Weekly Release #4
3/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Upcoming Schedule
Thu-Sun., March 17-20 -- at Kia Classic (Fullerton, Calif.)
March 17 -- at Cal State Fullerton, 6:15 p.m.
March 17 -- vs. Fresno State, 8:30 p.m.
March 18 -- vs. North Carolina, 11:15 a.m.
March 19 -- Championship Bracket Play, tba
March 20 -- Championship Bracket Play, tba
Fri-Sun., March 25-27 -- at Louisville Invitational (Louisville, Ky.)
March 25 -- vs. Western Kentucky, 4 p.m.
March 25 -- vs. Middle Tennessee State, 6 p.m.
March 26 -- at Louisville, noon
March 26 -- Championship Round, tbd
2005 RECORDS
Overall: 21-1 (.955)
Big Ten: 0-0 (.000)
Home: 0-0 / Away: 7-0 /Ntrl: 14-1
USA Today/NFCA Rank: No. 6 (March 9)
USA Softball/ESPN.com Rank: No. 5 (March 8)
HEAD COACH
Carol Hutchins (Michigan State, 1979)
Head Coach Records --
All (22nd year): 896-350-4, .718
U-M (21st year): 873-339-4, .717
Big Ten (20th year): 342-124 .729
First Pitch
After taking one week off, maybe the hottest softball team in the nation returns to action this week as No. 5 Michigan participates in the Kia Klassic (Thur-Sun., March 25-27) in Fullerton, Calif. Annually, one of the elite non-conference college softball tournaments in the country, the 16-team Kia Klassic hosted by Cal State Fullerton is comprised of 11 ranked teams, including six of the top 14 teams in the nation according to the most recent ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll. Michigan currently owns the nation's longest winning streak at 21 games and is one win shy of matching the school record for consecutive wins.
Michigan's Pool
The Wolverines open up pool play at the Kia Klassic on Thursday vs. host Cal State Fullerton (6:15 p.m. PST) and No. 17 Fresno State (8:30 p.m. PST). Pool play for Michigan closes on Friday with a game vs. North Carolina (11:15 a.m. PST) and then Championship Bracket play begins on Saturday. The top two teams in each bracket advance to an eight-team single elimination championship bracket with the tournament's remaining eight teams making up the consolation bracket.
Opponents
Cal State Fullerton (7-7): The Titans split a doubleheader vs. San Diego State on March 11 in their last time out ... Fullerton is 2-2 vs. ranked teams, beating #3 UCLA 4-3 on Feb. 5 and #7 Georgia 9-1 on Feb. 6 ... the Titans are 0-1 vs. the Big Ten this season after dropping a 3-1 decision to Wisconsin on Feb. 26 ... CFSU is hitting .289 as a team with five regulars hitting over .300, led by Iowa transfer Lindsay Bashor, who is hitting .395 with three home runs and eight RBI ... Cal State Fullerton on the Internet: www.titansports.org ... Series: Cal State Fullerton leads, 5-1 (last meeting, 1996).
#22/17 Fresno State (12-5): The Bulldogs have won two straight and three of their last four after sweeping a doubleheader from St. Mary's on Saturday ... Fresno State is 1-3 vs. ranked teams this season, including a 5-2 over No. LSU on Feb. 26 to earn a spot in the Gold Bracket Playoffs at the NFCA Leadoff Classic ... Christina Clark is hitting .404 with six home runs and 12 RBI to lead an offense that is hitting .269 as a team ... FSU's staff ace is Jamie Southern, who is 6-2 with a 0.64 ERA with 71 strikeouts and just four walks in 55.0 innings of work ... Fresno State on the Internet: www.gobulldogs.com ... Series: Fresno State leads, 6-2 (last meeting, 2003).
