Notes & Quotes: #7 Michigan 8, Baylor 1
5/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
N OT E S
An archived replay of ESPN's broadcast of tonight's contest is available at www.ESPN360.com.
U-M head coach Carol Hutchins coached her 1,500th game at Michigan tonight. She boasts a 1,105-391-4 record with the Wolverines.
Tonight's announced crowd of 1,955 was the largest of the 2009 campaign.
Michigan improves to 3-2 all-time in the first game of NCAA Super Regional action.
U-M remains undefeated at home this season, improving to 18-0 at Alumni Field. U-M has outscored its opponent, 108-21, in home games this season.
The Wolverines remain undefeated when leading after five innings, improving to 31-0 on the season. The Maize and Bluewas 30-0 last season in the same situation.
Michigan posted its 15th double-digit hit total of the season with 12 hits against Baylor this evening. The Wolverines are perfect when registering 10 or more hits.
The Wolverines have homered in all but four home games this season, knocking out 27 long balls in 18 contests. U-M has registered at least one home run in each of the last four games -- all in NCAA Tournament play.
Michigan left the yard four times in a single game for the first time since belting out four against Big Ten rival Ohio State last season on April 19, 2008.
Seven Wolverines players are hitting above .300 at the Wilpon Softball Complex this season. Junior rightfielder Angela Findlay (.480), freshman leftfielder Bree Evans (.414) and junior Maggie Viefhaus (.404) lead the squad in homefield hitting.
Sophomore first baseman Dorian Shaw left the yard three times against three different Baylor pitchers, setting a new Alumni Field record and matching the program single-game standard. She is the third Wolverine to register three home runs in a game. Samantha Findlay (2005-08) last accomplished the feat at Indiana on April 17, 2005. The previous Alumni Field home run record was two -- a feat recorded by 12 players.
Shaw was the last player to tally two home runs in home game, knocking out two in last weekend's NCAA Regional action opener against Miami of Ohio (May 15) when she left the yard in back-to-back at bats.
Shaw becomes just the second player in NCAA Division I history to register three home runs in an NCAA Tournament game. Arizona's Lisa Espinoza first achieved the feat against Florida State at the 1995 event.
Shaw brought her season home run tally to 14 with her single-game effort tonight, moving to fifth among Michigan's all-time single-season leaders in the category. Adding 11 long balls from her rookie campaign, Shaw also moved to fifth among U-M's career home run leaders with 24.
Shaw drove in six runs, improving on her previous career high of fiveruns batted inagainst Kent State on May 28, 2008. Shaw becomes the first Wolverine to drive in at least six runs since junior catcher Roya St. Clair pushed across seven runs against Northwestern on March 20, 2007.
Junior LHP Nikki Nemitz improved her season record to 27-5 with this evening's victory, moving her into a tie for seventh with Marissa Young (27, 2002) among Michigan's all-time single-season win leaders. Two-time All-American Jennie Ritter (2003-06) owns the Wolverines' single-season win record, registering 38 to guide U-M to the 2005 NCAA championship.
With a two-hit effort against the Bears, Nemitz extended her hitting streak to a career-best five games. During the span, Nemitz is hitting at a .533 clip (8-for-15). Nemitz has two previous four-game strings, March 7-8, 2009, and April 27-May 3, 2008.
Evans collected a trio of singles, giving her a hit in all four of her NCAA postseason appearances. Evans is a combined 9-for-16 (.563) in NCAA Tournament play. The postseason string is part of a personal-best, six-game streak, dating back to May 8.
Findlay swiped her fifth base of the season in the first inning, setting a new career high. Her previous best of four came during her rookie campaign.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Carol Hutchins
On the win... "That was some great Michigan softball. Nikki [Nemitz] set a tremendous tone from the first inning. She really attacked them. Our hitters came out and they were excellent; they followed our game plan. We put the ball in play, and we had a lot of great opportunities throughout the game. Obviously, Dorian [Shaw] was on her game tonight. With that being said, this Baylor team is here for a reason, and I can guarantee tomorrow will be a much tougher game. [Whitney] Canion will be a much different pitcher. They will be ready for us."
On retuning tomorrow... "I told our kids the last thing we are going to do is take anything lightly. It doesn't matter what the score was today. It doesn't matter what the game was today -- win or lose -- tomorrow is a new day, and we have to do what we have been doing all year. We just need to stay in our moment, and the one thing I trust my kids with is they have been doing an excellent job all year playing only the game we are playing."
On Dorian Shaw's three-home-run effort... "I have a lot of confidence in Dorian. She is a great athlete, and she is great to work with. All players work through things. There are a lot of ups and downs in athletics, and she has worked very hard. I am happy to see her have some success. I think she is getting better and better. Her confidence is getting better, and the most important aspect of a hitter is their confidence. When you have a confident Dorian -- that is the best Dorian."
On the team's hot play... "I thought our kids have been locked in all week. I was a little concerned they may be tired. It was really hot here the past few days. They worked really hard, and we haven't let up on them all year. I feel like they have been competing on such a high level all season. We played a lot of ranked team throughout the whole year, and they are just playing at their level and are focused on themselves. I think that is our key. I like their intensity. They are on a mission and I hope they accomplish it."
U-M Sophomore First Baseman Dorian Shaw
On her improved hitting... "My coaches have just been telling me to stay on my legs and see it long, and that is what I have been working on. I just committed to doing it. It has helped me a lot because once it gets further in your zone and further in your power, then I am not hitting it off my front foot and I'm putting a solid swing on it. You have a game like that and it gives you a lot of confidence."
On the team's hitting... "It gives you confidence in yourself and in your team. If we hadn't scored that first run, I don't think my first home run would have happened. You score that first run and you are putting the ball in play, we know we can get to that pitcher. Your confidence builds as you keep going. I think that first run was really key for me today. I think we really feed off each other."
On the team's strategy against Baylor pitcher Whitney Canion... "We looked at some film of her, and we knew where she attacked the hitters. She basically pitches low and outside and up in the zone. The up pitch wasn't a strike, so I think we did a good job from the beginning of laying off that pitch. That kind of took her out of her game a bit, and then she started going low and we laid off that as well. We gave her nowhere to throw it. We were up on the plate, and we gave her nowhere to throw it. I think that is why we were successful against her."
On her three home runs... "I hit three in one game when I was in high school, but they were all off the same pitcher. I have never done it against three pitchers. This was a first, this was definitely a first."
U-M Junior Pitcher Nikki Nemitz
On Dorian Shaw... "We see her do it every day in practice. She hits the ball hard all the time. We know she can do it, and when she does, it's a great energy boost seeing the ball hit that far in a game and counting. You have that with every great hit and every hard hit, and Dorian just set the tone three times. So, it was awesome seeing her do that."
On pitching with a lead. .. "It is the same approach at all times. I try to play the game like it is 0-0 because you can't get to high and you can't get to low. You start worrying about pressing, and you are just going to lose it and go down."
