It’s not the norm for a softball team to have an all-women’s coaching staff. If you do a deep dive into the coaching staff of all 17 Big Ten softball teams, almost half have a woman in each of the head coach, associate head coach and assistant coach positions. However, that statistic decreases dramatically if you expand your search into other power softball conferences.
What is rare, though, is for a program to have over 30 years of empowering women, especially when it comes to uplifting them to coaching positions. The Michigan softball team not only currently boasts an all-women coaching staff, but it’s also cultivated a culture of success built upon the backs of the powerful women present since its inception.
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Since 1998, only women have held the Wolverines’ head, associate, assistant and volunteer coaching positions — a feat difficult to match. Michigan has been under the leadership of Wolverines coach Bonnie Tholl for the last three years. But before that, Tholl, associate head coach Jennifer Brundage and legendary Michigan coach Carol Hutchins stood at the helm for almost 30 years.
In Hutchins’ last year of coaching, a volunteer assistant coach position opened up. For now-assistant coach and former Wolverines softball captain Faith Canfield, the opportunity was a no-brainer. After Hutchins retired, another spot opened up on the coaching staff, and in came former Michigan utility player and Olympian Amanda Chidester — because like Canfield, there was nowhere she’d rather be. In the quartet’s second year of coaching together last season, the Wolverines made a dramatic comeback in the second half of their season to win the Big Ten Tournament title.
“From the history of our program — you know (Hutchins) was here since (1985) as the head coach — I think that she has made it a point to lift up other women,” Tholl told The Michigan Daily. “… Our student athletes have to see it to be it. They have to see strong, powerful women in leadership roles to aspire to be that. And so I think that’s what’s important to me now as a leader. That we continue to have women role models for 18 to 22 year olds, so they can see what they can become.”
While the four coaches were hired to win, their responsibilities outside of the result-driven job description are to prepare their players for life outside of softball. Conversations about the demands players face inside and outside the game seep into the conversations about elevating gameplay and developing talent. Even when talking about softball philosophies and strengthening techniques, talks of creating good habits to deal with issues that players may face later in life always seem to make their way into the discussion.
“Anytime you have to face adversity and overcome it,” Brundage told The Daily about lessons that translate from softball to life outside of the sport. “… Let’s say we’ve walked a couple batters in a close game, and how do we respond? Do we go internal and lose our confidence because we’re not pitching as well as we can, or do we continue to fight and look at the situation as an opportunity. … (When) something that we don’t want to happen to us (happens), … how do we choose to view it? When they learn how to respond on the field, they can also learn how to respond in life.”
Tholl and Brundage’s impact on Michigan’s culture is strong. After all, Tholl is in the business of making memories and building connections, a constant throughout her decades-long coaching career. Tholl recounts that whenever she goes to coaching conventions or on recruiting trips, the strength of the Wolverines’ alumni base is brought up. Even former players, whose love for the game grew because of the Michigan experience, are now sending their own daughters and other family members to Ann Arbor, creating a cycle of women uplifting women. But that generational impact is most strongly seen through the alumni who’ve come back to coach.
For Canfield, coaching for the Wolverines had been a dream of hers, but with Tholl and Brundage’s longevity in their respective coaching positions, it was unclear when and if that chance would present itself. Even as a player, Canfield enjoyed playing for a team that pushed her to get better. Tholl and Brundage had established an atmosphere of excellence, and Canfield felt the responsibility of making Michigan great was her favorite part of the experience.
Chidester played for the Wolverines for a similar reason that Canfield coached for Michigan. For Chidester, competing for the Wolverines was not only a great on-field opportunity, but was also a chance to see that it was possible to be a coach at one of softball’s highest levels. Even more special for Chidester was the fact that having so many women in coaching positions wasn’t prevalent in collegiate softball during her own time in college.
“Bonnie talks about that loyalty and the culture of being there for each other,” Chidester told The Daily. “I’ve been a part of a lot of different programs, and I have to say this is a special place in that sense. If I ever needed anything, I know that I could call them and they would be there. They care for us as people, and I think that goes so much further than just another number in the program.”
What’s special about the Michigan program and that beloved environment cultivated by coaches is that it’s not exclusive to players. Unlike her current counterparts on staff, Brundage is not a product of the Wolverines program. Instead, she spent her collegiate career at UCLA. She then played for the USA softball system and the 2000 Sydney Olympics while coaching at Michigan. Brundage describes her time with the USA Softball system as “business-like,” so it was quite the shift when she entered the Wolverines’ empowering atmosphere.
Brundage noticed a few striking differences between USA Softball and Michigan. The Wolverines looked like they were having fun — and they were. They would laugh at themselves when they made a mistake or shrug things off and quickly move onto the next play. But what really stood out was a community that found joy in just playing softball. It was a community dedicated to making women feel good about the game while also committed to uplifting them.
“I was not having fun at the time playing softball in the USA Softball system, and it affected my play,” Brundage said. “And so I made it a point to take that lesson into the next training camp with USA and into all of those other national teams that I was a part of. And it made a huge difference. I don’t think I would be an Olympian if I didn’t learn that lesson here at Michigan.”
All these meaningful interactions with the Wolverines program are the reason these coaches stick around. Tholl and Brundage have been with the program for years, and they stay because of the community. Whether it’s how they’ve been embraced by Michigan or the profound impact they’ve had on players, the support they’ve felt makes it all worth it.
“There was a slogan years ago by the university, and it was … ‘First you become a part of it, then it becomes part of you,’” Tholl said. “… To me, it’s not a job, it’s a way of life. This is what I do. These are the people that I affect. These are the people that I’m surrounded by. … But why you stay … it’s the people that have created all of the memories and the experiences. … Our role is to create experiences that are powerful and lasting. That’s really my philosophy as a leader.”
Tholl and Brundage have created something bigger than what they could’ve imagined. Yes, they’re breaking barriers by promoting women into leadership roles. And yes, the Wolverines have a strong program. But, when you look at the team, it’s more than that.
It’s a culture that strives to show women they can be successful in professional sports at a time when that idea often comes under scrutiny. It’s a program that understands that young women need to learn life lessons early on because the world will not always treat them kindly. Most importantly, it’s a family that supports each other through everything. And those traits are the defining factors that make the Michigan softball program so unique.
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