Michigan softball to miss NCAA Tournament for first time since 1994

For the first time since 1994, the Michigan softball team will not be competing in the NCAA Tournament.

During the selection show on Sunday in which the regional schedule was released, the Wolverines did not hear their name called among the 64 teams selected — therefore, their season is over.

Michigan’s season ended with a heartbreaking loss in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Against Penn State, the Nittany Lions scored a walk-off run on a Wolverine error. The final game encapsulated all of Michigan’s problems and strengths throughout the year.

Led by sophomore right-hander Lauren Derkowski in the circle but plagued by mediocre hitting and inconsistent fielding, the Wolverines suffered their final blow in a disappointing season with an early tournament exit.

Michigan finished with an overall record of 26-25 — just one win above .500 at .510 — the lowest winning percentage of any Wolverines team in program history. Michigan also amassed a measly 10-13 Big Ten record in the regular season, officially recording its second-lowest conference win percentage. 

Under former Michigan softball coach Carol Hutchins, the Wolverines never held a Big Ten or overall record below .500. The results of this year’s campaign almost cost the program both of those streaks.

Now under longtime associate head coach and current Michigan coach Bonnie Tholl, the Wolverines entered the 2023 season looking to rebuild and refuel. After the retirement of Hutchins, Tholl took over the reins of a program including a young coaching staff and a team which featured nine new players on a 20-person roster. While the season was meant to be a rebuilding year, the expectations for Michigan softball — especially in recent history — were not met.

Looking forward, the Wolverines will need a lot of help from their recruiting class and the transfer portal. Although many players are new to the program, six players graduate and there is the possibility of losing more to the transfer portal.

With one of the worst seasons in program history now in the rearview mirror, Tholl and the entire Michigan softball team will attempt to use what they learned in the first season of a new era to come back stronger in future years. And while the Wolverines will not be headlined at the tournament this year, as they have been for the last 29 years, Tholl and a young Michigan roster will look to grow for the years to come.