Michigan Softball 2016 Season Preview

Submitted by South Bend Wolverine on

[Bumped (and added some photos) because it's good and so is our softball team. --Seth]

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Sprinkle the cheese

It’s hard to put the experience of Michigan’s 2015 softball season into words.  It was totally unique in so many ways.  Michigan fans were desperate for something to go right after hockey, basketball, and football all came up well short of pre-season expectations.  Jim Harbaugh was making headlines, but concrete results were still months away, and the Michigan community was still convalescing from its long bout of Brandonitis.  It was the perfect time for niche sport to make a bid for mainstream status, as fans needed something, anything to go right, to make things feel like Michigan again.

Into this void stepped a group of twenty young women, swinging bats and making pizza as they blasted their way through the country and the Big Ten, into the record books and Maize and Blue hearts nationwide.  The team combined absurd offensive production and strong pitching with an unmatched rootability factor.  Whether on TV or in person, this team was fun.  When Lauren Haeger’s Gators bounced them in the last game of the season, it felt like an injustice, just like Trey Burke missing out on his crown or the Legend of Shawn Hunwick falling short against Minnesota-Duluth.

The difference between those crimes and this one, however, is that Michigan has a chance to put things right.  Almost everyone is back from the 2015 squad, and there’s no question that they’ve been working harder than ever all offseason to earn what was denied them a year ago.  It’s a new year with fresh faces and stiff competition, but this is a team on a mission.  Below, we’ll break down roster changes, offense and defense, and the opposition Michigan will face in the season ahead.  2016 isn’t going to be 2015 all over again, and Hutch and her crew are smart enough not to try to make it that.  It just might be a little bit better.

[Hit THE JUMP to see what that team lost and what to expect from this one]

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Departures

sweethomercheese

Michigan’s class of 2012, while small, was one of the most storied in recent history.  They left Ann Arbor having recorded exactly 200 wins, 4 Big Ten Regular Seasons Championships (3 outright), 1 Big Ten Tournament Title, 2 trips to the WCWS, 2 more trips to the Super-Regionals, and one appearance in the championship series.

Only 2 members of that remarkable class saw significant playing time in 2015.

Lauren Sweet was the definition of steady as a rock for Michigan behind the plate. She played in 237 games in her Michigan career, starting as the primary catcher all 4 years.  Early on in her career, Sweet’s offense was a bit uneven, but her defense was stellar, culminating in a senior season in which she was literally error-free. Her offense also broke through as a senior, as she finished with a .302 batting average and became one of 5 Michigan players to hit double-digit home runs.

Haylie Wagner’s career at Michigan was filled with ups and downs. In her first year, she broke Jordan Taylor’s freshman wins record (32) and looked set to be a 4-year ace.  Injuries and other struggles held her back as a sophomore, however, as Sara Driesenga took over top billing, and then as a junior Betsa rose as Driesenga faded, eating into Wagner’s time once again. In her senior year, Wagner looked to be playing second fiddle to Betsa until the playoffs, as Betsa stumbled and Wagner rose to the occasion.

While she couldn’t get that last W, she remains etched in the Michigan record books and in Maize and Blue hearts forever.  One of only 3 Wolverines to win 100 games in the circle, Wagner is a legend.  Her tearful post-game interview in Oklahoma City was a powerful reminder of everything that is best in college sports.

Becca Garfinkel also graduated.  A career role-player, she did not make many on-field appearances at Michigan. She did win Academic All-Big Ten honors 3 times, however, and won the 2015 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Driesenga came to Michigan with this class as well, and was expected to graduate with them. Circumstances changed, however, when she suffered an early-season injury which led to a medical redshirt and a 5th year.  More on her below.

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New Faces

Michigan welcomes a large freshman class this year.  Seven new players will be joining the Maize & Blue in 2016, including some who may be called upon to make an instant impact.  As usual, I will turn this section over to other authors who have a better grasp on recruiting than I do.  In particular, MGoSoftball put together some great “Hello” posts a while back, and MGoBlue.com has some fun fluff pieces on getting to know the players.

