2005 Michigan Wolverines softball team

The 2005 Michigan Wolverines softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Michigan during the 2005 NCAA softball season. The Wolverines, led by head coach Carol Hutchins in her twenty-first season, played their home games at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines finished the season with a 65–7 record, setting a program record for wins. They competed in the Big Ten Conference, where the team finished first with a 15–2 conference record.

2005 Michigan Wolverines softball
Women's College World Series Champions
Big Ten Regular Season Champions Big Ten Tournament Champions
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	65–7 (15–2 B1G)
Head coach	Carol Hutchins (21st season)
Assistant coach	Bonnie Tholl
Pitching coach	Jennifer Brundage (8th season)
Home stadium	Alumni Field
Seasons ← 2004 2006 →

2005 Big Ten Conference softball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 1 Michigan  ‍†‍‡‍y	15	–	2		.882			65	–	7		.903
No. 16 Northwestern  ‍‍‍y	15	–	3		.833			42	–	18		.700
No. 24 Iowa  ‍‍‍y	12	–	6		.667			50	–	14		.781
Ohio State  ‍‍‍	9	–	7		.563			32	–	17		.653
Wisconsin  ‍‍‍y	11	–	9		.550			31	–	24		.564
Penn State  ‍‍‍y	10	–	9		.526			36	–	23		.610
Purdue  ‍‍‍	10	–	10		.500			34	–	24		.586
Michigan State  ‍‍‍	7	–	9		.438			25	–	28		.472
Minnesota  ‍‍‍	6	–	14		.300			25	–	27		.481
Illinois  ‍‍‍	4	–	14		.222			24	–	26		.480
Indiana  ‍‍‍	2	–	18		.100			13	–	41		.241
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 13, 2005[1] Rankings from NFCA

They won the 2005 Big Ten Conference softball tournament and qualified for the NCAA Division I softball tournament, reaching the postseason for the eleventh consecutive year. They defeated UCLA in three games in the finals of the 2005 Women's College World Series to win their first championship in program history. They became the first team in the Big Ten to win the Women's College World Series, and the first team east of the Mississippi River to win the NCAA Division I Softball championship.^[2]

Preseason

The Wolverines were ranked No. 8 in the nation according to the USA Today/NFCA and No. 12 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll, becoming the top-ranked Big Ten school in both listings.^[3] Jessica Merchant and Nicole Motycka were both named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year preseason watch list.^[4]

Personnel

The 2005 Michigan Wolverines softball team in July 2005 visiting George W. Bush at the White House after winning the 2005 Women's College World Series.

Roster

2005 Michigan Wolverines roster
	Pitchers 1 Lorilyn Wilson – Sophomore 15 Jennie Ritter – Junior Outfielders 8 Stepanie Bercaw – Junior 10 Michelle Teschler – Senior 17 Alessandra Giampaolo – Freshman 21 Rebekah Milian – Sophomore Utility 4 Lauren Talbot – Freshman 20 Nicole Motycka – Senior 32 Angie Danis – Freshman		Catchers 2 Jennifer Kreinbrink – Senior 7 Tiffany Worthy – Sophomore 14 Lauren Holland – Senior 25 Becky Marx – Junior Infielders 11 Stephanie Winter – Sophomore 12 Grace Leutele – Junior 16 Samantha Findlay – Freshman 22 Tiffany Haas – Junior 23 Michelle Weatherdon – Freshman 24 Jessica Merchant – Senior
Reference:[5]

Coaches

2005 Michigan Wolverines coaching staff
Carol Hutchins – Head coach – 21st year Bonnie Tholl – Associate head coach – 3rd year Jennifer Brundage – Assistant coach and pitching coach – 8th year Jennifer Teague – Volunteer assistant coach – 1st year
Reference:[6]

