Michigan
Oklahoma State
Wolverines to Face Four Ranked Opponents at Clearwater Elite Invite
2/16/2022 4:19:00 PM | Softball
» No. 19 Michigan will face four nationally-ranked opponents at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational this weekend, playing No. 7 Oklahoma State (10 a.m.) and No. 24 UCF (3 p.m.) on Friday (Feb. 18), and No. 5 Florida State (1 p.m.) and No. 21 LSU (5 p.m.) on Saturday (Feb. 19).
» Head coach Carol Hutchins is just two wins shy of retaking the mantle as the winningest coach in NCAA softball history; she enters the weekend with a 1,672-535-5 career record.
» RHP Alex Storako leads the nation with 40 total strikeouts and ranks fourth with a 14.2 strikeouts per game; Storako and U-M led the nation both individually and as a team in the strikeout average category.
THIS WEEK
St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational
Tournament Central
Friday, Feb. 18 -- vs. #7 Oklahoma State (Clearwater, Fla.), 10 a.m.
TV: ESPNU | Live Video | Live Stats
Friday, Feb. 18 -- vs. #24 UCF (Clearwater, Fla.), 3 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 19 -- vs. #5 Florida State (Clearwater, Fla.), 1 p.m.
TV: ACC Network | Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 19 -- vs. #21 LSU (Clearwater, Fla.), 5 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
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The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan softball team (3-2) will face a challenging slate for four nationally-ranked opponents at the third annual St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 18-19) at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla. U-M opens on Friday (Feb. 18) against No. 7 Oklahoma State (4-1) at 10 a.m. and No. 24 UCF (4-1) at 3 p.m., and continues with Saturday (Feb. 19) matchups against No. 5 Florida State (4-0), last year's Women's College World Series runner-up, at 1 p.m. and No. 21 LSU (4-2) at 5 p.m. All four games will be aired on ESPN Network platforms.
• Head coach Carol Hutchins is just two wins away from again reaching the top spot as the winningest coach in NCAA softball history. She has compiled a 1,672-535-5 record over her 39 overall seasons as an NCAA head coach and trails only Arizona's Mike Candrea (1,674-436-2), the Hall of Famer and eight-time NCAA champion who retired from coaching last spring.
• Senior right-handed pitcher Alex Storako leads the nation in total strikeouts and ranks fourth nationally with a 14.2 strikeouts-per-seven-innings average after fanning 40 over 19.2 innings at the USF Invitational. She tallied 18 strikeouts in her debut against Illinois State -- the third-most Ks in a single game in her career -- and closed out the weekend with a three-hit complete-game shutout against Kansas City with 13 strikeouts. Storako also led the nation last season with a 12.9 strikeout average, while the Michigan staff posted the nation's top team mark with a 10.76 strikeout average.
• Graduate student outfielder Kristina Burkhardt led the Wolverines with a .471 batting average in her Maize and Blue debut, going 8-for-17 with two doubles and four RBI at the USF Invitational. She posted a pair of three-hit games -- in the weekend opener and finale against Kansas City and tallied two RBI in U-M's 4-1 win over Illinois State. Burkhardt, who joined U-M this season as a grad transfer, was a two-time All-ACC selection -- including a first teamer in 2019 -- at North Carolina and led the Tar Heels with a .333 batting average last season.
• Graduate student third baseman Taylor Bump, who led the Wolverines with 12 home runs last season amid a big breakout year as a fourth-year senior, picked up where she left off in U-M's opener, knocking out a first-inning, two-run shot against Kansas City in her first plate appearance. She now owns 15 homers in her collegiate career.
• Four Wolverine freshmen made their collegiate debuts at the USF Invitational last weekend. Ella McVey started all five games at shortstop, Ellie Sieler started all five in left field, and Annabelle Widra started four at second base and tossed three relief innings from the circle. Lauren Derkowski also made two appearances in the circle and earned her first collegiate start against host USF. McVey, Sieler and Widra all registered their first collegiate hits on opening day.
• U-M returned 13 letterwinners this season, including two starting pitchers and four starting position players. Among their notable returnees are two All-America pitchers in Storako, also the 2021 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, and graduate student left-handed pitcher Meghan Beaubien, senior outfielder and 2021 Big Ten Player of the Year Lexie Blair and Bump, an All-Big Ten first team honoree.
Up Next
Fri-Sun., Feb. 25-27 -- at Duke Invitational (Durham, N.C.)
