Season Review: 2024 Michigan Softball

• Record: 43-18 overall, 18-5 Big Ten Conference (2nd place)
• Big Ten Tournament: Champion
• NCAA Tournament: NCAA Regional runner-up

The University of Michigan softball team took advantage of an incredible second-half turnaround, going 33-9 over its last 42 games after opening with a 10-9 record over its first four weekends. The Wolverines took second place in the final Big Ten regular-season standings before capturing their 11th Big Ten Tournament title in program history.

Under the direction of second-year head coach Bonnie Tholl, the Wolverines registered their first 40-win season since 2019 with a 43-18 overall record and returned to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus and reached the NCAA Regional championship against No. 5-seeded -- and eventual WCWS participant -- Oklahoma State.

Team Highlights

• The Wolverines captured the 2024 Big Ten Tournament title with a 3-1 decision against Indiana in the championship game on May 11. U-M used small ball and savvy baserunning to rally from an initial deficit and plate its runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Sophomore second baseman Indiana Langford posted a hit and scored two runs; she and junior outfielder Ellie Sieler both scored on a two-run throwing error in the sixth. Junior right-handed pitcher Lauren Derkowski was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP with a 3-0 record, 1.84 earned-run average and 20 strikeouts. It was U-M's 11th Big Ten Tournament title in program history and first since 2019. U-M ranks first in Big Ten history in tournament titles (11), championship game appearances (17), overall wins (49) and win percentage (.721).

• After starting the season with a 10-9 record through March 1, the Wolverines won 33 of their final 42 games, including an 18-5 conference record, to finish second in the Big Ten regular-season standings, and boasted a .297 team batting average and .506 slugging percentage over the stretch. Michigan posted 63 total home runs on the season -- the program's most since 2016.

• Michigan boasted six walk-off wins in 2024, including three over a four-game stretch against Iowa and Nebraska at Hutchins Stadium. Among the walk-offs, U-M scored four runs in the seventh to defeat South Dakota State 4-3 on March 16, walked off on Iowa in both games of a doubleheader on April 3, winning on an eighth-inning homer in game one and a seventh-inning single in game two and used a used a walk-off two-run homer to beat Northern Colorado 4-2 in the NCAA Regional (May 18). In all, the Wolverines rallied for wins in 17 games this season when the opponent scored first and registered the game-winning hit in the fifth inning or later 15 times -- three in the fifth, seven in the sixth, three in the seventh and four in extra innings.

• The Wolverines earned a pair of wins over Florida, who would go on to reach the WCWS semifinals and finish the season ranked No. 3 in the final NFCA coaches poll. Derkowski pitched a complete-game, 10-winning win, 2-1, against Florida on her 21st birthday (Feb. 10) after allowing just one run -- and none earned -- off six hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Michigan cruised to a 10-2, five-inning win over the Gators in its final game of the Judi Garman Classic (March 2) with four runs in the first and six more in the third. Freshman RHP Erin Hoehn held Florida scoreless through four innings and ultimately allowed two runs on seven hits while posting a three-run double in the third to help her own cause.

• The 15th annual Michigan Softball Academy, held on May 2, raised more than $235,000 for the American Cancer Society, surpassing the previous record of $205,569 in 2023. Since 2007, the Michigan softball program has raised more than $2,065,000 for the ACS (seven Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks, 15 academies). No college athletic program has ever raised more money for the American Cancer Society.

Individual Highlights

• Michigan led all conference schools with four All-Big Ten first team honorees -- Derkowski, sophomore third baseman Maddie Erickson, Sieler and senior first baseman/catcher Keke Tholl. All four Wolverines earned first-team selection for the first time in their careers, while Derkowski previously earned second-team honors (2023). It was the U-M's most first-teamers since boasting five in 2021. Freshman outfielder Ella Stephenson also was named to the All-Big Ten second team.

• Erickson and Sieler both boasted big breakout seasons -- with career highs in every hitting category -- in 2024. Erickson led the Wolverines with a .352 batting average -- a 117-point improvement over her previous best average last season -- as well as 28 extra-base hits and 48 RBI. Sieler improved on her best batting average by 54 points, up to .341, with 47 runs, 62 hits -- including 18 for extra bases -- and 19 from the leadoff spot.

