Michigan Wolverines softball

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.

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 AIAW Women'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.

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]

In 2015, behind the hitting of Sierra Romero and the pitching of Megan Betsa and Haylie Wagner, Michigan won its ninth Big Ten tournament and its eighth consecutive Big Ten regular season championship, and were the 2015 Women's College World Series runner-up.[15]

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]

Following the retirement of long-time head coach Hutchins, Bonnie Tholl was named the head coach on August 24, 2022.[18]

NFCA National Player of the Year

• Sierra Romero (2016)

USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year

• Sierra Romero (2016)

espnW National Player of the Year

• Sierra Romero (2016)

Honda Sports Award

• Sierra Romero (2016)

Big Ten Player of the Year

• Vicki Morrow, 1987
• Michelle Bolster, 1988
• Jenny Allard, 1989
• Patti Benedict, 1992, 1993
• Sara Griffin, 1995, 1996
• Traci Conrad, 1998, 1999
• Melissa Taylor, 2001
• Marissa Young, 2003
• Jessica Merchant, 2004
• Nikki Nemitz, 2010
• Maggie Viefhaus, 2010
• Amanda Chidester, 2011, 2012
• Sierra Romero, 2013, 2014, 2016
• Lexie Blair, 2021

Big Ten Pitcher of the Year

• Kelly Kovach, 1992, 1995
• Kelly Forbis, 1993
• Kelly Holmes, 1997
• Sara Griffin, 1998
• Marie Barda, 1999
• Marissa Young, 2002
• Nicole Motycka, 2004
• Jennie Ritter, 2005
• Nikki Nemitz, 2009
• Jordan Taylor, 2010
• Haylie Wagner, 2012
• Megan Betsa, 2015, 2016
• Meghan Beaubien, 2018
• Alex Storako, 2021

Big Ten Freshman of the Year

• Patti Benedict, 1990
• Kelly Kovach, 1992
• Tracy Carr, 1993
• Sara Griffin, 1995
• Traci Conrad, 1996
• Melissa Gentile, 1997
• Kelsey Kollen, 1999
• Nicole Motycka, 2002
• Samantha Findlay, 2005
• Jordan Taylor, 2008
• Haylie Wagner, 2012
• Sierra Romero, 2013
• Meghan Beaubien, 2018

Big Ten Coach of the Year

• Carol Hutchins, 1985
• Carol Hutchins, 1992
• Carol Hutchins, 1993
• Carol Hutchins, 1996
• Carol Hutchins, 1998
• Carol Hutchins, 1999
• Carol Hutchins, 2001
• Carol Hutchins, 2004
• Carol Hutchins, 2005
• Carol Hutchins, 2008
• Carol Hutchins, 2009
• Carol Hutchins, 2011
• Carol Hutchins, 2012
• Carol Hutchins, 2013
• Carol Hutchins, 2015
• Carol Hutchins, 2016
• Carol Hutchins, 2018
• Carol Hutchins, 2021

Alumni Field, the home of the Michigan Wolverines softball team

Michigan has had 41 players selected as NFCA All-Americans, combining for 69 total honors.[20]

• Penny Neer - (Class of 2002)
• Vicki Morrow - (Class of 2004)
• Alicia Seegert - (Class of 2005)
• Jenny Allard - (Class of 2008)
• Sara Griffin - (Class of 2011)
• Traci Conrad - (Class of 2015)
• Jennie Ritter - (Class of 2018)
• Samantha Findlay - (Class of 2022)