Weekly Release #12
5/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Alabama Softball Complex, Tuscaloosa, Ala. -- All times CDT
Thursday, May 17
Game 1 -- #1 seed Alabama vs. #6 seed Illinois-Chicago, Noon
Game 2 -- #2 Michigan vs. #5 seed Chattanooga, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3 -- #3 seed Oregon State vs. #4 seed South Florida, 5 p.m.
Game 4 -- Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 18
Game 5 -- Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 2:30 p.m.
Game 6 -- Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 5 p.m.
Game 7 -- Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 5, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 19
Game 8 -- Bye or Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 6, Noon
Game 9 -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6, 2:30 p.m.
Game 10 -- Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9, 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 20
Game 11 -- Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 2 p.m.
Game 12 -- If necessary, same teams as game 11, 4:30 p.m.
Wolverines Prep for Seventh Straight Trip to NCAA Tournament
The 21st-ranked University of Michigan softball team (39-15-1) has earned a berth into the 48-team NCAA Softball Tournament field for the seventh straight season and ninth time in 10 years. For the first time since that first trip in 1992, however, the Wolverines will not be hosting one of the eight six-team regionals. Instead, the Wolverines are off to Tuscaloosa, Ala., from Thursday through Sunday (May 17-20) as the No. 2 seed in Region 4, which is hosted by top seed Alabama.
Michigan faces No. 5 seed Chattanooga in its first-round game on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. CDT. A win in that game would move Michigan to a meeting with the winner of No. 3 Oregon State and No. 4 seed South Florida on Friday at 5 p.m. CDT. An opening-round loss, however, sends the Wolverines to an elimination game on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. CDT) against the loser of No. 1 seed Alabama vs. No. 6 seed Illinois-Chicago.
On the Air
All of Michigan's contests at the NCAA Region 4 Championship will be broadcast on mgoblue.com, with Doug Karsch providing the play-by-play.
Scouting the Rest of the Field
#1 Alabama -- Alabama (48-9) finished 24-6 in the Southeastern Conference and was runner-up to third-ranked LSU in the final regular-season SEC West standings ... Kelly Kretschman leads Alabama offensively with a .448 average and 13 home runs ... Shelly Laird leads the Crimson Tide pitching staff, with a mark of 30-5 and an ERA of 0.99 ... Alabama hits .313 as a team and has a team ERA of 1.32 ... Alabama on the Internet: www.rolltide.com.
Michigan all-time vs. Alabama (3-2)
| Date | Result | Site |
| 3/4/97 | W, 4-3 | A |
| 3/4/97 | W, 5-2 | A |
| 3/5/98 | W, 5-3 | N (USF Speedline Invitational, Tampa, Fla.) |
| 2/24/01 | L, 0-1 (8) | N (NFCA Leadoff Classic, Columbus, Ga.) |
| 2/28/01 | L, 2-7 | A |
#3 Oregon State -- Oregon State (43-22-1) finished 10-10 in the Pac-10 and finished fifth in the final conference standings ... Michelle Charlton leads the Beavers with a .299 average, while Stephanie Adams has seven home runs ... Crystal Draper leads Oregon State's pitching staff with a record of 28-10 and an ERA of 1.19 ... Oregon State is hitting .260 with a team ERA of 1.42 ... Oregon State on the Internet: www.osubeavers.com.
Michigan all-time vs. Oregon State (2-0)
| Date | Result | Site |
| 3/24/85 | W, 3-2 | N (California trip) |
| 3/21/86 | W, 1-0 | N (Pony Tournament, Fullerton, Calif.) |
#4 South Florida -- South Florida (41-32) finished 12-9 as a member of Conference USA ... Renee Oursler leads South Florida at the plate with an average of .348, while Cindy Turek has seven home runs and 30 RBI ... Jessie Kowal leads South in the circle with a mark of 22-13 and an ERA of 0.99 ... South Florida is hitting .251, while its team ERA is 1.84 ... South Florida on the Internet: www.gousfbulls.com.
