Weekly Release #10
4/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, May 1 -- vs. Michigan State (DH), 1 p.m.
Wednesday, May 4 -- vs. Western Michigan (DH), 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 7 -- vs. Northwestern, 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 8 -- vs. Northwestern, 1 p.m.
2005 RECORDS
Overall: 46-4 (.920)
Big Ten: 11-2 (.846)
Home: 5-2 /Away: 20-1 /Ntrl: 21-1
USA Today/NFCA Rank: No. 1 (April 27)
USA Softball/ESPN.com Rank: No. 1 (April 16)
HEAD COACH
Carol Hutchins (Michigan State, 1979)
Head Coach Records --
All (22nd year): 921-353-4, .720
U-M (21st year): 898-342-4, .730
Big Ten (21st year): 353-126 .738
First Pitch
The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan softball team returns to action this weekend after having three of its four-game homestand this past weekend cancelled due to the weather. The Wolverines (46-4, 11-2 Big Ten) renew their series with in-state rival Michigan State (18-24-1, 6-6 Big Ten) in a doubleheader on Sunday (May 1, 1 p.m.) at Alumni Field. Despite being the top-ranked team in the nation for the sixth straight week, the Wolverines remain in second place in the Big Ten race, 2 1/2 games behind first-place Northwestern (14-0 Big Ten). The Wildcats only lost two games to weather this past weekend. Before facing the Spartans at Alumni Field on Sunday, the Wolverines need help from Michigan State when it plays at Northwestern on Friday Saturday. Just one MSU win in those two games puts the Wolverines back in control of their own for the league crown. Michigan closes out its regular season with two games at home vs. Northwestern on May 7-8.
Opponents
Michigan State (18-24-1, 6-6 Big Ten): Michigan State has won six of its last 10 after sweeping a doubleheader vs. Oakland on April 19 .... Like Michigan, the Spartans had their most recent weekend wiped out by weather ... Michigan is 10th in the Big Ten in hitting at .225 as a team, but Victoria Morache is hitting .319 ... Rachel Turner leads the pitching staff with a 1.80 ERA and a 10-13 record ... Turner has started 24 of 43 games for the Spartans ... Michigan State on the Internet: www.msuspartans.com
Series: U-M leads, 59-24
Still No. 1
The Maize and Blue remained the nation's No. 1-ranked team for the sixth straight week in both of the major collegiate softball polls. The Wolverines owned 20 of the 25 first-place votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll as well as 17 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-Michigan State Last Season
Despite winning the Big Ten regular-season championship in 2004 and returning to the Women's College World Series for the seventh time in 10 years, Michigan struggled in its season series with in-state rival Michigan State. The Wolverines dropped a 4-3 decision in front of the home fans despite a two-run home run from Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) on a Friday night. Michigan, however, came back to one day later up at Michigan State to earn a 4-3 win in nine innings to claim their ninth Big Ten regular-season title in 13 seasons. Grace Leutele (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Buena HS) went 3-4 in the win and hit the game-winning RBI single in the top of the ninth. Michigan split a doubleheader the next day at Northwestern to earn the Big Ten title outright, but Michigan's top seed in the Big Ten Tournament one week later meant a first-round matchup with Michigan State and the Spartans once again pulled off the upset with a 5-1 win in Ann Arbor.
Michigan-Michigan State Series
Michigan's long-standing dominance of this series has been challenged in the past two seasons with Michigan State winning five of six in the series. Dating back to the 1991 season, Michigan had won 33 of 36 from MSU before the most recent six-game stretch of Spartan success. The Wolverines maintain a 59-24 all-time edge and its 59 wins over the Spartans are the second-most of any Michigan opponent behind its 66 wins over Ohio State. The following is a breakdown of the last 10 series meetings.
Old Rivals
Michigan's 59 wins over Michigan State and its 83 overall games in the series vs. the Buckeyes are both the second-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 Continues
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 to match Merchant's mark. Findlay hit another in the doubleheader sweep over EMU on April 19 to move into the lead. The following are the top five single-season home run hitters in Michigan history:
Michigan's All-Time Single-Season Home Run Leaders
| Home Runs | Wolverine | Year |
| 17 | Jessica Merchant | 2005 |
| 16 | Samantha Findlay | 2005 |
| 15 | Jessica Merchant | 2004 |
| 13 | Melissa Gentile | 1998 |
| 13 | Marissa Young | 2003 |
Speaking of Findlay
Samantha Findlay has homered in four of her last eight games, including matching a school record with three bombs in the nightcap of a sweep over Indiana on April 17. In those seven games she is hitting .409 with six home runs, 14 RBI and a 1.227 slugging percentage.
Close Calls
Michigan has lost just four games all season, but three of those losses were by one run and each time the Wolverines had a great opportunity to pull the game out in the seventh. After trailing 7-2 vs. Baylor (Feb. 12) heading into the seventh inning, Michigan put four quick runs on the board buoyed by home runs from Jessica Merchant and Samantha Findlay. Trailing by one, the Wolverines put the tying and go-ahead runs on first and second base before Baylor finally recorded the third out.
