U-M to Continue Homestand with Weekend Series vs. Maryland

» No. 22 Michigan will host Maryland at 7:30 p.m. on Friday (April 16), a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday (April 17) and 1 p.m. game on Sunday (April 18) at Alumni Field inside the Wilpon Complex.
» U-M claimed its home opener -- its first game at Alumni Field in 695 days -- with a 6-1 win over Michigan State on Wednesday (April 14).
» 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 13.1 and 11.4, respectively.

THIS WEEK
Friday, April 16 -- vs. Maryland (Wilpon Complex), 7:30 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network | Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, April 17 -- vs. Maryland (Wilpon Complex), 2 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network | Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, April 17 -- vs. Maryland (Wilpon Complex), 4 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Video | Live Stats
Sunday, April 18 -- vs. Maryland (Wilpon Complex), 1 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Video | Live Stats

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)

The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan softball team (17-4, 17-4 Big Ten) will resume its homestand with a four-game set against Maryland (11-13, 11-13 Big Ten) this weekend at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field. The series kicks off with a 7:30 p.m. slate on Friday (April 16) before a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday (April 17) and a 1 p.m. series finale on Sunday (April 18). The first two games will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, while the latter half will be streamed on Big Ten Network+.

• Michigan claimed its 2021 season home opener 6-1 over in-state rival Michigan State on Wednesday evening (April 14). It was the Wolverines' first home game in 695 days. U-M boasts a stellar 580-138-1 all-time record in home games at Alumni Field.

• Senior outfielder Haley Hoogenraad boasted a two-run inside-the-park home run to give U-M the lead in the second inning against the Spartans. The Wolverines have recorded at least one home run in eight of their last nine games, including multiple homers in their three wins at Ohio State.

• 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 over the series. 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.

• Junior outfielder Lexie Blair leads the Wolverines with a career-high .472 batting average (34-for-72) on the season. She has posted at least one hit in each of U-M's 21 games, including two hits in seven of the last 10 games, and owns a .754 slugging percentage with seven doubles and four home runs. Blair previously led U-M with a .406 batting average as a freshman (2019).

• Michigan leads the nation with a 0.91 team earned-run average. Individually, junior RHP Alex Storako ranks third nationally with a 0.47 ERA, while senior LHP Meghan Beaubien is 27th with a 1.13 ERA. The Wolverines have earned shutouts in nine of their 21 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 13.1 strikeouts-per-seven-innings average, while Beaubien is 10th with an 11.4 average. The duo combined for 14 strikeouts in the midweek win against Michigan State.

• 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 win streak -- U-M's longest of the season -- the Wolverines outscored their opposition by a combined 45-5 margin. Michigan boasted a .327 team batting average over the nine-game stretch with a 0.56 combined earned-run average and .180 opposing average. Four Wolverines hit .350 or better over the stretch, most notably sophomore 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.

• Michigan is playing a conference-only schedule in 2021 and, for the first time under the current 14-team field, will face every Big Ten team. Until this season began, U-M had not played a conference opponent since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which prematurely ended last season after just 23 games. As such, Michigan remains the reigning Big Ten regular-season and tournament champion. In sweeping the 2019 titles, the Wolverines earned their second straight outright championship -- and 21st overall -- with a near-perfect 22-1 regular-season record and added its first Big Ten Tournament title since similarly sweeping the conference crowns in 2015.

• Head coach Carol Hutchins is in her 37th season at the helm of the Wolverines. She has compiled a 1,648-529-5 record over her 38 overall seasons as an NCAA head coach. Hutchins currently ranks as the second-winningest coach in NCAA softball behind Arizona's Mike Candrea (1,659-427-2). She previously became NCAA softball's all-time coaching wins leader when she earned her 1,458th with an 8-0, five-inning win at Indiana on April 2, 2016, and, more recently, became the first to reach 1,600 wins with a 6-2 decision at Ohio State on April 13, 2019.