Michigan all-time vs. South Florida (5-5)
| Date | Result | Site |
| 3/6/90 | L, 3-4 | A |
| 3/6/90 | L, 1-2 | A |
| 3/12/94 | W, 1-0 | A (South Florida Classic, Tampa, Fla.) |
| 3/17/96 | L, 3-2 | N (Lady Seminole Invitational, Tallahassee, Fla.) |
| 3/8/97 | W, 11-0 (5) | A (Speedline Invitational, Tampa, Fla.) |
| 3/3/98 | W, 6-2 | A |
| 3/3/98 | W, 7-3 | A |
| 2/26/00 | L, 1-2 (11) | A (USF Gladstone's Invitational, Tampa, Fla.) |
| 2/29/00 | W, 1-0) | A |
| 2/29/00 | L, 0-1 | A |
#5 Chattanooga -- Chattanooga (48-16) finished 18-2 in the Southern Conference and won the regular-season title outright ... Sophomore first baseman Angela Brewer leads Chattanooga with a .374 average and 14 home runs, while Jaci Welsh has chipped in with 12 home runs ... Beth Alexander leads the Mocs pitching staff with a mark of 23-7 (1.02 ERA) ... Chattanooga hits .282 as a team and has a team ERA of 1.10 ... Chattanooga on the Internet: www.gomocs.com ... Michigan and Chattanooga have never met before on the softball diamond.
#6 Illinois-Chicago Illinois-Chicago (46-23) finished 9-3 in the Mid-Continent Conference and won the conference tournament with a 2-1 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay in the title game ... Stephanie Cristoforsen leads the Flames with a .383 average, 14 home runs and 55 RBI and combines with Amanda Rivera (.364, 13, 49) for a one-two punch ... Alycia Creese is 24-9 with an ERA of 1.46 for the Flames ... Illinois-Chicago hits .292 as a team and has a team ERA of 1.71 ... Illinois-Chicago on the Internet: www.uicflames.com.
Michigan all-time vs. Illinois-Chicago (3-2)
| Date | Result | Site |
| 3/13/92 | L, 1-6 | N (South Florida Classic, Tampa, Fla.) |
| 3/12/93 | L, 1-2 | N (South Florida Classic, Tampa, Fla.) |
| 3/16/96 | W, 7-0 | N (Lady Seminole Invitational, Tallahassee, Fla.) |
| 3/6/99 | W, 2-1 (9) | N (Speedline Invitational, Tampa, Fla.) |
| 5/20/00 | W, 3-1 | H (NCAA Region 8, Ann Arbor) |
Michigan Shoots for First Regional Crown Since 1998
After winning four consecutive NCAA Regional championships from 1995-98, the Wolverines will looking for a return trip to the Women's College World Series after not making it out of the NCAA Regionals in each of the past two seasons. The Wolverines made their first NCAA Regional appearance in 1992 when they traveled out to Tucson, Ariz., but dropped 1-0 and 8-0 decisions to Arizona. Michigan then hosted its first-ever NCAA Regional in 1993 at Alumni Field and finished runner-up to Southwestern Louisiana. After failing to earn a tournament bid in 1994, the 1995 Wolverines hosted and won the first of four straight NCAA Regional championships. The Wolverines are 15-9 all-time in NCAA Regional action.
Michigan's NCAA Postseason History
| 1992 | NCAA Regional, 2nd (Tucson, Ariz.) |
| 1993 | NCAA Regional, 2nd (Ann Arbor, Mich.) |
| 1995 | NCAA Regional Champs (Ann Arbor, Mich.) World Series, tie-7th |
| 1996 | NCAA Regional Champs (Ann Arbor, Mich.) World Series, tie-7th |
| 1997 | NCAA Regional Champs (Ann Arbor, Mich.) World Series, tie-5th |
| 1998 | NCAA Regional Champs (Ann Arbor, Mich.) World Series, tie-5th |
| 1999 | NCAA Regional, 5th (Ann Arbor, Mich.) |
| 2000 | NCAA Regional, 2nd (Ann Arbor, Mich.) |
Possible Rematch
Should Michigan and Illinois-Chicago meet this weekend it would be a rematch of Michigan's 3-1 win a year ago at the Regional Championship at Alumni Field. Marissa Young (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS) threw seven complete innings and struck out seven while walking one for the win. Chrissy Garza (Southgate, Mich./Southgate Anderson HS) delivered the big blow with a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth for the Wolverines. The victory catapulted the Wolverines into the championship game, but needing to beat DePaul twice, the Wolverines bowed out in the next contest 3-0.
Michigan vs. NCAA Region 4 Field
Of the five other teams in the NCAA Region 4 field, Michigan has only played Alabama this season. The Wolverines dropped a 1-0 decision on Feb. 23 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., and a 7-2 game in Tuscaloosa on Feb. 28. Marissa Young threw a gem in the 1-0 loss as she struck out 11 and walked none while allowing just one hit over eight complete innings. Michigan, however, could not get anything going offensively either and Young finally gave up an unearned run in the eighth after a runner was placed on second beginning the inning in accordance with the international tie-breaker rule. Young was not nearly as effective five days later as she allowed a season-high six runs on seven hits in five innings of work. The bright spot for the Wolverines was sophomore Melinda Moulden (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS), who went 2-3 with a home run and scored both Wolverine runs.
