2 Fall Ball Wins for Softball

Submitted by South Bend Wolverine on

A football bye week feels like the perfect time for the softball team to play some exhibition fall ball.  Michigan headed West, as they do every year, to open up play in a mini-tournament in Traverse City.

The weekend began with a 5-0 win over Western Michigan.  While the offense was a bit sluggish, only scoring 2 runs in the first 6 innings, the real attraction was in the circle.  Michigan fans got their first look uber-recruit Meghan Beaubien in Maize & Blue.  Beaubien didn't disappoint, going 7 scoreless against a WMU squad that had no answer for her stuff.  Beaubien allowed just 2 hits and issued no walks while piling up 11 Ks.  For a young pitcher who will be thrown into the fire from day 1, this was a very encouraging start.

Game 2 saw some more fireworks out of the offense, as the Wolverines blew out Saginaw Valley State 16-3.  Another freshman, Sarah Schaefer, was in the circle, and had an up-and-down game.  In four innings, she picked up a couple of Ks and induced a double play in the 1st, but also ceded 2 runs & 7 hits as well.  Taylor Swearingen put this one out of reach early, however, bouncing a home run off the top of the wall to put Michigan up 4-0.

The Wolverines will wrap up their Traverse City tournament tomorrow, facing CMU at 10:30 AM & playing in the tournament final at 12:30.  Michigan will then play a home-and-home with MSU, going to East Lansing on Oct. 5 before returning to Ann Arbor on Oct. 12.

South Bend Wolverine

September 30th, 2017 at 8:51 PM ^

Yeah, she could really end up being the determining factor of how our season goes.  I don't expect the offense to be back to 2015-16 levels of production, but they'll put up some runs.  Blanco is a solid pitcher, but I worry that we may pretty much know what we have in her at this point.  If Beaubien can come in and give us a season like Haylie Wagner or Jordan Taylor (I know, program legends), though, we could be looking at another championship season & tourney run.

South Bend Wolverine

September 30th, 2017 at 9:03 PM ^

It's definitely been a fun program to follow, and I love the fact that we have a nice group of obsessives here on MGoBlog to join the fun. :)  Should be an interesting year.  First time in almost a decade we won't enter the season as the reigning B10 champs.  Big opportunity for a new generation of players to make their mark.