Wolverines Return to Softball Play With Big Ten's Leading Hitter (Blair) and Top Pitcher (Storako)

Michigan postponed last weekend's four-game series with Michigan State because of COVID-19 protocol, but is scheduled to resume full practice Wednesday and travel to Ohio State Friday

Michigan coach Carol Hutchins discussed her team’s coronavirus ‘pause,’ returning to play at Columbus, and her star players in a Tuesday Zoom call.

(Photo Courtesy of the University of Michigan)

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The coronavirus “pause” appears to be over for the Michigan softball team.

The Wolverines postponed last weekend’s four-game series with Michigan State in what would’ve been their first games in Ann Arbor since the 2019 NCAA Super Regional. Following COVID-19 protocol necessitated that move, and Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said Tuesday that her team “will not have a full roster” Friday, when it opens a four-game series at Ohio State.

But she’s thrilled to be back playing. Hutchins also noted that Michigan athletic teams worked with the Kroger grocery chain to receive COVID vaccinations, adding that her team is getting first doses this week.

“We have to keep the safety of everybody involved – the other team, us, everybody,” said Hutchins. “And we err on the side of caution. So, the good news is we are hoping to be out of pause (Wednesday) and having a full team practice, and heading to Ohio State Thursday…We have to remind them that we can’t take a day off because COVID doesn’t take a day off. Our goal is to finish our season and have a bang-up year.”

“We’ll see if they stayed sharp, but we did the best with what we had. We were allowed to be in smaller groups (with limits of six per group) and did a lot of individual-type work with their hitting, and a lot of fundamental drill work. It gave us a chance to become better. Like I told the group – nobody was happy to be in pause – but we got to practice largely because we’re an outdoor sport. You can only have one attitude – that we’re going to come out of this better, and hopefully hungry.”

The Wolverines will resume play with junior outfielder Lexie Blair leading the Big Ten with a .482 batting average, and she also has three homers and 11 RBI.

“She’s gone to a new level – an elite level of play where she demands a lot of herself but doesn’t get in her own way,” Hutchins said of Blair. “She’ll have a poor at-bat now and then, and she just doesn’t take it with her (when playing defense). And she just found a way to go out there and be in attack mode.

“She admitted that she can be a kid that, ‘I need to get this done for us to win.’ I mean, kids go there, and her and I chatted about it one day. And I think she’s done a real good job of taking the pressure off herself, and enjoys being that sparkplug for us. She’s been fun.”

Junior right-hander Alex Storako leads the conference with wins (8-2), strikeouts (110), lowest opponent batting average (.122) and with a 0.49 ERA. Senior left-hander Meghan Beaubien (5-1, 88 strikeouts, .149 opponent average and 0.94 ERA) is close behind and ranks third in the Big Ten in those categories.

“The biggest thing is we don’t care where you rank until the year’s over,” said Hutchins, whose 0.87 ERA for all pitchers also is No. 1 in the Big Ten. “But our pitchers have done a fantastic job of doing their part. They keep us in every game. We’ve had a chance to win every game we’ve played. They are very structured. They are methodical. And they’re very one-pitch focused, and I just want to see them continue it.”

Hutchins said they need to stay focused on their jobs rather than becoming concerned in games when the offense (third in the Big Ten with a .296 batting average) doesn’t score much. Michigan had a pair of 2-1 losses to Illinois in Leesburg, Fla.

“What they can do better is just focus on their one-pitch moment,” Hutchins said, “and that’s all we can ask of them.”

The Wolverines (13-3, .813), the defending Big Ten regular season and tournament champions, are in second place behind Northwestern (18-2, .900), nearing the half-way point of the 44-game, conference-only schedule.

The Wildcats visit Ann Arbor beginning April 23 (6 p.m., ESPNU) for four games that will go a long way toward deciding the conference champion. There will be no conference tournament this season, with Big Ten teams selected for the NCAA tournament advancing directly to it.

Michigan takes a seven-game winning streak -- the conference’s current longest – into Columbus.

“Ohio State (12-7), they’re in our way and a good team,” said Hutchins, “and they can play ball. I expect it to be a classic battle. We need to be very competitive because we’re going to go down to Columbus, and I can’t tell you how unwelcome anything with maize and blue is down there. So, we’re going to need to be very competitive and very resilient.”