U-M to Host Second Half of Home-and-Home with MSU, Maize Out

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team (29-14, 10-3 Big Ten) wrap up its home-and-home series with in-state rival Michigan State (15-25, 2-11 Big Ten) on Tuesday (April 16), hosting the Spartans for a 7 p.m. slate at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium.

Notes

• Michigan lists second in the Big Ten Conference standings with a 10-3 record. The Wolverines opened conference play with six straight wins, the program's best Big Ten start since going 11-0 to kick off the 2019 Big Ten schedule. Michigan has swept three of its four weekend series this season.

• The Wolverines improved to 9-0 at home after their weekend sweep against Iowa (April 13-14). U-M is batting .340 at home so far this season with a 2.40 earned-run average, outscoring its opposition 66-27 over the nine games.

• Michigan posted late comeback wins in all three of its Iowa games last weekend, rallying from a five-run deficit (5-0 in the fourth) in the opener, a seven-run deficit (8-1 in the fifth) in the second slate, and a two-run deficit (3-1 in the sixth) in the finale. U-M earned walk-off wins in the latter two games. Sophomore Madi Ramey hit a two-out solo homer in the eighth inning for game two -- her first hit of the season and first collegiate homer -- while freshman Ava Costales posted a bloop RBI single in the seventh to clinch the finale in the seventh.

• Senior first baseman/catcher Keke Tholl tied the Michigan program record with three home runs in U-M's 11-5 win at Michigan State last Tuesday (April 9), posting homers in the second, fifth and sixth innings to become the fifth player in program history to register three homers in a game and the first since Kelly Christner in 2017. It was her third career multi-homer effort. She added two homers over the weekend and leads U-M with a career-high 12 on the season.

• Tholl was named the Big Ten's Co-Player of the Week after batting .583 (7-for-12) over the Wolverines' five wins last week with a 1.917 slugging percentage and .750 on-base percentage, boasting five home runs and eight RBI. Tholl posted three homers and four RBI at Michigan State. She reached base in 12 of 13 plate appearances against Iowa with four hits, including two homers, four RBI and eight walks.

• Freshman outfielder Ella Stephenson was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week -- for the second time this season -- after batting .421 (8-for-19) over the Wolverines' five wins last week with a .632 slugging percentage and .450 on-base percentage. She posted four runs, scored five runs and tallied five RBI. She posted three hits at Michigan State with two doubles and two RBI and tallied five hits in U-M's Saturday doubleheader against Iowa with two doubles and three RBI in the series opener.

• Costales also starred over U-M's weekend series against Iowa, batting .444 over the three games with three home runs and seven RBI. She belted two homers in the opener, including the go-ahead two-run shot in the fifth inning. She posted a pair of go-ahead hits in the series finale with a three-run bomb in the sixth and the walk-off RBI single in the seventh.

• Graduate student RHP Hannah George earned two wins in relief against Iowa -- her first since joining the Wolverines last season. She recorded 19 of 21 outs in the series opener, allowing just two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. She also posted the final two outs in the top of the seventh in the series finale.

• Michigan State is 15-25 on the season and 2-11 in Big Ten play after dropping two of three games at Penn State last weekend (April 12-14). The Spartans carry a .247 team batting average with a .411 slugging percentage and .335 on-base percentage, while the pitching staff has a combined 4.35 earned-run average. Michigan owns a 99-29 advantage in the all-time series against Michigan State, dating back to 1978, and has won each of the last nine games, including an 11-5 decision last Tuesday in East Lansing.

• U-M tied its season high with 15 total hits from eight different players in last week's MSU matchup. Tholl went 3-for-4 with three home runs and four RBI. Sieler also blasted a two-run shot as part of a 3-for-5, three-RBI day, while freshman outfielders Jenissa Conway and Stephenson combined for five hits from back-to-back spots in the middle of the order; Stephenson posted three hits, including two doubles, and two RBI. Freshman RHP Erin Hoehn earned the win in relief, striking out four Spartans and allowing three runs on six hits and a walk through three innings.