Gloria Soluk was the first head coach of the Michigan Wolverines softball team. When she was hired by Michigan in 1977, it was as Michigan's women's basketball coach, and there was no softball team. She later recalled, "I was asked to serve as the head coach for the first few seasons in order to get things off the ground."[4] In her three seasons as head coach from 1978 to 1980, the Wolverines compiled a record of 50 wins and 25 losses for a .667 winning percentage.
De Carolis years
Bob De Carolis was the Wolverines second head coach, holding that position from 1980 to 1984. In his four seasons as head coach, the Wolverines compiled a record of 114 wins and 81 losses for a .585 winning percentage. In 1982, De Carolis led Michigan to a first-place finish in the AIAW Regional Championships and a third-place finish in the AIAWWomen's College World Series.[3] De Carolis remained on Michigan's athletic department staff until 1998 when he accepted a post with Oregon State University. He has been Oregon State's athletic director since 2002.
Hutchins era
Carol Hutchins became the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines softball team in 1985. When she took over as head coach, Hutchins reportedly "had a tiny salary, an only slightly larger budget, and had to take care of her own field, throwing down lime and riding the lawn tractor."[5] Since Hutchins became Michigan's coach, the team has never had a losing season.[6] Hutchins' teams have also won 19 Big Ten Conference regular-season titles and 18 NCAA regional championships. She has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year on eighteen occasions and National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) National Coach of the Year twice.[7][8]
She led the Michigan softball team to its first NCAA Women's College World Series championship in 2005.[7][9] The decisive game was won in dramatic fashion, with a Samantha Findlay home run in the top of the 10th inning, producing a 4–1 final. The 2005 Michigan Wolverines softball team was the first team from East of the Mississippi River to win the NCAA Women's College World Series.[9][10][11] (Hutchins played shortstop for Michigan State when they won the AIAW WCWS national championship in 1976.) The Ann Arbor News described the team's accomplishment this way:
"What happened during the past five months might be the most unlikely accomplishment in the history of a storied athletics program, analogous to setting out to win an NCAA hockey title at the University of New Mexico. Then doing it. Now, before you dismiss that as hyperbole, consider a few factors. Like the fact that, because of cold weather, the Wolverines played their first 33 games on the road, roughly half the season. Try doing that in football or basketball. Then there's recruiting. Softball is still a sport dominated by West Coast talent. ... There's a reason no team East of the Mississippi had won an NCAA softball title until now."[9]
After Michigan defeated No. 1 ranked Arizona in March 2005, Hutchins told a reporter, "Yes, there is softball east of the Rockies."[12] The performance of the 2005 team also set Michigan records in several categories:
The team's 65 victories was the most in school history;[6]
The team recorded 32 consecutive victories between February 13, 2005, and March 30, 2005;[6]
The team's 103 home runs tied for the second most in NCAA history.[6]
After winning the World Series, Hutchins and her team visited the White House in July 2005, where they met with President George W. Bush, something Hutchins called "a once-in-a-lifetime experience."[11]
The 2013 team (in blue) in action against Northwestern
In 2006, Hutchins was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame.[13]
In March 2000, Hutchins recorded her 638th win, giving her more career wins than any other coach in University of Michigan history in any sport, male or female.[6] In 2007, she became the seventh coach in NCAA softball history, and the first in any sport at the University of Michigan, to reach 1,000 career wins.[5][6] After winning her 1,000th game, Hutchins told a reporter that her greatest pride did not come from the 1,000 wins, but from her ability to influence how her players look at life, "to get them to work together and to meet standards, to show them they can lead as women."[5] When she was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame, her players presented her with a scrapbook with a note from one saying, "I came here a girl with potential and left here a woman with no limits." Hutchins noted that those 15 words matter more than the 1,000 wins.[5]
In 2009, the Wolverines advanced to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. They won the first game against Alabama by a score of 6–1. In their second game, they lost a close game to Florida by a score of 1–0. They were eliminated in a 7–5 loss to Georgia on May 30, 2009.[14]
On October 4, 2017, Hutchins signed a five-year contract extension with the Wolverines.[16]
On August 24, 2022, Hutchins announced her retirement after 38 years as head coach at Michigan. At the time of her retirement, she was the winningest coach in NCAA Division I history, compiling a record of 1,684–540–5 at Michigan.[17]
Tholl era
Following the retirement of long-time head coach Hutchins, Bonnie Tholl was named the head coach on August 24, 2022.[18]
Carol Sue Hutchins is an American former softball coach. In 38 years as the head coach of Michigan Wolverines softball, (1985–2022), she won more games than more than any other coach in University of Michigan history in any sport, male or female with 1,684 wins. Hutchins had a career record of 1,707 wins, 551 losses, and five ties, for a .759 winning percentage. She led the Wolverines to their first NCAA softball championship in 2005.
Nicole Ashley Nemitz was a volunteer assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines softball team. She was an All-American pitcher for the team, winning first-team NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-American honors in 2009.
Jordan Lee Taylor is an American, former collegiate All-American, 3-time professional All-Star right-handed softball pitcher originally from Santa Clarita, California. She played for the Michigan Wolverines softball team from 2008–2011 and Team USA. She was drafted #11 and played from 2011-18 in the National Pro Fastpitch where she is currently the career leader in saves. She is the career Big Ten Conference career leader in strikeouts and also ranks in numerous records for the Wolverines, the conference and in the NCAA Division I.
