Softball
Andrew Linnehan
Nikki Nemitz and Michigan will flex their muscles against Ohio State Wednesday for the B10 title.
1. OHIO STATE (42-7, 14-2) - What a week for THE Ohio State softball team. I don’t think I’ve ever emphasized that precocious little ‘the’ in the front of their University’s name, but they deserve it. Winners of seven straight, the Bucks disposed of Western Michigan in a doubleheader last Wednesday (2-0, 1-0) before roughing up Northwestern this weekend in what should’ve been a competitive series. Well… it wasn’t. On Saturday, OSU dealt NU its first home loss in more than two years before returning on Sunday to RUN-RULE the Wildcats for the first time at home in more than a DECADE. Yikes. I think they’re ready for Wednesday’s marquee matchup against Michigan. Congrats to Alicia Herron, by the way, who garnered Player of the Week honors after three bombs against NU.
2. MICHIGAN (38-9, 14-2) - Could EASILY make a case for #1 in these rankings, because the Wolverines haven’t lost a softball game since March 22 at Northwestern. That signafies an 18-game winning streak in which U of M has done absolutely evertything right. P Jordan Taylor (this week’s conference Pitcher of the Week) seems to be peaking at the perfect time, and partner-in-crime Nikki Nemitz continues to shut everybody up with her paltry 0.76 ERA. A quartet of Wolverine bats are hitting over .300 on the year, including freshman upstart Amanda Chidester, who the Bucks are going to need to be very careful with on Wednesday.
3. ILLINOIS (29-15, 12-7) - With a week and a half left in their season, things could have gone incredibly south for the Lady Illini, looking at two games apiece against the likes of Northwestern, Purdue, and Minnesota. Apparently the Orange didn’t get the memo. After sweeping Northwestern, Zymkowitz & Co. snatched three of four against Purdue and Minnesota to complete a stretch in which they went 5-1 against the top half of the conference. This offense is flat-out ridiculous, and the pitching is starting to take shape. We’ll see what the Illini can do in the NCAAs. Regardless, watch out for P Monica Perry next year. She’s going to be dynamic.
4. IOWA (38-14, 9-7) - The Hawkeye offense is really slumping of late (1 run total in its last three games), but Iowa has a chance to go into NCAAs with some momentum if it can right the ship against Wisconsin on Wednesday and Minnesota over the weekend. Weil needs to shake off the tough start on Sunday against Michigan, and there’s no doubt in my mind that this will be the case. She could be the most headstrong pitcher in the conference.
5. PURDUE (27-18, 10-8) - The NCAA Tournament field has got to be the talk in West Lafayette this weekend. At 27-18, the Boilers are squarely on the bubble for tournament play, and a must-win two-game set against Indiana will take center stage. I would argue, should Purdue take those two, they have a good enough resume to be one of the tournament’s at-large teams. A handful of quality wins — including UCLA, Northwestern, and Ohio State — is the benefit to their resume. Six rainouts could be the negative, however. Purdue just hasn’t played that many games. You could be looking at Purdue after the selection show on Sunday and saying, “Damn, that was Minnesota last year.”
6. NORTHWESTERN (29-13, 12-6) - Got absolutely embarrassed by Ohio State on Senior Day (lost 10-1 in 5 innings), in no thanks to either P Lauren Delaney or the NU lineup. Things with Delaney just aren’t clicking right now. It appears she’s trying to harnass her inaccuracy by aiming the ball, which in turn negatively effects her velocity. She’s walked 6+ batters in her last NINE Big Ten appearances. WHAT?! Yeah, that stat’s correct. She’s gotta somehow reach back and find the magic she had in her sophomore campaign.
7. MINNESOTA (23-30, 6-12) - Briana Hassett’s gutsy performances against Illinois (one of the best hitting teams in the country) is the only thing keeping the Gophers this high. Minny has really hit the skids of late: Split with Wisconsin, swept by Michigan State, and swept again by Illinois. It all translates into a five-game losing streak, and the schedule doesn’t end well, either, as the Gophers will close out their season on the road against Iowa this weekend.
8. MICHIGAN STATE (20-27, 4-13) - Michigan State climbs our charts a bit after two REAL nice wins over Briana Hassett and Minnesota. Then came back to split with a much improved Penn State team and a scrappy Wisconsin club. All in all, MSU is playing much better softball than they were at the beginning of the year, which should at least be a moral victory for Head Coach Jacquie Joseph. Pitching just has to mature a little bit, and they should be close to NCAA Tournament conversation next year.
9. PENN STATE (19-25, 7-11) - Dear Penn State, I know you’re playing much better softball of late, and your pitchers (Hill and Akamine) have really buckled down, but you can’t split against the likes of Michigan State and Indiana. ESPECIALLY when you’re trying to gain eligibility into the NCAA Tournament. Love, Andrew.
10. WISCONSIN (15-36, 3-13) - Picked up a real nice win against a tougher-than-people-realize Northern Illinois team, and then salvaged a split out of Michigan State. Wisconsin really, really plays hard, and while that sounds like an excuse most people make for teams that are subpar talent-wise, in this poll it’ll keep you out of the cellar. Badger softballers should hold their heads up high after this season.
11. INDIANA (10-37, 4-14) - Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, someone’s gotta finish last, and it’s a shame it has to be IU. This team actually exceeded expectations this year, and won some games it shouldn’t have even been close in. Another bottom-half B10 team that maximizes its potential. This program might be a contender in a couple of years.
