2005 Michigan Wolverines softball team

The 2005 Michigan Wolverines softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Michigan during the 2005 NCAA softball season. The Wolverines, led by head coach Carol Hutchins in her twenty-first season, played their home games at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines finished the season with a 65–7 record, setting a program record for wins. They competed in the Big Ten Conference, where the team finished first with a 15–2 conference record.

They won the 2005 Big Ten Conference softball tournament and qualified for the NCAA Division I softball tournament, reaching the postseason for the eleventh consecutive year. They defeated UCLA in three games in the finals of the 2005 Women's College World Series to win their first championship in program history. They became the first team in the Big Ten to win the Women's College World Series, and the first team east of the Mississippi River to win the NCAA Division I Softball championship.

Preseason
The Wolverines were ranked No. 8 in the nation according to the USA Today/NFCA and No. 12 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll, becoming the top-ranked Big Ten school in both listings. Jessica Merchant and Nicole Motycka were both named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year preseason watch list.

Schedule
! style="" | Regular Season
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! style="" | Postseason


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 * · ·  · Bold: Wolverines team member · Reference: Rankings from NFCA: · (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
 * · ·  · Bold: Wolverines team member · Reference: Rankings from NFCA: · (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Offense

 * Most home runs in a season: 21 (Samantha Findlay and Jessica Merchant)
 * Most hits in a season: 91 (Tiffany Haas)
 * Most runs scored in a season: 67 (Jessica Merchant)
 * Most RBI in a season: 77 (Samantha Findlay)
 * Most at bats in a season: 253 (Tiffany Haas)
 * Most home runs in a game: 3 (Samantha Findlay, April 17, 2005, tied with Nicole Motycka)
 * Most runs in a game: 4 (Samantha Findlay, April 17, 2005, tied with seven other players)

Pitching

 * Most appearances in a season: 48 (Jennie Ritter, tied with Kelly Holmes)
 * Most starts in a season: 41 (Jennie Ritter, tied with Kelly Holmes)
 * Most complete games in a season: 34 (Jennie Ritter)
 * Most innings pitched in a season: $288 2/3$ innings (Jennie Ritter)
 * Most wins in a season: 38 (Jennie Ritter)
 * Most strikeouts in a season: 417 (Jennie Ritter)
 * Most no-hitters in a season: 3 (Jennie Ritter, tied with Vicki Morrow)

Team records

 * Most wins in a season: 65
 * Most consecutive wins: 32 (February 13, 2005 to March 30, 2005)

Accomplishments

 * First victory over a top-ranked opponent (6–2 victory over No. 1 Arizona on March 20).
 * First No. 1 national ranking (March 22).
 * First No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
 * Samantha Findlay became the first freshman position player to be named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.