I. 2019 Recap
Michigan won both the regular season and conference tournament titles, hosting a regional with the #15 national seed. Two other B1G teams hosted regionals, with Minnesota seeded #7 and Northwestern seeded #16. An additional three conference teams were selected to the NCAA tournament: Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Illinois.
All fourteen league schools sponsor softball, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wisconsin.
II. 2020 Predictions
Player of the Year: Jordyn Rudd, Northwestern
Rudd was a major offensive catalyst for her club as a freshman, and should be much of the same in her sophomore season.
Pitcher of the Year: Amber Fiser, Minnesota
Fiser is one of the best in the nation in the circle. Need more be said?.
Coach of the Year: Carol Hutchins, Michigan
The Big Ten parity ha increased in the last few years, and Michigan’s continued dominance of the championship trophies speaks highly of Hutchins and her program.
Conference Champions: Michigan Wolverines
After a preliminary exit in the regional round a season ago – and at home, no less – expect the Wolverines to enter 2020 with a chip on their shoulders.
III. Who to Watch
Indiana Hoosiers — In 2018, Shonda Stanton’s first at the helm of the Hoosiers, the squad performed poorly in the non-conference portion of the season, but played extremely well in conference play. A year later, the opposite was the case: After beginning the year undefeated, the Hoosiers played well in non-conference play, but struggled against Big Ten opponents. The team needs to even out their production in year #3, and will have to do so after graduating their pitching ace in Tara Trainer, and losing slugging designated player Maddie Westmoreland to transfer.
Katie Wingert, Rutgers — Wingert was solid behind the plate for the Scarlet Knights in her freshman season, finishing second in the conference and 24th in the nation with eighteen home runs. She earned all-conference and all-region honors after the year that saw her post a .317 batting average and .702 slugging percentage. The rising sophomore backstop was a major catalyst to RU’s surge in the conference standings, and she swings one of the league’s most potent bats.
Minnesota Golden Gophers — Fiser is one of the best-known players in the nation these days, thanks to her powerful performances in the circle en route to leading her team to the Women’s College World Series a season ago. She should be in classic form for her senior season, but there is a question mark as to what the Gophers’ pitching depth looks like behind her. That conundrum is one that will have to be solved sooner rather than later. Offensively, breakout star transfer Hope Brandner is out indefinitely with health issues, leaving a large question mark in the batting order. Makenna Partain will be expected to take on a larger role, while the Gophers also return underclassman outfielder Ellee Jensen, who missed the 2019 campaign due to injury.
Allison Doocy, Iowa — Doocy’s Hawkeyes have struggled through much of her career, making a coaching change during that time, but could be positioned for some success in her senior season. A favorable conference schedule could give the Hawkeyes the opportunity to improve their conference showing, and Doocy will be a catalyst to any success the program is going to have. She finished the 2019 season with a second-team all-Big Ten nod after posting a 2.70 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 187 innings of work as a junior.
IV. Key Movers
Departures: Maddie Westmoreland, Indiana; Tara Trainer, Indiana; Kiana Sherlund, Illinois; Faith Canfield, Michigan; Emily Clark, Ohio State; Lilli Piper, Ohio State; Maddie Houlihan, Minnesota
V. Burning Questions
* What will the pitching depth look like for Minnesota behind Amber Fiser?
* Can Michigan develop their 1-2 pitching punch into a lethal weapon out of the circle?
* Who will emerge from the conference’s lower levels with a surge in the standings?
* How good will Maryland be in Mark Montgomery’s first season as head coach?/
VI. Projected Standings
- Michigan Wolverines
- Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Northwestern Wildcats
- Wisconsin Badgers
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Maryland Terrapins
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Michigan State Spartans
