Weekly Release #9
4/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, April 27 -- DH vs. Northwestern (Alumni Field), 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 28 -- vs. Iowa (Alumni Field), 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 29 -- vs. Iowa (Alumni Field), 1 p.m.
Wednesday, May 2 -- DH at Eastern Michigan (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 2 p.m.
Thursday, May 3 -- vs. Detroit (Alumni Field), 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 5 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 2 p.m.
Sunday, May 6 -- vs. Michigan State (Alumni Field), 1 p.m.
First Pitch
The 24th-ranked University of Michigan softball team (30-12-1, 13-1 Big Ten) returns home this weekend for four games that will go a long way toward deciding the conference race. The first-place Wolverines host Northwestern in a doubleheader on Friday (April 27, 2 p.m.) at Alumni Field. The Wildcats are tied with Wisconsin for sixth in the Big Ten, which makes this an important weekend for Northwestern, which is fighting for the sixth and final spot in the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines then host a pair of single games vs. second-place Iowa (11-3 in Big Ten), which Michigan holds a two-game lead over in the race for the Big Ten championship. The Wolverines face Iowa at Alumni Field on Saturday (April 28, 2 p.m.) and Sunday (April 29, 1 p.m.). The Big Ten regular-season winner hosts the Big Ten Tournament on May 10-12.
Scouting the Opposition
Northwestern: After matching a season best with four straight wins, Northwestern (17-19, 6-8 Big Ten) dropped its last two games, both vs. Purdue ... Northwestern is 10th in the Big Ten in hitting (.238) and ninth in pitching (2.13 ERA) ... Erin Jancic is Northwestern's leading hitter (.348) ... Northwestern on the Internet: www.nusports.com.
#15 Iowa: After losing three of four, Iowa (35-10, 11-3 Big Ten) has bounced back with four straight wins to get within in two games on conference-leading Michigan ... Iowa is second in the Big Ten in pitching (0.97 ERA) ... Alicia Gerlach is fifth in the conference in hitting (.373) ... Kristi Hanks in third in the conference in pitching (0.80 ERA) ... Iowa on the Internet: www.hawkeyesports.com.
Wolverines Look for Revenge vs. Northwestern
When Michigan renews its 24-year-old series with Northwestern on Friday, the Wolverines will be looking to avenge the two-game sweep they suffered at the hands of the Wildcats a year ago. Michigan had won six straight over Northwestern before losing 1-0 and 12-0 (five innings) at Northwestern in 2000. The 12 runs Michigan gave up in the second game of the series were the most allowed by the Wolverines all season and the series sweep was one of just a pair of two-game series Michigan lost last season. Michigan holds a 50-22 mark all-time over Northwestern and has won seven straight at home since dropping a 1-0 decision on April 30, 1995.
U-M's Last 10 Games vs. Northwestern (7-3)
| 4/13/97 | W | 1-0 | A |
| 4/13/97 | L | 4-1 | A |
| 4/18/98 | W | 11-0 (5) | H |
| 4/18/98 | W | 1-0 | H |
| 4/19/98 | W | 5-4 | H |
| 4/17/99 | W | 10-3 | A |
| 4/17/99 | W | 2-0 | A |
| 4/18/99 | W | 4-2 | A |
| 4/22/00 | L | 0-1 | A |
| 4/22/00 | L | 0-12 (5) | A |
Michigan-Iowa Battle for Big Ten Lead
The two-game series between Michigan and Iowa this weekend could very well determine the 2001 Big Ten regular-season title. The Wolverines own a two-game lead over Iowa and each team has six conference games remaining on its regular-season slate. Iowa faces ninth-place Michigan State in a doubleheader on Friday before traveling to Ann Arbor to face the Wolverines. After its four-game weekend vs. Northwestern and Iowa, just a two-game series against the Spartans in the final weekend of Big Ten play remains on the Wolverines' conference slate. After facing Michigan this weekend, Iowa closes out its conference campaign with two home games vs. Northwestern.
Big Ten History
Michigan and Iowa are no strangers to the top of the conference standings, having split the last four regular-season Big Ten championships, with the Hawkeyes winning in 1997 and 2000, while the Wolverines earned the titles in 1998 and '99. Michigan was the runner-up in both 1997 and 2000, including losing a share of last season's conference crown by a half-game to the Hawkeyes. Iowa finished the regular season 14-4, while Michigan closed out its conference slate 13-4 (Michigan had one game rained out). Northwestern and Minnesota finished runner-up to the Wolverines in '98 and '99, respectively.
