sierra romero

One of the best there ever was [Bryan Fuller]

On August 24, 2022, longtime Michigan Softball coach Carol Hutchins announced her retirement after 38 seasons at the helm of the program. She departs as the only face that Michigan Softball has ever had, the winningest coach in D1 Softball history, and a living legend of the game. I have covered Michigan Softball in some capacity for five seasons and took the past two months crafting this piece, my (and this site's) authoritative goodbye to a Michigan icon. My hope is that readers find it a reasonable send-off to a coach who often seemed larger than life to cover. 

I first met Carol Hutchins in person in the second week of February 2018. It was the second Michigan Softball media availability of the season. I, a freshman member of WCBN Sports Radio at the University of Michigan, was there to ask some questions and perhaps get a few soundbites for our station's softball podcast. I had covered the team's opening weekend tournament down in Tampa, Florida, and was just getting my feet wet on the softball beat. Names like Madison Uden, Faith Canfield, and Tera Blanco were green in my brain at that time. I thought I was starting to get a hang of this softball thing, but I knew the real test would be interviewing Hutch for the first time. 

Growing up in Ann Arbor and following Michigan athletics reasonably closely, Carol Hutchins was a ubiquitous name held highly in the mind of anyone who cared about sports in this city. Even if softball was far from your favorite thing, you knew that Michigan Softball was good and you knew Carol Hutchins was why. "Hutch" was the reason that softball meant something more to Michigan than a typical non-rev. "Hutch" was why Michigan was nationally competitive in softball in the 1990s and early 2000s, a time when good softball was so rarely found east of the Rockies. And "Hutch" was why Michigan was nationally competitive into the mid-2010s, even as the sport had taken a decisively southern turn. 

Hutch had an intense demeanor to her on the field and off of it. That's why, as I walked into the UM softball complex that day, I was intimidated. Of course, I first had to find the dang softball lounge inside a building I'd never entered, but after that, yeah, I was nervous. Most everyone I've talked to who covered softball in some capacity, be it for WCBN, the Daily, BTN Student U, or WOLV TV, was nervous the first time they interviewed Hutch. A wise man might have called it a rite of passage among student media members.

[Bryan Fuller]

I don't recall what questions I asked the first time I interviewed Hutch too well. Really it was me trying to get acclimated. Some basic questions about what I'd seen in Tampa, how the team looked, that sort of thing. I may have stammered ever so slightly, or rushed my words as a result of the nervousness, but Hutch answered them honestly. The passion in her eyes burned brightly and the steely visage was present but the answers she gave were thoughtful and fair. She didn't Bill Belichick the responses or laugh them off, because she knew I was from the one outlet who traveled to Tampa and appreciated that. 

That's the thing you learned about Hutch pretty quickly being on the beat: no one cared more about softball than Carol Hutchins and Carol Hutchins took softball seriously. She wanted you to take softball seriously. She wanted it to be treated like the big dollar men's sports in the media and if she could tell that you knew your stuff, she could tolerate the hard question. But if you asked Hutch something tough and it's clear you didn't know what you were talking about? Hutch would rip you apart like a pack wolves and a freshly slain carcass.  

Over my next three years at Michigan, I attended the pre-season softball media availability three times. Each time I was now a "veteran" on the beat, and the student journalists from the Daily were always freshmen. The fun part for me was seeing which ones would ask the right questions and which ones would show their lack of knowledge and eaten alive (my second favorite part, just behind seeing Hutch's golden retriever wandering around). When one unsuspecting freshman asked the superficial question exposing they hadn't done their homework, I enjoyed chuckling as the snappy response back was something of a verbal slap across the face, even if I felt bad when the reporter's face turned red. That was learning on the job covering Hutch. 

