Carol Hutchins Announces Retirement as Michigan Head Coach

Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins is retiring, she announced on Wednesday.

Hutchins, who recently completed her 39th overall season as a head coach, is the winningest coach in NCAA softball history with 1,707 victories and a career winning percentage of .755.

“Words can not adequately describe my appreciation for all that Carol Hutchins has done for the University of Michigan, the sport of softball, nor for the impact she has had on the lives of countless young people,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “I also cannot succinctly articulate my personal sadness at her decision to retire from coaching while being so happy that Hutch can enjoy life beyond the game. Hutch is a force who elevated not only the sport of softball but generations of female athletes as a staunch advocate of equality. She has been a tireless fundraiser for societal causes, including the American Cancer Society, and I know that she will continue to impact lives beyond the game of softball. Carol Hutchins is a legend.”

Hutchins guided Michigan to the 2005 NCAA championship, becoming the first program east of the Mississippi River to capture the national title. Her career included 22 Big Ten conference championships, 10 Big Ten tournament crowns, 29 NCAA tournament appearances and 12 Women’s College World Series appearances.

She was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

“Hutch” never suffered a losing season while at the helm of Michigan and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year on 18 occasions and garnered eight NFCA Regional Coach of the Year and a pair of NFCA National Coach of the Year (1995, 2005) honors. The Hutchins-led Michigan coaching staff was also named Speedline/NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year in 2005 and earned 15 NFCA Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

Veteran assistant Bonnie Tholl has been named the program’s new head coach.