Last Four Big Ten Champs and Runners-up
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
| 1997 | Iowa (22-0, 1.000) | Michigan (18-4, .818) |
| 1998 | Michigan (22-1, .957) | Northwestern (15-9, .625) |
| 1999 | Michigan (21-3, .875) | Minnesota (16-8, .667) |
| 2000 | Iowa (14-4, .778) | Michigan (13-4, .765) |
Michigan-Iowa Series
Michigan and Iowa will be facing each other for the 84th and 85th times this weekend. Iowa leads the series 47-35-1, including a 13-game win streak over the Wolverines from April 29, 1989, through April 26, 1992. However, Michigan has turned the series around of late, going 6-3-1 in the last 10 meeting vs. Iowa, including a 2-0 win over Hawkeyes in the championship game of last season's Big Ten Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa. Marissa Young (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS) pitched the complete-game shutout for the Wolverines, striking out 10, while Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Salem HS) provided the offensive heroics, sending a two-run home run over the fence in rightfield in the fifth for the only two runs of the game. Michigan split its 2000 season series with Iowa, finding itself on both ends of 5-0 decisions in the teams' only two regular-season meetings, in Iowa City. Iowa also defeated Michigan 3-1 in the winner's bracket final of the Big Ten Tournament, before Michigan came back to defeat the Hawkeyes in the championship game.
U-M's Last 10 Games vs. Iowa (6-3-1)
| 3/20/99 | W | 2-0 | N (Capital Classic/Sacramento, Calif.) |
| 3/21/99 | T | 2-2 (8) | N (Capital Classic/Sacramento, Calif.) |
| 4/24/99 | W | 5-3 (12) | A |
| 4/24/99 | L | 1-2 | A |
| 4/25/99 | W | 7-0 | A |
| 5/14/99 | W | 8-0 (5) | H (Big Ten Tournament) |
| 4/21/00 | W | 5-0 | A |
| 4/21/00 | L | 0-5 | A |
| 5/12/00 | L | 1-3 | A (Big Ten Tournament/Iowa City, Iowa) |
| 5/13/00 | W | 2-0 | A (Big Ten Tournament/Iowa City, Iowa) |
Wolverines Put Unbeaten Home Mark on the Line this Weekend
Michigan returns to Alumni Field this weekend after going 7-1 on the road in conference action over the last two weekends. Michigan has not lost at home this season, earning a 9-0-1 mark at Alumni Field through the first 10 home games of the season. In the second game of its season-opening doubleheader, Michigan tied Western Michigan 3-3 in five innings in a game called due to darkness. The Wolverines, who have won eight straight at Alumni Field, are hitting .379 at home this season while holding opponents to a mark of .193. In addition, Michigan has outscored its opponents 55-12 in 10 home games. Michigan's most wins in a season at Alumni Field are the 23 victories recorded in 1995, while the 1996 and 1998 Michigan teams tied for the best home seasons in terms of winning percentage, with identical .952 (20-1) marks. The following is a game-by-game breakdown of Michigan's 10 home games this season.
U-M at Home in 2001 (9-0-1)
| Date | Opponent | Score |
| 3/28 | Western Michigan | W, 5-0 |
| 3/28 | Western Michigan | T, 3-3 (5) |
| 4/3 | Oakland | W, 7-0 |
| 4/3 | Oakland | W, 2-1 |
| 4/6 | Purdue* | W, 4-3 |
| 4/6 | Purdue* | W, 6-1 |
| 4/7 | Indiana* | W, 2-0 |
| 4/8 | Indiana* | W, 15-3 (5) |
| 4/11 | Central Michigan | W, 8-1 |
| 4/11 | Central Michigan | W, 3-0 |
Michigan Goes 3-1 at Penn State, Ohio State
The Wolverines maintained a two-game lead in the Big Ten standings after enjoying a 3-1 trip to Penn State and Ohio State. Michigan opened up the trip by sweeping a doubleheader from Penn State on Friday (April 20), winning game one 10-1 and game two 9-1. The Wolverines pounded out 27 hits in the sweep, including a season-best 16 safeties in the 10-1 win in the opener. Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS), Melissa Taylor (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield HS) and Courtney Betley (Corona, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) each collected three hits, while Marissa Young collected her ninth straight victory in the 10-1 win. Rebecca Tune (Aloha, Ore./Jesuit HS) collected three RBI and Marie Barda (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale HS) got her 13th win of the season as Michigan won the nightcap 10-1.
Michigan moved on to Ohio State for a pair of single games on Saturday (April 21) and Sunday (April 22) against the second-place Buckeyes. Michigan earned a split of the two-game series, winning 2-1 on Saturday before seeing its 18-game win streak snapped in a 3-2 loss in 11 innings on Sunday. Young won her 10th straight game and 16th of the season overall and drove in the winning run in Saturday's win.