Schedule

2005 Michigan Wolverines Softball Game Log
Regular Season
February Date Opponent Rank Stadium Site Score Win Loss Attendance Overall Record B1G Record February 11 vs. Tennessee Stephanie L.C. Park Las Vegas, NV Postponed February 11 vs. UCF Stephanie L.C. Park Postponed February 12 vs. Baylor No. 8 Stephanie L.C. Park 6–7 Ferguson (4–0) Motycka (0–1) 417 0–1 – February 12 vs. UC Santa Barbara No. 8 Stephanie L.C. Park 7–2 Ritter (1–0) Sommer (0–1) — 1–1 – February 13 vs. Utah No. 8 Stephanie L.C. Park 7–1 Motycka (1–1) Nielsen (3–1) 87 2–1 – February 13 vs. Oregon No. 8 Stephanie L.C. Park 9–0 (5) Ritter (2–0) Cook (2–1) — 3–1 – February 18 vs. North Carolina State No. 8 FAU Field Boca Raton, FL 3–0 Wilson (1–0) Sims (4–1) — 4–1 – February 18 vs. Pittsburgh No. 8 FAU Field 3–0 Ritter (3–0) Belardinelli (0–1) — 5–1 – February 19 vs. Rutgers No. 8 FAU Field 8–0 (5) Motycka (2–1) Crosby (0–2) 120 6–1 – February 19 vs. Florida Atlantic No. 8 FAU Field 12–3 (6) Ritter (4–0) Freel (3–3) 128 7–1 – February 20 vs. Florida Atlantic No. 8 FAU Field 9–1 (5) Wilson (3–0) Freel (3–4) 119 8–1 – February 25 vs. South Carolina No. 8 South Commons Columbus, GA 9–3 Motycka (3–1) Pouliot (0–2) — 9–1 – February 25 vs. No. 13 Georgia Tech No. 8 South Commons 4–1 Ritter (5–0) Sallinger (8–1) — 10–1 – February 26 vs. Southern Illinois No. 8 South Commons 3–0 Wilson (3–0) Harre (1–4) — 11–1 – February 26 vs. Creighton No. 8 South Commons 7–0 Motycka (4–1) Nielsen (4–2) — 12–1 – February 27 vs. No. 21 Florida State No. 8 South Commons Postponed February 27 Championship Game No. 8 South Commons Postponed
March Date Opponent Rank Stadium Site Score Win Loss Attendance Overall Record B1G Record March 1 at No. 15 Florida No. 8 Florida Softball Stadium Gainesville, FL 4–0 Ritter (6–0) Stevens (5–4) — 13–1 – March 1 at No. 15 Florida No. 8 Florida Softball Stadium 4–1 Wilson (4–0) Knowles (3–1) — 14–1 – March 2 at UCF No. 8 UCF Softball Complex Orlando, FL 4–1 Ritter (7–0) Enders (6–6) 58 15–1 – March 2 at UCF No. 8 UCF Softball Complex 7–0 Wilson (5–0) McIntyre (6–1) 78 16–1 – March 4 vs. Tennessee Chattanooga No. 7 USF Softball Field Tampa, FL 2–1 (8) Wilson (6–0) Swarthout (5–5) — 17–1 – March 4 at South Florida No. 7 USF Softball Field 9–0 (5) Ritter (8–0) Urbanik (5–4) — 18–1 – March 5 vs. Temple No. 7 USF Softball Field 4–0 Wilson (7–0) Nacianceno (0–1) — 19–1 – March 5 vs. No. 16 Florida No. 7 USF Softball Field 6–2 Ritter (9–0) Stevens (6–4) — 20–1 – March 6 vs. Pittsburgh No. 7 USF Softball Field 9–0 (5) Wilson (8–0) Belardinelli (2–5) — 21–1 – March 17 at Cal State Fullerton No. 5 Titans Softball Complex Fullerton, CA 3–2 Wilson (9–0) Weekley (1–1) — 22–1 – March 17 vs. No. 24 Fresno State No. 5 Titans Softball Complex 6–0 Ritter (10–0) Nesbitt (3–2) — 23–1 – March 18 vs. North Carolina No. 5 Titans Softball Complex 5–0 Wilson (10–0) Cox (7–8) — 24–1 – March 19 vs. DePaul No. 5 Titans Softball Complex 1–0 Ritter (11–0) Huitnik (3–7) — 25–1 – March 20 vs. No. 11 Texas No. 4 Titans Softball Complex 7–0 Wilson (11–0) Bradford (7–1) — 26–1 – March 20 vs. No. 1 Arizona No. 5 Titans Softball Complex 6–2 Ritter (12–0) Mowatt (7–1) 1,209 27–1 – March 25 vs. Western Kentucky No. 1 Ulmer Stadium Louisville, KY 2–0 Ritter (13–0) Schwartz (3–5) 272 28–1 – March 25 vs. Middle Tennessee No. 1 Ulmer Stadium 17–1 (5) Motycka (5–1) Dorais (0–2) 272 29–1 – March 26 at Louisville No. 1 Ulmer Stadium 2–1 Wilson (12–0) Sherman (6–7) — 30–1 – March 26 at Louisville No. 1 Ulmer Stadium 7–0 Ritter (14–0) Bishop (10–5) — 31–1 – March 30 at Bowling Green No. 1 BGSU Softball Field Bowling Green, OH 6–0 Wilson (13–0) Vrabel (6–8) 427 32–1 –
April Date Opponent Rank Stadium Site Score Win Loss Attendance Overall Record B1G Record April 1 No. 24 Iowa No. 1 Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI 2–5 Birocci (17–4) Wilson (13–1) 1,237 32–2 0–1 April 2 No. 24 Iowa No. 1 Alumni Field 3–1 Ritter (15–0) Birocci (17–5) 485 33–2 1–1 April 3 Illinois No. 1 Alumni Field 8–7 Ritter (16–0) DeVreese (3–6) — 34–2 2–1 April 3 Illinois No. 1 Alumni Field 10–0 (5) Wilson (14–1) DeVreese (3–7) 783 35–2 3–1 April 6 at Central Michigan No. 1 CMU Softball Complex Mount Pleasant, MI 4–5 DeRoche (3–1) Wilson (14–2) — 35–3 3–1 April 6 at Central Michigan No. 1 CMU Softball Complex 7–3 Wilson (15–2) DeRoche (3–2) — 36–3 3–1 April 8 at Wisconsin No. 1 Goodman Diamond Madison, WI 3–2 (8) Wilson (16–2) Brock (9–5) — 37–3 4–1 April 9 at Wisconsin No. 1 