The Alumni Field stands will be filled with flat vowels and fans drinking 'pop' this weekend. Michigan will host three other teams from the midwest in the NCAA Regional tournament.
The Wolverines (52-5) will host DePaul, Illinois-Chicago and Ball State in the double-elimination tournament. The tentative schedule has the first game Friday at 1 p.m. Illinois-Chicago and DePaul will play in the first game, followed by the Michigan-Ball State game at 3.
To the winner? A trip to Oklahoma City, Okla., and the third seed in the Women's College World Series. Top-ranked Arizona will host the top-seed regional, and No. 7 Nebraska will host the second-seed regional.
Michigan is ranked second in the nation, but was given the third-seed regional. Four teams from the Big 12 - Nebraska's conference - made the field of 32, while only three Big Ten teams made the cut.
Despite hosting three schools not known as athletics machines, Hutchins isn't falling into the bigger-is-better trap.
The 1998 Big Ten coach of the year warned that DePaul was "clearly a cut above" the rest of the teams in its conference.
But her warning wasn't directed at Michigan rightfielder Kellyn Tate. She clutched her crisp new 'Big Ten Champs' hat in her lap and explained that "it's easy to get up for this."
Hutchins mentioned that the field of 32 was the toughest she's ever seen, but wasn't as open about her own regional.
"We'll play it, ... I'll tell you afterwards," she said.
05-11-98
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