Bonnie Tholl was 13-years-old the last time the Michigan softball team had a losing conference record.
Five years before the Wolverines’ first-year head coach arrived at Michigan as a player herself and two years before Carol Hutchins took over the reins, the Wolverines achieved a 9-15 record in Big Ten play. Now, following 40 years of consistent excellence, this year’s Michigan team will finish with a dismal 10-14 Big Ten record.
The Wolverines are projected to miss the NCAA tournament all together — which would be the first time since 1994 — leaving them with a final season record of 26-25. Although Team 46 didn’t tarnish Michigan’s streak of never posting a losing season, it achieved the statistically worst record in program history.
But don’t call for Tholl’s head just yet. You can blame her and think she could have done more with the talent she had, but ultimately, Tholl was always the right choice to carry on the legacy of Michigan softball.
Tholl’s biggest asset is her experience with the program. As an alum, then assistant coach and associate head coach of the Wolverines for 29 years, Tholl knows what success looks like at Michigan. But the fact that she spent her career with the Wolverines up to this season as an assistant is the very reason why she doesn’t have prior experience as a head coach.
As much as Tholl should have used her Michigan knowledge to avoid a rebuild year, she has never been a head coach. Compounded with the fact that nearly half of her roster was new to the program this year, some amount of rebuilding was inevitable.
The Wolverines had the talent to compete on paper, but they still couldn’t. Even some of the best players in the country — along with their first-year head coach — needed time to develop.
“I think this team is so freaking talented, and as soon as they realize it, they’re gonna take off,” graduate first baseman Melina Livingston said after Michigan’s loss to Penn State Wednesday. “I think one of our downfalls this year is that kids were just so inexperienced and didn’t understand that they are so good and that they deserve to be here.”
The young players might not understand their potential, but their coaches should. And in some cases, Tholl and her staff successfully guided players through a breakout season. Freshman second baseman Indiana Langford, for example, ended the season with the second highest batting average on the team after cementing herself in the starting lineup halfway through conference play — earning a Big Ten Second Team selection.
Michigan also maintained its strong pitching identity with the emergence of sophomore right-hander Lauren Derkowski. After losing both of last year’s starting pitchers — most devastatingly former All-American right-hander Alex Storako to Oklahoma — Tholl placed her trust in Derkowski to continue the dominance. Derkowski delivered, but the Wolverines’ bats failed to match her efforts.
For the majority of the lineup, Tholl and company couldn’t elicit the desired performance, perhaps due to the rebuild within the coaching staff itself. To fill her own vacant spot, Tholl hired Michigan softball alum Amanda Chidester as a hitting coach. The Wolverines clearly haven’t profited off of the hire yet as their poor hitting was the very thing holding them back all season. But Chidester is a first year coach. She, just like the players she works with, will improve.
Tholl’s dedication to her players and their success is apparent despite the lack of immediate results. Before every game, she is right there on the field leading her team through its warmups. Many times, I watched her run extra one-on-one drills with freshman shortstop Avery Fantucci, correcting form and boosting confidence. Who better than Tholl — one of Michigan’s best former players — to recognize and develop a promising talent. All she needs is time to reap the benefits.
In the meantime, as bad as the season looked to spectators, Tholl felt the weight of every misstep and took accountability along the way. After a third consecutive series loss to end the Big Ten regular season, she acknowledged her role in the disappointing showings.
“We just need a few more tools in our toolbox to be able to play how we want to play both physically and mentally,” Tholl said May 7 after getting swept by Minnesota. “It’s my job and the staff’s job to help get them there and to prepare them and we fell short in this area this weekend.”
In the context of the Wolverines’ illustrious softball history, this season was an extreme low point — as close to a failure as you can get while managing to maintain a winning record. Tholl, better than most, understands Michigan softball success and that this season was far from it. Go ahead and call her out for her mistakes. I bet she is already all too aware of them.
But don’t question her hire. Bonnie Tholl is the right person to lead the Michigan softball program.
Let her prove it.