Jenissa Conway knew exactly what she had to do.
Extra innings. Two outs. A third consecutive Big Ten sweep on the line. In the Michigan softball team’s series finale against Penn State on Sunday, the moment was clear.
So, the freshman center fielder put her head down and sprinted from second base to home as redshirt freshman catcher Lilly Vallimont’s single zipped into shallow left field. The throw from the Nittany Lions’ left fielder made it just in time. The tag, however, didn’t, and Conway dove just under the catcher’s glove and right across home plate.
If there was one play in the Wolverines’ sweep of Penn State that perfectly represents Michigan’s first-years, that was it.
Knotted 2-2 after eight innings of a grueling pitcher’s duel, the Wolverines were asking a lot from their freshmen at the plate.
“Many young teams — and we have so many youngsters that are freshmen and sophomores — may go in that panic mode,” Michigan coach Bonnie Tholl said Sunday. “But they have remained calm and that’s what I keep learning about this team, is they get comfortable in this situation.”
This competitive maturity, this poise under pressure, is something that Tholl has stressed all season long.
After the Wolverines and their 10-game win streak ran into a wall against Northwestern, Tholl placed an emphasis on living in the big moments. For Michigan to be successful, whether in non-conference midweek games or weekend series against Big Ten bigwigs, staying cool when the stakes got high was going to be crucial.
“We do have the ability to rebound from this,” Tholl said Apr. 10, after the Wolverines were swept by the Wildcats. “We are learning every moment to play in the big moments. To live in the big moments. That is what we need to do, it’s what we’ve been working for. And I think it’s going to pay off.”
Michigan’s focus on big moments is definitely paying off. The Wolverines’ sweep of the Nittany Lions this weekend was packed with them, and Michigan seized pretty much each and every one.
Confidence when the lights get bright can be expected more from upperclassmen. But the four first-years who slot into the Wolverines’ lineup, who have scored a combined 99 runs, have proved that they live for the big moments more and more since that Northwestern series.
The first freshman to shine in the spotlight was Ava Costales. The designated hitter became inevitable in big moments for Michigan, emerging with a go-ahead bomb in a comeback win against Iowa and then walking it off against the Hawkeyes two games later.
Another freshman who ignites when the Wolverines need a spark is right fielder Ella Stephenson, who hasn’t wavered after moving from seventh to fifth in the batting order. Stephenson is Michigan’s newest offensive weapon, and she’s raised her batting average nearly 100 points since March.
And then there’s Conway and Vallimont, who despite seeing varied success throughout the season, proved that they can get things done under pressure this weekend. Conway scored three runs on Saturday, and Vallimont’s RBI single on Sunday clinched a victory.
“I love that they’re getting comfortable in a difficult environment,” Tholl said Apr. 21, after the Wolverines swept Nebraska. “ … So I see it in their eyes. I see it in their presence. I see it in how they walk to the plate. … It’s fun to be around them and to see their confidence.”
What Tholl sees from Michigan’s first-years every day is now on display to the rest of the Big Ten. The Wolverines have won 13 games in a row and, standing half a game away from the top of the conference, owe a lot of that success to their freshmen core.
Because Michigan’s freshmen aren’t just living in big moments — they’re thriving in them.