Pitching dominates Michigan softball
Alexa Dettelbach
Daily Sports WriterFebruary 22nd, 2012
It looked like it was going to be a long weekend for the Michigan women’s softball team when it was handed its first loss of the season in a 7-3 game against Maryland at the FAU Kickoff Classic in Boca Raton, Fla.
It didn’t end the way it began.
The 11th-ranked Wolverines (8-1) ended the tournament with four straight shutouts, including one over then-No. 22 Kentucky on Saturday.
After losing All-American right-hander Jordan Taylor to graduation last season, pitching was not supposed to be a strength coming into the season. But, led by the team’s freshmen pitching duo left-hander Haylie Wagner and right-hander Sara Driesenga, Michigan’s pitching could not be stopped.
“The pitchers on this team are so different from each other,” Driesenga said. “They lost Jordan last year — we aren’t Jordan, but together we are all a little bit different and together we can be effective.”
Wagner led the way at the FAU Kickoff Classic, going 2-0 on the weekend while pitching 14 scoreless innings. Against LIU Brooklyn on Friday, she notched her first shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out four. She followed up that performance with an excellent outing agains the more impressive Wildcats.
On Monday, Wagner was named Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the Week.
“Our hope is (Wagner) keeps getting better and keeps developing her pitches,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “She’s going to continue to get opportunities to improve.”
Wagner’s award marked the second consecutive week that a member of the Wolverine pitching staff was honored by the Big Ten. On Feb. 13, Driesenga was awarded Co-Freshman of the Week honors after her five-inning no-hitter against then-No.22 LSU.
Driesenga struggled to pick up where she left off from her performance against the Tigers and gave up 12 hits and seven runs in a 7-3 loss to the Terrapins this past Friday. But she found her groove on Saturday against Florida Atlantic, giving up just five hits and striking out two without allowing a walk.
“In the first game, against Maryland, I was just slow,” Driesenga said. “I wasn’t really finishing up pitches as well as I should have been and that’s what I fixed in the game on Saturday.”
Along with Driesenga and Wagner, junior right-hander Stephanie Speierman added to the pitching staff’s momentum when she recorded her second-career shutout in a 4-0 rout of Wright State in the last game of the tournament.
“We all have to step up,” Driesenga said. “We have to have a one-pitch focus (because) every pitch matters. If we make a mistake, it’s going to come back and bite us.”
Who knows, maybe the Wolverines will earn their third straight Big Ten pitching award when the weekend’s over.
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Tue, 28 May 2013 09:11:36 -0400