It's a great day to be a Michigan Wolverine, thanks to the Michigan softball team, which won yet another Big Ten tournament championship on Saturday, thanks to a 2-0 win over UCLA.
The Bruins were the second-seeded team in the Big Ten tournament. Michigan softball was seeded eighth. The Michigan Wolverines were on the NCAA tournament bubble coming into the week, but that doesn't matter anymore, as they are automatic qualifiers once again.
Lauren Derkowski continued to be a force on the mound for the Wolverines. She tossed five shutout innings, setting the stage for Erin Hoehn to seal the deal, just as in the past three games. Derkowski was name the Most Outstanding Player.
Hoehn got the win, as she did against Oregon. Michgan softball shut out both teams, ranked in the top 10. The Wolverines still needed some offense. Jenissa Conway provided it. Conway put Michigan ahead with an RBI double in the sixth inning. Ella Stephenson also pitched in with an RBI single.
UCLA's offense is as good as any in college softball, with numerous All-Big selections. Yet, the Bruins were stymied by Michigan, which may have been in a do-or-die situation.
Bonnie Tholl, the third-year head coach for the Michigan Wolverines, led U-M to its second straight championship. Michigan will now await its seeding in the NCAA tournament on Sunday. The selection show will be shown on ESPN2 at 7 PM EST.
Conway had a home run, hit over .400, and had two doubles in the Big Ten tournament championship for the Wolverines.
Once again, Michigan proves it is an everything school.
Go Blue!