M Softball wins again 7-2, now 22-0, ranked #5

Submitted by MGoSoftball on

The women's softball team made it a clean sweep this weekend in Clearwater Florida.  They were playing in the USF tourney.  Today, they beat USF 7-2.

The offense was led by Bree Evans who went 2 for 4, with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.  Her speed makes things happen.  Nicole Sappingfield went 2 for 4, with 1 RBI and 1 run scored.  Dorian Shaw went 2 for 3 with a double and a BB.  She also had 2 RBIs.  Lindsay Doyle went 1 for 3 with 2 runs scored.

The USF pitcher was slow but accurate.  It took the Wolverines 5 innings to get her timing and score some runs.  We scored 3 in the 5th and 4 in the 6th.

Hutch put Stephanie back on the horse today.  She did rather well as compared to last night.  She gave up 2ER on 3 hits, with 3 K, 1 BB and 2 HBP.  JT came in to face the last 4 batters and stuck out 1, and forced the other 3 into hitting easy ground balls.

The Wolverines come basck home tonight and play in Louisville Ky next weekend.  Then the following weekend is the Judi Garman Tourney.  There is where we test our true metal.  There will be 3 Top 25 teams to contend with. 

Great job ladies.  Keep up the good work.  We are all proud of you.

Thank you to Hutch for so many great seasons and so many good (and not so good) memories over the years.  We all love you Hutch.

MGoSoftball

March 6th, 2011 at 3:49 PM ^

report was 11FEB11.  SB Wolverine and I were discusing the upcoming season.  Then Blue Dragon got into the discussion.  Now Blue Dragon has started another tradition here on MGoBlog.  There are a lot of people here that are passionate for M Softball

We have been here almost a month.  I guess Mom was right, timne flys when you are having fun.

BlueDragon

March 6th, 2011 at 5:57 PM ^

I try to add to the spirit here on MGoBlog.  I've played softball on occasion through my life so far, and it's a great way to play a sport with a large group of people.  It is amusing to see seven different outfielders miss a fly ball by 10 feet.  (My personal favorite is ultimate frisbee, but that's a whole different story.)  I spent two summers in Petoskey, MI at a music festival, and almost every evening, there were softball games down at the waterfront by the marina.  There were a lot of company teams and some youth teams too.  One night during a girl's league game, the second batter trotted out with a winged batting helmet.  Yes, it was adorable.  I've been a casual fan of the sport ever since those summer evenings.

I love these updates because they help expand my knowledge and because Michigan being awesome at something is, well, awesome.  I will hunt for quality Yakety Sax clips as long as Michigan continues to MERCY-rule opponents.

08mms

March 6th, 2011 at 4:12 PM ^

I think you should turn these into Diaries, and then I think Brian/Tim should post them on the main page.  Especially if we do well against the big talent out in Cali this month.

MGoSoftball

March 6th, 2011 at 9:28 PM ^

Saturday, April 9 Purdue at Michigan 3 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20 Michigan at Penn State 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20 Michigan at Penn State 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 1 Michigan at Wisconsin 4 p.m.

Wednesday, May 4 Ohio State at Michigan 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 4 Ohio State at Michigan 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 14 Michigan at Michigan State 1 p.m.

Mark them on your calender.

 

saveferris

March 7th, 2011 at 9:02 AM ^

Great to see the softball team off to such a great start.  Hopefully the only loss the ladies experience this season is words to express their elation at winning the program's second National Championship.  Go Blue.

m1817

March 7th, 2011 at 11:12 AM ^

Here's an article about Hutch and the team from today's Michigan Daily.

http://www.michigandaily.com/sports/softball-hutchs-approach-tried-and-true-m-softball

On softball: Hutch's approach tried and true for 'M' softball



Matt Slovin

Daily Sports WriterMarch 6th, 2011

When Michigan softball coach Carol Hutchins earned her 1,200th career victory Saturday — an 8-3 decision over Ball State that improved on the Wolverines' unblemished record — it seemed that the milestone may be just one of many reached this season.

After all, it's no secret that No. 8 Michigan (22-0 overall) is very capable of a special spring, showing no signs of slowing down while traveling across Florida en route to a perfect trip over break. The team completed its tour of the Sunshine State with a 7-2 triumph over host South Florida on Sunday.

Hutch, as she's affectionately known, doesn't like talking about her accomplishments and gives the credit for her success to virtually anyone who will take the spotlight from her.

“I don't really keep track of that stuff,” Hutch said of the milestone. “It just means I've had a lot of good kids in my program and a lot of good assistants.”

Of the 1,200 wins — many of them coming in convincing fashion like Saturday's 8-0 trouncing of Arkansas — 1,177 have come during her tenure in Ann Arbor, so it's clear that success in Maize and Blue is nothing new to Hutch.

But this year has a different feel to it.

Different from last year's run to the NCAA Super Regional. Different from the 2009 trip to the College World Series in Oklahoma City — where the Wolverines hope to return this year. Even different from 2005 when Michigan completed its magical run, coming back to beat UCLA for the national championship, giving Hutch her ring.

But anyone who knows her knows one title isn't enough to appease her will to succeed — a deeply rooted desire that she, in turn, lends to each one of her student-athletes.

That's why nobody should be surprised when after leading Michigan to its best start in school history, after being named to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, after claiming 13 of the last 18 Big Ten regular-season championships, Hutch refuses to relent.

The words “day off” aren't a part of her vocabulary. She won't accept from her players anything less than their best. Settling for less isn't what brought the Lansing native from a two-sport athlete at Michigan State down I-96 to become one of the greatest coaches in college softball history.

And the Wolverines have been creeping up the national polls. While the schedule thus far hasn't been filled with national powers, some difficult challenges await Michigan. If it can overcome them, the ascend up the rankings will continue. But don't tell Hutch — she doesn't read them.

“We don't care about the polls,” Hutch said. “You play (the games) on the field. We'll get our opportunity.”

This weekend, the Wolverines will attempt to remain unbeaten when they travel to Louisville to play a pair against both the Cardinals and Western Kentucky. In order to remain one of the nation's few unbeatens, they certainly won't need to deviate from the sound fundamentals that Hutch preaches from the moment her players put on that uniform.

“We're just trying to get better because everyone in the country is doing the same thing,” Hutch said.

And she hasn't given us any reason to think otherwise. In fact, she has given us 1,200 reasons to believe.

Here's to 1,200 more, Hutch.