Michigan vs. NCAA Tournament Field
Michigan faced 12 of the 48 teams that made the NCAA Tournament field a total of 23 times this season and is 10-13 in those games.
U-M's 2001 Record vs. NCAA Tournament Teams
| Opponent (Seed and Region) | U-M Record |
| Stanford (#1, Region 6) | 0-2 |
| Fresno State (#2, Region 2) | 1-1 |
| San Diego State (#4, Region 2) | 0-1 |
| Alabama (#1, Region 4) | 0-2 |
| Louisiana State (#1, Region 3) | 1-0 |
| Massachusetts (#4, Region 5) | 0-1 |
| Nebraska (#2, Region 6) | 0-1 |
| DePaul (#4, Region 7) | 0-2 |
| Central Michigan (#4, Region 6) | 2-0 |
| Wisconsin (#5, Region 2) | 2-0 |
| Penn State (#5, Region 3) | 3-0 |
| Iowa (#2, Region 7) | 1-3 |
| Total | 10-13 |
Wolverines Drop Big Ten Tournament Title to Hawkeyes
Michigan earned the right to host the Big Ten Tournament (May 10-12) at Alumni Field after finishing the regular season as the outright Big Ten champion for the seventh time in 10 years. The home field paid off in a 2-0 win over Penn State on Thursday (May 10) and a 6-1 win over 15th-ranked Iowa on Friday (May 11). However, the Wolverines were unable to claim their sixth Big Ten Tournament title in seven years as they dropped a 2-1 decision to Iowa in the championship game on Saturday (May 12). Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) and Melinda Moulden both hit .400 for the Wolverines while Kollen scored a pair of runs and Moulden drove in a pair of runs. Marissa Young gave up just one run on eight hits over 12 innings during the tournament, including a complete-game 2-0 shutout win over Penn State.
Michigan Claims Seventh Big Ten Regular-Season Crown
Michigan's win over Michigan State and Northwestern's upset of Iowa on May 6 gave Michigan its seventh regular-season Big Ten title since 1992. Michigan's seven all-time conference regular-season championships are the most in the conference. Iowa and Northwestern each have four.
Last 10 Big Ten Champs and Runners-up
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
| 1992 | Michigan (22-6, .785) | Iowa (21-7, .750) |
| 1993 | Michigan (21-5, .808) | Iowa (20-7, .741) |
| 1994 | Indiana (23-5, .821) | Iowa (20-8, .714) |
| 1995 | Michigan (22-6, .786) | Northwestern (19-9, .679) |
| 1996 | Michigan (20-4, .833) | Minnesota (17-6, .739) |
| 1997 | Iowa (22-0, 1.000) | Michigan (18-4, .818) |
| 1998 | Michigan (22-1, .957) | Northwestern (15-9, .625) |
| 1999 | Michigan (21-3, .875) | Minnesota (16-8, .667) |
| 2000 | Iowa (14-4, .778) | Michigan (13-4, .765) |
| 2001 | Michigan (17-3, .850) | Iowa (16-4, .800) |
Postseason Brings Fans out to Alumni Field
Two of the 10 biggest crowds in Alumni Field history have watched the Wolverines this season, including the largest ever for a regular-season game when 1,187 witnessed Michigan's Big Ten championship-clinching win over Michigan State on May 6.
Top 10 Alumni Field Crowds
| 1,452 | | May 17, 1998 | U-M vs. DePaul* |
| 1,266 | May 21, 2000 | U-M vs. DePaul* | |
| 1,265 | May 15, 1999 | U-M vs. Minnesota+ | |
| 1,187 | May 6, 2001 | U-M vs. Michigan State | |
| 1,117 | May 18, 1997 | U-M vs. Central Michigan (2)* | |
| 1,100 | May 22, 1993 | U-M vs. Southwestern Louisiana, Bowling Green* | |
| 1,067 | May 12, 2001 | U-M vs. Iowa+ | |
| 1,029 | May 20, 2000 | U-M vs. Illinois-Chicago* | |
| 1,003 | May 16, 1997 | U-M vs. Cleveland State (1)* | |
| 983 | May 17, 1997 | U-M vs. Central Michigan (1)* | |
* NCAA Tournament; + Big Ten Tournament | |||
Streaking
Kelsey Kollen used her 4-10 performance at the Big Ten Tournament to extend her hit streak to 12 games, which matches her season best and the Michigan season best, which she shares with Melissa Taylor (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield HS). Since going 0-6 in an 11-inning 3-2 loss to Ohio State on April 22, Kollen has hit .500 (19-38), with four doubles, four RBI and 11 runs scored. The nearest Wolverines to Kollen in the run-scored department over that stretch are Rebecca Tune (Aloha, Ore./Jesuit HS) and Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Salem HS) with six apiece.
