Fall Weekly Release
10/2/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Michigan Fall Invitational (all games exhibition)
Saturday, Oct. 7
Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan, 11 a.m.
Oakland vs. Eastern Michigan, 1 p.m.
Michigan vs. Oakland, 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 8
Oakland vs. Eastern Michigan, 11 a.m.
Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan, 1 p.m.
Michigan vs. Oakland, 3 p.m.
Fall Workouts Close with October 7-8 Exhibition Tournament
University of Michigan softball wraps up its fall workout schedule by hosting the Michigan Fall Invitational Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 7-8) at Alumni Field. The Wolverines are joined by Eastern Michigan and Oakland in the two-day tournament. All games are exhibition and there is no admission charge.
Conditioning Next on Schedule for Wolverines
Following the exhibition tournament, the U-M players will begin the strength and conditioning portion of their year, culminating with participation in the annual Ann Arbor Turkey Trot, a fundraiser for the Ann Arbor Individualized Hospice, on Nov. 19. Michigan begins preseason workouts in mid-January and opens the 2001 season at the San Diego State University Campbell/Cartier Classic Feb. 15-18.
Solid Returnees Back for New U-M Campaign
Michigan heads into the 2001 season -- its 24th as a varsity program -- as the defending Big Ten Conference Tournament champion. The Wolverines completed the 2000 season 45-16-1 overall and second in the conference regular-season with a 13-4 mark. U-M made its eighth trip to the NCAA Regional Championship, losing 3-0 to DePaul University in the championship game. Michigan was ranked No. 13 in the final USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.
The Wolverines return 15 letterwinners and 10 starters from last season's squad. Among the top returnees is junior Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth-Salem HS), who led Michigan hitters a year ago (.363) en route to earning NFCA All-America Third-Team honors as a designated player. Volpe will pick up defensive work at third base in addition to catching duties. Sophomore Marissa Young (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS), an All-America Third-Team at-large selection her rookie season, brings both her bat and pitching arm back to the Wolverine lineup. Young, recovering from early summer knee surgery, hit .277 and put together an 18-4 record with a 1.14 ERA last season.
Six seniors will play their final season for Michigan in 2001, including a trio of three-year starters in Marie Barda (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South HS), Melissa Taylor (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield HS) and Rebecca Tune (Aloha, Ore./Jesuit HS). Barda has twice won All-Big Ten First-Team honors and is the veteran of the Wolverine pitching staff (17-7, 0.79 ERA). Taylor spent her freshman season as the starter at second base, then moved to rightfield for the past two seasons. She hit .325 and led U-M with 22 stolen bases in 2000. Tune has played all three seasons as the team's top shortstop, hitting .212 with 13 RBI as a junior.
Challenging Schedule Awaits Wolverines' Attention
Michigan plays in five tournaments and meets three non-conference teams in February and March before opening the Big Ten Conference schedule on the road against first-year league opponent University of Illinois March 31. Regular-season action begins on West Coast with the Feb. 15-18 Campbell/Cartier Classic in Poway, Calif., and closes in Ann Arbor May 7 with the Michigan-Michigan State game.
U-M is scheduled for the Feb. 23-25 NFCA Leadoff Classic (Columbus, Ga.), the March 2-4 Alabama Invitational, March 16-18 Florida State Lady Seminole Invitational, and the March 24-25 Purdue Boilermaker Classic. The Wolverines have non-conference dates at Mississippi State, Alabama and DePaul scheduled in March, and play Central Michigan (April 11) and Eastern Michigan (May 2) during breaks in the Big Ten schedule.
Michigan has eight home dates scheduled in 2001, and makes its Alumni Field season debut with an April 6 doubleheader vs. Purdue. Michigan sports an impressive 261-96 (.731) Alumni Field record over 18 seasons.
The three-week postseason run opens with the May 10-12 Big Ten Tournament hosted by the season champion. NCAA National Tournament play begins with the May 17-20 Regional Championships followed by the Women's College World Series May 24-28 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Assistant Coach Brundage Brings Olympic Gold to Wolverines
Third-year Michigan assistant coach Jennifer Brundage not only wears the "road warrior" tag from her summer, but she also sports an Olympic gold medal as a member of the winning USA softball team. Team USA defeated Japan, 2-1, in extra innings to nab the gold medal on Sept. 28. Brundage played at third base, outfield and designated player during the 2000 Olympic Games. Brundage will be among the University of Michigan students, alumni and coaches Olympic medal-winners honored during pregame ceremonies at the Oct. 21 Michigan-Michigan State football game.
Maize & Blue Diamond Gems
Seniors Rebecca Tune and Melissa Taylor, both listed among the top 10 U-M players in career games played and started, are projected to record both their 200th games played and starts during the 2001 season. Tune enters the year with 189 games and 189 starts while Taylor has appeared in 182 games with starts in 180 games.
Melissa Taylor, Stefanie Volpe and Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) each hold places in the Wolverines' career offense record lists. Taylor ranks seventh in sacrifices with 33. Volpe, who lists 10th with five career home runs, is fifth among all-time Wolverine hitters with a .354 batting average. Kollen ranks ninth in career batting average (.331).
Two current Michigan pitchers are listed in the Wolverines' career pitching records. Marie Barda is found in five different categories: No. 2 winning percentage (.772, 44-13), No. 7 strikeouts (234), No. 8 wins (44), No. 8 shutouts (15) and No. 9 innings pitched (408.0). Marissa Young goes into her second season ranked ninth in strikeouts with 165.
When Michigan faces first-year Big Ten member Illinois on March 31 it will mark the second time the Wolverines have been the inaugural league game for expansion teams. U-M was the first conference opponent for Purdue University (March 25, 1995) and sports a 2-0 record in conference-season-opening games vs. first-year teams.
The 2001 season is the first year all 11 Big Ten institutions will compete for the conference softball championship.
Contact: Amy Carlton (734) 763-4423
