Michigan Notes: Previewing the WCWS Championship Game
6/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
June 3, 2015
• TV: ESPN | | WatchESPN
• Complete Game Notes 
| WCWS Central
The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan softball team (60-7) will play top seed and No. 2-ranked Florida (59-7) for the national championship Wednesday night (June 3) at 7 p.m. CDT at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The teams split the first two games of their best-of-three series at the Women's College World Series, with Florida prevailing, 3-2, in Monday's opener and Michigan rebounding with a 1-0 victory Tuesday. Each program owns a national title, with the Wolverines winning in 2005 and the Gators taking the crown in 2014.
• Michigan advanced to the Women's College World Series championship series for the second time in program history. The Wolverines captured the 2005 WCWS title. U-M is 13-21 all-time in WCWS games, spanning its 11 appearances.
• U-M has outscored its NCAA Tournament opposition, 68-24, over 10 games.
• In its previous appearance in the WCWS championship series in 2005, Michigan dropped the first game, 5-0, against UCLA before claiming the next two to capture its first NCAA championships.
• Tuesday night's (June 2) game marked the first time in four tries that Michigan defeated Florida this season. Florida won the first three matchups by scores of 2-1 (Feb. 6), 7-4 (March 5) and 3-2 in the first game of the championship series. Michigan improved to 9-7 in the all-time series against Florida. It was also Florida's first shutout loss of the season.
• In game one of the championship series, Florida snapped the Wolverines' 28-game win streak, which dated back to April 4 at Minnesota. Michigan dropped a 9-1, six-inning decision in the series opener against the Golden Gophers the previous night and bounced back to take the next two and claim the series.
• Junior Kelsey Susalla, who drove in last night's only run in the first inning, leads the Wolverines with a .467 average (7-for-15) over their five WCWS games. She also posted a career-best four hits vs. UCLA in U-M's second WCWS slate.
• The Wolverines upped their season home run tally to 118 and again lead the country the category. U-M is the only team at the WCWS to boast a pair of players with 20-plus home runs. Junior Sierra Romero boasts 22 homers this year -- one shy of her own single-season school record -- while sophomore Kelly Christner owns 21.
• With her third-inning solo shot vs. LSU, Romero upped her career total to 63 to claim sole possession of Michigan's career record in the category. She had previously been tied with Samantha Findlay (2005-08). Romero also improved on her own school record for career runs (226) and career RBI (225).
• Junior LHP Haylie Wagner boasts a 0.00 ERA over 20 innings in WCWS play. She has allowed 12 hits and two walks and struck out 16.
• With her game-two win over Florida, Wagner improved to 100-17 over her four-year collegiate career. She is just the third Wolverine ever to achieve 100 career wins, recently surpassing Jennie Ritter (98, 2003-06). She also ranks second on U-M's career win percentage list with a .855 mark. Jordan Taylor (2008-11) owns the school record with a .856 career win percentage (107-18).
• With her four WCWS wins, Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins has upped her career win total to 1,432 and claimed sole possession of second place among the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history, surpassing Arizona's Mike Candrea (1,428).
Communications Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
