2015 Michigan Wolverines softball team

2015 Michigan Wolverines softball
2015 Michigan Wolverines softball
Women's College World Series Runner-up
Big Ten Regular Season Champions; Big Ten Tournament Champions
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	60–8 (21–2 B1G)
Head coach	Carol Hutchins (31st season);
Assistant coach	Jennifer Brundage (18th season)
Home stadium	Alumni Field
	Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Big Ten Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 2 Michigan ‍†‍‡‍^y	21	–	2	.913	60	–	8	.882
No. 15 Minnesota ‍‍‍^y	20	–	3	.870	49	–	11	.817
Nebraska ‍‍‍^y	17	–	6	.739	35	–	23	.603
Northwestern ‍‍‍^y	14	–	8	.636	28	–	23	.549
Illinois ‍‍‍	14	–	9	.609	26	–	27	.491
Ohio State ‍‍‍	12	–	11	.522	30	–	22	.577
Rutgers ‍‍‍	11	–	12	.478	29	–	20	.592
Penn State ‍‍‍	9	–	14	.391	29	–	28	.509
Maryland ‍‍‍	9	–	14	.391	27	–	27	.500
Iowa ‍‍‍	8	–	15	.348	19	–	40	.322
Purdue ‍‍‍	7	–	14	.333	31	–	25	.554
Indiana ‍‍‍	7	–	14	.333	17	–	39	.304
Wisconsin ‍‍‍	5	–	17	.227	21	–	31	.404
Michigan State ‍‍‍	4	–	19	.174	19	–	36	.345

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 5, 2015^[1] Rankings from NFCA

The 2015 Michigan Wolverines softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Michigan during the 2015 NCAA softball season. The Wolverines, led by head coach Carol Hutchins in her thirty-first season, played their home games at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines finished the season with a 60–8 record, including 21–2 in conference play. The Wolverines won the 2015 Big Ten Conference Softball Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. They advanced to the finals of the Women's College World Series for the first time since 2005, where they lost to Florida.

Preseason

The Wolverines were ranked No. 8 in the nation according to the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason polls, becoming the top-ranked Big Ten school in both listings.^[2]^[3] Sierra Lawrence, Sierra Romero and Haylie Wagner were all named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year preseason watch list.^[4]

Personnel

Roster

2015 Michigan Wolverines roster

Pitchers

3 Megan Betsa – Sophomore
10 Sara Driesenga – Senior
17 Haylie Wagner – Senior

Outfielders

5 Olivia Richvalsky – Junior
8 Nikki Wald – Freshman
20 Mary Sbonek – Junior
21 Kelly Christner – Sophomore
22 Sierra Lawrence – Junior

Utility

2 Aidan Falk – Freshman
7 Kelsey Susalla – Junior
23 Taylor Swearingen – Freshman
24 Tera Blanco – Freshman
32 Angie Danis – Freshman

Catchers

14 Lauren Connell – Junior
16 Morgan Swift – Freshman
19 Becca Garfinkel – Senior
25 Lauren Sweet – Senior

Infielders

1 Abby Ramirez – Sophomore
12 Amanda Vargas – Freshman
18 Lindsay Montemarano – Sophomore
32 Sierra Romero – Junior

Reference:^[5]

Coaches

2015 Michigan Wolverines coaching staff
Carol Hutchins – Head coach – 31st year Bonnie Tholl – Associate head coach – 13th year Jennifer Brundage – Assistant coach – 18th year Nikki Nemitz – Volunteer assistant coach – 4th year
Reference:^[6]

Schedule

2015 Michigan Wolverines Softball Game Log

Regular Season (48–6)

February (17–1)

Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	B1G Record
February 7	vs. No. 1 Florida	No. 8	USF Softball Stadium Tampa, FL	1–2	Ocasio (1–0)	Wagner (0–1)	—	1,167	0–1	–
February 7	vs. USF	No. 8	USF Softball Stadium	4–3	Driesenga (1–0)	Greiner (1–1)	—	1,100	1–1	–
February 8	vs. Hampton	No. 8	USF Softball Stadium	9–2	Betsa (1–0)	Babinsack (0–3)	Wagner (1)	204	2–1	–
February 8	vs. Illinois State	No. 8	USF Softball Stadium	4–1	Driesenga (2–0)	Romshek (2–2)	—	217	3–1	–
February 13	vs. Western Kentucky	No. 7	JoAnne Graf Field Tallahassee, FL	8–0 (5)	Wagner (1–1)	Kramer (3–1)	—	—	4–1	–
February 13	vs. Georgia Tech	No. 7	JoAnne Graf Field	10–0 (5)	Betsa (2–0)	Kleinschmidt (0–4)	—	—	5–1	–
February 14	at No. 6 Florida State	No. 7	JoAnne Graf Field	6–5	Wagner (2–1)	Waldrop (4–1)	Betsa (1)	—	6–1	–
February 14	at No. 6 Florida State	No. 7	JoAnne Graf Field	2–1	Betsa (3–0)	Waldrop (4–2)	—	1,208	7–1	–
February 15	vs. Georgia Tech	No. 7	JoAnne Graf Field	10–2 (5)	Driesenga (3–0)	Biggerstaff (0–1)	—	—	8–1	–
February 20	vs. Lipscomb	No. 5	Rhoads Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	7–1	Wagner (3–1)	Sanders (3–3)	—	181	9–1	–
February 20	at No. 3 Alabama	No. 5	Rhoads Stadium	8–2	Betsa (4–0)	Jury (3–2)	—	2,514	10–1	–
February 21	vs. Lipscomb	No. 5	Rhoads Stadium	13–1 (5)	Driesenga (4–0)	Young (2–4)	—	207	11–1	–
February 21	at No. 3 Alabama	No. 5	Rhoads Stadium	4–1	Wagner (4–1)	Osorio (4–1)	—	2,710	12–1	–
February 22	vs. James Madison	No. 5	Rhoads Stadium	10–0 (5)	Betsa (5–0)	Ford (2–2)	—	101	13–1	–
February 27	vs. Toledo	No. 3	Farrington Stadium Tempe, AZ	20–5 (5)	Wagner (5–1)	Gooding (4–2)	—	289	14–1	–
February 27	at No. 21 Arizona State	No. 3	Farrington Stadium	7–5	Betsa (6–0)	Ryndak (6–2)	Wagner (2)	1,167	15–1	–
February 28	vs. Toledo	No. 3	Farrington Stadium	9–0 (5)	Betsa (7–0)	Gross (0–1)	—	207	16–1	–
February 28	vs. Binghamton	No. 3	Farrington Stadium	15–0 (5)	Wagner (6–1)	Miller (2–2)	—	209	17–1	–

March (14–4)

Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	B1G Record
March 1	at No. 21 Arizona State	No. 3	Farrington Stadium	6–2	Betsa (8–0)	Macha (7–4)	Wagner (3)	1,115	18–1	–
March 4	at Cal State Fullerton	No. 3	Anderson Family Field Fullerton, CA	9–0	Wagner (7–1)	Ybarra (5–5)	—	945	19–1	–
March 5	vs. No. 22 Arizona State	No. 3	Anderson Family Field	0–2 (8)	Macha (8–4)	Betsa (8–1)	—	345	19–2	–
March 5	vs. No. 1 Florida	No. 3	Anderson Family Field	4–7	Ocasio (8–0)	Betsa (8–2)	—	375	19–3	–
March 6	vs. San Jose State	No. 3	Anderson Family Field	9–1 (5)	Betsa (9–1)	Lang (4–4)	—	1,042	20–3	–
March 6	vs. No. 9 Baylor	No. 3	Anderson Family Field	11–1 (5)	Wagner (8–1)	Stearns (4–3)	—	511	21–3	–
March 7	vs. San Diego State	No. 3	Anderson Family Field	10–2 (5)	Wagner (9–1)	Cable (2–3)	—	1,850	22–3	–
March 14	Kent State	No. 3	Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	0–3	Johnson (6–2)	Wagner (9–2)	—	—	22–4	–
March 14	Kent State	No. 3	Alumni Field	10–1 (5)	Betsa (10–2)	Ladines (3–3)	—	1,051	23–4	–
March 15	Kent State	No. 3	Alumni Field	4–1	Betsa (11–2)	Johnson (6–3)	—	1,021	24–4	–
March 18	Bowling Green	No. 4	Alumni Field	8–1	Wagner (10–2)	Combs (1–3)	—	712	25–4	–
March 20	at Ohio State	No. 4	Buckeye Field Columbus, OH	13–1	Betsa (12–2)	O'Reilly (7–2)	—	215	26–4	1–0
March 21	at Ohio State	No. 4	Buckeye Field	13–1 (5)	Wagner (11–2)	DiDomenico (2–3)	—	412	27–4	2–0
March 22	at Ohio State	No. 4	Buckeye Field	20–0 (5)	Betsa (13–2)	O'Reilly (7–3)	—	388	28–4	3–0
March 25	Western Michigan	No. 4	Alumni Field	8–2	Wagner (12–2)	Binkowski (3–6)	—	659	29–4	–
March 27	Iowa	No. 4	Postponed
March 28	Iowa	No. 4	Alumni Field	6–0	Betsa (14–2)	Starkenburg (8–15)	—	—	30–4	4–0
March 28	Iowa	No. 4	Alumni Field	7–4	Wagner (13–2)	Yoways (2–10)	Betsa (2)	1,136	31–4	5–0
March 29	Iowa	No. 4	Alumni Field	4–6	Starkenburg (9–15)	Betsa (14–3)	—	967	31–5	5–1

April (14–1)

Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	B1G Record
April 3	at No. 14 Minnesota	No. 4	JSC Stadium Minneapolis, MN	1–9 (6)	Groenewegen (19–3)	Betsa (14–4)	—	401	31–6	5–2
April 4	at No. 14 Minnesota	No. 4	JSC Stadium	9–4	Wagner (14–2)	Anderson (5–2)	Betsa (3)	1,119	32–6	6–2
April 5	at No. 14 Minnesota	No. 4	JSC Stadium	9–1 (6)	Betsa (15–4)	Groenewegen (19–4)	—	327	33–6	7–2
April 7	Eastern Michigan	No. 4	Alumni Field	11–1 (5)	Wagner (15–2)	Rich (6–14)	—	952	34–6	–
April 10	at Rutgers	No. 4	Rutgers Softball Complex Piscataway, NJ	18–0 (5)	Betsa (16–4)	Landrith (11–6)	—	157	35–6	8–2
April 11	at Rutgers	No. 4	Rutgers Softball Complex	16–3 (5)	Wagner (16–2)	Maddox (5–4)	—	361	36–6	9–2
April 12	at Rutgers	No. 4	Rutgers Softball Complex	5–0	Betsa (17–4)	Landrith (11–7)	—	227	37–6	10–2
April 15	at Michigan State	No. 4	Secchia Stadium East Lansing, MI	10–0 (5)	Betsa (18–4)	Rainey (1–9)	—	1,047	38–6	11–2
April 17	Indiana	No. 4	Alumni Field	11–2 (5)	Betsa (19–4)	Olson (10–21)	—	1,415	39–6	12–2
April 18	Indiana	No. 4	Alumni Field	3–0	Wagner (17–2)	Olson (10–22)	—	—	40–6	13–2
April 18	Indiana	No. 4	Alumni Field	7–1	Betsa (20–4)	Tamayo (4–8)	—	1,909	41–6	14–2
April 19	Indiana	No. 4	Alumni Field	Postponed
April 21	Michigan State	No. 4	Alumni Field	4–3	Wagner (18–2)	Rainey (1–11)	—	1,105	42–6	15–2
April 22	Central Michigan	No. 4	Alumni Field	Postponed
April 24	at Maryland	No. 4	Maryland Softball Stadium College Park, MD	8–0 (5)	Betsa (21–4)	Dewey (6–11)	—	512	43–6	16–2
April 25	at Maryland	No. 4	Maryland Softball Stadium	10–2 (6)	Wagner (19–2)	Schmeiser (18–8)	—	941	44–6	17–2
April 26	at Maryland	No. 4	Maryland Softball Stadium	1–0	Betsa (22–4)	Schmeiser (18–9)	—	625	45–6	18–2

