YSU faces tough task

The Penguins meet defending national champion Michigan in the first game.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State is in the NCAA softball tournament for the first time in school history. Unfortunately for the Penguins, their opening round opponent in the Ann Arbor regional is a very experienced tournament team.
Michigan, which plays host to YSU Friday at 7 p.m., is the defending national champion.
The Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten, were 65-7 last year in winning the title for the first time. They are 40-13 this season for coach Carol Hutchins, who is in her 21st season at the school.
14th trip to NCAA
Michigan, ranked 13th in the coaches poll , has won 40 or more games in 10 straight seasons. This is the Wolverines' 14th trip to the NCAA tournament and the 12th in a row. They have advanced to the Women's College World Series seven times in the last 10 years and have won 11 of the last 15 Big Ten championships. They are the No. 9 national seed for the tournament.
YSU, which captured the Horizon League's automatic bid into the tournament Saturday with a 2-1 victory over top-seeded Illinois-Chicago, is one of only two teams in the 64-team field with a losing record. The Penguins are 22-25 and Mississippi Valley is 23-28 record.
Joining YSU and Michigan at the regional are Oklahoma (38-19-1) and Kent State (32-22).
Sooners 2000 champs
The Sooners, who won the 2000 national championship, will meet Kent State in the opening game Friday at 4:30 p.m. YSU and Michigan will follow at 7 p.m.
There will be three games Saturday, starting with the winner's bracket game at noon, which will be televised by ESPN2. The two loser's bracket games will follow.
The winner of the regional will advance to a super regional May 26-27 against the winner of the Tennessee regional, which includes No. 8 national seed Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Tennessee Tech.
The Women's College World Series will be played June 1-7 in Oklahoma City.
Teams never met
YSU has never played Michigan or Oklahoma, and is 9-32 against Kent State. The Penguins were swept in three games against the Golden Flashes this season.
"We're happy to be hosting the regional again," said Hutchins. "We have our work cut out for us with a tough draw. We don't know a lot about Youngstown State yet, but Kent State and Oklahoma are very good teams. They have both played some of their best softball at the end of the season, giving us one of the toughest regionals to play in."
Hutchins said the Wolverines can't afford to overlook YSU.
"What we do know about them is that as the No. 6 seed in their conference tournament they went 4-0 and won the title, so they have to be playing their best right now," she said.
"Anybody that gets to this point in the season has to be playing very well, so we expect to have our hands full against them."
Leading the Wolverines
Michigan is led by senior catcher Becky Marx, who started all 53 games and carries a team-high .350 batting average with 12 doubles and 12 home runs while driving in 46 runs
Sophomore Samantha Findlay, the first baseman, is hitting .315 and has eight homers and 37 RBIs, while sophomore Alessandra Giampaolo, a center fielder, is hitting .309.
The Wolverines have two outstanding pitchers. Senior Jennie Ritter is 27-6 in 36 appearances and has a Big 10-best 0.64 ERA in 228 2/3 innings with 380 strikeouts and just 34 walks.
Junior Lorilyn Wilson is 10-6 with a 1.53 ERA in 109 innings, with 135 strikeouts and 26 walks.
Michigan has scored 243 runs while allowing just 72 and has a team batting average of .266.
mollica@vindy.com