Alex Sobczak (officially listed as UT, but most expect her to be the starting C) - http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/hello-alex-sobczak & http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/120215aaa.html

Leah Crockett (RHP) - http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/hello-leah-crockett-sb & http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/110415aaa.html

Faith Canfield (UT) - http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/hello-faith-canfield & http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/102815aaa.html

Natalie Peters (OF) - http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/hello-natalie-peters-sb & http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/111815aaa.html

Courtney Richardson (OF) - http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/112515aaa.html

Katie Alexander (C) - http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/102115aab.html

Mackenzie Nemitz (IF) - http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/111115aaa.html (Yes, younger sister of Nikki Nemitz)

For more information on the freshmen, as well as the rest of the team, I’d also direct you to the dynamic website that ಠ_ಠ put together: http://michigansoftball.pwnz.org/.  The site includes info on the whole roster, projected depth charts at every position, and expectations for each player for the year ahead.

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In the Circle

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[Fuller]

Pitching should be a strength for Michigan in 2016, although some questions remain. With ground-ball specialist Haylie Wagner now playing in the pros, Michigan turns to strike-out queen Megan Betsa as the unquestioned ace of the staff.  Betsa has been a regular contributor from the moment she stepped onto campus, tossing a no-hitter against Detroit, leading the team in Ks (150), and finishing the year as the 2nd-team All-Big Ten pitcher.  As a sophomore, she improved in almost every statistical category.  While pitching 81 more innings than she did as a freshman, she cut .43 off her ERA (down to 1.72), .22 off opponent batting average (1.68), threw 2 more no-hitters, and more than doubled her strike-outs, fanning a staggering 333 batters in 2016.

Only two pitchers in the nation struck out more hitters per seven innings than Betsa last year.  The only knocks on Betsa are that she remained a bit more likely to give up the long ball than Wagner and gave up too many walks (104).  She also seemed to fade a little down the stretch, struggling in the playoffs, especially the WCWS.  Nevertheless, she played well enough to earn both 2nd-team All-American honors and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year award.  The only question with Betsa is whether she will merely remain very good or take that next step and become one of the all-time greats.  Given the degree of improvement she showed from freshman to sophomore year, I’d be hard pressed to bet against her.  Even if she just stands pat, however, Michigan will have one of the nation’s best pitchers headlining the staff.

After Betsa, the presumed #2 pitcher will be 5th-year senior Sara Driesenga.  A RHP somewhere between Wagner and Betsa on the strike-out/ground-out scale, Driesenga was expected to be a major factor on the team last season.  She started off very strong, posting a .78 ERA in limited appearances.  She was sidelined by injury early on, however, and while she continued to dress for games, it was clear by late in the season that the coaches were looking to get her a medical redshirt, which is what ended up happening.  Her Michigan journey has been a winding one.  As a freshman, her pitching was middling, but she contributed in a major way at the plate, hitting .340.  As a sophomore, she found her stride and hurled the Wolverines all the way to the WCWS, but in her junior year was never able to return to that level of performance.  She was a bit of a wildcard coming into last year, and now having missed almost an entire season of competition, it’s very difficult to project how she’ll end up performing.  At the very least, she should provide some strong senior leadership and an experienced option when the younger pitchers get into tight spots.  It’s entirely possible, though, that she will come out guns-blazing and give Michigan one of the best 1-2 punches in the nation.  There’s just no way to know until she steps into that circle.

Finally, there is sophomore RHP Tera Blanco.  With Betsa and Wagner playing at such a high-level in 2015 and Blanco struggling to catch up to the college game, she spent most of the year at 1st base, making her major contributions at the dish.  After the season, Hutch had some stern words regarding Blanco in a radio interview, reminding listeners that Tera was not brought to Michigan to play in the field, and if she wanted to live up to expectations, she’d have to step up her game in the circle.  There is no question that she has the physical capabilities needed for the job.  She’s got a lot of power, evident in her hitting as a freshman, and she was one of the top two or three pitching recruits nationwide coming out of high school.  She’s got potential, and pitching coach Jennifer Brundage is one of the best in the country.  She might be Michigan’s third option behind Driesenga, or she might have a break-out year and become the number two.  Like Driesenga, she’s tough to project.  All Michigan needs to do is hit on one of the two of them, though, in order to have an excellent staff.  If both are playing at a high level, then Michigan’s only problem will be finding enough innings to go around.

Freshman RHP Leah Crockett also comes in with a pile of hype and loads of raw talent.  While it’s theoretically possible that she could break into the line-up this year, with 3 talented and experienced pitchers ahead of her, it’s hard to see a clear route to playing time.  Don’t expect to see her much this year – ಠ_ಠ speculates that Crockett might even get the rare non-medical redshirt.  It would be great if she did; regardless, she’s more a name to keep in mind for 2017 and beyond than for this year’s squad.

