Michigan
Nebraska
Wolverines to Open Big Ten Play at No. 10 Nebraska
3/10/2026 4:10:00 PM | Softball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team (19-6, 0-0 Big Ten) will open Big Ten Conference play on the road this weekend, traveling to Lincoln for a three-game set against No. 10 Nebraska (18-5, 0-0 Big Ten). The teams will face off at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday (March 13), 1 p.m. CT on Saturday (March 14) and 11:30 a.m. CT on Sunday (March 15) at the Huskers' Bowlin Stadium. The first two games will be streamed live on B1G+, while Sunday's game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
Notes
• U-M has claimed 22 Big Ten regular-season championships -- the most in conference history -- since 1992, with three of the last six titles and 12 of the last 17. Michigan tied for eighth place in last year's regular-season standings with an 11-11 conference record, but went on to repeat as Big Ten Tournament champions after avenging regular-season sweeps by Oregon and UCLA.
• Michigan leads 18-15 in the all-time series against Nebraska and owns a 14-8 advantage since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten prior to the 2012 season. U-M has won four straight, including a 2024 series sweep at home in the most recent matchups between the two programs.
• The Wolverines went 7-3 over their spring break trip in Virginia, outscoring their opposition 63-20 while batting .328 as a team with 31 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs. Sophomore outfielder Lauren Putz led the U-M offense with a .565 batting average (12-for-23), a 1.087 slugging percentage and .657 on-base percentage. Michigan's pitching staff combined for a 2.12 earned-run average and 47 strikeouts, while five pitchers earned at least one victory.
• Putz ranks among the nation's top 10 in several power categories, listing seventh with 12 total home runs, eighth with 39 RBI and sixth with a 1.169 slugging percentage. She leads the Wolverines with a .477 batting average -- an 85-point improvement over her rookie-year average, when she ranked second on the squad with a .392 average.
• Junior outfielder Jenissa Conway leads the nation with five triples already this season after hitting one for two runs in the fifth inning against Bucknell (Feb. 28). Conway posted two triples in consecutive at-bats against No. 22 Arizona State (Feb. 22). She is just the eighth player in program history to achieve the feat and the second on the current roster, joining junior outfielder Ella Stephenson. Conway's .422 batting average is a 43-point improvement over her previous career high.
• Senior utility player Indiana Langford started all 10 games of the Wolverines' spring break trip after missing nine due to a finger injury suffered from a hit-by-pitch on opening day. She batted .481 (13-for-27) with a .611 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot over spring break and led Michigan with 14 runs scored. She owns a .469 overall average on the season -- a 63-point career high -- with 21 runs scored.
• Senior second baseman Janelle Ilacqua boasts a .386 batting average and owns 13 runs scored and five RBI from the No. 9 spot in the order. Her average is a 116-point improvement on her previous career high (.270), which she recorded as a freshman. Ilacqua served primarily as a defensive specialist over the last two seasons, combining for just 30 total at-bats in 2024 and 2025.
• Of the 10 Wolverines with 30 at-bats or more through the early-tournament portion of their 2026 schedule, seven currently boast career-high batting averages. Junior right-handed pitcher Erin Hoehn leads the category with a 264-point improvement (from .222 to .486) followed by Ilacqua's 116 points.
• Hoehn was terrific from both sides of the ball over spring break, boasting a .538 batting average (7-for-13) with three homers and nine RBI over the six games she had a plate appearance and went 1-1 from the circle with a 1.47 ERA, 12 strikeouts and .216 average against.
• Sophomore RHP Kat Meyers threw the second no-hitter of her collegiate career in U-M's 8-0, five-inning win at Liberty (March 3). She posted two strikeouts and faced just one batter over the minimum and was a second-inning walk away from a perfect game. Meyers previously threw a five-inning perfect game against North Carolina Central during last season's spring break trip.