I'm not going to act like I was the expert in interviewing Carol Hutchins. I was a radio announcer, not a beat writer, one who did lots of games, yes, but my job wasn't to collect interviews. We featured them from time to time on our podcast but anyone who spent a full year on the Daily softball beat interviewed Hutch as many times in one year as I did in four. But what I got to see in doing it for four years was a closer look at the program, the traits that defined it, and the leadership Carol Hutchins provided, even in her final years. I got a certain connection to the program and its players, one that hasn't left me, making me continue to write softball for this site into year five (and soon, year six), even if the clicks mostly go to my other responsibilities. Softball matters to me and it always will, and that's what I gained covering Hutch. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: A look back at Carol Hutchins' career]



It might be time for Haylie Wagner to start in the circle. [Fuller]

Until the gut punch, that felt familiar.

For the third straight game, Haylie Wagner pitched stellar scoreless ball in relief of a shaky Megan Betsa, and Michigan's powerful offense mounted a comeback. This time, however, the comeback stalled on third base; Sierra Romero didn't advance to home on a double-play attempt, and the final two Wolverine batters couldn't knock her in.

Now Michigan is left in the same position they were in 2005, facing consecutive must-win games against the defending national champs. We know it can be done, and while last night's loss stung, it was readily apparent this squad can hang with the Gators.

What: Michigan vs. Florida, Game 2 of Final Series (UF leads 1-0)
When: Tonight, 8 ET
Where to watch: ESPN or WatchESPN
Line: Chalk

Some scattered thoughts on last night's game and tonight's prospects, which is about the best I can muster at the moment:

ON ROMERO. One can only hope this series isn't defined by Romero's failure to break for home. It'd be a great injustice for a great player, especially because of the way Romero got to third base in the first place; she took a leadoff walk instead of trying to win the game on her own, then advanced to second with her usual heads-up baserunning on a passed ball before Kelly Christner's single.

When Kelsey Susalla hit the potential double-play ball, Romero hesitated, and that split-second of indecision gave her no choice but to stay at third. Yes, it cost Michigan a run on the play, but she still stood on third base with less than two outs. Michigan was still in a good position to tie the game; they just couldn't pull it off, and that's not all on Romero.

IT'S TIME. I'm not sure what else Wagner needs to do to show she deserves the start tonight. This should be enough:

Given the stakes, I don't think Michigan can afford to see if Betsa regains her confidence—and her ability to throw first-pitch strikes—before making a change, and it sounds like Carol Hutchins is thinking along those lines:

Hutchins confirmed what has been obvious, that Betsa is struggling with confidence, but wouldn't clearly indicate who might start Tuesday.

"She appears to have some confidence problems, I would say," Hutchins said. "We need our best confidence on the mound, I can tell you that. It's a long tournament hopefully, so we need to get her confidence back. There's no reason not to have confidence this point in the season. It's been a tough week so far."

I'd be surprised if Wagner isn't in the circle from the beginning tonight. There's little room for error, and even less so if Florida makes a pitching change of their own and starts national player of the year Lauren Haeger.

MICHIGAN ARGUABLY PLAYED BETTER. The Wolverines ended up with 11 baserunners, the Gators with six. Wagner nearly tied the game in the sixth when she cracked a ball just outside the left-field foul pole. Sierra Lawrence nearly did the same later that inning with a long fly that had the trajectory but not the distance, barely. After Betsa's struggles, Wagner shut down the Florida offense, and Michigan put up serious offensive threats in the final two innings.

While Michigan lost, they should still have confidence; this game swung on a few plays, and tonight those could easily go the other way.

THUMBS UP, ESPN. When ESPN announced they were adding Curt Schilling to the broadcast for the final series, I was worried the conversation would get bogged down in Softball 101 and how-can-we-compare-this-to-baseball. While there was a little of that, to be sure, I thought Schilling was a good addition to an already strong announcing crew. He showed a great appreciation for the game—which he's quite familiar with, thanks to his daughter—and his analysis was insightful while leaving room for his more experienced counterparts to lead the discussion and guide him when necessary.

The softball broadcasts have been all-around excellent, and it was nice to see Schilling fit right in. While he rubs some people the wrong way, he worked really well in this role.

I DIDN'T PLAN TO BE THIS EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED. At some point in the later innings last night, I realized I was more emotionally invested in the game than I had been for any Michigan sporting event since the Elite Eight game against Kentucky. It felt great, even without the desireable result. I'm no softball buff—like many of you, I started watching when the games hit national TV—but it's impossible to watch one of these games and not get hooked in by the skill, excitement, and emotion. These are world-class athletes hell-bent on making their games as fun as possible.