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At the Plate

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[Bryan Fuller]

I’ve said it each of the last two years, and now I get to say it one last time: discussion of Michigan’s offense has to begin with none other than super-star infielder Sierra Romero.  Romero is Ms. Everything at the plate for Michigan.  She can hit for power, holding both the #1 and #2 single-season home-run totals in Michigan softball history as well as the NCAA career grand-slam record (set in just three years!).  At the same time, she hits for average better than anyone else on the team, so much so that her .449 mark last year was actually a minor disappointment after she nearly hit .500 as a sophomore.  She’ll play small ball as well, always alert to bunt for a base hit if she catches the defense playing her too deep.  Last but not least, she is a phenomenally disciplined hitter.  She only struck out 8 times last year while drawing 58 BBs and 12 HBPs.  She finished 4th nationally in on-base percentage a year ago (1st among major conference players) with a .601 mark while also being tied for 12th in the country in home runs.  She won the inaugural espnW Softball Player of the Year award, and narrowly missed out on the more prestigious USA Collegiate Softball Player of the Year Award.  It’s hard to imagine how she could get better at this point, but she probably will somehow.  Even if she doesn’t, she’s among the favorites for national player of the year honors in 2016 and will be the lynchpin of Michigan’s offense.  A year ago, she batted 2nd for the most part, where her power could drive in Sierra Lawrence and 9-hitter Abby Ramirez, while her OBP put Christner, Susalla, and Sweet in position to succeed.  In the early going, Hutch is sure to tinker, and Romo can easily bat in any of the top 4 spots in the line-up.  Wherever she ends up hitting, she’ll have opposing pitchers shaking in their shoes and Michigan fans jumping to their feet.

MGoBlog made a t-shirt.

I could easily fill a couple more pages with praise for Romo, but that would be a disservice to the rest of the team.  Michigan returns almost all of last year’s heavy artillery. Five players hit double-digit home runs in 2015, and of those 5, only Lauren Sweet has departed.  That means that 88% of Michigan’s record-setting home-run production is back.  Kelly Christner was without doubt the break-out player of the year last season, upping her BA from .299 to .393, her OBP from .368 to .484, and, best of all, going from only 3 HRs as a freshman to a whopping 21 as a sophomore.  Not far behind are Kelsey Susalla (who would have been the break-out player were it not for Christner’s crazy production) and Sierra Lawrence.  Both hit 14 homers and got on base well over 40% of the time.  Susalla’s numbers are actually a little ahead of Lawrence’s, but Lawrence is still likely to lead off as she did last year due to her blazing speed and brilliant base-running abilities.  Aidan Falk, Tera Blanco, and Taylor Swearingen all brought significant power to bear as freshmen last year, and will be looking to break out themselves in 2016.  They’ll need to do so if they want to stay consistently in the line-up, as Michigan’s depth will keep at-bats at a premium.

After the heavy hitters, Michigan has plenty of capable on-base merchants as well.  Lindsey Montemarano fended off some early challenges to her playing time, partly through her stout defense, but also due to a sharp up-tick in her plate discipline.  She only hit .242 last year, easily the lowest among Michigan’s regular starters, but she used a keen eye and her small frame (with its attendant small strike zone) to rack up 42 walks, good for an OBP of 427.  Abby Ramirez, meanwhile, thrived in the 9-hole, flying under the radar but effectively turning over the line-up time after time.  She could move up to the lead-off spot if Hutch wants, but she might also be the perfect player to make a home in that sneaky 9 spot.  Amanda Vargas showed potential last year as well, and some of the freshmen – most notably Alex Sobczak, who will likely be in the line-up thanks to her catching duties – will be pushing for playing time as well.

By my count, Michigan has at least 11 starter-quality batters on the team, likely more than that when we factor in the other freshmen and potential improvement from some of last year’s bench crew.  This means that we should not have to fear complacency after last year’s brilliant offense, as any player caught resting on her laurels will soon find herself resting on the bench instead.  The only challenge should be finding enough playing time for everyone and figuring out what order to put players in.  Michigan should have the best offense in the country this year, with an un-matched combination of home-run power and on-base percentage.  The offense alone is enough to carry Michigan deep into the playoffs, and this team has a lot more than just offense.

