Ann Arbor Super Regional

Friday’s Game

1 p.m. (CDT) – UL at Michigan (ESPNU)
Saturday’s Games

11 a.m. – UL at Michigan (ESPN)
2 p.m. – UL at Michigan, if necessary (ESPN)
(All games on KPEL 1420 AM)

 

The problem with having a friend in the business of competitive college athletics is that sometimes you have to square off each other.

One of those examples will take place this weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich., when UL’s Michael Lotief takes on the Michigan Wolverines under legendary coach Carol Hutchins.

“I’m normally pulling for Michael Lotief to win,” Hutchins said. “But this weekend, I won’t be able to.”

This weekend’s Super Regional play begins at 1 p.m. (Central) Friday with game two scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday. An if-necessary game would immediately follow.

At first glance, the two programs — and two coaches — would seem like polar opposites.

Michigan is one of the most prestigious universities in the nation from the Big 10 with more than 43,000 students and a $130 million athletic budget.

UL is known nationally as a mid-major from the Sun Belt Conference with an enrollment of more than 16,000 and an athletic budget more in the range of $14 million.

Although Hutchins was a college athlete at Michigan State and then an assistant coach for two years, Lotief wasn’t a college athlete and in fact was in an attorney prior to getting into college coaching.

Hutchins has been the head coach at Michigan since 1985, just four years after Yvette Girouard began UL’s softball program and five years before the then-Lady Cajuns reached NCAA postseason play for the first time.

That period was right in the middle of a stretch in which 16 of the 18 national champions came from either California or Arizona. As futile as competing outside of that Pacific coast region seemed to most around the nation, it never halted the vision of Hutchins in Michigan, nor did it for Girouard or anyone named Lotief down in Cajun Country.

Instead, those two programs dared to take on the sport’s elite and began building programs that could compete against the UCLAs and Arizonas of the world.

“I think that’s accurate,” Lotief said. “I think there are a lot of similarities between these two programs.”

It’s hard to argue with their success.

Hutchins and Michigan have now competed in 20 straight NCAA postseasons, while Lotief’s UL program hasn’t had a losing season since its first in 1981 and has competed in an NCAA Regional every year except one since 1990. UL has been to the Women’s College World Series five times.

Hutchins has taken Michigan to the Women’s College World Series nine times in the last 17 years. And in 2005, Michigan became the first program east of the Mississippi River to win an NCAA softball national championship.

“I’ve never really thought about it that way, but I guess that’s right,” Hutchins said. “Sure the Pac-10 was dominant back then, but neither one of these programs cared about that. All we cared about was building our program the right way and getting teams to the World Series, and they did the same thing.

“And now with the emergence of the SEC and with Super Regional play, it’s even more difficult. But I think the thing I’m the most proud of is that we’re contenders year in and year out and so are Michael’s teams.”

So perhaps it’s quite fitting that UL and Michigan meet in this weekend’s Super Regional. After all, it was 20 years ago that UL ended three years of NCAA Regional frustration by going to Michigan and advancing to the World Series for the first time.

UL defeated Michigan 6-5 and 2-1 to reach Oklahoma City, and once it got to the WCWS, the Lady Cajuns went toe-to-toe with the sport’s elite. UL lost to Arizona 2-1 in 10 innings and later defeated Arizona 1-0 before eventually being eliminated by UCLA 1-0 to finish third in that WCWS field.

Fast-forward to the 2013 season and these two proud programs are beginning to develop an itch that they’re determined to scratch.

For UL, it’s been since 2008 that the Cajuns have reached the Women’s College World Series. For Michigan, that drought goes back to 2009.

“One of the things that I’ve noticed about Michael’s team over the years is that they’re mentally tough,” Hutchins said. “I think it’s going to be a great Super Regional.”

Bigger than the success the two programs have had on the field, however, Hutchins has been impressed with Lotief as an individual and what he’s meant for the sport.

“I call Michael ‘one of the good guys,’” Hutchins said. “He’s good for the sport. He fights for what’s right for the sport and for women. He’s somebody I trust. What you see is what you get with Michael.

“There’s no question that there’s definitely a lot of respect between these two programs.”

Largely because of the efforts of coaches like Lotief and Hutchins, the NFCA Hall of Fame coach said she’s continually amazed by how much progress women’s college softball has made.

“When I first started back in 1985, I would have never dreamed in a million years that we’d be playing on national TV in multimillion dollar facilities,” she said. “When I walk out on that field Friday, I’m just going to take it all in, and I’m sure Michael’s going to do the same thing.

“It’s great for the girls and for the programs and for the sport. I feel really lucky.”