A huge, HUGE doubleheader today at noon against #12 and co-Big Ten leading Northwestern. The Michigan players are excited (look at the video on mgoblue.com) and the fans are too - the pair of games are sold out!
 
I'll be in Ann Arbor for my first softball game and I can't wait! It will also be on the Big Ten Network.
 
Go Blue!

Michigan lost the first game 2-1 and, according to Gametracker, is down 2-0 in the second inning of the second game.

It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine!

Same score at the end of five: 2-0 Northwestern

It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine!

Wow!!!  Down 2-0 in the bottom of the 7th, Michigan scores 3 to take the game!!!
 
An NU error helped us load the bases, Angela Findlay walks in a run and then Sam hits a single for two RBIs.

It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine!

Wow, what a day and what a DH.  Would Michigan host the tournament should both teams win out?     

These two teams and programs are so evenly matched that it's not funny. 

The first game was a tough loss.  Samantha Findlay struck out a few times, once with the bases loaded to end an inning.  The Wolverines also left the bases loaded in the bottom on the 7.
 
It was huge to come back in the last inning of the last game.
 
Alex, how did you like the stadium?  If I had known you were coming I would have gotten you a press pass.

Phil Callihan
Editor-in-Chief
UMGoBlue.COM

ORIGINAL: GR_Eagle
Would Michigan host the tournament should both teams win out? ... so evenly matched that it's not funny. 

 
The games are being re-broadcast now on BTN.  According the broadcast, this scenario would be decided by a coin flip!  Both teams would earn co-Big Ten Champion titles, but the site would be determined by the outcome of the flip of a coin.
 
If you're the Big Ten, do you prefer a location central to Chicago or a new facility in Ann Arbor?

They have a new facility as well.  I'm not sure what their capacity is but the stadium does seem a bit smaller to the one in a2.  A promotion at work has me working Sundays or I would have been there.  Hopefully the final big ten tournament is at home so I can go. 

Like Northwestern's SID said in the game recap, this is becoming one of softballs biggest rivalries. 

ORIGINAL: Philc

The first game was a tough loss.  Samantha Findlay struck out a few times, once with the bases loaded to end an inning.  The Wolverines also left the bases loaded in the bottom on the 7.

It was huge to come back in the last inning of the last game.

Alex, how did you like the stadium?  If I had known you were coming I would have gotten you a press pass.

The first game was rough. Our seats were a couple of rows behind homeplate (I'll post pictures later), so I could really see Nikki's control issues in the first game. She was all over the place. The problem with her is that she doesn't really have that dominant pitch. She's not a pitcher who will overpower you with the fast ball, so she really has to develop the off speed pitches to be great against the top ball clubs. With that said, she did have a pretty good performance, but had runners on in all but two innings.

It was rough to see Sam struggle in the first game. You can just tell that she takes the game so seriously, and when she struck out with the bases loaded in the third, it was not pretty. She wasn't too happy when she went down with that minor injury as well (forgot what game that was). It was great to see her get the last laugh in the bottom of the 7th in Game 2. Sam had an opportunity as well at the end of Game 1 with runners on second and third, but she walked (looked like a strikeout for a while). Sam also had an excellent double play at second. It was also a rought day for Viefhaus, as she struck out with the bases loaded in Game 1. She did the same thing in our 1-0 loss to Iowa earlier in the season.

Jordan Taylor was solid again. If you take away that second inning, she would have had a one hitter.

The stadium was fantastic. I love the landscape in left field, and the press box looks great. It looks like they still have some work to do, but I like the looks of it. I'll have to make it over to the Fish sometime soon as well.

Regarding Nemitz.....

This is where Jordan Taylor will step up to be our ace next year.  Nemitz is a solid player but you're right Alex, she doesn't have that "wow" factor.  I really think (and many on UCS agree) that Taylor is one of the next big megastars on the bump for college softball.  Nikki's heart and her overall athleticism will help the Wolverines greatly but Taylor is the next Ritter.  Lauren Delaney has shown she is a great pitcher but Taylor's freshman stats blow away anything that Canney, Delaney, Weil, or Nemitz did in their freshman year. 

It was rough to see Sam struggle in the first game.

Not to mention when it appeared she injured herself in the field  she walked it off.

I've never seen her struggle like that before.  Teams rarely have that much luck containing her.

 The stadium was fantastic.

I really like the stadium.  They've made a lot of progress over the last several weeks to finish things up.  Now that I have season tickets it's first time I've actually had a real seat for a game.  The only "knock" on the stadium is that it's lost some of the charm it previously had.

Pre-renovation you could bring your lawn chair and sit in left or right field foul territory and see great.  I miss that part of it.  Games were more casual.

Phil Callihan
Editor-in-Chief
UMGoBlue.COM

ORIGINAL: Philc
Pre-renovation you could bring your lawn chair and sit in left or right field fould territory and see great.  I miss that part of it.  Games were more casual.

If it wasn't for that darn Jennie Ritter kid, games would probably be more casual. I think softball is becoming more and more popular at Michigan and around the country. Maybe the AD is taking advantage of this and trying to make some money off of it?

ORIGINAL: buckeyehater22

ORIGINAL: Philc
Pre-renovation you could bring your lawn chair and sit in left or right field fould territory and see great.  I miss that part of it.  Games were more casual.

If it wasn't for that darn Jennie Ritter kid, games would probably be more casual. I think softball is becoming more and more popular at Michigan and around the country. Maybe the AD is taking advantage of this and trying to make some money off of it?

 
You can still sit in center or left in a chair. I have an official seat but prefer to hang with friends and the dog in left.
 
FYI - the new stadium fundraising and designs began at least a year before the championship. I can find a preliminary drawing of it on the back of my 2005 media guide.
 
Some of Hutch's quotes in that guide, "Our future is without a doubt in a new facility because we cannot sustain what we accomplished without a new home park. Every recruit that visits our campus has visited one or two multi-million dollar facilities somewhere else. I'm not sure how much better it will make the program, but we need to just sustain what we have built and stay competitive within the conference and nationally. Right now, we have maybe the fifth-best facility in the conference, yet our players have accomplished so much for Michigan. Right now, more than anything else the kids in this program deserve to play in a fine facility. It's time and I am excited for them because it's a culmination of a lot of hard work by current players and alums who have represented Michigan the way it should be represented. A new facility would be a credit to the people of the past without a question, but the kids of the future get to play on it. We certainly won't allow them to forget about all of the traditions that started at Alumni Field."