If it ends tonight, it's been a wonderful ride. I hope it doesn't end tonight.

WCWS Update: The SEC walked into the WCWS in full ESS-EEE-SEE mode. You saw the 6th seed Bama last night; there's an entire bracket of SEC teams (#1 Florida, #5 LSU, #4 Auburn, and #8 Tennessee) opposite us. Last year Bama lost to Florida in the national championship series, and Florida is a favorite to repeat. In a sport dominated by pitching the Gators have the best, Lauren Haeger, who just narrowly defeated Michigan's Sierra Romero for the college softball version of the Heisman.

The rest of Michigan's side of the bracket is UCLA, which owns a third of the national championships ever, not including the 1995 one that the NCAA vacated, demonstrating a dedication to the sport most D-I teams athletic departments can't afford for football.

This is the dispersal (bigger dot = more national championships) of softball titles since 1982:

dispersal of softball championships

Some of these things are only somewhat like the others; one is definitively not.

The last member of our bracket is fully owned Nike™ subsidiary the Oregon Nikes, who wear spacey backpacks everywhere they go so Nike™ can convince a demographic of schoolgirls who wear stupid-looking athletic gear to school to get Nike™ backpacks. The Oregon Nikes also have a great pitcher who finished third in the PoY running.

A distant third. Really the competition was between the senior pitcher with 194 K's who held a league that hits .330 to .183, and our own Sierra Romero.

Romero. Yes I am making this whole column about softball this week. ROMERO! Here's what a hitter who challenges for the PoY in a pitching sport looks like: Romero hit .472 with 21 home runs, 80 RBI, 55 walks, and set the NCAA career grand slam record. She also had 20 steals on 24 attempts. She plays shortstop with a Jeter smoothness (or second base because Abby Ramirez is such a good infielder).

The thing about Michigan is Romero isn't the only star. Kelly Christner hit .407 this year and matched Romero for home runs. Sierra Lawrence had a .484 OBP from the leadoff spot, plus 14 dingers. Kelsey Susalla matched Sierra2's power numbers while hitting .379. Lauren Sweet, the catcher, hit .324 with 12 homers. Michigan too has great pitchers—sophomore Megan Betsa and senior Haylie Wagner are Ace 1 and Ace 2, with senior Sara Driesenga (.078 ERA) still around as a luxury, and the future, freshman Tera Blanco, waiting over at 1st base.

Theory: Jim Harbaugh has spent all of his free time since he graduated pretending to be a softball coach. Michigan softball isn't a monster program from the heart of baseball country, isn't a golem assembled from overcharging for shoes made by underpaid slaves, and certainly is not from the conference that believes Pat Forde columns about its greatness should fulfill writing requirements.

The thing it's best known for across the softball world is it has a pinata-smashing softball Harbaugh if Harbaugh was more successful coaching it. Betsa said she gets her mental toughness from competitions like who can balance heavy logs on their hands while doing workouts. Last night Hutch literally fell over while trying to put the breaks on Romero at 3rd base; Romero ran through it but scampered back safely to leave the bases loaded for Sweet to turn a 1-0 game into the 5-0 game.

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Present                                       1999                                          1986

Harbuagh/Hutch through the years

It had a .461 on base percentage this year, and outscored its opponents by an average of 9 to 1.5. It made making pizza into a theme, complete with complicated hand gestures and fan signage. It won a map-contradicting national championship ten years ago, and dances more often than that one. It led the country with 171 homers this year, and sprinkled every one of them with cheese.

sweethomercheese

Etc. The South didn't like Michigan camping there—and couldn't do anything about it—in the mid-1860s either. SEC rules changes troll Tom Brady and Brady Hoke, plus Notre Dame's faces and Dantonio's favorite tackling strategy. What a blue shirt is. Terry Frei on the Rob Lytle book. Michigan Stadium Movie Night opted for Disney fantasy flick (Remember the Titans) over a documentary on Scandinavian economics (Frozen).