May (3–0)

Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	B1G Record
May 1	Penn State	No. 3	Alumni Field	8–0 (5)	Betsa (23–4)	Cummings (7–8)	—	1,735	46–6	19–2
May 2	Penn State	No. 3	Alumni Field	9–1 (6)	Wagner (20–2)	Laubach (12–10)	—	1,852	47–6	20–2
May 3	Penn State	No. 3	Alumni Field	10–2 (5)	Betsa (24–4)	Cummings (7–9)	—	2,500	48–6	21–2

Postseason (12–2)

B1G Tournament (3–0)

Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	B1GT Record
May 8	Penn State (9)	No. 3 (1)	Buckeye Field	16–1 (5)	Betsa (25–4)	Cummings (7–10)	—	1,345	49–6	1–0
May 9	Northwestern (4)	No. 3 (1)	Buckeye Field	9–0 (5)	Betsa (26–4)	Wood (16–10)	—	—	50–6	2–0
May 9	Nebraska (3)	No. 3 (1)	Buckeye Field	6–1	Wagner (21–2)	McClure (9–3)	—	1,476	51–6	3–0

Ann Arbor Regional (3–0)

Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	Regional Record
May 15	Oakland	No. 3 (3)	Alumni Field	9–1 (6)	Betsa (27–4)	Kownacki (16–13)	—	2,087	52–6	1–0
May 16	No. 19 California	No. 3 (3)	Alumni Field	9–1 (6)	Betsa (28–4)	Trzcinski (15–6)	—	2,237	53–6	2–0
May 17	Pittsburgh	No. 3 (3)	Alumni Field	10–3	Betsa (29–4)	King (20–9)	—	2,144	54–6	3–0

Ann Arbor Super Regional (2–0)

Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	Super Reg. Record
May 21	No. 14 Georgia (14)	No. 3 (3)	Alumni Field	10–3	Betsa (30–4)	Wilkinson (28–10)	—	2,136	55–6	1–0
May 22	No. 14 Georgia (14)	No. 3 (3)	Alumni Field	7–6	Wagner (22–2)	Wilkinson (28–11)	Betsa (4)	2,582	56–6	2–0

Women's College World Series (4–2)

Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	CWS Record
May 28	vs. No. 6 Alabama (6)	No. 3 (3)	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Oklahoma City, OK	5–0	Betsa (31–4)	Osorio (21–9)	—	8,360	57–6	1–0
May 29	vs. No. 7 UCLA (7)	No. 3 (3)	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium	10–4	Wagner (23–2)	Carda (32–7)	—	9,425	58–6	2–0
May 31	vs. No. 8 LSU (5)	No. 3 (3)	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium	6–3	Wagner (24–2)	Hoover (18–7)	—	9,274	59–6	3–0
June 1	vs. No. 2 Florida (1)	No. 3 (3)	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium	2–3	Ocasio (18–3)	Betsa (31–5)	Gourley (5)	8,329	59–7	3–1
June 1	vs. No. 2 Florida (1)	No. 3 (3)	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium	1–0	Wagner (25–2)	Haeger (31–2)	—	8,254	60–7	4–1
June 1	vs. No. 2 Florida (1)	No. 3 (3)	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium	1–4	Haeger (32–2)	Wagner (25–3)	—	7,680	60–8	4–2

Win
Loss
Postponement
Bold: Wolverines team member
Reference:^[7]

Rankings from NFCA:^[8]
(#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Ranking movement

Ranking Movement
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
Poll	Last	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Final
NFCA^[8]	10	8	8	5	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	2