Goodman Diamond 8–0 (6) Wilson (17–2) Layne (2–5) — 38–3 5–1 April 10 at Minnesota No. 1 Jane Sage Cowles Minneapolis, MN 4–0 Ritter (17–0) Peyer (10–11) — 39–3 6–1 April 10 at Minnesota No. 1 Jane Sage Cowles 11–0 (5) Wilson (18–2) Peyer (10–12) 356 40–3 7–1 April 15 at Purdue No. 1 Varsity SB Complex West Lafayette, IN 3–0 Ritter (18–0) Baker (13–10) — 41–3 8–1 April 16 at Purdue No. 1 Varsity SB Complex 6–2 Ritter (19–0) LaRiva (9–3) — 42–3 9–1 April 17 at Indiana No. 1 IU Softball Complex Bloomington, IN 9–0 (5) Ritter (20–0) Roark (9–16) 275 43–3 10–1 April 17 at Indiana No. 1 IU Softball Complex 10–2 (6) Ritter (21–0) Bogado (1–7) 240 44–3 11–1 April 19 Eastern Michigan No. 1 Alumni Field 5–1 Wilson (19–2) Woodrum (6–7) — 45–3 11–1 April 19 Eastern Michigan No. 1 Alumni Field 14–2 (5) Ritter (22–0) Woodrum (6–8) 743 46–3 11–1 April 22 Penn State No. 1 Alumni Field 1–2 Esparza (10–3) Ritter (22–1) 515 46–4 11–2 April 23 Penn State No. 1 Alumni Field Postponed April 24 Ohio State No. 1 Alumni Field Postponed April 24 Ohio State No. 1 Alumni Field Postponed
May Date Opponent Rank Stadium Site Score Win Loss Attendance Overall Record B1G Record May 1 Michigan State No. 1 Alumni Field 8–0 (5) Ritter (23–1) Turney (12–14) 1,903 47–4 12–2 May 1 Michigan State No. 1 Alumni Field 9–1 (5) Ritter (24–1) Turney (12–15) 1,903 48–4 13–2 May 4 Western Michigan No. 1 Alumni Field 2–0 Wilson (20–2) VanDerSlik (10–14) — 49–4 13–2 May 4 Western Michigan No. 1 Alumni Field 5–0 Ritter (25–1) Shumaker (4–1) 503 50–4 13–2 May 7 No. 19 Northwestern No. 1 Alumni Field 3–0 Ritter (26–1) Canney (18–6) 1,858 51–4 14–2 May 8 No. 19 Northwestern No. 1 Alumni Field 8–7 Wilson (21–2) Canney (18–7) 1,657 52–4 15–2
Postseason
B1G Tournament Date Opponent Rank Stadium Site Score Win Loss Attendance Overall Record B1GT Record May 12 Michigan State (8) No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 6–2 Ritter (27–1) Turney (14–16) 1,203 53–4 1–0 May 13 Wisconsin (5) No. 1 (1) Alumni Field Postponed May 14 Wisconsin (5) No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 10–1 (5) Wilson (22–2) Brock (20–9) — 54–4 2–0 May 14 No. 22 Iowa (3) No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 7–2 Ritter (28–1) Arnold (20–5) 1,113 55–4 3–0
NCAA Regional Date Opponent Rank Stadium Site Score Win Loss Attendance Overall Record Regional Record May 20 Canisius No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 8–1 Ritter (29–1) Bunten (13–11) 1,837 56–4 1–0 May 21 Seton Hall No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 5–0 Ritter (30–1) Meyer (27–6) 1,457 57–4 2–0 May 22 North Carolina No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 6–0 Ritter (31–1) Cox (22–20) 1,046 58–4 3–0
NCAA Super Regional Date Opponent Rank Stadium Site Score Win Loss Attendance Overall Record Super Reg. Record May 27 No. 21 Washington (16) No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 4–1 Ritter (32–1) Boek (20–13) 2,311 59–4 1–0 May 28 No. 21 Washington (16) No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 2–3 Noble (15–8) Ritter (32–2) 2,426 59–5 1–1 May 28 No. 21 Washington (16) No. 1 (1) Alumni Field 11–2 (6) Ritter (33–2) Boek (20–14) 2,426 60–5 2–1
Women's College World Series Date Opponent Rank Stadium Site Score Win Loss Attendance Overall Record CWS Record June 2 vs. No. 23 DePaul No. 1 (1) ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Oklahoma City, OK 3–0 Ritter (34–2) Adix (23–9) 4,245 61–5 1–0 June 2 vs. No. 5 Texas (4) No. 1 (1) ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 4–0 Ritter (35–2) Osterman (29–7) 4,560 62–5 2–0 June 5 vs. No. 11 Tennessee (11) No. 1 (1) ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 0–2 (11) Abbott (50–8) Ritter (35–3) 4,236 62–6 2–1 June 5 vs. No. 11 Tennessee (11) No. 1 (1) ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 3–2 Ritter (36–3) Abbott (50–9) 2,431 63–6 3–1 June 6 vs. No. 12 UCLA (7) No. 1 (1) ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 0–5 Selden (29–12) Ritter (36–4) 4,161 63–7 3–2 June 7 vs. No. 12 UCLA (7) No. 1 (1) ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 5–2 Ritter (37–4) Selden (29–13) 4,161 64–7 4–2 June 8 vs. No. 12 UCLA (7) No. 1 (1) ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 4–1 (10) Ritter (38–4) Selden (29–14) 4,032 65–7 5–2
Win   Loss   Postponement Bold: Wolverines team member Reference:[7] Rankings from NFCA:[8] (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Ranking movement

