Weekly Release #9
4/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Upcoming Schedule
Tuesday, April 19 -- DH vs. Eastern Michigan, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 22 -- vs. Penn State, 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 23 -- vs. Penn State, noon
Sunday, April 24 -- DH vs. Ohio State, 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 1 -- DH vs. Michigan State, 1 p.m.
2005 RECORDS
Overall: 44-3 (.930)
Big Ten: 11-1 (.875)
Home: 3-1 / Away: 20-1 /Ntrl: 21-1
USA Today/NFCA Rank: No. 1 (April 20)
USA Softball/ESPN.com Rank: No. 1 (April 19)
HEAD COACH
Carol Hutchins (Michigan State, 1979)
Head Coach Records --
All (22nd year): 919-352-4, .720
U-M (21st year): 896-341-4, .721
Big Ten (21st year): 353-125 .729
First Pitch
The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan softball team has bounced back from a loss at Central Michigan on April 6 to win nine straight, including a perfect 4-0 record this past weekend on a trip to Purdue and Indiana. The Wolverines (44-3, 11-1 Big Ten) have won 11 straight in the Big Ten, but remain one game behind first-place Northwestern (12-0 Big Ten) in the race for the Big Ten crown. Following a 10-game road trip, the Wolverines return home to Alumni Field where they will play their final 12 regular-season games beginning with a non-conference doubleheader vs. Eastern Michigan on Tuesday (April 19, 4 p.m.). Michigan then returns to Big Ten action at home this weekend with a two-game series vs. Penn State on Friday (April 22, 6 p.m.) and Saturday (April 23, noon) and a doubleheader vs. Ohio State on Sunday (April 24, 1:05 p.m.). Michigan's twinbill vs. OSU will broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
Opponents
Eastern Michigan (11-15): The Eagles won their last time out, beating Bowling Green 2-0 to salvage one game of a three-game set vs. the Falcons ... EMU is hitting just .204 as a team, but Lauren Clark and Liz Flack are hitting .311 and .306, respectively and have hit 10 of the Eagles' 11 home runs ... Aimee Woodrum is the staff ace at 6-6 with a 2.27 ERA ... EMU dropped two games to No. 1 Arizona on March 5, but lost game two just 3-2 ... Eastern Michigan on the Internet: www.emich.edu/goeagles.
Series: U-M leads, 44-8
Penn State (27-16, 5-5 Big Ten): Penn State fell to 5-5 in the conference after dropping two to Iowa on Sunday ... the Nittany Lions ... Missy Beseres is the staff ace at 12-9 with a 1.48 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 146.1 innings ... PSU hits .308 as a team with six regulars hitting over .300, led by Jen Acunto at .406 and seven home runs ... Penn State owns two wins over a ranked Nebraska team 7-1 and 3-2 ... Penn State on the Internet: www.gopsusports.com
Series: U-M leads, 36-3
Ohio State (20-14, 4-6 Big Ten): Ohio State has dropped four of its last five after splitting a doubleheader Sunday with Illinois ... OSU is hitting .324 as a team with seven regulars hitting over .300 ... Megan Schwab leads the way with seven home runs and a .392 average ... OSU's staff ERA is 3.33 with Jamee Juarez making 23 of the 34 starts this season ... Juarez is 16-10 with a 2.32 ERA ... OSU is 1-5 vs. ranked teams this season ... OSU on the Internet: www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Series: U-M leads, 66-19
Still No. 1
The Maize and Blue remained the nation's No. 1-ranked team for the fourth straight last week in both of the major collegiate softball polls. The Wolverines owned 21 of the 25 first-place votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll as well as 15 of the 20 first-place votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. Michigan has been the nation's No. 1 team in both polls since earning the distinction for the first time in the program's history on March 22.
Michigan-EMU Series
Michigan ran its win streak in its series with EMU to 20 with a pair of 5-0 wins over the Eagles in a doubleheader at EMU last season. The Wolverines now lead the series 44-8. Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) set the single-season home run record with her 14th of the season in the game-one win and then Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) set a career best with 15 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout in the nightcap. Michigan's last loss to EMU came in a 2-0 decision on April 13, 1994 at Alumni Field.
