Michigan to Host MSU for Rescheduled Midweek Home Opener

» No. 22 Michigan hosts in-state rival Michigan State at 5 p.m. on Wednesday (April 14) in its rescheduled home opener at Alumni Field inside the Wilpon Complex.
» Lou Allan homered in three of four games at Ohio State last weekend; U-M boasted season highs in the series finale with 11 runs and 15 hits, including six for extra bases.
» Michigan leads the nation with a 0.87 team ERA, while starting pitchers Alex Storako and Meghan Beaubien both list top 15 with strikeout-per-game averages of 12.9 and 11.4, respectively.

THIS WEEK
Wednesday, April 14 -- vs. Michigan State (Wilpon Complex), 5 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video

The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan softball team (16-4, 16-4 Big Ten) will host its rescheduled home opener this Wednesday (April 14), welcoming in-state rival Michigan State (7-13, 7-13 Big Ten) to the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field. The game will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.

• Michigan saw its nine-game win streak halted by a 3-2 loss in the twinbill nightcap at Ohio State last Saturday (April 10). Over the streak -- U-M's longest of the season -- the Wolverines outscored their opposition 45-5. Michigan boasted a .327 team batting average over the nine-game stretch with a 0.56 combined earned-run average and .180 opposing batting average. Four Wolverines hit .350 or better over the stretch, most notably sophomore outfielder Lexie Blair, who batted .516 (16-for-31) with six RBI.

• The Wolverines responded to the loss with their greatest offensive output of the season, posting 11 runs and 15 hits, including six for extra bases, in the series finale at OSU on Sunday (April 11). Eleven different Michigan players tallied a hit, while four posted multiple hits.

• Senior first baseman Lou Allan knocked out a home run on each day of the Ohio State series -- in three of four games -- and ranked second on the team with a .400 average and five RBI. She broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning of Saturday's first slate and added big insurance with a three-run homer in the seventh on Friday and a fifth-inning solo shot on Sunday. Allan already owns a career-best four homers on the season.

• Blair leads the Wolverines with a career-high .478 batting average (33-for-69) on the season. She posted at least one hit in each of U-M's 20 games, including two hits in seven of the last nine games, and owns a .754 slugging percentage with seven doubles and four home runs. Blair previously led U-M with a .406 as a freshman (2019).

• Michigan leads the nation with a 0.90 team earned-run average. Individually, junior right-handed pitcher Alex Storako ranks fifth nationally with a 0.49 ERA, while senior LHP Meghan Beaubien is 26th with a 1.07 ERA. The Wolverines have earned shutouts in nine of their 20 games this season. U-M previously led the nation in 2008 when All-Americans Nikki Nemitz and Jordan Taylor combined for a 0.88 ERA.

• Storako and Beaubien also rank among the nation's top strikeout pitchers. Storako ranks second with a 12.9 strikeouts-per-seven-innings average, while Beaubien is 11th with an 11.4 average.