North Carolina (16-9): The Tar Heels are 3-8 in their last 11 after opening the season 10-1 ... UNC is 2-5 vs. ranked teams after dropping two of three to No. 19 Georgia Tech over the weekend ... the other win over a ranked team was a 3-2 win over No. 20 Florida State in the finale of a three-game series on March 5 ... Anna Evans is hitting .343 with four home runs and 10 RBI to lead UNC offensively ... the pitching staff is led by Crystal Cox, who is 6-6 with a 2.05 ERA, but has 108 strikeouts in 92.0 innings of work ... the Tar Heel staff boasts a 2.21 ERA ... Series: Michigan leads, 5-1 (last meeting, 2003).
Wolverines Head Back West
Michigan will be making its first-ever appearance in the Kia Klassic this weekend with their second west coast trip of the season. Michigan opened the season in Las Vegas, Nev. on Feb. 11-13, but has spent the last three weeks in either Georgia or Florida. This weekend is Michigan's final trip west coast trip of the regular season. Michigan plays in the Louisville Invitational next weekend (March 25-27) before opening Big Ten Conference action one week later.
Series History
Michigan opens up play this weekend against Cal State Fullerton, a team the Wolverines are just 1-5 against all-time and have not faced sine 1996. Michigan is 2-6 all-time vs. Fresno State, but has won the last two meetings with the Bulldogs, including a 9-4 in the teams' last meeting on Feb. 15, 2003, at the Campbell/Cartier Classic. Then just a freshman, Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) hit her first career home run and went 3-4 with five RBI in the win. Michigan is 5-1 all-time vs. North Carolina after splitting a pair of games with the Tar Heels at the 2003 Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational.
Rollin'
Since dropping a 7-6 decision to No. 17 Baylor in the season opener on Feb. 12, the Wolverines have rolled to 21 straight victories, outscoring opponents 130-16. Michigan's 21-game win streak is the nation's longest current streak and the second-longest in the program's history. The Wolverines won 22 straight in 1993 en route to their second Big Ten title and NCAA Tournament appearance. The longest unbeaten streak in school history was a 33-game run in 1999 when the Wolverines went 32-0-1 from March 2 through April 13. The Wolverines won 16 straight before tying Iowa 2-2 on March 21 and then won another 16 straight before falling to Central Michigan on April 14.
Michigan's Longest Win Streaks
22 games (1993)
21 games (2005)
19 games (1995, 2004)
18 games (2001)
17 games (1997, 1998)
Consecutive Games Unbeaten
33 games (32-0-1) 1999
Ranked Foes
Michigan's matchup vs. No. 22/17 Fresno State is the Wolverines seventh this season vs. a ranked opponent. Michigan is 6-1 vs. ranked teams with its only loss a 7-6 decision to No. 17 Baylor in the season opener on Feb. 12. The highest ranked team Michigan has defeated this season is No. 13 Oregon (9-0) on Feb. 13 and No. 13 Georgia Tech (4-1) on Feb. 25. Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS) has been at her best against the best competition, hitting .529 with a .706 slugging percentage in those six games. Other Wolverines playing well vs. ranked teams are Tiffany Haas (.458) and Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) with a .375 average and two home runs. In the circle, Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) has been almost unhittable in the big games with a 4-0 record and 0.54 ERA along with 36 strikeouts and just one walk in 26.0 innings.
Michigan vs. Ranked Teams
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| 2/12/05 | #17 Baylor | L, 6-7 |
| 2/13/05 | #13 Oregon | W, 9-0 (5) |
| 2/25/05 | #13 Georgia Tech | W, 4-1 |
| 3/1/05 | #15 Florida | W, 4-0 |
| 3/1/05 | #15 Florida | W, 4-1 |
| 3/5/05 | #16 Florida | W, 6-2 |
Hutch Nearing Another Milestone
Now in her 22nd year of coaching college softball and her 21st season at Michigan, head coach Carol Hutchins is knocking on the door of very elite company as the Wolverine leader is four wins shy of becoming just the eighth Division I softball coach to reach 900 career wins. Hutchins is 896-350-4 (.718) all-time and 873-339-4 (.720) in her 20 seasons at Michigan.
