ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Athletic Department will honor the coaching career of Carol Hutchins by renaming its softball stadium in her honor, it was announced Thursday (March 23).

Constructed in 1982 as Varsity Diamond, renamed in 1992 to Alumni Field, and incorporated into the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex in 2007 through numerous upgrades and added amenities, the home of Michigan's softball will hereafter be designated as Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium. The venue will continue to reside in the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex and flanked by the Donald R. Shepherd Softball Center.

"I cannot think of a better way to recognize Carol Hutchins' contributions to the University of Michigan community, to the game of softball and to women's athletics than to rename the venue that she put on the map," said the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. "I appreciate the work of our University Naming Committee and the unwavering support from the Board of Regents and cannot wait for Hutch to watch her first game at a stadium named in her honor."

Hutchins, who completed her 39th overall season as a head coach, 38 of them at U-M, in 2022, is the winningest coach in NCAA softball history with 1,707 victories and a career winning percentage of .755 (1,707-555-5). 

Hutchins guided Michigan to the 2005 NCAA championship after a 65-7 campaign, becoming the first program east of the Mississippi River to capture the national title, to highlight a career that 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.

Hutchins reclaimed the top spot as the NCAA's all-time winningest softball coach on Feb. 25, 2022, with a 3-0 win against Northern Kentucky to pass Arizona's Mike Candrea's record of 1,674 career wins. Hutchins also is the winningest coach -- male or female -- in Michigan Athletics history.

Hutchins' squads captured 22 Big Ten regular-season titles from 1995-2021, including nine in a row from 2008-16, and 10 Big Ten Tournament crowns, sweeping the conference championships seven times (1995, '96, '98, 2002, '05, '15, '19). In addition, Michigan has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 29 times, including her final 27 years, and made 12 appearances in the NCAA Women's College World Series (1995-98, 2001-02, '04-'05, '09, '13, '15-'16) -- tied for the sixth WCWS appearances most in NCAA history.

She 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.

Hutchins founded the Michigan Softball Academy in 2010 in conjunction with the program's annual "Pink Game." A one-night, on-field clinic for adults that raises funds for the American Cancer Society, the Wolverines have raised more than $1.5 million since the program's original Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk participation in 2007.

Photo: Rendering of Carol Hutchins Stadium, to be formally dedicated in April of 2023