Alina Levine: Michigan is exactly where it needs to be

When you think of a successful machine, it’s probably not one that breaks down before the finish line. It’s one that makes it all the way to the end. 

But, a successful machine — one that wins its conference and makes the NCAA Tournament — is also the summation of its parts. And the Michigan softball team is retaining nearly all of its pieces. 

Entering hot off a Big Ten Tournament championship, the Wolverines fought valiantly in the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by Oklahoma State in the Regional Finals. Despite its first-weekend exit, one fact remains clear: 

Michigan’s future is brighter than ever.

Coming into the season, the Wolverines’ youth could have been seen as a disadvantage compared to other experienced teams — especially with squads turning to transfers to fill key holes. But this wasn’t the case for Michigan. In fact, it was a huge part of the reason for the team’s bounce-back season.

Finishing with a 43-18 overall record, a stark improvement from last season’s historically bad 26-25 finish, the Wolverines certainly transformed themselves from the team they were a year ago. As a matter of fact, of its last 23 games, Michigan won 19, including a 14-game win streak that spanned most of April. 

But impressive as that may be, things didn’t start out so hot for the 2024 Wolverines, as they began the year 11-9. Nonetheless, in the second half of their season, things clicked. Finally discovering its spark, Michigan seemed unstoppable, continually finding new ways to win against even the toughest competitors. 

With such a drastic turnaround, a burning question arises: Where would the Wolverines be if they had played at their best all season? While that question will remain unanswered, next season is a clean slate for Michigan, and when faced with the same questions, the possibilities are endless.

But if this season is any indication, they’ll emerge even stronger than before. 

Because by the end of the Wolverines’ season, one thing was abundantly clear: their inexperience didn’t define them, their youth did. And for Michigan, that’s working to its advantage. 

“You learn how to win by winning,” Wolverines’ coach Bonnie Tholl said May 19. “We have learned how to win, this young group, this year, and it can only elevate us moving forward.”

A talented group, Michigan’s youngsters have one advantage over its veterans: time. 

Though the Wolverines’ season ended strides ahead of where they were last year, they still fell short of the NCAA Tournament run they’d hoped for after a regional-round exit. However, Michigan is a young team that will only continue to grow. With all the necessary pieces for success already battle-tested, the Wolverines Big Ten Championship roster can enter next year already firing on all cylinders. 

While Michigan’s youth is advantageous, its seasoned veterans are also key to its success. So, along with the fresh faces up and down their lineup, the Wolverines have a proven winner who certainly isn’t lacking in experience: junior right-hander Lauren Derkowski. 

All games start in the circle, and luckily for Michigan, Derkowski will stand there once more. Time and time again this season, the Wolverines turned to Derkowski’s powerful arm to shut opposing offenses down. And time and time again, she delivered. With 19 wins and 223 strikeouts this season, Derkowski was Michigan’s go-to, and rightfully so. Derkowski was integral to Michigan’s success this season, and that will once again be the case next year.

Derkowski was a reliable source of winning, but the Wolverines’ pitching alone didn’t earn them victory after victory this season. Scrappy as ever, what set Michigan apart was its ability to find different ways to win tough games. So while a pitcher, like an engine, drives the team forward, it isn’t complete without fuel — batters — to propel Michigan ahead. 

Yes, the absence of senior first baseman Keke Tholl next season isn’t ideal for the Wolverines. But luckily for Michigan, someone’s already stepped up to fill Keke’s shoes: sophomore third baseman Maddie Erickson.

“Maddie Erickson is a dog,” Keke said May 11. “I’m really happy to hit behind her because she comes up clutch in a lot of situations.”

Following an inauspicious freshman campaign, Erickson finished her sophomore season batting .352  — the best on the team and a .117 improvement from last season. Along with her consistency at the plate, Erickson also delivered in the big moments as the only player aside from Keke to record double-digit home runs this season with 12. And so, despite Keke’s departure, Michigan’s fate — and its bats — remain in good hands.

But the real power behind the Wolverines next season will be its rising sophomores.

“Most of the starters are freshmen and sophomores, and that’s fun,” Bonnie said May 19. “These guys had the chance to mentor them and lead and showcase what the future of Michigan softball can be.”

Indeed, functioning as the future of Michigan softball, these youngsters have wasted no time making waves. 

A few of the freshman batters that stand out in the Wolverines’ lineup are right fielder Ella Stephenson and center fielder Jenissa Conway. While they aren’t the team’s top power-hitters, they still boasted a combined 68 RBIs and five Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards. Stephenson, in particular, garnered four of those after drastically improving her play in the latter part of the season, raising her batting average by .111. Along with demonstrating her ability to wallop the ball into the outfield, Conway showcased the valuable speed she brings to the plate, possessing one of the highest on-base percentages on the team.

Another freshman who found a late-season groove is designated player Ava Costales. Packing a punch, Costales is a power hitter also seeking to fill Keke’s shoes. And similar to Stephenson, Costales struggled at the beginning of the season. But Costales soon blossomed, totaling six home runs — including a clutch walk-off dinger against Nebraska —  by season’s end. 

But the freshmen didn’t just shine at the plate. In fact, Freshman right-hander Erin Hoehn earned a spot as one of Michigan’s starters after a series of standout performances early in the year. With 91 strikeouts across 99.2 innings pitched this season, Hoehn excelled in the circle under Derkowski’s wing, beginning to develop a change-up of her own. 

If these remarkable improvements in the final weeks of the season show anything, it’s that Michigan is a program that fosters growth. And with all the youngsters on the team, the Wolverines will only get better. 

Wrangling all this talent is Bonnie Tholl, and there’s no one more fit than her to do so. Though it’s just her second season as head coach, Bonnie is by no means a stranger to the program, having served as an assistant coach to the legendary Carol Hutchins for 20-plus years. Her success is a byproduct of the one thing she’s done best: adjusting. 

After the Wolverines’ worst finish in 40 years last season, Bonnie led Michigan to a Big Ten Tournament title —their first in five years— and the Regional Final in the NCAA Tournament. After the season’s slow start, Bonnie proved how quickly she can adapt, making her the perfect person to steer this ship. Continually discovering new ways to win, Bonnie has honed the Michigan softball machine into something sustainable once again. 

The Wolverines’ success this season has morphed them into something far more dangerous than an early NCAA Tournament exit would suggest: a squad with both youth and experience. And for a team whose momentum is their belief, the only direction for them to go is up.

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