No Longer a Freshman
Michigan freshman Monica Schock (Rialto, Calif./Eisenhower HS) is saving her best for late in the season. Schock collected a career-best three hits in the 7-6 win over Eastern Michigan on May 2 and then matched that total in the 2-1 win over Michigan State on May 6. Schock has at least one hit in 11 of her last 13 games and hit the ball hard despite going 0-3 in the Big Ten Tournament championship game vs. Iowa.
Hutch Reaches Another Milestone
Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins, who won her 700th career game earlier this season in the Wolverines' 2-1 win over Oakland on April 3, won her 700th game at the helm of the Maize and Blue when the Wolverines beat Iowa 6-1 on Friday at the Big Ten Tournament. That win pushed Michigan into the championship game on Saturday, which turned out to be Hutchins' 1,000th Michigan game coached.
Young Closes in on Michigan Record
Marissa Young leads the Wolverines with 174 strikeouts this season, which is a new personal season best and is just 10 shy of matching the Michigan single-season strikeout record of 184, which was accomplished by Sara Griffin in 1996 and 1998. Young's marks of 174 and 165 strikeouts in a season are the third and fifth-best marks all-time at Michigan.
U-M's Single-Season Strikeout Leaders (Pitching)
| 1. | Sara Griffin (1998) | 184 |
| | Sara Griffin (1996) | 184 |
| 3. | Marissa Young (2001) | 174 |
| 4. | Jan Boyd (1983) | 168 |
| 5. | Marissa Young (2000) | 165 |
| 6. | Sara Griffin (1995) | 157 |
| 7. | Kelly Holmes (1997) | 152 |
| 8. | Vicki Morrow (1986) | 144 |
| 9. | Vicki Morrow (1987) | 143 |
| 10. | Kelly Kovach (1993) | 139 |
Young Joins Exclusive Club
Marissa Young's win over Penn State gave the sophomore her 20th win of the season, which matches the ninth-most pitching wins in a single season at Michigan. Young and teammate Marie Barda (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale HS), who won 22 games in 1999, are two of just eight pitchers in Michigan history to win 20 games in a season.
U-M's Single-Season Wins Leaders
| 1. | Sara Griffin (1998) | 35 |
| | Sara Griffin (1996) | 35 |
| 3. | Kelly Holmes (1997) | 33 |
| 4. | Vicki Morrow (1987) | 26 |
| | Kelly Forbis (1993) | 26 |
| 6. | Andrea Nelson (1989) | 23 |
| 7. | Marie Barda (1999) | 22 |
| 8. | Sara Griffin (1995) | 21 |
| 9. | Marissa Young (2001) | 20 |
| | Kelly Kovach (1993) | 20 |
Taylor Movin' Up
Melissa Taylor, who is on pace to shatter the Michigan record for batting average in a season, collected 11 hits in the final week of the regular season to run her season total to 75. Taylor now has 234 career hits, which is seventh all-time at Michigan. Although Taylor went 0-8 in the Big Ten Tournament, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year is still hitting .452, which is on pace to break the Michigan single-season record of .432. That mark was set by Sara Griffin as a freshman in 1995.
U-M's Career Hits Leaders
| 1. | Traci Conrad (1996-99) | 345 |
| 2. | Sara Griffin (1995-98) | 275 |
| 3. | Kellyn Tate (1995-98) | 272 |
| 4. | Catherine Davie (1996-99) | 259 |
| 5. | Patti Benedict (1990-93) | 244 |
| 6. | Alicia Seegert (1984-87) | 240 |
| 7. | Melissa Taylor (1998-present) | 234 |
| 8. | Jenny Allard (1987-90) | 227 |
| | Tracy Carr (1993-96) | 227 |
| 10. | Pam Kosanke (1997-2000) | 213 |
Finding a Way On
Michigan junior third baseman Stefanie Volpe drew one walk during the Big Ten Tournament to up her school-record career total to 88. Volpe entered the season with 56 career walks and broke Kari Kunnen's (1990-93) school record of 81 on April 27 vs. Northwestern. Volpe is two walks shy of matching her own single-season Michigan record of 34, which she set last season.