Balance of Power
Michigan has connected for 30 home runs this season with 10 different Wolverines connecting for at least one dinger and freshman Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) leading the way with seven. Six different Wolverines have at least two home runs and four different members of the Maize and Blue have went yard at least four times. Senior shortstop Jessica Merchant is second on the team with six and recently became the Wolverines all-time home run leader when she hit the 29th of her career vs. in a 2-1 win over Chattanooga on March 4, breaking the former mark of 28 held by Melissa Gentile (1997-2000).
Michigan's Career Home Run Leaders
| HR | Wolverine | Years |
| 31 | Jessica Merchant | 2002-c |
| 28 | Melissa Gentile | 1997-00 |
| 22 | Marissa Young | 2000-03 |
| 20 | Stefanie Volpe | 1999-02 |
| 20 | Melinda Moulden | 2000-03 |
Streakin'
Freshman centerfielder Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) has settled in as the No. 2 hitter in the Wolverine lineup with a combination of power and speed. Giampaolo, who has two home runs, is currently a Michigan season-best 11-game hit streak. During the streak, she has hit .368 with seven runs and three doubles.
Three No-No's Already
Though the season is only about one-third complete, Michigan's pitching staff has already tossed three no-hitters, just one shy of the school record of four that was tossed during the 1996 campaign. Nicole Motycka started things with a five-inning no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Rutgers on Feb. 19. Jennie Ritter then got in the act with the second of her career in a 4-0 win over #15 Florida on March 1. Ritter made the total three for her career and three for the season for Michigan with a five-inning effort in a 9-0 win over South Florida on March 4. Ritter's three career no-hitters is second on the all-time list behind the four recorded by Vicki Morrow (1984-87).
Speaking of Motycka
The All-America second-team pitcher from a year ago has done most of damage this season at the plate where she is hitting .417 with three home runs, 16 RBI and a team-best .507 on-base percentage. Nicole Motycka is one of just two Wolverines who have drawn more walks (12) than has struck out (five). She entered the season with just 20 career free passes.
Movin' Up
Michigan's 21-game win streak has been noticed nationally, with both top 25 polls moving the Wolverines up last week. The ESPN.com/USA Softball poll moved the Wolverines from No. 8 up to No. 5 while the NFCA/USA Today poll bumped the Wolverines up one spot from No. 7 to No. 6. Michigan's promotion to No. 5 in the ESPN/USA poll is its first-ever appearance in that poll's top five. This is the third season that poll has existed.
Wilson Emerges
Sophomore hurler Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) went 8-0 last season as a freshman, but did not figure to see significant starts this season with All-American Nicole Motycka and All-Big Ten third-team selection Jennie Ritter returning to the circle. Wilson, however, has been Michigan's best pitcher this season statistically, matching that 8-0 mark of a year ago and posting a 0.28 ERA with 84 strikeouts and only 14 walks in 50.2 innings.
Milestone Watch
Tiffany Haas has started 101 straight games for the Wolverines at second base. Haas last missed a start in game two of a doubleheader vs. Eastern Michigan on April 29, 2003.
Tiffany Haas has scored 113 career runs and is four runs scored shy of surpassing Meghan Doe (2000-04) and moving into 10th place on the all-time list.
Jessica Merchant has 39 career doubles and is one shy of matching Tracy Carr (1993-96) for sixth on the all-time list.
Nicole Motykca is one hit shy of 100 for her career.
Nicole Motycka is one strikeout shy of becoming only the sixth pitcher in Michigan history to 400 for her career.
Nicole Motycka has 65 career wins and her next victory will move her into fifth place on the Michigan career list.
Jennie Ritter has 423 career strikeouts and is 24 shy of surpassing Vicki Morrow (1984-87) and moving into fourth place on the career list.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
