Corrin Genovese was a 1^st Team All-SEC selection at Missouri in 2014 when she hit .410 and was rated the 4^th toughest player in Div. I softball to strikeout as she struck out just three times in 134 at-bats. She also hit .600 in the NCAA Regionals.

In this article submitted for FloSoftball, Corrin spells out how she thinks the Wolverines can topple the defending National Champion Gators who seem like a team of destiny with National Player of the Year Lauren Haeger looking tough to beat…

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The key for Michigan will be pitching. In order for No. 3 seed Michigan to carry on its magical season run, the Wolverines are going to need to continue to have standout performances from their sophomore pitcher, Megan Betsa.

Betsa has set the standard of winning for this Wolverine team, giving the offense a chance to win every game this year. With her domination in the circle all year long, combined with the offensive prowess that Michigan has, Coach Carol Hutchin’s team has put itself in a good position to win despite Florida’s apparent invincibility.

Michigan’s offense is led by All-American infield Sierra Romero, who was a finalist for National Player of the Year along with winner Lauren Haeger of Florida. Romero, who batted an eye-popping .472 this year, and the rest of the Wolverine offense must successfully execute its game plan of getting on top of Hager’s devastating rise ball.

With Haeger pitching, the Big Ten team needs to be prepared for first-pitch strikes and to take as many aggressive swings as possible in its at bats. Haeger is a strikeout pitcher and Michigan hitters need to be having the mind set of hitting the ball on the ground and to level off their swing against the rise ball.

When a pitcher is throwing a 69 mph riseball the way Lauren Haeger does, you not only have to think about speed, but also the swing plane of your bat which needs to change to a downward angle due to the upward spin of the ball.

If the Michigan hitters can maintain the mentality of getting on top of the rise ball, and be ready early and often in the batter’s box, they can have success off of Haeger and put the Gators on their heels.

For Florida to repeat as National Champions, the SEC powerhouse will need to continue its mastery of doing the “little things” to win the game like getting the bunt down with runners in scoring position, hitting behind the runners, making all the routine plays defensively and, last but not least, throwing strikes in the circle.

Coach Tim Walton’s team literally starts at the top as leadoff hitter Kelsey Stuart sets the tone for the offense. She is batting .449 this year as a triple threat weapon with her ability to slap, bunt, and hit for power making it hard for opposing defenses to defend her.

Florida must capitalize on the difference in its speed compared to Michigan’s. The game of softball is already known for how fast the action happens and with Florida having such depth of speed and athleticism on their roster, it adds even more pressure to opposing defenses and helps them get runners on base due to errors. If the Wolverines can neutralize this speed disadvantage, the Maize and Blue could pull off the upset.

Ultimately, the eventual victory will come down to who can best play to its strengths. Michigan must be ready early in the count to be aggressive while Florida must make the routine plays defensively and use its speed as a weapon on offense to generate base runners and score runs.