Poll	Last	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Final
NFCA[8]	9	8	8	8	8	7	6	5	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1*	1*
* Indicates unanimous selection.

Records and accomplishments

Individual records

Offense Most home runs in a season: 21 (Samantha Findlay and Jessica Merchant)[9] Most hits in a season: 91 (Tiffany Haas)[9] Most runs scored in a season: 67 (Jessica Merchant)[10] Most RBI in a season: 77 (Samantha Findlay)[9] Most at bats in a season: 253 (Tiffany Haas)[10] Most home runs in a game: 3 (Samantha Findlay, April 17, 2005, tied with Nicole Motycka)[10] Most runs in a game: 4 (Samantha Findlay, April 17, 2005, tied with seven other players)[10]

Pitching Most appearances in a season: 48 (Jennie Ritter, tied with Kelly Holmes)[10] Most starts in a season: 41 (Jennie Ritter, tied with Kelly Holmes)[10] Most complete games in a season: 34 (Jennie Ritter)[10] Most innings pitched in a season: 288+2⁄3 innings (Jennie Ritter)[10] Most wins in a season: 38 (Jennie Ritter)[11] Most strikeouts in a season: 417 (Jennie Ritter)[11] Most no-hitters in a season: 3 (Jennie Ritter, tied with Vicki Morrow)[12]

Team records

• Most wins in a season: 65^[13]
• Most consecutive wins: 32 (February 13, 2005 to March 30, 2005)^[13][14]

Accomplishments

• First victory over a top-ranked opponent (6–2 victory over No. 1 Arizona on March 20).^[15]
• First No. 1 national ranking (March 22).^[16]
• First No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.^[17]
• Samantha Findlay became the first freshman position player to be named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.^[9]

Awards and honors

Weekly Awards Player Award Date Awarded Ref. Lorilyn Wilson Big Ten Pitcher of the Week February 22, 2005 [18] Jennie Ritter Co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week March 8, 2005 [19] Lorilyn Wilson Big Ten Pitcher of the Week March 21, 2005 [20] Jessica Merchant Big Ten Player of the Week March 28, 2005 [21] Jennie Ritter Co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Nicole Motycka Co-Big Ten Player of the Week April 4, 2005 [22] Lorilyn Wilson Co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week April 11, 2005 [23] Jessica Merchant NFCA National Player of the Week April 13, 2005 [24] Jennie Ritter Big Ten Pitcher of the Week April 18, 2005 [25] Tiffany Haas Big Ten Player of the Week May 2, 2005 [26] Alessandra Giampaolo Big Ten Player of the Week May 9, 2005 [27] Individual Awards Player Award Ref. Jennie Ritter Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year USA Softball Player of the Year [10] [28] [11] Samantha Findlay Big Ten Freshman of the Year Carol Hutchins Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year

All-Big Ten Player Selection Ref. Jennie Ritter First Team [28] Tiffany Haas First Team Nicole Motycka First Team Grace Leutele First Team Alessandra Giampaolo First Team Samantha Findlay Second Team Jessica Merchant Second Team Stephanie Bercaw Third Team All-American Player Selection Ref. Jennie Ritter First Team [29] Tiffany Haas First Team Jessica Merchant Third Team Nicole Motycka Third Team