As it turns out, Dusty May has a little pop in his bat.
The Michigan basketball coach spent his April 24 evening on Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium, participating as the celebrity in a home run derby. It was the 16th annual partnership between Michigan Softball Academy and the Michigan softball team, with proceeds from the event going to raise money toward fighting breast cancer. As of earlier this week, the charity work had raised more than $100,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Former Michigan softball coach Carol Hutchins came up with the idea in 2010, and it is something that she and current coach Bonnie Tholl have continued since.
The event began at 5 p.m. with members of the U-M softball squad leading preregistered participants, some of whom were breast cancer survivors themselves, through various drills and stations. After two hours of that, the derby began with a few select individuals — including May.
The coach attempted to downplay expectations — uttering a “don’t judge me” before he stepped to the plate — then belted a deep home run to the pull side, high off the wall behind the left field fence on his fourth swing. That was his big hit, though, with the rest resembling line drives.
“It was great to be a part of,” May said afterward.
Over the years, this fundraiser has generated more than $2 million for the American Cancer Society, according to Hutchins, who got the idea for it from former U-M football coach Lloyd Carr’s women’s football academy decades ago. If football could work, so could softball, Hutchins thought, so she contacted the ACS.
“I never thought it would be going for 16 years though or raise $2 million,” Hutchins said. “From what I understand, there’s no other college team that’s raised this type of money for the American Cancer Society.”
This year’s event is well over $100,000 through sponsorships alone. And it’s still going, with a silent auction for several Michigan-related items remaining open through April 28 — the final home U-M softball game of the regular season.
Some of the items in the silent auction:
| A Detroit Tigers on-field game experience. |
| A Megan Rapinoe autographed jersey. |
| Two tickets to see Zach Bryan at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 27. |
| A round of pickleball with Tholl. |
| Michigan football tickets and access to the football alumni tailgate this fall. |
Other notable U-M dignitaries were on hand as well, including College Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Beilein and Jill Martin of NBC’s “Today Show.”
“Yeah, it’s special,” Hutchins said. “It’s developed into a life of its own. It’s special to the community, so many season-ticket holders, our fanbase looks forward to it every year. … It means a lot that they donate their time.
“That’s the thing about Michigan, we have tremendous people who support us and we need to support them back.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan softball breast cancer fundraiser raises more than $100K