The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/787035
106 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 BY LELAND MITCHINSON H eading into the 2017 M i c h i g a n s o f t b a l l season, much of the attention will be on how the No. 6 team in the coun- try will replace the best player in program history, Sierra Romero. Last season, Romero was the clear leader of the team, sporting the best batting aver- age, the most RBI and the most home runs on the team, hitting nine more than any other Wol- verine. She left the program as the first player in NCAA history to have at least 300 runs, 300 hits and 300 RBI. While Romero is the biggest loss, Michigan will have to find a way to reproduce more than just one top player 's produc- tion. Including Romero, three of Michigan's top five hitters grad- uated last season, and pitcher Sara Driesenga used her final year of eligibility as a graduate student. The standards are about as high as they could be after winning nine straight overall Big Ten champion- ships and making the Women's Col- lege World Series three out of the last four years. Players will have to step up across the board to maintain that level of success. For Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins, each team writes its own story each year, and in her 33rd sea- son in Ann Arbor — and the pro- gram's 40th — she expects her team to be focused on this year. "For me, this is Team 40. We are 0-0 and don't have any championships. They have done nothing," Hutchins said. "This team has done nothing ex- cept come to practice and work hard. What is this team going to achieve? What teams one through 39 have done is on our history boards, but it has no bearing on Team 40. So, we motivate them with who are you and what are you going to accomplish." Despite the losses at the top of the lineup, the Wolverines are not without talent. Senior outfielder Kelly Christ- ner and senior infielder Abby Ramirez have extensive experience throughout their three years at Michigan. Ramirez has started all but four games over the previous three seasons at Michigan, and Christner has 30 career home runs. Both players will be looked to for pro- duction and leadership in the coming season, especially Christner who was a captain of last year's team as a junior. "I expect all my seniors to be at that leader status and stature in our pro- gram," Hutchins said. "[Pitcher] Me- gan Betsa, Abby and [infielder] Lind- say Montemarano, they've all been in this program now for four years. They all have extensive playing experience and know what it takes. They know how the ups and downs of a season go. "It's quite a journey, and you can't get too high, and you can't get too low. They need to be the ones that keep the ship righted." In the pitching circle, senior right- hander Megan Betsa returns to lead the Wolverines. She was Michigan's top pitcher a year ago and has a career ERA of 1.92, though her she has been plagued by injuries. Betsa took the fall season off in 2016 to get healthy, but mentored her fel- low pitchers, junior Tera Blanco and sophomore Leah Crockett. Outside of Betsa, the pitching staff is not very experienced. Blanco started at pitcher in five games last season, but has played most of her college career at first base and will continue to spend time there throughout the season. Crockett appeared in just one game her freshman season. "I'm more excited than I think I've ever been," Betsa said. "That could partially be coming off of not really getting to do anything in the fall, but I'm really just ex- cited to play. I'm excited for our young team to go out there. We have a really fun group, and it's going to be exciting to see how people handle certain situations." With Blanco taking on more of a pitching role on the team and the departure of Romero, both first and second base will have to be covered by other players. Hutchins sees sophomore Faith Can- field as a rising player who could fit at second, while junior Aiden Falk is next in line at first base, which Hutchins calls her natural position. "I have a lot of high hopes for Faith," Hutchins said. "I have since the day she got on campus. This is her time. She had a great preseason, she's swinging well, and she's playing well. "She's playing with confidence, and that's what we need her to have. We need them all to play with their confidence." Michigan will need the young players on the team to be ready from the very start of the season. The Wol- verines begin the year with five tour- naments before the regular schedule begins, starting with the Wilson- Demarini Tournament Feb. 10-12 in Tampa, Fla. Michigan will also be hosting the Big Ten Tournament in Ann Arbor this season. Though these early competitions may be rough for the Wolverines, the talent is there to have Michigan com- peting for a NCAA title once again. ❏ Senior outfielder Kelly Christner was a first-team Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American in 2015. Her numbers dipped last year, but she will be counted on to lead the 2017 squad. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS READY TO RELOAD Carol Hutchins' Softball Powerhouse Prepares To Move Forward After Several Key Graduations