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In the Field

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Defense is one of the more difficult areas of softball to prognosticate for.  Errors are infrequent and hard to predict, and it isn’t always quite clear what makes for an elite defensive squad.  Whatever that formula is, though, Michigan was following it pretty well last season, finishing tied for 19th in the nation in fielding percentage at .973 – only the slightest of drop-offs from 2014, despite significant defensive losses to graduation.  There’s room for improvement there, but overall a solid performance.  Sierra Romero once again posted the most errors on the team with 10, although she did manage once again to improve in that department despite a positional switch aimed at minimizing strain on a nagging arm injury.  The rest of the infield had their struggles as well, while the outfield was nearly flawless (only 5 errors all year between Lawrence, Christner, and Susalla combined).

The real question, however, is whether Sobczak can step in from day one and be a successful D-I catcher.  She’s filling some pretty big shoes, as 4-year starter Lauren Sweet bids farewell, and takes her 1.000 fielding percentage with her.  No one is expecting Sobczak to be senior-level Sweet right off the bat, but reliability behind the plate is hugely important to sound defense.  She’ll be pushed from behind by Katie Alexander, a walk-on out of my old school, Saline High.  In a pinch, Michigan might also turn to sophomore Aidan Falk, who stepped in at catcher for a spell last year when Sweet went down with an injury.  Early returns are good on both Sobczak and Alexander, who were reported to have played well in fall ball by those in attendance.  It’s a safe bet that, out of the 3 candidates, someone will emerge who can field the position and keep up with the nasty movement the Wolverine pitchers put on the ball.  The bigger question will be whether the player who locks down the catcher position can also keep pace with the rest of the line-up on offense.

Overall, Michigan really just needs to stand pat from a year ago, although improvement is always welcome.  The pitchers should make the defense’s job fairly easy, and the offense has the firepower to cover up the occasional mistake.  Against the nation’s elite, though, high-level defense can be the difference between a close win and a close loss.  Excellence in the field will be a key component in Michigan’s run to Oklahoma City.

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Schedule

Now that we know who the 2016 Wolverines are, it’s time to take a look at the opponents they’ve got in store.  As always, Michigan faces a brutal road schedule filled with road trips to the South & West before returning to the Midwest to face a comparatively navigable Big Ten slate.

The non-conference grind has become one of the distinctive elements of Michigan softball over the course of Carol Hutchins’ career.  SEC & PAC-12 teams know they have elite competition in conference, and thus don’t feel the need to play many top-notch opponents until later in the year.  Other Northern teams, meanwhile, are rarely up for the challenge of a series of rough road tests.  Only a special breed of young women are willing to come to Michigan to go through the rigors of trans-continental flights and long stretches away from home.  Those who are, though, bond through the unique experience and develop the kind of mental toughness that Hutch and her staff value so highly.  This year is no different from any other, as team 39 faces 29 straight road contests before getting their first chance to play in the friendly confines of Alumni Field.  While a number of easier opponents are mixed in for filler, Michigan will have plenty of opportunities to get quality wins.  2015 tournament teams Florida (#1 in the nation in the preseason poll), South Carolina, NC State, UNC, Missouri, California, UCLA, Oklahoma, Washington, Virginia Tech and Florida State all make appearances on Michigan’s non-conference slate, several more than once.  A few losses will surely crop up, but so should a number of quality wins.  Vengeance against the Gators in the third game of the season would be especially sweet, both emotionally and in the rankings.  Michigan will either be a favorite (often heavily so) or a push in every game they play.  Look for the Wolverines to come through strong but not unscathed, staying in the top-8 and on schedule to host a super-regional.

Big Ten scheduling in recent years has been nothing if not odd.  The three-game format combined with the shortened season to accommodate the tournament means that Michigan only plays 8 Big Ten opponents.  In a bloated, 14-team conference, this means missing out on a lot of enticing match-ups.  Making matters worse, softball schedules are done on a heavily regional basis in order to minimize travel costs, meaning that Michigan misses out on a lot of the tougher Western teams while getting stuck with less appealing dates with the Marylands & Rutgers of the world.  This year Michigan skips their toughest challenger (#14 Minnesota), and takes on only three teams with winning Big Ten records in 2015.  Conference play opens with a big home series against Northwestern (the only other Big Ten team to sniff the top-25) before road trips to mediocre Indiana and always-tough Nebraska.  If Michigan can get through this opening stretch with no more than a loss or two, the rest of the conference slate is manageable to say the least.  Michigan has three game sets against mediocrities like OSU, Rutgers, Maryland, and Penn State and a home-and-home (split up over a couple weeks) against a miserable MSU squad.  If Michigan takes more than 2, maybe 3 losses in conference, it will be a significant surprise and disappointment.

