Wolverines to Host Big Ten Tournament at Wilpon Complex
5/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 10, 2017
» Michigan will host the Big Ten Tournament for the 10th time and for the first time since 2005; the Wolverines seek their 10th tournament title in program history.
» As the No. 2 seed, Michigan earned a first-round bye and will open play in Friday's (May 12) 4:30 p.m. quarterfinal against the winner of the Michigan State/Indiana first-round game.
» The Wolverines enter the tournament on a nine-game win streak and are averaging 9.8 runs per game over the stretch with a .424 team average and 2.56 home run per game.
• TV: Big Ten Network | | BTN2Go | Tournament Central | Bracket 
• Complete Game Notes
THIS WEEK
Friday, May 12 -- vs. Michigan State or Indiana - Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals (Wilpon Complex), 4:30 p.m.
2017 Big Ten Tournament Schedule
Thursday-Saturday, May 11-13
Wilpon Complex/Alumni Field (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Thursday, May 11 (First Round)
Game 1 -- No. 8 seed Northwestern vs. No. 9 seed Purdue, 11 a.m.
Game 2 -- No. 5 seed Nebraska vs. No. 12 seed Penn State, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 -- No. 7 seed Michigan State vs. No. 10 seed Indiana, 4:30 p.m.
Game 4 -- No. 6 seed Wisconsin vs. No. 11 seed Iowa, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 12 (Quarterfinals)
Game 5 -- No. 1 seed Minnesota vs. Game 1 winner, 11 a.m.
Game 6 -- No. 4 seed Illinois vs. Game 2 winner, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7 -- No. 2 seed Michigan vs. Game 3 winner, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8 -- No. 3 seed Ohio State vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 13 (Semifinals)
Game 9 -- Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 1 p.m.
Game 10 -- Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 13 (Championship Game)
Game 11 -- Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 6 p.m.
The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan softball team (41-10-1, 20-3 Big Ten) will kick off postseason play this weekend with the hosting of the Big Ten Conference Tournament at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field. With the No. 2 seed, the Wolverines earn a first-round bye and will open play in the quarterfinal round at 4:30 p.m. on Friday (May 12), facing the winner of the first-round contest between No. 7-seeded Michigan State and No. 10 Indiana. U-M defeated Michigan State in a pair of midweek home games and swept a three-game series against IU in its final home weekend. All games will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
• The Wolverines seek their 10th Big Ten Tournament title in program history. Michigan owns a 41-15 (.732) all-time record in 19 appearances in the Big Ten Tournament and, with nine tournament titles, U-M boasts three times as many as the next teams on the leaderboard -- Northwestern and Minnesota with three titles.
• Michigan is hosting the Big Ten Tournament for the 10th time in program history (1982, '95, '96, '98, '99, 2001, '02, '04, '05) and the first time since 2005. The tournament was reinstated on a rotational basis in 2013 after a four-year absence. From 1995-2008, it was held at the site of the regular-season champion. The Wolverines captured the tournament title in five of nine host roles and reached the championship game in eight.
• U-M claimed each of its eight Big Ten Conference series this season and, with a 20-3 league record, finishes in second place in the final conference standings -- two games behind Minnesota (22-1). Michigan and Minnesota do not face each other this season in the regular season. It snapped the Wolverines' streak of nine straight Big Ten titles, dating back to 2008.
• Michigan remains unbeaten at Alumni Field this season with a perfect 17-0 home record. Stretching back into last season, when they went 20-1 at home, the Wolverines have won 36 straight home games. U-M owns an impressive 546-133-1 record Alumni Field since its opening in 1982 and is 159-19 since the Wilpon Complex renovations in 2008.
• Since seeing a significant lineup shakeup -- the temporary benching of five regular starters -- in the second game of the Wisconsin series, the Wolverines have since averaged 9.8 runs per game over the last nine games. U-M had averaged 2.57 runs in the preceding seven contests.
• Michigan is batting .424 over its last nine games and knocked out 23 home runs over the stretch -- an average of 2.56 homers per game. Seven Wolverines boast averages of .400 or better, most notably sophomore Faith Canfield and Natalie Peters, who are hitting .586 and .566, respectively, over the stretch. Canfield, junior Aidan Falk, senior Kelly Christner, junior Tera Blanco and sophomore Katie Alexander all have three homers over the last nine games.
• The Wolverines currently rank second in the nation with a .982 fielding percentage, trailing only Florida (.986). Five Michigan starters boast fielding percentages of .980 or better, perhaps most notably sophomore second baseman Faith Canfield, who has just one error in 124 touches for a stellar .992 fielding percentage.
• Senior RHP Megan Betsa currently leads the nation with 370 strikeouts on the season -- 63 more than second-place Jacquelyn Sertic from North Dakota State -- and ranks third nationally with 12.5 strikeouts per seven innings. She boasts 19 double-digit strikeout performances this season, including 12 of her last 18 starts. She became the first Wolverine player in program history to record three straight 300-strikeout seasons and the third to surpass 1,000 career strikeouts. Standing now at 1,159; she is 46 shy of second place on the all-time leaders list, currently held by Jennie Ritter (1,205, 2003-06), and 61 behind record holder Jordan Taylor (1,220, 2008-11).
• Betsa also reached 100 career wins with her victory in the Rutgers series finale, becoming just the fourth Wolverine player to achieve the milestone. She is tied with two-time All-America Haylie Wagner (2012-15) for third place among U-M's all-time leaders, six wins shy of Sara Griffin (106, 1995-98) in second place. Jordan Taylor (2008-11) holds the program's wins record with 107.
• Betsa also leads the Big Ten in shutouts (11, ranks 4th nationally), saves (5, 5th nationally) and hits allowed per seven innings (3.45, 8th nationally).
