Michigan
Rutgers
Wolverines to Wrap Regular Season at Home Against Rutgers
5/12/2021 2:02:00 PM | Softball
» No. 18 Michigan will close the regular-season portion of its 2021 schedule with a four-game home set against Rutgers; the series kicks off at 4 p.m. on Friday (May 14) before noon starts on Saturday and Sunday (May 15-16).
» Michigan captured its third straight Big Ten title; U-M has won 22 of the last 29 regular-season crowns.
» U-M will recognize seven seniors -- Thais Gonzalez, Haley Hoogenraad, Lou Allan, Meghan Beaubien, Taylor Bump, Natalia Rodriguez and Sarah Schaefer -- prior to the regular-season finale.
THIS WEEK
Friday, May 14 -- vs. Rutgers (Wilpon Complex), 4 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, May 15 -- vs. Rutgers (Wilpon Complex), Noon
TV: Big Ten Network | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, May 15 -- vs. Rutgers (Wilpon Complex), 2:30 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network | Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, May 16 -- vs. Rutgers (Wilpon Complex), Noon
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan softball team (32-6, 32-6 Big Ten) will wrap up its regular season home this weekend, hosting Rutgers (8-32, 8-32 Big Ten) for a four-game set at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field. The series kicks off with a 4 p.m. slate on Friday (May 14) before a noon doubleheader on Saturday (May 15) and a noon finale at Sunday (May 16). Saturday's twinbill will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, while Friday and Sunday's games will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
• U-M clinched its third straight Big Ten championship with Saturday's (May 8) doubleheader sweep, 10-4 and 3-1, at Minnesota. The Wolverines also secured the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Michigan has captured 22 of the last 29 Big Ten regular-season crowns, including 12 of the last 13.
• Michigan will recognize its senior class prior to the Sunday's regular-season finale. Entering the weekend, the class, which includes "super seniors" Thais Gonzalez and Haley Hoogenraad and seniors Lou Allan, Meghan Beaubien, Taylor Bump, Natalia Rodriguez and Sarah Schaefer has compiled a record of 136-40 over the last four seasons, captured three Big Ten titles and a Big Ten Tournament title.
• Sophomore second baseman Julia Jimenez was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week after leading the Wolverines with a .583 batting average over their four-game series at No. 23 Minnesota, boasting a 1.083 slugging percentage and .615 on-base percentage. She tallied a pair of home runs and six RBI, including a career-best four in the first of two games on Saturday.
• Senior left-handed pitcher Meghan Beaubien tallied a 2-0 record with a 0.47 earned-run average, 21 strikeouts and a .164 opposing average in U-M's Minnesota series to earn Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week honors. She appeared in all four games and earned the wins in the series opener -- combining for a shutout while allowing just four hits and striking out eight through five innings -- and the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader. Beaubien added nine strikeouts in that complete-game effort and gave up one run on just three hits and two walks.
• Minnesota claimed the series finale with a 7-3 decision on Sunday (May 9), halting U-M's winning streak at a season-long 11 games. Over the stretch, which included three wins apiece against Northwestern and Minnesota, the Wolverines outscored their opposition, 66-16, and posted a .313 team batting average and 1.27 team ERA.
• Michigan ranks third in the nation with a 1.17 team earned-run average. Individually, junior right-handed pitcher Alex Storako ranks 10th nationally with a 0.93 ERA, while senior LHP Meghan Beaubien is 24th with a 1.25 ERA. The Wolverines have earned shutouts in 15 of their 38 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 both rank among the nation's top strikeout pitchers. Storako ranks second nationally with a 12.9 strikeouts-per-seven-innings average, while Beaubien is 22nd with a 10.0 average.
• Storako established a new Michigan program record with 22 strikeouts in a two-hit complete-game shutout in U-M's 1-0, nine-inning decision at Michigan State last Wednesday (May 5). She struck out the side in the second, third and fourth frames as part of a streak of 13 consecutive strikeouts and then again in the eighth. Storako previously tied U-M's single-game record (19) in a seven-inning win against Nebraska on March 11, while Beaubien similarly struck out 19 in U-M's season opener against Purdue. Wolverine great Jennie Ritter held the school record for 15 years, dating back to her 19-strikeout performance in a 1-0, nine-inning win against Oklahoma in the 2006 NCAA Regional semifinals.
• Junior outfielder Lexie Blair knocked out a leadoff solo homer in the ninth inning to drive in the lone run in U-M's win at Michigan State. Blair matched her career best with four hits against the Spartans. She has recorded a hit in 33 of 38 games this season and leads the Wolverines with a career-best .414 batting average.
• Michigan's offense has made significant strides since its first couple weeks of the season. After hitting .279 as a team over the two Florida weekends -- a 12-game stretch -- the Wolverines have collectively batted .312 over the 26 games since. Nobody is hotter of late than senior first baseman Lou Allan and senior third baseman Taylor Bump, who are batting .407 and .358, respectively, over the last 18 games.
• Allan leads the Wolverines with career highs in home runs (nine) and RBI (38). Allan, who missed large portions of two seasons with injury, also owns a career-best .364 batting average -- a 101-point improvement in her previous best (.263, 2019). She saw her career-best 10-game hit streak halted in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Minnesota; she posted seven multiple-hit over her hitting streak.
• Head coach Carol Hutchins is in her 37th season at the helm of the Wolverines. She has compiled a 1,663-531-5 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 (1,668-432-2). 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.
