Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - Alex Brooks

The Michigan Wolverines softball team opened the 2010 season ranked #4 in the NFCA Top 25 College Softball Poll. With high expectations and a star-studded pair, Nikki Nemitz and Jordan Taylor in the circle, the Wolverines were expected to hit the ground running when Michigan took the field in February. And with the exception of a couple of frustrating performances, Coach Hutchins’ squad has lived up to its pre-season hype.

Michigan opened its 2010 run in Clermont, Florida at the NTC Division I Elite Invitational. Poor weather nullified games against top 20 foes Tennessee and Oklahoma. The Wolverines then took out Chattanooga in a dominating performance before losing to #7 Georgia. They rebounded to conclude the tournament with a 13 inning victory over #8 Oklahoma.

The competition certainly didn’t weaken the following weekend at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge. Michigan took out Oklahoma State twice in convincing fashion, while also defeating #19 LSU. The Wolverines, however, were upset by Virginia. The loss stands as Michigan’s lone defeat by a non-Top 25 squad. Ironically enough, the Wolverines took out the Cavaliers, 13-0, a day prior.

Michigan then traveled to Columbus, Georgia to the perennially tough NFCA Lead-Off Classic. There the Wolverines captured wins over #18 Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Illinois, and Maryland. They did lose an extra-inning affair to #6 Missouri and a shootout to #9 Alabama. The Crimson Tide rolled for 10 runs in the match, the most given up by Michigan in over nine years.

After a midweek victory over Mississippi State, the Wolverines sought and captured revenge over ‘Bama. Michigan swept the top ten-ranked Tide in two match-ups at the Easton SEC/Midwest Challenge in Tuscaloosa. Michigan topped Alabama, 5-2 and 4-2, with much better pitching performances than the earlier blunder against the Tide in Columbus. The then-#7 ranked Wolverines were also the victors twice against South Carolina.

The daunting pre-season schedule has given Coach Hutchins and crew a roller coaster ride from the onset of 2010. While Michigan has the most losses of any team in the Top 10 (4), the only team in the Top 10 that has faced more Top 25 teams than the Wolverines is #5 UCLA. The number of losses thus far in the season may be startling, but a closer examination of the competition Michigan has faced as the first month of play comes to a close reveals that the Wolverines have played and beaten some of the nation’s best. Michigan is also the only team in the Top 10 which hasn’t played a home game.

These early season match-ups in the heat of the backyards of several perennial softball powers do wonders to prepare a team for the late season push to the Women’s College World Series and Oklahoma City. In 2005, when Michigan won its first National Championship, the Wolverines beat #1 Arizona, #11 Texas, #13 Georgia Tech, #13 Oregon, #15 Florida (thrice), #17 Baylor, #21 Florida State, and #24 Fresno State (rankings at time of game). Six of those 10 victories were captured in the opponent’s home state. Michigan is no stranger to heading into the teeth of softball’s best, and it has proven that success in the preseason often equates to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wolverines have one major test before the Big Ten conference match-ups commence on March 27^th. Michigan will travel to Fullerton, California for the prestigious Judi Garman Classic on March 18^th. Coach Hutchins’ troop will face #2 Arizona and #15 Texas as well as UNLV, Utah, and DePaul. Michigan will compete in the Red & Black Tournament in Louisville against Louisville and Hofstra a week prior to the trip out west.

Michigan’s home opener will be a March 24^th tilt with Bowling Green, before opening the Big Ten season on the 27^th against Illinois in Ann Arbor.

Go Blue!

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