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Bold Predictions

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Heavy sprinkling projected [Bryan Fuller]

In just a moment, I’ll lay down my expectations for the season ahead, including Big Ten and tournament forecasts.  First, though, a look back at last year’s hot takes and how I did with those:

“Michigan will end the non-conference portion of the season with a few big wins, but suffer too many setbacks to stay in the top-ten.  They will still be in position to host a regional, however, with a ranking in the top 16.”

Pretty far off on this one, and I was glad to be so.  Michigan dominated the non-conference schedule last year, dropping only four games, two of which were against (sigh) eventual national champion Florida.  Meanwhile, they racked up 7 Ws against ranked teams, including two each against top-ten Florida State and Alabama in their home ball-parks.  Michigan entered Big Ten play at #4 in the nation, easily in position to host not just a regional, but a super-regional as well.

“When a team has won seven conference championships in a row and returns this kind of pitching and talents like the Sierras, it is almost impossible to pick against them in conference play.  Even if Michigan struggles, the substantially easier slate of opponents will guide the Maize and Blue to another outright Big Ten crown.”

Spot-on, and the team did me one better by bringing home the tournament crown as well.  After a boggling early loss to Iowa and a run-rule defeat at Minnesota, the light went on, and Michigan won their next 19 conference games to complete the double.  Taking 2 out of 3 at Minnesota proved decisive, as the Gophers finished just one game back.  In the tournament, Michigan out-scored Penn State, Northwestern, and Nebraska by a combined score of 31-2.

“Michigan will host a regional in Ann Arbor, but probably not a super-regional unless the youth movement on offense comes together in a big way.  A trip to the WCWS is very much in play, but not a lock.”

I’ll claim partial credit on this one.  Michigan did indeed host a regional, and went on to host a super-regional as well.  The prediction that some new stars would need to emerge on offense in order to secure this was on-point – fortunately, stars emerged in grand style.  Michigan’s ability to bat through the entire order was a major factor in their drive to Oklahoma City.

“A bonus prediction: with Hutch only needing 28 wins to crack the 1,400 mark and having earned at least 40 wins in every single season since 1994, look for her to fly past 1,400 career wins in 2015.”

This was, admittedly, an easy one.  Hutch notched more than double the needed wins, soaring to 1,432 career Ws.  Hutch also passed Arizona’s head man, Mike Candrea, who boasts 1,428 wins in his illustrious career.

Now, for some predictions for the year ahead.  Last season, I was cautious in my prognostications, pointing to the wide array of question marks including a large number of new faces on offense, a pitching staff that had never yet been able to put it all together at the same time, and more.  This year, there are many more knowns than unknowns as huge portions of last year’s national runner-up team return.  The only things that temper my optimism going into the 2016 season are my innate pessimism and the fact that I don’t know as much as I’d like to about some of our top competition around the nation.  That said, I feel as good about this team as I’ve felt about any of the teams I follow in recent memory.  So, without further ado:

-          Michigan enters the season ranked #2 in the nation, so we won’t be sneaking up on anyone, and a few hiccups are all but inevitable.  Nevertheless, only the absolute best pitchers in America will be able to slow down our dominant offense.  Look for Michigan to emerge from the non-conference schedule ranked in the top-10, likely the top-5, and boasting a number of high-quality wins to burnish the tournament résumé.

-          Michigan has won 8 consecutive Big Ten regular season titles.  There’s no way I can pick against them doing so once again in 2016.  The schedules look to be a little more even this year, so we won’t have that advantage, and with the Golden Gophers rotating off of Michigan’s slate, we won’t have the chance to take games directly from our primary competition.  Michigan’s schedule is pretty light, however, and the talent is deep.  As long as they don’t all go cold at the same time, Michigan should emerge on top after the conference grind.