Familiar Face
The Eastern Michigan first-base coaching box will be patrolled by former Michigan All-American catcher Melissa Gentile (1997-2000), who is now an assistant with the Eagles. It was Gentile's single-season home run record that was broken last season by Jessica Merchant.
Michigan-Penn State Last Season
Michigan earned a pair of shutouts (7-0, 2-0) in a doubleheader sweep over the Nittany Lions last season at Alumni Field. Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS) was especially impressive in the nightcap, allowing just one hit and striking out eight.
Michigan-Penn State Series
Last season was Michigan's first series sweep over Penn State since 2001. Michigan is 5-2 in its last seven vs. PSU after winning 21 straight before dropping a 1-0 decision to the Lions on March 29, 2002. Michigan is 8-2 in its last 10 vs. PSU, including four via the shutout.
Michigan-Ohio State Last Season
Michigan's pitching staff last season shutout eight straight opponents at one point and EMU, Penn State and Ohio State all fell victim. Michigan shut out Ohio State 3-0 and 1-0, with Jennie Ritter striking out seven without issuing a free pass in the 3-0 win. Jessica Merchant then made Nicole Motycka's effort the next day hold up with a solo home run in the top of the seventh of a 1-0 Michigan win. Motycka allowed just two baserunners on a walk and single.
Michigan-Ohio State Series
Michigan has won nine of its last 10 vs. the Buckeyes with its last four victories all via the shutout. In fact, Michigan has shutout OSU in six of its last seven victories over the Buckeyes, including a 5-0 win in the NCAA Region 6 championship game on May 19, 2002, that sent the Maize and Blue to the Womens' College World Series. The following is a game-by-game breakdwon of Michigan's last 10 vs. OSU. The Wolverines own a 66-19 all-time.
Old Rivals
Michigan's 66 wins over Ohio State and its 85 overall games in the series vs. the Buckeyes are both the most of any program Michigan has ever faced in softball. Michigan's top-five series win totals:
Ohio State (66-19)
Michigan State (59-24)
Minnesota (59-22)
Northwestern (56-25)
Indiana (56-26)
The Race Is On
Jessica Merchant broke her own Michigan single-season home run record with her 16th blast of the season in the nightcap vs. Indiana on Sunday (April 17). Her spot atop the Michigan record book was short-lived, however, as freshman Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) hit three bombs in the same game match Merchant's mark.
Michigan's All-Time Single-Season Home Run Leaders
| Home Runs | Wolverine | Year |
| 16 | Jessica Merchant | 2005 |
| 16 | Samantha Findlay | 2005 |
| 15 | Jessica Merchant | 2004 |
| 13 | Melissa Gentile | 1998 |
| 13 | Marissa Young | 2003 |
Power Surge
The last four seasons have brought a barrage of home runs from the Michigan bats, including a single-season school record of 73 this season after the Wolverines pounded out a season-best four vs. Indiana on Sunday. The four best single-season team home run totals have occurred in the last four years for the Maize and Blue. Michigan softball players had hit 217 home runs all-time through 2001, including a then-school record of 27 in 1998. The Wolverines have hit 205 long balls beginning in 2002. The following is a list of the top five single-season home run totals in Michigan history.
73 (2005)
50 (2003)
45 (2004)
37 (2002)
27 (1998)
Balance of Power
Michigan's home run surge is not solely thanks to Jessica Merchant and Samantha Findlay, who right now are tied for first in the Big Ten in home runs, but a team effort. Eleven different Michigan players have connected for at least one home run with nine different players hitting multiple bombs. Prior to 2005, only five players in the history of Michigan softball had hit double-digit home runs in a season. With Nicole Motycka hitting her 10th earlier last week, that number is at three for this season alone. Grace Leutele (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Buena HS) with nine home runs and Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) with seven should make that number five at some point this season. Four of the top 10 individual single-season home run performances consist of 2005 Wolverines.
Protection
Part of the reason for the banner seasons being enjoyed by No. 3 hitter Jessica Merchant and cleanup hitter Samantha Findlay is the production coming from Nicole Motycka and Grace Leutele at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots, respectively. Motycka entered this season with seven career home runs and 35 RBI to go with a batting average of .274. An All-American second-team selection last season in the circle, Motycka's pitching appearances have limited this season, but she has made up for it at the plate, hitting .391 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. Leutele, likewise, has already connected for a career-best nine home runs and 35 RBI while hitting .336.
