This article says Michigan will host its eighth-straight regional. The Wolverines will host their seventh-straight regional this year.

A first-round exit from a conference tournament might fluster many of the nation's top teams.

But the No. 6 Michigan softball team, which lost to Michigan State 2-1 in Evanston, isn't going to let Thursday's upset get in the way of its bigger goals - like hosting its eighth-straight regional tournament this weekend and reaching the Women's College World Series for the first time since 2005.

"We're going to get over the loss and move forward," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. "We have much more important things to do."

This team has too much determination to dwell on a tournament that Hutchins referred to as "the least important we play all year."

Even without claiming the Big Ten Title, Michigan (18-3 Big Ten, 48-6 overall) secured itself an at-large bid in the 64-team NCAA Tournament. As a No. 4-seed, the Wolverines will play Wright State in the Ann Arbor region that includes Notre Dame and Kent State. If Michigan wins the region, they will also host the Super Regional.

Thursday's loss was a matter of confidence, and the Wolverines simply couldn't find theirs. Their usually potent offense and solid pitching failed to pull through. And in the single-elimination tournament, all it took was one loss and Michigan boarded the bus looking forward.

But the good news is the Wolverines can look ahead to double-elimination tournaments all the way to Oklahoma City. Michigan has yet to register back-to-back losses this season, a feat accomplished just one other time in program history - the 2005 National Championship season.

"Every kid on this team is capable and has all the confidence we need them to have," Hutchins said. "They need to trust it. Trust and confidence are the most important things we have going into the Tournament."

Heading into its opening-round game against Wright State on Friday, Michigan has the intangibles of a top team.

Turn to pitching, and the numbers speak for themselves.

The duo of freshman Jordan Taylor (27-3) and sophomore Nikki Nemitz (21-3) have held the nation's best combined earned runs average all season (0.70). They attack hitters and keep them off-balance.

Even though Taylor and Nemitz are underclassmen, hitters and coaches can't help but take notice of their composure on the mound. With the game on the line, they can shut down teams one batter at a time.

And the Wolverines couldn't ask for better leadership.

Senior co-captains Samantha Findlay and Alessandra Giampaolo have led Michigan on and off the field. Their vocal presence on defense and in the dugout is hard to match. Not a single pitch leaves the hands of Nemitz or Taylor without Findlay's words of encouragement from second base.

Besides leading the team in batting average and on-base percentage, Findlay is the Michigan all-time leader in home runs (62) and RBI (217), and Giampaolo has shown a knack for consistent play, hitting safely in 35 of the last 39 games, including one of Michigan's four hits in Thursday's loss.

But most important, they know what it takes to win a National Championship. They're available to remind their young teammates that every at-bat is not going to come easy and every pitch is not going to come through.

Their experience is invaluable to winning. They saw what it was like to be the first team east of the Mississippi River to win a National Title and are ready to lead Michigan to another.

The Wolverines are determined to show the country that they can compete with the West Coast powerhouses and not just put up a fight, but come out on top.

They're hungry for post-season success, and Thursday's loss was a wake-up call.

The Spartans (9-13, 27-29 overall) saw their season end Friday in their 13-4 semi-final loss to Iowa. Michigan won't be facing such mediocre teams in the near future.

The road to Oklahoma City will be filled with the nation's best. The Wolverines have proven themselves against tough competition. After outscoring ranked opponents by a combined 43-15 margin, this team has shown the talent, power and dedication to make it to Oklahoma City.