• Tholl tied the Michigan program record with three home runs in the Wolverines' 11-5 win at Michigan State on April 9, posting homers in the second, fifth and sixth innings to become the fifth player in program history to register three in a game and the first since Kelly Christner in 2017. It was Tholl's third multi-homer effort of her career. She led the Wolverines with a career-high 16 homers on the season.

• Stephenson, who earned unanimous selection to Big Ten All-Freshman Team, earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in four of the last six weeks of the regular season. Over the final six weeks of the regular season, a stretch of 22 games from March 29-April 28, Stephenson boasted a team-best .400 batting average (30-for-75) with 15 extra-base hits -- 10 doubles, three triples and two homers -- and 26 RBI. Stephenson opened her rookie campaign with a .167 average (9-for-54) over the first 22 games of the season.

• Derkowski was named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player after throwing all 19 innings of tournament play, going 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA and 20 strikeouts. After a small dip midway through the Big Ten season, Derkowski closed out the season going 6-3 over the final five weekends, including five postseason games, with a 2.17 ERA, two shutouts and 69 strikeouts over 67.2 innings.

• Hoehn tossed a six-inning no-hitter against Bowling Green (March 10), striking out a career-high 11 while allowing just three total base runners. Hoehn's previous strikeout high was five against UCLA (March 5). It was the lone no-hitter for the Wolverines this season, while Hoehn became the first U-M freshman to throw a no-hitter since Meghan Beaubien in 2018.

• Graduate student right-hander Hannah George earned wins in six consecutive appearances -- the first of her Michigan career and all in relief -- and added another in NCAA Regional play to finish the season with a 7-1 record. She claimed two wins apiece in U-M's home series against Iowa and Nebraska and picked up her first save in the series opener against OSU. Over the last 21 games and in addition to her seven wins, George boasted a 1.75 ERA, two saves and 10 strikeouts over 28 innings.

Honors and Awards

Lauren
Derkowski

Maddie
Erickson

Ellie
Sieler

Keke
Tholl

Ella
Stephenson

National Fastpitch Coaches Association
All-Great Lakes Region (First Team): Maddie Erickson, Ellie Sieler
All-Great Lakes Region (Second Team): Lauren Derkowski
All-Great Lakes Region (Third Team): Keke Tholl
Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year: Michigan
Pitcher of the Week: Lauren Derkowski (April 30)

Big Ten Conference
All-Big Ten (First Team): Lauren Derkowski, Maddie Erickson, Ellie Sieler, Keke Tholl
All-Big Ten (Second Team): Ella Stephenson
All-Freshman Team: Ava Costales, Ella Stephenson
Sportsmanship Award: Ellie Sieler
Tournament MVP: Lauren Derkowski
All-Tournament Team: Lauren Derkowski, Ella McVey, Keke Tholl

Big Ten Player of the Week
Player: Keke Tholl (April 15)
Pitcher: Lauren Derkowski (March 26, April 30)
Freshman: Jenissa Conway (March 18), Ella Stephenson (April 1, April 15, April 22, April 30)

Academic All-Big Ten
Emerson Aiken, Jr., Biology, Health, & Society BS
Ryleigh Carricaburu, Sr., Sport Management BA
Lauren Derkowski, Jr., Industrial & Operations Engineering BSE
Avery Fantucci, So., Business Administration BBA
Hannah George, Gr., Int Prac IH MH & Subst Abuse MSW
Janelle Ilacqua, So., LSA Undeclared
Indiana Langford, So., LSA Undeclared
Jessica LeBeau, Sr., Psychology BA
Ella McVey, Jr., Communication and Media BA
Madi Ramey, So., Applied Exercise Science BS
Kaylee America Rodriguez, Sr., Sport Management BA
Ellie Sieler, Jr., Communication and Media BA
Keke Tholl, Sr., Business Administration BBA
Lilly Vallimont, So., Applied Exercise Science BS