-          Boasting a conference championship and likely a top-10 or even top-5 ranking to boot, Michigan can expect to be in position to host both a regional and a super-regional.  Losing at either of these stages would be a major, major disappointment.  Once you get to Oklahoma City, all bets are off, as only the best teams reach that level.  That said, last year Michigan and Florida were clearly a cut above the rest of the field at the WCWS.  Florida lost their best player, while Michigan returns much more.  Make of that what you will…

-          Finally, two individual predictions, one for a player and one for the coach.  Last year, Carol Hutchins moved into first place among active coaches on the wins list.  This year, she needs only 25 wins to pass Margie Wright on the all-time list.  This is a lock to happen; the only question is where she’ll be in relation to Mike Candrea, the only other name I’m willing to countenance alongside Hutch for the title of greatest softball coach of all time.  Look for Hutch to spend at least part of the season as the winningest coach the sport has ever seen.

-          Last but not least, I expect Sierra Romero to cement her status as the greatest softball player ever to don the Maize & Blue.  Barring injury, she should win Big Ten Player of the Year for a 3rd time, be named a first-team All American for the 3rd straight season, and – I’m going to come right out and say it – claim softball’s Heisman Trophy, the USA Collegiate Softball Player of the Year Award.

Nothing is set in stone, and until the games are played there’s no way to know for sure what is going to happen.  We’ve all seen teams that weren’t expected to go anywhere over-achieve, and we’ve seen stacked rosters come up short.  This is not a time for pessimism or paranoia, however.  Michigan rolls into 2016 with a sterling record of recent achievement, the best batting order in the nation, and the hunger that can only come from falling in the final game of the season.  No one on this team is ready to rest on their laurels.  This is a team built to succeed at the highest levels.  Just how far they go will be settled on the field.  Get your tickets now.

Comments

Wolvie3758

February 9th, 2016 at 9:36 AM ^

I think is way off..I dont see this team being outside the top 4-6 from the get go and I think will be the #1 team throughout the year....Im expecting them to be HUNGRY after coming oh so close..Yes the non conf schedule is incredibly difficult BUT thats nothing new for Michigan or this team in particular...I say 4 losses in total and maybe not even that...GO BLUE cant wait to get this season going!

South Bend Wolverine

February 9th, 2016 at 12:11 PM ^

"Your prediction I think is way off..I dont see this team being outside the top 4-6 from the get go and I think will be the #1 team throughout the year"

I'm not sure how this is so far off from my prediction.  I said I think they'll definitely be in the top ten, and probably the top five.  I'd agree that I'm hedging a little more, while you're a little more bullish, but we're not too far off from each other here.

South Bend Wolverine

February 9th, 2016 at 1:26 PM ^

That is definitely a valid point.  At the same time, it also means that we don't have many chances to prove ourselves in conference play.  Wherever we are going into conference play, we'll probably be right about that same spot coming out, give or take one or two positions.  Not much threat to move down, but also not much opportunity to move up.

redjugador24

February 9th, 2016 at 12:16 PM ^

I'm not really a softball guy but watched a few CWS games last year. As a former pitcher I had to tip my cap to Betsa because she was struggling with accuracy - she knew it and everone knew it - but she stayed very positive and was a leader even though she ended up watching from the dugout far more than she would have liked. Not many competitors are able to do that when they are struggling. Hopefully that maturity and leadership drives her to be even better this year.

Kevin13

February 9th, 2016 at 2:45 PM ^

of a trip to OKC will be extremely dissappointing for this team. They also should make a great run while in OKC. I think they are a better team then last year and think they land their second National Championship.

M-Dog

February 9th, 2016 at 5:18 PM ^

Is Florida #1 based on merit or based on just inertia?

Lauren Haeger was that team last year.  Nobody else really stood out prominently on Florida's team when they played Michigan.  Without her, Michigan wins the WCWS going away.

Without her this year are they really #1, or are they #1 by lazy habit?

Fortunately, it's pretty much a moot point.  We'll know right away when Michigan plays Florida.  I hope it is covered on a cable outlet or stream so we can watch it.

South Bend Wolverine

February 9th, 2016 at 6:16 PM ^

I'd say it's a bit of both.  The defending national champion always has the inside track to the #1 ranking pre-season, and they do return the bulk of their roster.  Losing Haeger is huge obviously, but they only lose a couple other players along with her, and they bring in a power-packed recruiting class.  They definitely belong in the top 3 or so, and given how meaningless preseason polls are, you may as well give the top spot to the defending champs.  Will just make it that much sweeter if we can take it from them in Game #3!

Raoul

February 11th, 2016 at 9:53 AM ^

Hutchins was on WTKA this morning (podcast). One thing she noted was Betsa being "hit by the injury bug a little bit." She's expected to play this weekend, but her time may be limited.