Despite returning the bulk of this past season’s Big Ten Tournament Championship roster, Michigan softball coach Bonnie Tholl hit the transfer portal to bolster next season’s squad.
On Tuesday, South Carolina transfer utility player Reganne Bennett announced her commitment to the Wolverines via X. Michigan’s lone transfer commitment so far, Bennett joins a six-player high school recruiting class as newcomers to Ann Arbor this fall.
Having played both ways for the Gamecocks last season, Bennett could help the Wolverines in a variety of ways this season. In the circle, she threw just 24.1 innings last year, but was able to stifle the formidable offenses all over the SEC, recording a 0.86 ERA on the season. Bennett joins a Michigan rotation anchored by right-hander Lauren Derkowski, and will serve alongside right-hander Erin Hoehn as depth pieces behind the Wolverines’ ace.
At the plate, Bennett saw limited action but showed signs of promising things to come. In 41 at-bats, she recorded a stellar .952 OPS and hit four home runs, bringing a big bat to the table in Michigan’s contact-heavy lineup. With first baseman Keke Tholl being the only departure from last year’s lineup, Bennett will be a part of the competition to earn that final spot.
Bennett comes to Ann Arbor with three years of eligibility remaining. While her contributions may not be vital to the success of this past year’s team, she’s certainly a key piece for the Wolverines down the line. Derkowski will leave a monstrous void in Michigan’s rotation after next season, and the Wolverines will lose two of their top hitters — outfielder Ellie Sieler and shortstop Ella McVey — to graduation. Given her contributions to a South Carolina squad that made the NCAA Tournament this year, Bennett figures to be a part of Michigan’s future plans.
And Bennett is no stranger to the state of Michigan. She played her high school ball in Novi — a suburb of Detroit — and won Gatorade Player of the Year her senior season. Her return to the Wolverine state is a homecoming of sorts, and she’ll look to achieve the same level of success in Ann Arbor that she did in Novi and for the Gamecocks.
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