A look ahead to Michigan softball in 2016

It's Fall in Ann Arbor and one question is forefront in the minds of Michigan sports fans: How's the softball team looking for next year?

Last season, Team 38 rode a twenty-eight game winning streak all the way to the World Series final, picking up Big Ten regular season and tournament championships along the way. Bolstered by the often untouchable pitching duo of Megan Betsa and Haylie Wagner, Michigan led the nation with 118 home runs -- not only a school record but also more homers than Michigan hit in the entire decade of the 1990s -- and made more imaginary pizzas than any team in history, in any sport. Five players were honored as All-Americans, and zero tried routinely to lean into pitches over the plate.

So, will Team 39 be anywhere near as good?

Is that badass second baseman still around?

Will there be another 'Bark at the Park' promotion this season?

The answer to all of the above, thankfully, is yes.

So long, and thanks for all the championships

Michigan loses only three members of Team 38.

Becca Garfinkel didn't get a lot of playing time in her career, but was often mentioned by others as a team leader. Now she does cool stuff like spending 68 days hiking the PCT.

Lauren Sweet, a four year starter at catcher, had her best season in 2015, hitting .302 with 12 home runs and a perfect fielding percentage. In addition, Sweet probably expended just as much energy in the dugout banging softballs against the bench to create background rhythms for team chants.

Haylie Wagner, a left handed pitcher, won 25 games in 2015 and posted a 1.75 ERA. Her finest moments came in the WCWS, where she saved the team's bacon -- err, pizza -- with a couple of clutch relief performances and tossed a complete game shutout against Florida in the championship series. Following the season she went on to play professionally for the Pennsylvania Rebellion in the NPF and for Bussolengo in Italy.

Despite being small in number, there aren't many other classes that have brought as much positive influence to Michigan softball. Through their great enthusiasm and encouragement of teammates, they've created a standard of leadership that all who played with them will aspire to, and that will help the team for many years to come.

New faces

If you browse recruiting rankings, you'll find that Michigan's classes never match up favorably with those of programs like Florida and Oklahoma, who seemingly have their pick of top ranked national recruits -- including Sierra Romero's sister, Sydney. The good news is that this just doesn't matter. Michigan coaches know the type of player they want and know exactly what what to do with them when they get to campus.

Incoming Freshmen:

Sobczak, Peters, and Canfield are the players you're likely to see often next season. Sobczak is the probable starter at catcher, replacing Lauren Sweet, and she is pretty damn good. Peters and Canfield are Californians who stood out on some of the most highly regarded high school and travel ball teams in the country. I predicted a while back that one of the two would start right away, but last season's unlikely emergence of Kelsey Susalla has put that on hold. Still, both should be in line for a good deal of time as primary backups at a number of positions. The biggest wild card is Alexander -- a local player who was dominant in high school and could be the catalyst for some interesting lineup changes if she can figure out college pitching. Crockett, Nemitz, and Richardson are promising but longer term prospects.

Judging both by quality at the top and collective strength, this class may turn out to be even better than those of the past few years -- and that's saying a lot.

Outlook

This is the most talented Michigan softball team ever. You could make a second team with the substitutes and they'd finish in the top half of the Big Ten. Speed, power, pitching, defense, attention to detail, they have it all.

Last season's team set just about every offensive school record, and every regular player bar one returns from that lineup. Add in an extra year of experience and a great freshman class, and it's downright scary.

The pitching staff of Betsa-Driesenga-Blanco has the potential to be as good as any in the country.

Will it all come together? Can Team 39 win the whole thing after coming so close last year?

We'll have to wait and see.

Just kidding! They will win it and it will be amazing. Season tickets available now. Click the heads belowon the right to view possible depth charts and read more about each player.

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