Season Review: 2019 Michigan Softball
7/12/2019 12:04:00 PM | Softball
• Team Captains: Katie Alexander, Faith Canfield, Madison Uden
• Record: 45-13, 22-1 Big Ten Conference (1st place)
• Big Ten Tournament: Champion
• NCAA Tournament: Regional runner-up
The University of Michigan softball team took advantage of an incredible second-half turnaround, claiming 34 of its last 37 regular-season games after opening with a 6-8 record over its first three weekends, to sweep the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles for the seventh time in program history.
Under the direction of head coach Carol Hutchins, the Wolverines registered their 25th straight 40-win season with a 45-13 overall record -- in the program's 42nd season of intercollegiate play -- and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 26th consecutive year, hosting a regional for the first time since 2016.
Team Highlights
• The Wolverines captured their second straight Big Ten regular-season title outright with a sweep at Maryland in the final weekend (May 3-5) of the regular season. Things got tight in the rainy series finale when the Terps plated three and loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth inning, but freshman RHP Alex Storako entered and struck out three straight to end the threat, and U-M's offense followed with six runs over the next two frames to complete a 12-3 win. Michigan, which has captured 21 total Big Ten regular-season crowns and 11 of the last 12, posted a 22-1 league record in 2019, finishing one game ahead of second-place Northwestern, and outscored its Big Ten opponents, 184-51.
• Michigan also captured the 2019 Big Ten Tournament title with a 3-2 decision in the championship game against No. 12 Minnesota on May 11. The Wolverines used extra-base hits to break through with three runs over the fourth and fifth innings, but they lost momentum through 22-minute rain delay when Minnesota pulled within one run in the sixth. Freshman Lexie Blair made a diving catch in left field to halt the Gopher rally, and Storako set down the top of the Minnesota lineup to close out the contest. It was Michigan's first Big Ten Tournament title since similarly sweeping the conference crowns in 2015. U-M also achieved the feat in 1995, '96, '99, 2002 and 2005.
• Michigan's season turnaround started over spring break at the Judi Garman Classic (March 1-3) and was highlighted by wins over No. 2 UCLA (3-1) and No. 5 Washington (4-2). After allowing a first-inning run against UCLA -- the eventual 2019 NCAA champion -- Michigan rallied with three runs in the sixth on RBI hits from senior second baseman Faith Canfield and Blair. U-M also rallied past Washington behind fourth-inning homers from senior first baseman Alex Sobczak and sophomore shortstop Natalia Rodriguez. U-M's pitching staff combined for a 1.00 earned run average on the weekend. Sophomore LHP Meghan Beaubien was named USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Week after holding UCLA and Washington to just three runs and nine total hits over 14 innings.
• U-M boasted four walkoff wins this season and another four-run seventh-inning rally in a 9-8 road win at Illinois (April 20). Among its walkoffs, two ended with home runs, including Blair's eighth-inning leadoff shot to edge the Fighting Illini, 1-0, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals (May 10). Junior third baseman Madison Uden also led off with a solo homer in the seventh in the series opener against Penn State (April 26) and, perhaps most dramatically, U-M scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by a two-out, two-run double from Mackenzie Nemitz, to secure a 7-6 win in the Indiana series finale (April 7).
Individual Highlights
• Freshman leftfielder Lexie Blair, who was named a top-10 finalist for NFCA National Freshman of the Year, led Michigan -- and ranked third in the Big Ten -- with a .406 batting average and similarly posted team bests with 78 hits, 22 doubles and 54 RBI. She is the fourth Wolverine freshman to lead the team in hitting since 1995, joining Sara Griffin (.432, 1995), Amanda Chidester (.350, 2009) and Sierra Romero (.379, 2013).
• Michigan's seniors had a major contribution to the team's second-half turnaround and claimed five of the top seven spots among the team's hitting leaders on the season, with second baseman Faith Canfield and centerfielder Natalie Peters hitting a career-best .404 and .352, respectively.
• Senior first baseman Alex Sobczak and senior designated player Mackenzie Nemitz both boasted monster breakout seasons -- with career highs in every hitting category -- in their final year at Michigan. Sobczak batted .336 -- a 78-point over her previous best average in 2016 -- and ranked top-two on the team with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. Nemitz, after only earning one hit and seven total plate appearances over her first three seasons -- she missed all of 2017 with injury -- improved on her best batting average by 88 points, up to .288 in 2019.
• Sophomore LHP Meghan Beaubien put together one of the most impressive pitching performances in program history with her 1-0, 12-inning shutout against James Madison in the NCAA Regional semifinals (May 18). Beaubien allowed just five hits and two walks and struck out 12 Dukes batters. It was the most innings ever thrown by a Wolverine pitcher in a complete-game shutout win.
Honors and Awards
Meghan
Beaubien
Lexie
Blair
Faith
Canfield
Alex
Storako
Natalie
Peters
Alex
Sobczak
National Fastpitch Coaches Association
All-Great Lakes Region (First Team): Meghan Beaubien, Lexie Blair, Faith Canfield
All-Great Lakes Region (Second Team): Alex Storako
All-Great Lakes Region (Third Team): Natalie Peters, Alex Sobczak
Big Ten Conference
All-Big Ten (First Team): Meghan Beaubien, Lexie Blair, Faith Canfield
All-Big Ten (Second Team): Natalie Peters, Alex Sobczak
All-Defensive Team: Meghan Beaubien, Faith Canfield, Alex Sobczak
All-Freshman Team: Lexie Blair, Alex Storako
Sportsmanship Award: Natalie Peters
Tournament MVP: Meghan Beaubien
All-Tournament Team: Meghan Beaubien, Lexie Blair, Faith Canfield, Natalie Peters
Big Ten Player of the Week
Player: Lexie Blair (March 18), Alex Sobczak (April 1), Faith Canfield (April 29)
Pitcher: Meghan Beaubien (March 25), Alex Storako (April 29)
Freshman: Lexie Blair (March 18, April 1, April 22), Alex Storako (April 29, May 6)
Academic All-Big Ten
Katie Alexander, Sr., Health & Fitness
Meghan Beaubien, So., Biomedical Engineering
Taylor Bump, So., LSA Undeclared
Faith Canfield, Sr., Sport Management
Haley Hoogenraad, Jr., Political Science
Natalie Peters, Sr., Sociology
Alex Sobczak, Sr., Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience
Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Natalie Peters, Sr., Sociology
