carol Hutchins 52-8 18-2 T1st First round NCAA Regional champion
2009 Carol Hutchins 47-12 17-3 1st N/A NCAA Regional champion; WCWS 2nd round
2010 Carol Hutchins 49-8 18-1 1st N/A NCAA Regional champion
2011 Carol Hutchins 53-6 18-2 1st N/A NCAA Regional runner-up
2012 Carol Hutchins 42-17 18-5 1st N/A NCAA Regional champion
2013 Carol Hutchins 51-13 20-2 1st Semifinals NCAA Regional champion; WCWS 2nd round
2014 Carol Hutchins 47-15 18-5 T1st Final NCAA Regional champion
2015 Carol Hutchins 60-8 21-2 1st Champion NCAA National Runner-up
Seasons Overall Record Pct. AIAW Record Pct. NCAA Record Pct. Big Ten Record Pct.
38, 1978-2015 1,572-566-4 .735 99-55 .643 1,473-511-4 .742 556-181 .754

Notable players

All-Americans

Alumni Field, the home of the Michigan Wolverines softball team

Michigan has had 17 players selected as NFCA All-Americans.[15]

Athletic Hall of Honor

Big Ten Player of the Year

Big Ten Pitcher of the Year

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex: Alumni Field MGoBlue.com: University of Michigan Official Athletic Site.
  2. 1 2 Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN 978-0-9893007-0-4.
  3. ↑ John Kerr (October 29, 1980). "Softball coach named". The Michigan Daily.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "A milestone at U-M, a rock for her players: Coach Hutchins sets first-rate standard". Ann Arbor News. 2007-05-03.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Carol Hutchins, Head Coach: 25th Season". MGoBlue.com.
  6. 1 2 "Protect The Block 'M': Long-time Michigan Coach Carol Hutchins changed the face of softball in the Big Ten and across the nation with her Wolverine philosophies". Big Ten Conference. 2007-04-03.
  7. 1 2 3 "It can't get much better for Hutchins". Ann Arbor News. 2005-06-12.
  8. ↑ Joanne C. Gerstner (2006-02-16). "Softball players bemoan sport's Olympics demise". The Detroit News.
  9. 1 2 Kevin Wright (2005-09-05). "National Championship marks softball first". The Michigan Daily.
  10. ↑ Lou Ponsi (2005-03-21). "Softball: Michigan beats No. 1 Arizona to win Klassic; The fourth-ranked Wolverines win the final of the Fullerton tournament, 6-2". The Orange County Register.
  11. ↑ "Hall of Fame: Carol Hutchins". National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
  12. ↑ "2009 Michigan Softball Schedule". Michigan Softball Archive. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  13. ↑ Mark Snyder (May 11, 2015). "U-M softball steamrolls Big Ten, seeks national title". Detroit Free Press.
  14. ↑ "Michigan Softball Year-by-Year Results". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  15. ↑ "University of Michigan Softball". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved 2009-12-13.

External links

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