Tuned In
Senior shortstop Rebecca Tune continues to enjoy a career year at the plate as her batting average holds steady at .321 heading into the NCAA Tournament. Tune, who entered this season as a career .254 hitter, has set season bests in hits (53), doubles (13) and runs (21). Tune also has been solid at shortstop, fielding at a rate of .957 with a team-best 109 assists. In addition, Tune is one of just three Wolverines to start all 55 games this season and her 244 career starts are third on Michigan's career list. Tune is joined in the top five career list for games started by fellow senior Melissa Taylor, who has 233 career starts.
U-M's Career Games Started Leaders
| 1. | Traci Conrad (1996-99) | 262 |
| 2. | Pam Kosanke (1997-2000) | 259 |
| 3. | Rebecca Tune (1998-present) | 244 |
| 4. | Kellyn Tate (1995-98) | 241 |
| 5. | Melissa Taylor (1998-present) | 233 |
| 6. | Catherine Davie (1996-99) | 231 |
| 7. | Sara Griffin (1995-98) | 224 |
| 8. | Kelsey Kollen (1999-present) | 180 |
| 9. | Melissa Gentile (1997-2000) | 177 |
| 10. | Stefanie Volpe (1999-present) | 168 |
Michigan Grabs Conference Honors
Although Iowa won the Big Ten Tournament title, it was Michigan that walked away with two of the four major individual conference honors as Melissa Taylor was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Carol Hutchins was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Taylor is the seventh Wolverine to win the award and the first since Traci Conrad in 1999. Hutchins' Coach of the Year honor is her seventh and four in the last six seasons.
Taylor, who was a unanimous All-Big Ten first-team selection, was joined on the first team by third baseman Stefanie Volpe, utility player Melinda Moulden and second baseman Kelsey Kollen. Three Wolverines earned All-Big Ten second-team honors with Maria Barda and Marissa Young turning the trick at pitcher while senior shortstop Rebecca Tune earned the first All-Big Ten distinction of her career.
Although Taylor is the seventh Wolverine to win Big Ten Player of the Year honors, she is just the second from her alma mater, Summerfield High School, to do so. Michigan and Summerfield alum Michelle Bolster (1985-88) was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 1988.
Michigan's Big Ten Players of the Year
Jenny Allard (1989)
Patti Benedict (1992-93)
Michelle Bolster (1988)
Traci Conrad (1998-99)
Sara Griffin (1995-96)
Vicki Morrow (1987)
Big Ten Standings (through Big Ten Tournament)
Big Ten Overall 1. MICHIGAN 17-3 .850 39-15-1 .718 2. Iowa 16-4 .800 45-12 .789 3. Ohio State 14-6 .700 46-18 .719 4. Illinois 12-8 .600 49-23 .681 5. Penn State 9-11 .450 32-26 .552 Wisconsin 9-11 .450 32-25 .561 Purdue 9-11 .450 34-24-1 .585 8. Northwestern 8-12 .400 20-23 .465 9. Minnesota 7-13 .350 35-21-1 .623 10. Michigan State 5-15 .250 21-39 .350 11. Indiana 4-16 .200 16-36 .320
USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 (5/9/01)
Team Record Pts LW 1. Arizona (25) 54-4 673 1 2. UCLA (2) 53-4 649 2 3. Louisiana State 49-9 587 4 4. Stanford 46-12-1 573 3 5. Oklahoma 41-7 559 6 6. California 48-13 539 5 7. Alabama 47-7 497 7 8. Notre Dame 50-3 474 8 9. Arizona State 34-17 458 11 10. Cal State-Fullerton 46-12 447 9 11. Nebraska 47-11 406 10 12. Washington 36-19 397 12 13. DePaul 47-13-1 352 13 14. Oregon State 40-22-1 303 14 15. Iowa 42-11 287 15 16. Florida State 52-8 269 17 17. Fresno State 38-17 247 16 18. Pacific 47-11 228 18 19. Southwest Texas State 48-9 161 19 Louisiana-Lafayette 45-8 161 20 21. MICHIGAN 37-14-1 131 22 22. South Carolina 37-17-1 118 21 23. Cal State-Northridge 30-22 57 24 Massachusetts 39-11 57 23 25. Kansas 31-25 35 NR
Tracking Michigan in the Rankings
Preseason 11th Feb. 21 18th Feb. 28 18th March 7 20th March 14 21st March 21 24th (tie) March 28 Not Ranked April 4 Not Ranked April 11 Not Ranked April 18 24th April 25 21st May 2 22nd May 9 21st
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