Shutout Streak
Jennie Ritter's perfect game vs. Indiana on Sunday was the 24th shutout of the season for the Wolverines. That mark is tied for the second most in school history. The top five seasons in Michigan softball history for shutouts is as follows:
2004 (27)
1987 (24)
1996 (24)
2005 (24)
Hutch Nears 900
Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins recently became just the eighth head coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 900 career wins with a 1-0 win over DePaul on March 19. Hutchins is now just four wins shy of becoming the first coach in Michigan Athletics history to win 900 games for the Maize and Blue. Now in her 21st season with the Maize and Blue, Hutchins is 896-341-4 (.721) in Ann Arbor. Before taking over as Michigan's head coach in 1985, Hutchins went 23-11 in a one-year stint with Ferris State and is now 919-352-4 (.720) for her career. She has averaged 42.6 wins/season over her 20-year career at Michigan prior to this season and is averaging 50 wins/season from 1995-2004.
Wolverines Near 50 Again
Michigan enters this week with 44 wins on the season and could become the eighth Michigan in the last 11 seasons to reach the 50-win plateau. With a 6-0 week the 2005 Wolverines could reach 50 wins in their 53rd game which would be the quickest of any Michigan team. The 1998 Michigan team reached 50 wins in its 55th game.
Four No-No's
Jennie Ritter tossed her first career perfect game, third no-hitter of the season and fourth of her career in a five-inning 9-0 win over Indiana on Sunday. It was the fourth no-hitter tossed by a Wolverine this season, which matches a school record set by the 1996 team. Nicole Motycka started things with a five-inning no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Rutgers on Feb. 19. Jennie Ritter then got in the act with the second of her career in a 4-0 win over #15 Florida on March 1. Ritter made the total three for her career and three for the season for Michigan with a five-inning effort in a 9-0 win over South Florida on March 4.
Ritter's No-No's
Ritter's four career no-hitters matches the all-time U-M record set by Vicki Morrow (1984-87) while her three this season equal Morrow's school record set during the 1986 season.
Setting the Table
Michigan leadoff hitter Tiffany Haas and No. 2-hitter Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) have specialized in giving the Wolverines leads early and often this season. Haas owns team bests in average (.400) and runs scored (46) while Giampaolo has chipped in with a .325 average and 40 runs scored. They are a big reason the first inning has been Michigan's second-most productive this season with the Wolverines outscoring opponents 53-10 in that frame. Michigan has outscored foes in 55-7 in the third. Michigan has scored in the first inning in 24 of 48 games this season and are 23-1 when doing so. Not just slap hitters, they are 1-2 on U-M in doubles with Haas collecting 12 and Giampaolo drilling 11.
Michigan Wins Nine Straight
The Wolverines are nowhere near their school-record 32-game win streak of earlier this season, but have won nine straight after sweeping Indiana on Sunday. Samantha Findlay is hitting .481 with five home runs during the string while Jessica Merchant is hitting .400 with five home runs. Alessandra Giampaolo hit .414 and has scored a team-best 14 runs in the last nine games. Jennie Ritter has been her usual dominant self, going 5-0 with 0.21 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
MILESTONE WATCH
Tiffany Haas has started 126 straight games for the Wolverines at second base. Haas last missed a start in game two of a doubleheader vs. Eastern Michigan on April 29, 2003.
Tiffany Haas is two hits shy of reaching 200 for her career.
Tiffany Haas has 16 career home runs and is in ninth place on the all-time list, one behind teammate Nicole Motycka.
Grace Leutele has 21 career home runs is fourth all-time at Michigan, one behind Marissa Young (2000-03) for third place.
Jessica Merchant has 42 career doubles and is tied for fifth on the all-time Michigan list with Melinda Moulden (2000-03)
Jessica Merchant is three hits shy of reaching the 200-hit mark for her career.
Nicole Motycka has 17 career home runs and is in eighth on the Michigan career list, two behind Catherine Davie (1996-99) for seventh place.
Jennie Ritter is 50-10 for her career and is in 10th-place on the all-time list.
Jennie Ritter has 20 career shutouts and is one shy of matching Marie Barda (1998-2001) for seventh on the all-time list.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
