With loaded roster, Michigan softball enters 2022 with sights on College World Series – MLive.com
University of Michigan's Alex Storako (8) pitches to Michigan State during the home opener at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. (Alie Skowronski/mlive.com) Alie Skowronski | The Ann Arbor News
ANN ARBOR – There was no wavering from Michigan softball pitcher Meghan Beaubien last summer when deciding her college future.
She completed her senior season last spring as one of the most accomplished pitchers in program history, but the heartache from the loss to No. 6 Washington in a regional final lingered.
Thanks to the NCAA providing a blanket waiver to all student-athletes two years ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Beaubien gladly took advantage of the opportunity to return for a fifth season and chase a national title one last time.
No. 12 Michigan opens the season Friday at the University of South Florida Tournament, and expectations are high with an experienced and talented roster in 2022.
“It was never really a hard decision,” Beaubien, who is 86-22 with a career 1.46 ERA, said during the team’s virtual media day last week. “I always wanted to come back, wanted to get every ounce of experience I could get out of here and be here as long as I can. And for this team, there’s a lot of goals I set for myself before I got here, and each year that I’ve been here I haven’t been able to achieve yet.
“This team has a lot of potential. This team wants to get to Oklahoma City (site of the Women’s College World Series) and this team wants to win in Oklahoma City. That’s a big reason I’m back. I’ve never made it out of the regional. I’m not happy with that. No one who’s been here for five years is satisfied with that.”
After finishing fifth at the WCWS in 2016, the Wolverines have not advanced past regionals since then. (The 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled because of COVID-19).
Michigan appeared to be on the verge of breaking through last season, cruising to a Big Ten title with a 36-6 regular season record while boasting the conference’s Player of the Year in outfielder Lexie Blair and Pitcher of the Year in Alex Storako.
Beaubien and Storako were dominant all season, helping the Wolverines finish with the lowest ERA in the country.
RELATED: Michigan softball’s Alex Storako maintains one-pitch focus amid historic season
The team was on the cusp of advancing to the Super Regionals, beating Washington in game one of a best-of-three regional final in Seattle. Michigan dropped game two 2-0 but grabbed a 5-1 lead in the deciding game. It quickly evaporated as the Huskies stunned the Wolverines with a seven-run fourth inning en route to a 10-5 victory.
“We had a tremendous pitching staff and we fell short,” head coach Carol Hutchins said. “But I want them to come in with a sense of urgency every day. I want them to have it today at practice. I want them to have it tomorrow in practice, to be their best self because their best self is the best chance.”
On paper, the 2022 Michigan team has the pieces to make a deep tournament run. Along with returning Blair, Storako and Beaubien, the Wolverines bring back several other key starters, including corner infielder Taylor Bump, the team’s leader in home runs in 2021, catcher Hannah Carson and utility player Laura Esman.
Michigan also added two notable transfers. Outfielder Kristina Burkhardt batted .300 with 102 runs scored and 93 RBIs over five seasons at North Carolina and is a two-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.
Utility player Melina Livingston was a three-year starter at Penn State and hit .293.
“I can tell you that we’re really excited about Kristina and Melina,” Hutchins said. “They’re really great members of our team. I feel like Kristina has been here for her full six years. She fits in so well and I think she’s really going to help us. There’s no question. She was a great player at North Carolina. I remember her well as an opponent, and I’m thrilled to have her on our team. And I remember Melina as a Penn State player, and she gives us some depth and versatility.”
Unlike last season, it won’t take long for Michigan to see how it stacks up against other top competition in the country. The Big Ten played a conference-only schedule in 2021, which dinged Michigan’s RPI when it came to the NCAA Tournament selection process.
But the Wolverines will face a tough nonconference schedule again in 2022. They have six ranked opponents on their nonconference slate, including three inside the top 10: Oklahoma State (No. 3), Florida (No. 5) and Florida State (No. 6).
“We’re certainly looking to have a strong RPI and we’re trying to win games,” Hutchins said. “We want to do all those things. I’m not making much more of last year’s perceptions. I don’t care what everybody’s perceptions is. You got to win on the field, and bottom line is, when you get to regionals, you got to win. Doesn’t really matter who you play — you can talk about where you think you should be seeded and where you go, but ultimately, we can’t dwell on that. We don’t control it. We have to control what we control, and we control how we play.”
RELATED: Michigan softball coach not pleased with selection committee after NCAA Tournament draw
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