Just under two months ago, the Michigan softball team lost all six games and got swept in both of its first two Big Ten series.
Now, the Wolverines are going to the NCAA Tournament.
On Sunday, Michigan was selected as an at-large bid to the tournament, placed into the Norman regional with No. 1 seed Oklahoma, No. 8 seed Kansas and Binghamton. The Wolverines will travel to the Sooner State to face the Jayhawks on Friday at 6 p.m., and the rest of their weekend schedule is determined by the result of that game. The regional contains a double elimination bracket with only one team advancing to the Super Regional.
“I definitely think that we’re a team that should be competing in the top 64,” Michigan coach Bonnie Tholl said Thursday following the Wolverines’ loss in the Big Ten Tournament. “… We played the toughest schedule in conference play as anyone in the Big Ten. And so it does, it makes a difference. But, this is a lesson that every game counts the same. And so we’re just going to have to wait to see on Sunday night and see what the committee (says), if their thoughts align with mine.”
And the committee’s thoughts did align with Tholl’s: Currently sitting at 40 on RPI, Michigan was one of the last four teams that made it into the tournament, placed into a region with the impressive Sooners. Although Oklahoma lost in its first game of the SEC Tournament, the Sooners came into the postseason ranked No. 1 overall and have won four of the last five College World Series. They also have the second-most home runs in the country, destroying the previous single-season home run record of 161 with 174, and they currently boast the highest team batting average in the nation, hitting .389 on the season. If Michigan wants any chance to advance to the Super Regional, it’ll need to find a way to stop this potent Oklahoma offense.
“I’m excited,” sophomore right fielder Lauren Putz said Monday about the possibility of facing the Sooners. “I think the regional part of the season is one of the most exciting, because, as a lot of people say, tournaments are the biggest chance for upsets. So I feel like if we just view them as just another team in our way, and not as Oklahoma, I think it definitely can help us just stay in that neutral mindset and just play the game that we know how to play.”
But first, the Wolverines will need to get past Kansas. The two teams met earlier in the season in Michigan’s fifth game of the year, and it took a 4-2 victory over the Jayhawks. Since then, Kansas has lost the majority of its games against ranked opponents, notably falling to Texas Tech 14-0 in the Big 12 Tournament. Although early-season games aren’t necessarily indicative of a team’s future prowess, the Wolverines’ win over the Jayhawks certainly can’t hurt.
“We just have to treat it like a normal game,” Putz said. “We just have to treat it like a game, a team we’ve seen before, and it’s just playing softball. … I know everybody’s thinking about Oklahoma, but you have to beat the first game first. So just not trying to overhype anything, or just keeping it simple, and not making it a bigger deal than it is.”
One key piece of that game was Putz. An offensive powerhouse for Michigan, Putz leads the Wolverines in numerous categories and was recently named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Against Kansas, she blasted a home run in the bottom of the sixth to ignite a slew of scoring that would catapult Michigan over the Jayhawks. But her recent performances have been lackluster — at the Big Ten Tournament, Putz went 0-for-6 and walked twice. If she’s unable to regain her footing before the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines could struggle with their offensive production.
The last team in the regional, Binghamton, qualified by winning the America East Tournament. After losing to Massachusetts Lowell in the second round, the Bearcats clawed back and beat that same team twice in the finals to take the conference title. The only common opponent between Binghamton and Michigan was No. 5 seed Virginia Tech, and both teams lost these games in the regular season. The Bearcats have the slight edge over the Wolverines in terms of batting average, but Michigan’s pitchers outperform Binghamton’s. All but one of the Wolverines’ pitchers have an ERA below the Bearcats’ best, so if the teams meet, the circle could be an important upper-hand for Michigan.
The Wolverines have been here before — last year, a surprise back-to-back Big Ten Tournament championship sent them to Texas for an unexpected bid to the NCAA Tournament. But Michigan failed to get out of Austin, falling short of a Super Regional appearance.
As the Wolverines prepare to head to Norman this weekend, they’ll focus not just on their upcoming match against Kansas but also on the other two opponents as well in hopes to make it to the Super Regional for the first time since 2016. Michigan’s path is anything but smooth — but the Wolverines will be aiming to defy expectations once again.
