Michigan to Open Spring Break Swing at Duke, NC State

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team (8-5) will spend its annual spring break trip in the Tar Heel State, kicking off the 10-day swing with a 2 p.m. game at No. 8 Duke (13-3) this Thursday (Feb. 27) at Duke Softball Stadium in Durham, N.C. The game time was moved up from the original 5 p.m. start due to forecasted weather. The Wolverines will then play a five-game set at The Raleigh Times tournament (Fri-Sun, Feb. 28-March 2) in Raleigh, N.C., facing host NC State and two games apiece against Queens and UNC Wilmington at Dail Softball Stadium.

Notes

• Duke is led by Michigan alumna and three-time All-American Marissa Young (2000-03), who has compiled a 265-106 record in her seven years as the first and only head coach in Duke program history. In addition to her three All-America citations, Young was named the 2002 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year and still ranks among Michigan's all-time leaders in career strikeouts (927) and wins (88).

• Michigan will face Queens University of Charlotte and UNC Wilmington for the first time in program history.

• Michigan batted .319 over its four games at the South Florida Showdown with a .422 on-base percentage and 18 walks compared to just eight strikeouts. It was U-M's second straight weekend hitting better than .300; Michigan batted .371 over the previous four games.

• Sophomore outfielders Ella Stephenson and Jenissa Conway hit .438 and .375, respectively, in back-to-back spots in the Wolverines' batting order and combined for 13 total hits, six runs scored and 13 RBI. The duo keyed U-M's rally against USF with consecutive two-run hits to tie the game in the fifth inning before Stephenson used a solo homer to plate the game-winning run in the seventh. Stephenson ranks second on the team with a .395 batting average through 13 games.

• Junior/sophomore Lilly Vallimont hit .444 (4-for-9) to lead the Wolverines in batting average for the second straight weekend and boasted a .615 on-base percentage with four walks. Vallimont recorded a .667 average (4-for-6) with seven RBI over three games the previous weekend in Georgia. She owns a .379 average on the season and shares the team lead -- with Stephenson and Conway -- with nine RBI.

• Junior Indiana Langford leads the Wolverines with a .414 batting average on the season and went 5-for-12 over last weekend's games, including a 3-for-3 effort with a run scored in the opener against Kent State.

• Sophomore right-handed pitcher Erin Hoehn went 3-0 at the South Florida Showdown with a 1.27 earned-run average and 12 strikeouts over 11 innings pitched. She closed out the weekend with seven scoreless innings, earning the win against USF in relief before combining with freshman RHP Kat Meyers for a five-inning shutout against Troy.