Win Streak Snapped
Michigan's 18-game win streak, which was snapped by Ohio State on Sunday, is the third longest streak in school history. Michigan won a school-best 22 straight in 1993 as well as 19 straight in 1995. In addition, the Wolverines' 13-0 start to the Big Ten season was the second-best start in school history, surpassing the 12-0 start of the 1998 team, but falling three wins shy of the 16-0 start set by the 1999 squad.
Taylor Watch
Michigan senior rightfielder Melissa Taylor entered last weekend's four-game trip at Penn State and Ohio State hitting .475, which was tops in the Big Ten and second in the country behind Brigham Young freshman Oli Keohohou (.477). Taylor, who went 5-14 on the four-game trip, is now hitting .462. Meanwhile, Keohohou has upped her average to .487 following this weekend's contests. Taylor's mark of .462 is still on pace to break the Michigan mark of .432, which was set by Sara Griffin in 1995.
Barda Streak Snapped
Marie Barda took the loss at Ohio State on Sunday, which broke her string of 11 straight wins. Barda, who began the season 2-4, beat Troy State 2-1 on March 17 to start the streak, which spanned over a month and included a pair of Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors. During her streak, Barda put together five complete-game shutout wins and carried a no-hitter with one out in the seventh of her win over Central Michigan on April 11.
In the Clutch
Junior third baseman Stefanie Volpe, who owns Michigan's longest current hitting streak of five games, has driven in a team-best 15 runners from third base with less than two outs in 21 opportunities (.714). Volpe's 28 total RBI are second best on the team behind Melinda Moulden's (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS) 29.
Young Rolling
With wins over Penn State and Ohio State, sophomore hurler Marissa Young ran her win streak to 10 games. During the streak Young's ERA is 0.95 and opponents are hitting just .192 against the righthander. In addition, Young has struck out 64 and walked just 15 over her last 10 starts. Also during this stretch, Young has eight complete games and two shutouts. Marie Barda earned the saves in the two games Young was unable to complete.
Betley Busts Out
Freshman outfielder Courtney Betley came off the bench of Michigan's 10-1 win over Penn State to go a career-best 3-3 and match a Michigan season best with a career-best four RBI. Betley entered the Penn State game with just three RBI for the entire season.
Murdock Delivers Walk-Off Single
Senior first baseman Courtney Murdock (Barrington, Ill./Barrington HS) delivered her first hit of the season in the nightcap of Michigan's doubleheader sweep of Penn State. Murdock came through with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the sixth to score a pair of runs and give Michigan a 9-1 win (mercy rule).
Big Ten Standings (through April 22)
Big Ten Overall 1. MICHIGAN 13-1 30-12-1 2. Iowa 11-3 35-10 3. Ohio State 10-4 36-13 4. Illinois 10-6 43-18 5. Penn State 7-7 27-19 6. Wisconsin 6-8 24-20 Northwestern 6-8 17-19 8. Purdue 6-10 29-21-1 9. Michigan State 4-10 17-34 Minnesota 4-10 29-19-1 11. Indiana 3-13 13-32
USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 (4/18/01)
Team Record Pts LW 1. UCLA (21) 42-3 668 1 2. Arizona (6) 41-4 654 2 3. Stanford 38-5-1 613 3 4. California 44-6 580 4 5. Louisiana State 38-7 571 5 6. Oklahoma 34-7 520 7 7. Alabama 38-5 509 6 8. Arizona State 30-11 484 8 9. Cal State-Fullerton 38-11 437 10 10. DePaul 33-8-1 431 9 11. Notre Dame 36-3 407 11 12. Nebraska 37-10 347 14 Washington 27-16 347 13 14. Fresno State 31-15 298 15 15. Iowa 30-9 287 12 16. Oregon State 32-15-1 279 16 17. Florida State 42-7 246 17 18. Pacific 38-9 240 18 19. Southwest Texas State 36-8 158 20 20. South Carolina 31-14-1 149 19 21. Louisiana-Lafayette 31-6 134 24 22. Texas A&M 28-12 71 22 23. Massachusetts 23-9 59 25 24. MICHIGAN 27-11-1 53 NR 25. Cal State-Northridge 25-19 46 NR
Tracking Michigan in the Rankings
Preseason 11th Feb. 21 18th Feb. 28 18th March 7 20th March 14 21st March 21 24th (tie) March 28 Not Ranked April 4 Not Ranked April 11 Not Ranked April 18 24th
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
