Tinley Park's Tholl Realizes Dream, Takes Charge Of Michigan Softball

TINLEY PARK, IL – Bonnie Tholl is certainly no stranger to the University of Michigan softball program or to the success the Wolverines achieved under legendary coach Carol Hutchins.

But after Hutchins announced her retirement after 38 seasons on Wednesday, Tholl — the Tinley Park native who spent the past 20 years working as Hutchins’ top assistant — became just the fourth coach in program history to take the reins of the championship-caliber program when she was named Michigan's new head coach.

Hutchins is the winningest coach in NCAA softball history with 1,707 victories and led Michigan to 22 Big Ten championships. Under Hutchins' leadership, Michigan reached the NCAA Tournament 29 times and the College World Series 12 times, winning the national championship in 2005.

Tholl, a former Michigan softball All-America standout, ascends to the top spot after working for 29 years as an assistant on the Wolverines coaching staff. In an interview with MGoBlue TV, Tholl said she always dreamed one day of taking over the program when Hutchins decided to step down. Now ready to take over the program, Tholl said she couldn’t have asked for a better mentor in preparing her for the position.

“It was a constant training ground for me,” Tholl said in the interview posted on the school’s athletic website. “To be able to wear that different (coaching) hat and be the discipline, it’s going to come with early dialogue. Dialogue and it’s going to be a proactive approach as opposed to a reactive approach in any decisions I make.”

She added: “I have to be authentically me, and our staff has been different personality-wise in so many ways, but we come with the same mission and we value the same things. I’m not here to match the legacy of Carol Hutchins. I’m here to build the legacy of Michigan softball.”

Tholl was a four-year starter at shortstop and was the first player in the history of the conference to earn four All-Big Ten first-team honors. She was selected to the All-Mideast Regional team three times and was twice selected as a first-team honoree and once on the second team. She was one of four Wolverines named to the Big Ten All-Decade (1982-92) softball team.

Tholl also participated in the 1993 Olympic Sports Festival and played with numerous Amateur Softball Association squads, earning ASA All-America second-team honors in 1992. She was invited to the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team tryout after a successful showing as a member of the U.S. Pan American Games qualifying team that advanced to the 1995 Pan American Games, the school said in a news release.

Now, she will take over the program she has been such a big part of for so many years.

"I can think of no better person to lead our softball program than Bonnie Tholl," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a news release. "Bonnie has recruited and helped to develop some of the biggest names in U-M softball history. I know that she will lead our student-athletes with the same culture of passion and positivity that we have grown accustomed to while continuing the trajectory of this program into the future."

For Tholl, who has also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator, adding to Michigan’s championship legacy is a top priority while also proving to be a dream come true.

“The greatest honor of my life has been to wear 'Michigan' across my chest as a student-athlete and as a coach," Tholl said in a statement released by the school. "And I am humbled by the opportunity to lead this beloved program.

"Our program mission will continue to be creating empowering experiences for our student-athletes with an emphasis on personal development, earning a renowned degree, and winning championships. I am very proud of what Michigan softball represents on and off the field, and I am excited for the future of the program."