Wolverines Open Postseason Play at B1G Tournament
5/10/2018 1:10:00 PM | Softball
» Michigan is the No. 1 seed for the 2018 Big Ten Tournament and, after a first-round bye, will open play against Michigan State or Nebraska at 4:30 p.m. CDT on Friday (May 11) at Wisconsin's Goodman Diamond.
» U-M, which posted an 18-3 conference record, is coming off its 10th Big Ten regular-season title in 11 years and 20th overall.
» Meghan Beaubien, the 2018 Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, leads the nation with 32 wins; the total is the largest recorded by a Wolverine pitcher during the regular season.
THIS WEEK
Big Ten Tournament
Friday, May 11 -- vs. Michigan State or Nebraska (Madison, Wis.), 4:30 p.m. CDT
Tournament Central | Live Stats | TV: Big Ten Network | BTN2Go | Bracket (PDF)
The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan softball team (43-10) will kick off postseason play this weekend at the Big Ten Conference Tournament in Madison, Wisconsin. With the No. 1 seed, the Wolverines earn a first-round bye and will open play in the quarterfinal round at 4:30 p.m. CDT on Friday (May 11), facing the winner of the first-round contest between No. 8 seed Michigan State and No. 9 seed Nebraska. All games will be held on Goodman Diamond and aired live on the Big Ten Network.
• Michigan is the No. 1 seed in the B1G Tournament for the fifth time in six seasons. U-M has won the league tournament nine of the 20 times it has been contested, posting a program record of 41-16 at the event. Michigan last captured a Big Ten Tournament title in 2015.
• U-M captured the outright Big Ten regular-season title with two wins against Ohio State at home last weekend. Michigan, which reclaimed the league's top spot after a one-year hiatus, has captured 20 of the last 27 Big Ten regular-season crowns, including 10 of the last 11. The Wolverines posted an 18-3 league record, finishing one game ahead of second-place Minnesota. Michigan outscored its Big Ten opponents, 134-31.
• Freshman left-handed pitcher Meghan Beaubien was named the 2018 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. It is the Wolverines' 15th pitcher and 13th freshman laurels in program history. Beaubien is the fifth different Wolverine pitcher to garner the league's top honor since 2009. She is also the fourth player in conference history to claim both the top pitcher and freshman honors and the second Wolverine, joining Haylie Wagner (2012).
• Beaubien, senior first baseman Tera Blanco and junior second baseman Faith Canfield were voted to the All-Big Ten first team, while junior catcher Katie Alexander earned second team honors. Blanco, a unanimous selection like Beaubien, is a three-time first-team honoree, while Canfield earned her second distinction in as many seasons.
• Beaubien leads the nation with 32 wins -- five more than North Carolina's Brittany Pickett in second place -- and 12 complete-game shutouts. She also ranks top five nationally in earned run average (0.90, fifth) and hits allowed per game (3.01, second). Beaubien leads the Big Ten in every pitching category.
• Beaubien's 32 wins are the most ever by a Wolverine pitcher in the regular season. It is the 11th time in Michigan program history that a pitcher recorded 30 wins in a season, and she is the third freshman to accomplish the feat. Beaubien shares the fifth spot among the program's single-season wins leaders -- with Haylie Wagner (2012) -- and sits just six behind the school record, held by Jennie Ritter (38, 2005).
• Michigan also ranks second nationally with a team .985 fielding percentage -- just .006 behind first-place Oklahoma. Three U-M starters own 1.000 fielding percentages, including senior first baseman Tera Blanco. Last season, Michigan also ranked second in the nation with a .981 fielding percentage.
