ANN ARBOR -- Carol Hutchins sat comfortably inside the Michigan softball meeting room Tuesday night, fielding questions from a handful of reporters as her team gets set to open the season Feb. 7.

Making eye contact with each reporter as he or she asks a question, Hutchins replies with candid yet frequently insightful responses.

She touched on many topics -- the team's fall trip to Cuba, the loss of five starters in the lineup from last season, how she was inspired by the baseball team's improbable run to the College World Series -- but retirement wasn't one of them.

"It's what I do," said Hutchins, who is entering her 36th season as the Wolverines' head coach. "You never like everything about your job. You don't like everything you do. I personally don't like always going to the airport and getting on planes and waiting and getting delayed. And sometimes sitting in the stands watching recruits when it's 20 degrees out and some of the dumb things we do.

"But when you walk in the dugout every day, you don't have to have to try to work. You just are like, 'Let's go.' I could walk in that dugout every day of my life. It's what you do. You're around all these kids and you're here to inspire them and help make them great. And, you know, I fall short every day, but every day, I get back and try to do better."

Every win Hutchins, 62, records this season will continue to add to her NCAA-record 1,616 career victories to just 517 losses. She has guided the Wolverines to 21 Big Ten regular-season titles, 12 Women's College World Series appearances and one national championship in 2005.

The Lansing native said the daily grind can be more arduous than earlier in her career, but she also is surrounded by an experienced coaching staff that she trusts. Associate head coach Bonnie Tholl is in her 27th season with the Wolverines, while assistant Jennifer Brundage is entering her 22nd.

"There's a lot to be said for having a team that knows what to expect from their staff," Hutchins said. "I would not be a coach that aspires to have a lot of turnover in my staff. I mean, some coaches actually like that. They don't want to keep people around very long. I had a good talk with -- Ed Warriner (Michigan football assistant), he talked about his time with Urban Meyer (former Ohio State football coach) and Urban's like three years and out (for assistants).

"I mean, Urban Meyer is smarter than I am. I got news for you. He's done a heck of a lot more than I have, so I'm not knocking it. But I like the continuity of our staff and I think my staff complements me really well."

In a sport that continues to evolve every year with more emphasis on technology, Michigan's staff strives to stay apprized of current trends.

Whether it is more collaboration with the baseball team or adding a fresh face on staff, Hutchins understands there is no room for complacency.

"I think this staff still strives every day to stay fresh and find new ideas and not just do everything the same way," Hutchins said. "We added Mary Beth Dennison last year, our volunteer (assistant) who's been fantastic and really a great addition to kind of have new blood."

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Michigan also has won 18 NCAA Regional titles under Hutchins, but none in the past three seasons. Last season, it was one win away from advancing before dropping two straight games to No. 16 James Madison at home.

The Wolverines, who are ranked No. 17 and No. 18 in the two major preseason polls, have a young, inexperienced team heading into 2020, but Hutchins isn't making excuses. She set the standard of winning regional titles at Michigan, and failing to do so since 2016 has been frustrating, she said.

"It doesn't sit well and I don't accept it," she said. "I understand that things -- that the ball is not always going to go our way. But I believe Michigan can be a competitive top-16 team.

"That is the goal. Our senior classes, it's not lost on them (not winning a regional title)."

The Wolverines begin the season with five games in three days at the University of South Florida tournament in Tampa, Florida. They open against Georgia State and Illinois State on Feb. 7.