After a devastating loss to No. 23 Minnesota last weekend, the Michigan softball team traveled back home to Ann Arbor with only one week to prepare for an NCAA Regional. The second-ranked Wolverines will host Valparaiso in their first matchup Friday night. With Notre Dame and Miami (Ohio) rounding out the four-team regional, the Daily previews each team in the Ann Arbor regional.
No. 2 Michigan
Despite its loss in the Big Ten tournament final, No. 2 Michigan remains the overwhelming favorite to advance from the region. The Wolverines (22-2 Big Ten, 46-5 overall) lead the nation in scoring with 8.41 runs per game and rank second nationally in batting average with an impressive .355 clip.
Senior second baseman Sierra Romero didn’t record a hit in six at-bats during the first two games of the Big Ten tournament but notched three hits, including a home run, in the championship game. Romero sits seventh in the nation with a .472 batting average and ranks first in runs batted in per game. Senior centerfielder Sierra Lawrence adds offensive support in the leadoff spot, hitting .452 and scoring 1.39 runs per game, good for first in the nation.
In the circle, Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Megan Betsa will look to improve on her erratic performance in last weekend’s tournament. The junior right-hander leads the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (11.5), but will need to keep her walks down in order to give the Wolverines a winning chance.
Though not as overpowering as Betsa, fifth-year senior right-hander Sara Driesenga maintains a solid presence in the circle with her ability to force ground balls. She posted a 2.13 earned-run average and tallied 21 wins this season.
Because of its top-to-bottom offensive firepower, Michigan is most likely to advance to the Super Regional. Every player currently sits at .300 clip, and no other team in the region can match that stat.
No. 20 Notre Dame
Much like Michigan, offense is vital to Notre Dame’s success, ranking fifth nationally in batting average with a solid .351 clip and scoring seven runs per game. The Fighting Irish (13-7 Atlantic Coast, 41-11 overall) finished third in the ACC and made it to the tournament final, where it lost to No. 8 Florida State.
Notre Dame’s lineup begins with centerfield speedster Karley Wester, who sports a .440 batting average and 42 stolen bases, good for ninth in the nation. Right-hander Caitlyn Brooks and infielder Michaela Arizmendi add power to the lineup with 11 and 10 home runs, respectively. Arizmendi leads Notre Dame with 59 RBI and Brooks ranks second with 52. In the circle, right-hander Rachel Nasland notched 15 victories and left-hander Allie Rhodes notched 18 alongside 148 strikeouts to anchor the Fighting Irish’s pitching staff.
Notre Dame will look to advance further than last season, when it reached the final game of its regional, only to fall to Kentucky in the final inning. Despite qualifying for the NCAA tournament in their previous 17 seasons, the Fighting Irish have never advanced past the regional stage.
Because of its prestigious conference schedule and NCAA Tournament experience, Notre Dame has the best chance of upsetting Michigan this weekend.
Miami (Ohio)
Miami arrives in Ann Arbor after winning four consecutive games to emerge victorious in its conference tournament.
The Redhawks (15-7 Mid-American, 34-21 overall) ranked second in their conference with a .284 batting average and 55 home runs, 11 of which came from their lead-off hitter, infielder Michaela Schlattman, who added 34 RBI. Outfielder and No. 3 hitter Taylor Shuey leads the team with 47 RBI and a .378 batting average.
Spearheading Miami’s rotation is right-hander Amber Logemann who pitched 207 innings this season. Logemann doesn’t strike many batters out but still manages to hold opposing batters to a low .227 average. Logemann received the MAC Tournament MVP after winning all four starts and allowing just four runs in 32 innings.
Inconsistency best sums up the Redhawks’ seasonal performance, as this season they had winning and losing streaks of at least five games.
While its offense may be potent for the MAC and it may be riding a seven-game winning streak, Miami pales in comparison to Michigan and Notre Dame. With the Redhawks’ lack of tougher regular-season competition, they will have a difficult time against the Big Ten champions and ACC-runners up in the Wolverines and Fighting Irish, respectively.
Valparaiso
Valparaiso (8-14, Horizon League, 18-32 overall) finished sixth out of nine teams in the regular season. The postseason though, told a different story. The Crusaders received an automatic NCAA Tournament bid by notching four consecutive upset victories en route to a conference championship.
Offensively, infielder Sam Stewart catalyzes Valparaiso, leading the Crusaders with seven home runs and 32 RBI. In the circle, Taylor Weisenhoffer will look to hold her own against Michigan’s powerful hitters Friday. The right-hander finished second in the Horizon League in strikeouts with 159 and fourth in opponents’ batting average with .248.
Valparaiso faced only one ranked opponent this season, an early 16-5 run-rule loss to then-No. 10 Florida State.
Now in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013, the Crusaders will look to show that they belong in the tournament despite a lackluster regular-season record.
With only one game against a ranked opponent on its schedule, Valparaiso has yet to face a team nearly as powerful as the Wolverines, and may struggle against such a dynamic offense.