Last week we broke down the top four finishing teams in the SEC: Florida, Auburn, Alabama, and LSU. This week we’re moving to the Big Ten to highlight the top teams from 2015 and look ahead to their 2016 seasons. First up is NCAA National Runner-up the Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan softball is familiar with success; it’s actually built on it. Head Coach Carol Hutchins took over the program in its eighth season in 1985 and has never experienced a losing season. That’s 30 years of winning! The 18-time Big Ten Champions and 16-time NCAA Regional Champions have also made 12 WCWS appearances. The Wolverines were able to overthrow the reign of the West Coast universities as softball royalty in 2005 when they became the first team east of the Mississippi River to win a National Championship.


Michigan has started 2016 Fall Season off well, going 4-0 in a Traverse City tournament and outscoring their opposition 42-0.

Much of Michigan’s success last year can be attributed to its senior pitcher Haylie Wagner who played her first season in the National Pro Fastpitch League with the Pennsylvania Rebellion this past summer. Wagner was instrumental in getting the Wolverines to the title game, carrying a 1.75 ERA on the season and had only three losses in 38 appearances the entire year. The southpaw actually picked up her 100th career win in Michigan’s game two win against Florida in the championship series. In addition to losing Wagner, Michigan graduated two of her battery mates, Lauren Sweet and Becca Garfinkel.

Losing a whole battery could send some teams into a rebuilding year, but it won't slow down the Wolverines in 2016. They bring back four All-Americans, including Top 3 Finalist for Player of the Year Sierra Romero. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and 2015 espnW Softball Player of the Year played with the USA National Team this past summer and will look to continue her offensive dominance this coming season. Romero lead Michigan in nearly every major offensive category last season, including batting average (.449), home runs (22), runs batted in (83), and slugging percentage (.909) while stealing 21 bases.


Senior slugger Sierra Romero was Top 3 Finalist for Player of the Year last year

Beyond her offensive prowess, Romero really is the whole package. In an interview with The Detroit News, Coach Hutchins went so far as to say that Romero is better than New York Yankee Derek Jeter. "Yeah, I think she's better than Derek Jeter. Look at all of her tools. She can swing it, hit it and yeah, he does all that, too. I'm not knocking on Derek Jeter. I'm just suggesting she's just that talented. But what made Derek Jeter was his ability to elevate his team and take them to a lot of championships, and that's her goal."

Returning to join Romero in her quest for a national championship are All-America outfielders Kelly Christner and Sierra Lawrence. Christner led the Wolverine offense with 84 hits on the season and was second to Romero in nearly every other offensive category. Lawrence also powered the Wolverine offense with 72 hits and 24 stolen bases.

Expect 2015 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year (by unanimous selection) Megan Betsa to take control in the circle again this year. The second team All-American led the Wolverines with a 1.72 ERA and 46 appearances during her sophomore campaign. She’ll work in tandem with fifth-year senior pitcher Sara Driesenga, who returns this year after having red shirted last season due to injury. Driesenga is healthier than ever and looking to build upon the success of her junior season in 2014 in which she posted a 1.75 ERA in Big Ten games.


Junior pitcher Megan Betsa will reprise her role as ace for the Wolverine pitching staff in 2016

The Wolverines bring in four freshmen and should see production from many of them during their rookie seasons. Among the top talent going to Michigan this year is Louisville Slugger Hit Club winner Alex Sobczak. Besides being arguably the best hitter in the nation last year with her win at the Hit Club, the Michigan Finesse product was also the FloSoftball Hot 100 No. 67 player. Michigan also adds FloSoftball Hot 100 No. 16 player Faith Canfield, FloSoftball Hot 100 No. 13 player Natalie Peters, and right-handed pitcher Leah Crockett.


Alex Sobczak won the Louisville Slugger Hit Club, a prestigious hitting clinic and competition to which only the top 10 hitters in the nation are invited

With so much attention on SEC and PAC-12 schools, don't count out Big Ten powerhouse Michigan a strong contender for national champions again this year. 2016 could be the year of the Wolverine!