Michigan softball finds magic to upset UCLA for 2nd straight Big Ten tournament title
Michigan softball took home the Big Ten Tournament championship May 10 for a second straight season with a 2-0 win over UCLA at Bittinger Stadium on the campus of Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana.
With Hall of Fame coach Carol Hutchins watching from the stands, the eighth-seeded Wolverines (38-19, 11-11 Big Ten) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with their first repeat tourney title since 2005-06 and the program's 12th overall. Minnesota is the next closest with five titles.
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The 64-team 2025 NCAA Tournament starts May 16-18 with regional play. The Wolverines will learn their path in the bracket May 11 during the selection show (7 p.m., ESPN2). Super Regionals are May 22-25 and the Women's College World Series starts May 29 in Oklahoma City.
Michigan Wolverines starting pitcher Lauren Derkowski (18) celebrates after an out Saturday, May 10, 2025, during the Big Ten softball tournament championship game against the UCLA Bruins at Purdue University's Bittinger Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Jenissa Conway provided the run support to break open a scoreless game in the sixth inning with an RBI double to back Lauren Derkowski, who started on the mound for the fourth straight game for the Wolverines. She is 17-12 this season. Erin Hoehn secured the final six outs for her second straight save of the tournament.
Conway then scored on an infield single from Ella Stephenson.
The victory was payback after 2-seed UCLA swept Michigan in a three-game series in Ann Arbor in late April, outscoring the Wolverines, 21-14.
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The Wolverines took down the Cinderella 12-seed Boilermakers 4-2 in the semifinals May 9, stunned 1-seed Oregon 5-0 on May 8 and clipped 9-seed Wisconsin 3-2 on May 7.
The Michigan Wolverines celebrate Saturday, May 10, 2025, after winning the Big Ten softball tournament championship game against the UCLA Bruins at Purdue University's Bittinger Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. Michigan Wolverines won 2-0.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan softball's magic upsets UCLA for Big Ten tournament title
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