Carol Hutchins' Michigan girls know how to have fun
This piece on M softball in The Detroit News yesterday is interesting, and it's definitely not a stretch to think Harbaugh is looking to create a program identity similar to what Hutch has built in her 31 year tenure and somewhat detailed in the article.
For those that aren't going to read the article, that basically comes down to fun, excellence, and playing for a coach with a tough love reputation.
Hutch (on dancing and leading the wave):
The music comes on and that's how they stay loose, and we let them do it as long as they don't get out of control or do any of that dirty dancing. It's fun to be on the field and it's fun for the players to be with their teammates. I feel like that's been a trademark of Michigan softball. People who come to our games say, 'I love to watch you play -- the kids have so much fun.' We smile a lot and we win a lot. And I believe we win because we have fun.
CC: Dennis Norfleet threads.
Megan Betsa:
I knew Hutch was intimidating, I knew she was fierce and intense – just from watching that on TV, I wasn't expecting that to change. I was only expecting that to get harder, more difficult. But she's tough on us because she loves us and she wants us to be successful. She wants us to leave here as great Michigan women.
Pizza as a season-long theme probably worked out better for softball than it would have for the Jim Harbaugh Strip Mall Baseball League.
gotta eat the crust, Jim. Are you really hungry if you don't eat the crust?
Pizza is happy food. Some coaches do not grasp this simple truism.
Neat
Great piece. It's really hard to put into words how much Hutch means to Michigan.
I'd compare her to Yost. Not just the domination of opponents throughout history on the field and not just the championships, but building a program and history.
Michigan Football was just another Western team until Yost made it great and started the legacy of greatness. That's the same situation with Hutch.
Michigan Softball was just another program until she made it into the best program in the country.
Definitely not trying to diminish Hutch's ridiculous accomplishments, and I'm open to being corrected if there's a good source somewhere, but I have to imagine the NCAA beginning to sponsor women's sports in 1982 was more or less the seminal moment in women's sports growing to what they are today, and Hutch was hired in 1985. There were only seven years of M softball before she took over as head coach.
Pretty much a long winded way of saying that she's been around for almost all of the modern era of women's college sports. It might even be more of a compliment to think that Hutch is Michigan softball.
Also as much as I love M, I really need to ask what the logic is that puts M above UCLA and Arizona, at the very least.
Michigan has been winning for decades and are doing it in the Midwest.
They don't have the advantages that Western and Southern schools have like playing early games at home. And yet, Michigan still wins and wins big every year.
Agreed. Road Warriors. Mad Max should be an assistant coach.
Because by that logic, Iowa or Northwestern or someone not named M/OSU has the best football program in the Big Ten.
I love the softball program, I love this team, but UCLA has 33% of NCAA titles. If Michigan football had 36 AP/BCS/CoFoPo titles there wouldn't be a single post on the board delving further into the issue than that.
If there was a BCS of college softball, I'm not sure the Big Ten would even be considered a BCS conference. Michigan winning the sottball title in 2005 was kind of like Gonzaga winning the National Title in basketball would have been.
Michigan is at a MASSIVE recruiting and competitive disadvantage every season. The baseball team is too. Heck, in southern states, kids grow up playing softball and baseball year-round without any breaks.
There is a reason Michigan remains the other northern team east of the MIssissippi to win a softball title, and 1 of only 2 northern teams total (Washington is the other, and they have much warmer weather) to ever win it.
I'm very well aware of the state of midwest softball and the heirarchy within the NCAA and even high school/club, but I'm having a very hard time understanding an apparent ignorance of the definition of best.
From Webster:
1. Excelling all others
UCLA owns the most championships, most championship appearances, WCWS appearances and most tournament games won. What other category would define best program? I suppose you could compare AA's or most national player of the year winners. I couldn't find an easily accessable comprehensive list, but I'd bet a lemon UCLA is at or very near the top of those lists as well.
The word you and Wolverine Devotee are looking for is overachieving.
overachiever- one who achieves success over and above the standard or expected level especially at an early age
Hutch is a fantastic coach and Michigan has a fantastic program, almost certainly the most overachieving in the nation. What Michigan does not have is the best program in the nation, any more than BYU is a superior football program to Michigan or Butler basketball to Duke.
BYU football? Butler basketball?
BYU football was a 1-year wonder that hasn't been relevant in decades. Butler basketball also was pretty much a one year wonder. Michigan softball has consistently played in the WCWS over Hutch's career.
I get that you've got your knickers all in a bunch over WD's hyperbole, but if you're going to cite examples, at least pick ones that make sense.
If it was hyperbole from the start, fine, but that's not what got said even after sincerely asking. I cited two one-time national champions that don't have the prestige of the team they beat to win a title (Hello: 2005 M softball). M softball is clearly superior to BYU football or Butler basketball, no question and that's not what I was comparing.
I can't say loudly enough that I love this program and think Hutch deserves a spot on whatever Mount Rushmore you care to name, but what has actually transpired is plenty to be proud of. Apologies if it appears I have my knickers in a twist, but claiming "1 > 11 = best" is absolutely fair game to criticize.
“But do let me reiterate the spirit of Michigan. It is based upon a deathless loyalty to Michigan and all her ways; an enthusiasm that makes it second nature for Michigan men to spread the gospel of their university to the world’s distant outposts; a conviction that nowhere is there a better university, in any way, than this Michigan of ours.”
I would not have offered any argument if this was the first explination, +1.
I think UM is 10-9-1, IIRC. Who's the best? hahahahahahah
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I didn't compare Hutch to Candrea or to Bakus or Enquist, I compared Michigan softball to UCLA and Arizona softball.
There's definitely a good argument that Hutch is an equal or superior coach, but what she does not have is an argument that she's coaching the best program.
I guess this topic is just a matter of opinion.
It's a matter of misdefining a fairly basic and well understood word.
Michigan Softball was just another program until she made it into the best program in the country.How about we all agree that Michigan has one of the best programs in the country and then we can close down the debate?
Worth noting that a future wolverine, Meghan Beaubien, carried her team to a championship today by pitching two perfect games. Word is she struck out every batter she faced in the final, against a team that put up 20 runs in the semis. I think that makes nine no hitters for her this season.
Meghan committed to Michigan when she was fourteen and will play her first game at Michigan in 2018.
Can't find any articles yet, but here's a tweet from the team's account:
Today's wins were very special team wins, but it was a tremendous outing by our sophomore pitcher Meghan Beaubien. 2 perfect games!
— SMCC SOFTBALL (@smccsoftball) May 30, 2015