Wolverines to Play Five Games in Six Days

Schedule Update: Due to poor weather forecast for Saturday (April 18), Michigan will now play a 2 p.m. CT doubleheader on Friday (April 17) at the Badgers' Goodman Softball Complex. The game on Sunday (April 19) will remain at noon CT.

Promotions

April 15
• Free Admission

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team (26-15, 6-9 Big Ten) will play five games over a busy six-day stretch with a pair of midweek MACtion games before another Big Ten Conference road series. U-M will head to Mount Pleasant, Mich., to take on Central Michigan (20-16) at 4 p.m. Tuesday (April 14) at Margo Jonker Stadium before hosting Bowling Green (17-22) at 5 p.m. on Wednesday (April 15) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Carol Hutchins Stadium and Alumni Field.

The Wolverines will then travel to Madison, Wis., for a three-game weekend set against Wisconsin (22-15, 7-8 Big Ten), taking on the Badgers at 5 p.m. CT on Friday (April 17) and noon CT on both Saturday and Sunday (April 18-19) at the Goodman Softball Complex.

Notes

• The Wolverines have claimed each of their last three Big Ten series after opening conference play with a 0-6 record. Michigan currently ranks 10th in the conference standings with three series left to play. U-M opened its Big Ten schedule against Nebraska and Washington, who currently rank 1-2 in the standings.

• Michigan batted .367 (29-for-79) as a team in last weekend's series against rival Ohio State. Senior third baseman Maddie Erickson led the Wolverines with a .667 (4-for-6) batting average and .778 on-base percentage with two HBP and a walk, while junior outfielder Ella Stephenson hit .600 (6-for-10) with three runs scored and four RBI.

• Michigan boasted its first walk-off win of the season with its 10-8 series opener against Ohio State (April 10). OSU scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take a late 8-7 lead, but Michigan answered in the home half with junior outfielder Jenissa Conway's walk-off three-run homer. Conway, who had been held hitless to that point, blasted a first-pitch no-doubter into the right-field grandstand for her 12th home run of the season and third in as many games.

• Last Friday's win was also the Wolverines' second straight comeback after scoring 11 unanswered runs in their 11-9 win in the series rubber game at Northwestern (April 5). U-M trailed 9-0 after the second inning then scored in four of the final five innings, including a three-run seventh to tie the game, and take the lead. Erickson singled to score the tying run and sophomore pinch runner Cece Thorington came home with the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice. It was the largest comeback in Michigan program history, topping a seven-run comeback against Iowa just two seasons ago. It is also the largest comeback win in NCAA softball this season.

• Putz ranks among the nation's leaders in several offensive categories, listing ninth in RBI per game (1.49), 13th in on-base percentage (.576), 14th in slugging percentage (1.000) and 20th with her .474 batting average -- an 82-point improvement on her rookie season average.

• Stephenson boasted a career high in hits with a 4-for-4 effort in the second series game against OSU, tying a program record with three doubles -- in each of her first three at-bats. She was the first Michigan player to post three doubles since Lauren Sweet in 2013. In 2024, Stephenson also became the first Wolverine player in 26 seasons to post two triples in a game.

• Stephenson has also batted .500 (15-for-30), ranking second only to Putz with a .559 average over the same stretch -- and improved her season batting average by 57 points -- from .250 to .307.