Michigan softball returns to NCAA tournament, opens against UCF in Austin Regional

Michigan softball (38-19) overcame the odds and won its second straight Big Ten Tournament last weekend, this time as the No. 8 seed. The Wolverines took down Wisconsin, Oregon, Purdue and UCLA, respectively, by a combined score of 14-4 to grab the title. As conference champions, Michigan received an automatic bid for a spot in the NCAA tournament, marking the 31st appearance in program history.

“It’s about making an investment,” head coach Bonnie Tholl said to her team after the win. “The season is like the market. You become a millionaire by investing all that you can to every single account you have. You make that investment, and that investment is in each other. Like the market, the season goes up and down. Sometimes you don’t see what the end result will be, but you stayed the course.

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“This is the reward – you are millionaires today.”

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Selection Sunday came and went, and the Wolverines drew UCF (Friday, May 16) in the Austin Regional, with host school Texas and Eastern Illinois on the other side. The regional round is a four-team, double elimination tournament, with the winner advancing to the Super Regional round. The Super Regional is the final stop before the College World Series.

Michigan has an all-time record of 90-25 in the regional round, including 18 regional titles. The schedule for the Austin Regional is below.

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• Friday, May 16
  • Game 1 – #2 seed UCF vs. #3 seed Michigan – 1 p.m. CT
  • Game 2 – #1 seed Texas vs. #4 seed Eastern Illinois – 3:30 p.m. CT
• Saturday, May 17
  • Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner – Noon CT
  • Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser – 2:30 p.m. CT
  • Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner – 5:00 p.m. CT
• Sunday, May 18
  • Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner – Noon CDT
  • Game 7 (if necessary) – Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser – 2:30 p.m. CD

UCF is 33-22-1 this season, most recently losing to Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament. The Wolverines are on a six-game winning streak dating back to May 3.

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