Ann Arbor Regional (May 15-17) at Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 3 seed Michigan (51-6)* vs. Oakland (27-22)
Pittsburgh (35-20) vs. California (38-16)
The University Michigan (51-6) is the three seed and will play host to the Ann Arbor regional May 15-17. The Wolverines have been red hot the second half of the season winning their last 20 games. They also have what we consider maybe the best offensive line-up in the country with a team batting average of .343, 107 home runs and a team SLG of .633. Their pitching staff isn’t so bad either with a team ERA of 1.48. Offensively they are led by one of the best hitters in the country in junior Sierra Romero and her .469 average, 20 home runs and 74 RBI. The Wolverines have five players in double digit home runs and seven batting above .300. This season so far they have outscored opponents 470-97. Back to that pitching staff which is led by sophomore Megan Betsa (26-4) and Haylie Wagner (21-2). Betsa was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year this season with a 1.44 ERA and 275 strikeouts. Wagner has been equally impressive with a 1.70 ERA and 110 strikeouts. As a staff Michigan has held opposing hitters to just a .188 average. With an explosive offense and shutdown pitching the Wolverines are a dangerous team.
Michigan will open the tournament against Oakland (27-22). The Horizon league champions have used a balance attack throughout the season. At the plate they the team leader is senior Sara Cupp. Cupp has been effective with a .382/.500/.691 slash line. She also leads the team in RBI (43). Junior Sarah Hartley has provided the team’s power with team leading 11 home runs and a .366/.413/.689 slash line. In the circle junior Erin Kownacki (16-12) has carried the bulk of the weight pitching about 50 percent of the innings for the Golden Grizzlies. Kownacki comes in to the tournament with a 2.43 ERA and 96 strikeouts. If Michigan hits for average and their pitching has no setbacks they should be in good shape.
The second game will feature Pittsburgh (35-20) and California (38-16). Pittsburgh has had a bit of an up and down season, but played well at the ACC championships and will to carry that through into the regionals. The Panthers are 6-6 over their last 12 games. They will need consistent performances. Senior Savannah King (20-7) leads a staff that has a combined ERA of 3.90. King has been better posting a 2.73 ERA with 88 strikeouts on the season so far. The down side is that she also has 80 walks. The team’s top hitter is junior Maggie Sevilla who is hitting .358 on the season. Freshman McKayla Taylor is the only Panther in double digits in home runs with 13.
California has shown that they can beat top teams with wins over Tennessee, Florida State, Arizona State, Arizona and Washington. Consistency is the key to the Golden Bears success both at the plate in from the circle. From the offensive side of the ball they have had a good season with a team average of .336, but have known shown a lot of power only hitting 46 home runs on the season. Their top hitter is freshman Jazmyn Jackson. Jackson is batting .446 and leads the team in hits (78). Two players have hit 10 or more home runs in senior Danielle Henderson (14) and senior Cheyenne Cordes (15). California has used four different pitchers this season that have combined for a 3.78 ERA. Sophomore Stephanie Trzcinski (15-5) and sophomore Katie Sutherland-Finch (18-10) have pitched the bulk of the innings. Trzcinski has a solid win percentage, but has 3.51 ERA. Sutherland-Finch has given up some long balls (27) and carries a 3.79 ERA into the tournament. Based on the overall season and who they have played this year we lean towards to California in this one.
Look for Michigan to stay hot and advance to the super regional.