Awards and honors

Weekly Awards
Player	Award	Date Awarded	Ref.
Kelsey Susalla	Co-Big Ten Player of the Week	February 23, 2015	^[9]
Sierra Lawrence	USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week	March 3, 2015	^[10]
Sierra Romero	Big Ten Pitcher of the Week	March 9, 2005	^[11]
Megan Betsa	Big Ten Pitcher of the Week	March 23, 2015	^[12]
Megan Betsa	Big Ten Pitcher of the Week	April 20, 2015	^[13]
Megan Betsa	NFCA National Pitcher of the Week	April 21, 2015	^[14]

Individual Awards
Player	Award	Ref.
Megan Betsa	Big Ten Pitcher of the Year	^[15]
Carol Hutchins	Big Ten Coach of the Year	^[15]

All-Big Ten
Player	Selection	Ref.
Megan Betsa	First Team	^[16]
Kelly Christner	First Team
Sierra Romero	First Team
Haylie Wagner	First Team
Sierra Lawrence	Second Team
Abby Ramirez	Second Team
Lauren Sweet	Second Team

All-American
Player	Selection	Ref.
Kelly Christner	First Team	^[17]
Sierra Romero	First Team
Megan Betsa	Second Team
Sierra Lawrence	Third Team
Haylie Wagner	Third Team

References

^ "Big Ten Softball Standings". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
^ "Wolverines Ranked No. 8 in First Coaches Poll of 2015". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. January 20, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "U-M Receives Second Top-10 Preseason Ranking of 2015". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. January 27, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "Player of the Year Watch List Includes Lawrence, Romero, Wagner". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. January 30, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "2015 Michigan Softball Roster". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
^ "Michigan Coaching Staff Tabbed Nation's Best by NFCA". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. July 6, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
^ "2015 Softball Schedule". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll (Final)". nfca.org. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "Susalla Tabbed Co-Big Ten Player of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "Lawrence Selected as USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "Romero Named Big Ten Player of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 9, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "Betsa Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 23, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "Betsa Repeats as Big Ten Pitcher of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. April 20, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ Swan, Lance (April 21, 2015). "Missouri's Fagan, Michigan's Betsa Named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player and Pitcher of the Week". nfca.org. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "Softball Award Winners Named". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. May 6, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "U-M Puts Four on All-Big Ten First Team; Betsa, Hutchins Snag Top Honors". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. May 6, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
^ "Seven Named NFCA All-Americans". bigten.org. May 27, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[1] "Big Ten Softball Standings". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved May 11, 2019.

[2] "Wolverines Ranked No. 8 in First Coaches Poll of 2015". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. January 20, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[3] "U-M Receives Second Top-10 Preseason Ranking of 2015". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. January 27, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[4] "Player of the Year Watch List Includes Lawrence, Romero, Wagner". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. January 30, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[5] "2015 Michigan Softball Roster". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 14, 2019.

[6] "Michigan Coaching Staff Tabbed Nation's Best by NFCA". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. July 6, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2018.

[7] "2015 Softball Schedule". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[ranking-8] "USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll (Final)". nfca.org. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[9] "Susalla Tabbed Co-Big Ten Player of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[10] "Lawrence Selected as USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[11] "Romero Named Big Ten Player of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 9, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[12] "Betsa Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 23, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[13] "Betsa Repeats as Big Ten Pitcher of the Week". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. April 20, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[14] Swan, Lance (April 21, 2015). "Missouri's Fagan, Michigan's Betsa Named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player and Pitcher of the Week". nfca.org. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[15] "Softball Award Winners Named". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. May 6, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[All-Big-Ten-16] "U-M Puts Four on All-Big Ten First Team; Betsa, Hutchins Snag Top Honors". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. May 6, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[17] "Seven Named NFCA All-Americans". bigten.org. May 27, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

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v t e Michigan Wolverines softball
Venues	Alumni Field (1982–Present)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National Championships in bold; Women's College World Series appearances in italics