Michigan also put the tying run on second base with two outs in the seventh in a 5-4 loss at Central Michigan, but Merchant grounded out. This past Friday, the Wolverines put runners on first and second with one out in a 2-1 loss to Penn State, Merchant and Findlay could not drive in a game-tying or game-winning run.
Power Surge
Michigan was held without a home run in the loss to Penn State on Friday and it was only the sixth game this season the Maize and Blue failed to go yard. 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 April 17. 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 209 long balls beginning in 2002. The following is a list of the top five single-season home run totals in Michigan history.
77 (2005)
50 (2003)
45 (2004)
37 (2002)
27 (1998)
Balance of Power
Michigan's home run surge is not solely thanks to Samantha Findlay and Jessica Merchant, who right now are first and second in the Big Ten in home runs, respectively. 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. Four Wolverines have turned that trick this season alone after Grace Leutele (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Buena HS) hit her 10th vs. EMU on Tuesday. 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.
Elite Company for Motycka
Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS) is currently riding a career-best nine-game hit streak and is hitting a team-best .401 after a 3-4 performance vs. Penn State last Friday. The senior co-captain is hitting .600 over her last nine games with three home runs, eight RBI and a 1.080 slugging percentage. She is hitting a Big Ten-best .513 in league games only and is having an All-American type of season as a designated player. Motycka could become only the third player in Michigan history to earn All-American honors at two different positions after earning All-American second-team recognition last season as a junior. The other Wolverines to pull that double play are Stefanie Volpe (1999-2002) as a designated player and third baseman and Marissa Young (2000-03) as a pitcher and utility player.
Shutout Streak
Jennie Ritter's (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) perfect game vs. Indiana on April 17 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)
Wilson Approaches 20 Wins
After tossing a one-hitter in a complete-game, 5-1 win over Eastern Michigan on April 19, sophomore Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) upped her record to 19-2 and moved within one win of her first career 20-win season. She will be the 11th pitcher in Michigan history to win 20 games in a season.
Speaking of 20 Wins
Jennie Ritter won her 20th game of the season when she tossed a perfect game in a five-inning win over Indiana on April 17 to become just the fifth Michigan pitcher with multiple 20-win seasons. Ritter, who won 24 games last season, joins Nicole Motycka and former Wolverine Marie Barda (1998-2001) as two time, 20-game winners. Former All-Americans Marissa Young (2000-03) and Sara Griffin (1995-98) each won 20 games on three different occasions.
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 two 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 898-342-4 (.723) 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 921-353-4 (.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 now has 46 wins on the season and could become the eighth Michigan team in the last 11 seasons to reach the 50-win plateau. If Michigan wins its next four straight the 2005 Wolverines could reach 50 wins in their 54rd game of the season, which would be the quickest of any Michigan team. The 1998 Wolverines reached 50 wins in their 55th game.
Setting the Table
Michigan leadoff hitter Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) and No. 2-hitter Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) have specialized in giving the Wolverines leads early and often this season. Haas is hitting .398 and owns team bests in hits (70) and runs scored (48) while Giampaolo has chipped in with a .323 average and 41 runs scored. They are a big reason the first inning has been Michigan's most productive this season with the Wolverines outscoring opponents 64-11 in that frame. Michigan has scored in the first inning in 26 of 50 games this season and are 25-1 when doing so. Not just slap hitters, Haas and Giampaolo are 1-2 on U-M in doubles with 13 and 12, respectively.
Milestone Watch
Stephanie Bercaw is four at-bats shy of reaching 100 for her career.
Tiffany Haas has started 129 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 has scored 138 career runs and is four shy of matching Stefanie Volpe (1999-2002) for sixth on the all-time list.
Tiffany Haas has 16 career home runs and is in 10th place on the all-time list, one behind teammate Samantha Findlay.
Grace Leutele has 22 career home runs and is tied for third all-time at Michigan with Marissa Young (2000-03).
Jessica Merchant has 43 career doubles and is tied for foruth on the all-time Michigan list with Kelsey Kollen (1999-2002).
Jessica Merchant is one shy of reaching the 200-hit mark for her career.
Jessica Merchant has 232 career starts and is two starts shy of moving into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time U-M list.
Nicole Motycka has 18 career home runs and is in eighth on the Michigan career list, one behind Catherine Davie (1996-99) for seventh place.
Jennie Ritter is 51-11 for her career and her next win will move her into sole possession of 7th on the in career record books.
Jennie Ritter has 20 career shutouts and is one shy of matching Marie Barda (1998-2001) for seventh on the all-time list.
Michelle Teschler is two hits shy of reaching 50 for her career.
Lorilyn Wilson is eight strikeouts from reaching 250 for her career.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
