An oral account of Michigan softball’s 2005 championship season.
Jared Greenspan and Nicholas Stoll
Daily Sports Writers
Softball
In the middle of Thursday’s practice, Carol Hutchins’s phone rang.
It was Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel.
Right away, Hutchins knew the phone call wouldn’t be an easy one.
In 2019, the team came back to Ann Arbor from their weeks on the road with a cumulative batting average of .237. This year, Michigan returns for its home opener hitting just above .222 since the end of its hot streak on Feb. 22.
Both seasons, the Wolverines dropped several unranked matchups — Louisville, Stanford and South Dakota in 2019 and Iowa State, Liberty and Loyola Marymount in 2020.
But if Michigan continues to follow last year’s trajectory, its saving grace may be just around the corner: the first home game of the season.
When it’s 8 a.m. and freezing cold, there’s one person Donny Dreher can count on to be in the stands of a weekend tournament: Michigan coach Carol Hutchins.
Take one look at Alumni Field, the home of Michigan softball, and you’ll be reminded of the program’s success. Hanging directly behind the first base seats is a giant poster of the 2005 National Championship team holding their trophy.
The No. 18 Michigan softball team leapt out to a hot 10-0 start before cooling down and arriving at a 15-8 record. Entering their first series in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines will look to reacquire their early season success, starting with Ball State on Saturday.
In a weekend with little offensive production, the Michigan softball team looked toward its defense to hold games together, and scrape by with wins. For Michigan coach Carol Hutchins, it didn’t do the job.
This weekend, the No. 16 Michigan softball team had two chances to assert itself and prove its fortitude. The first was against No. 1 UCLA (22-1). The second pitted the team against No. 22 UCF (18-5).
Last year, Lexie Blair was arguably the best hitter on the Michigan softball team. This year, the sophomore left fielder’s held the worst batting average on the team — until now.