Michigan Softball Takes it All as the Second No. 8 Seed Champion in Conference Tournament History

Michigan softball shut out the number two seed UCLA 2-0 in the Big Ten tournament championship, claiming back-to-back conference tournament titles. As the number eight seed, Michigan becomes only the second eighth-seeded team in conference history to win the tournament. The Wolverines went on a tear, knocking off the number one and two seeds, as well as the host team Purdue in a four-day run to the championship game.

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The Wolverines’ 12th Big Ten tournament win in program history earns them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, meaning selection Sunday will be much less stressful than it may have been otherwise, with many bracketologists listing Michigan among the first four out. Though their tournament win may not have been enough to propel them into a particularly high seed, that shouldn’t prove too much of an issue for Bonnie Tholl’s squad; they clearly thrive in an underdog position.

Not Only Did the Wolverines Shut Out the One Seed, but They Shut Out the Two Seed As Well

 

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When the Wolverines met the UCLA Bruins in the regular season, the Bruins swept their three game series, just like top seed Oregon did. In May, however, the Wolverines were seemingly a brand new team, many Big Ten Network announcers touching on the fact that Michigan was peaking at the right time. The championship game went scoreless on both sides until the top of the sixth, when the Wolverines scored two runs, which proved just enough to give them a taste of the win, and hold the Bruins off the board completely for the rest of the game.

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Pitcher Lauren Derkowski, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, held UCLA to just three hits over five innings, and two walks, before Erin Hoehn took over, and the pair completed their vengeful second shut out of a top ten team in just three days. Outfielders Jenissa Conway and Ella Stephenson each had an RBI in the sixth inning, due in no small part to Indiana Langford’s initial hit which resulted in a double after the UCLA defense couldn’t bring it in. The Wolverines gave another stellar performance, making it near impossible to single out any players—it was truly a team effort once again.

With Selection Sunday looming, the Wolverines’ season is far from over, their hopes of making a deep run in the Women’s College World Series growing even higher after this unlikely, but very well-deserved, tournament championship win.

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