Jennifer Darlene Ritter is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired softball pitcher and current sports commentator. She played college softball and was a starting pitcher for the Michigan Wolverines softball from 2003 to 2006 and led them to the 2005 Women's College World Series championship. She is the career shutouts record holder for the Wolverines in the Big Ten Conference.
Sierra Joy Romero is a Mexican American professional softball player. She formerly was a volunteer assistant softball coach for the Oregon Ducks softball team. She played college softball for Michigan from 2013 to 2016, where she set numerous records and was a four-time All-American. She holds the Big Ten Conference career Triple Crown, along with the total bases and slugging percentage records, simultaneously leading all of the NCAA Division I in runs scored and grand slams. She was the inaugural winner of both the espnW Softball Player of the Year in 2015 and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Year in 2016, when she also took home the Honda Sports Award Softball Player of the Year and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year awards. She is one of nine NCAA players to hit .400 with 200 RBIs, 50 home runs and an .800 slugging percentage for her career and was named the #5 Greatest College Softball Player.
Haylie Marie Wagner is an American softball pitcher for the Chicago Bandits of National Pro Fastpitch. From 2012 to 2015, she was a left-handed pitcher for the Michigan Wolverines softball team. She was unanimously selected the 2012 Big Ten Conference Softball Pitcher of the Year after compiling a 32–7 record and a 1.53 earned run average (ERA) in her freshman year. She finished her college career with a 100–18 win record and a 1.82 ERA. Since 2015, Wagner has pitched for the Pennsylvania Rebellion, but the club was dissolved in 2017.
Jessica Merchant is an American softball coach and former softball player. She is currently the associate head coach of the Stanford Cardinal softball team. She previously served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and UMass Minutewomen. She played professional softball in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league for the New England Riptide for three seasons, and for the Connecticut Brakettes for one season. While playing for the Brakettes in 2006, she was named NPF Offensive Player of the Year.
Kelly Kovach Schoenly is an American softball coach and former softball player. She was the head softball coach at Ohio State from June 2012 to May 2024. She previously served as the head softball coach at Miami (Ohio) from 2006 to 2012. She has also been an assistant coach at Michigan and Penn State.
Tiffany Ann Haas is a former American softball player. She played college softball for the Michigan Wolverines softball team from 2003 to 2006. She was the leading batter on the 2005 Michigan Wolverines softball team that won the 2005 Women's College World Series. She was also selected as a first-team NFCA All-American in 2005. She also played on the USA Elite Team that won the 2005 International Cup in Madrid.
Traci Lynn Conrad is an American softball coach and former softball player. She is a coach with Select Florida Softball and previously served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame. She played professional softball for the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league from 1999 to 2000.
Kelsey Elizabeth Kollen is a former American softball player. She played college softball for the Michigan Wolverines softball team from 1999 to 2002. She was selected as the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year in 1999 and a first-team NFCA All-American in 2002. She was also selected as the first-team All-Big Ten second baseman in 1999, 2001, and 2002. She is married to former Major League Baseball relief pitcher J. J. Putz.
Kellyn Marie Tate is an American softball coach and former outfielder. She has been the head softball coach at University of Puget Sound since 2012. She previously held coaching positions at Portland State, Miami (Ohio), Texas Tech, and Penn State.
Megan Renee Betsa is an American, former collegiate All-American, right-handed professional softball pitcher and coach. She is a former assistant coach at Chattanooga. She played college softball for Michigan in the Big Ten Conference, where she is the career strikeout ratio (10.7) leader for both the Big Ten and Michigan, and also ranks top-20 for the NCAA Division I. Betsa was selected seventh overall by the Akron Racers in the 2017 NPF Draft, and went on to play professionally for the now defunct Racers.
The 2005 Michigan Wolverines softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Michigan during the 2005 NCAA softball season. The Wolverines, led by head coach Carol Hutchins in her twenty-first season, played their home games at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines finished the season with a 65–7 record, setting a program record for wins. They competed in the Big Ten Conference, where the team finished first with a 15–2 conference record.
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.
The 2021 Michigan Wolverines softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Michigan during the 2021 NCAA Division I softball season. The Wolverines were led by head coach Carol Hutchins in her thirty-seventh season, and played their home games at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The 2022 Michigan Wolverines softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Michigan during the 2022 NCAA Division I softball season. The Wolverines, were led by head coach Carol Hutchins in her thirty-eighth season, and played their home games at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The 2023 Michigan Wolverines softball team was an American college softball team that represents the University of Michigan during the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The Wolverines, wee led by head coach Bonnie Tholl in her first season, and played their home games at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The 2023 Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions softball team represented Southeastern Louisiana University during the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The Lady Lions played their home games at North Oak Park in Hammond, LA and were led by eighth-year head coach Rick Fremin. They are members of the Southland Conference.
The 2023 Northwestern State Lady Demons softball team represented Northwestern State University during the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The Lady Demons played their home games at Lady Demon Diamond and were led by fifteenth year head coach Donald Pickett. They are members of the Southland Conference.
1 2 Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN978-0-9893007-0-4.
↑ Lou Ponsi (2005-03-21). "Softball: Michigan beats No. 1 Arizona to win Klassic; The fourth-ranked Wolverines win the final of the Fullerton tournament, 6-2". The Orange County Register.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
2023 Michigan Wolverines softball team 
