U-M to Kick Off B1G Play Against Maryland, Wisconsin in OKC

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team (20-8, 0-0 Big Ten) will open the Big Ten Conference portion of its 2025 season with two games apiece against Maryland (12-12, 2-1 Big Ten) and Wisconsin (18-9, 2-1 Big Ten) this week at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Okla. U-M will face the Terrapins at 6:30 p.m. CT on both Thursday and Friday (March 20-21) before taking on the Badgers at 4:30 p.m. CT Saturday (March 22) and 12:30 p.m. CT Sunday (March 23).

Michigan's first and last games of the set will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network, while the middle two games will stream on B1G+.

Notes

• U-M has claimed 22 Big Ten regular-season championships -- the most in conference history -- since 1992 with three of the last five titles and 12 of the last 16. Michigan took second place in last year's regular-season standings with an 18-5 conference record -- just two games behind first-place Northwestern. Michigan went on to claim the 2024 Big Ten Tournament title.

• Freshman designated player Lauren Putz leads the Wolverines in every offensive category, most notably a .425 batting average, .838 slugging percentage (seven doubles, 1 triple, eight homers) and a .516 on-base percentage. She has posted three multi-homer games this season and six multi-RBI games, including two games with five RBI, and ranks 11th in the conference -- 88th in the country -- with 29 runs scored.

• Putz boasted a .636 batting average (7-for-11) with three runs, three RBI and three extra-base hits over U-M's three games at the Mizzou Invitational last weekend (March 14-15). She has led the Wolverines in hitting three out of six weeks so far this season.

• Junior second baseman Indiana Langford and sophomore outfielder Ella Stephenson rank second and third on the Wolverine team with batting averages of .370 and .352, respectively -- both significant career highs at this point in the season. Langford boasts a 41-point improvement over her previous best (.329) from 2023, while Stephenson owns an 85-point improvement over her rookie year average (.267) last season. Both earned All-Big Ten second-team honors for their previous career-high seasons.

• Michigan has knocked out 15 homers over its last seven games, including three apiece from Putz, Stephenson, junior third baseman Maddie Erickson and junior first baseman Madi Ramey. U-M posted six homers in its second game against North Carolina Central (March 8), the program's most in a game since similarly tallying six last year against Toledo. Michigan owns 29 total homers on the season. Putz leads the Wolverines with eight, while Stephenson and sophomore outfielder Jenissa Conway boast six apiece.

• Michigan batted .308 as a team over its 12-game spring break trip (Feb. 27-March 8) and outscored its opposition 77-16. The Wolverines boasted 31 extra-base hits, including 18 home runs, for a team .532 slugging percentage. Six players registered batting averages of .320 or better.

• Michigan leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally with 10 shutout wins on the season, most recently a 5-0 win over South Dakota State in its final game of the Mizzou Invitational last weekend. Senior RHP Lauren Derkowski owns three complete-game shutouts, ranking second in the conference and 14th in the country, and has combined for four more.

• Derkowski also ranks 27th among the nation's leads with eight complete games this season and 30th with 83.2 innings pitched and shares the fourth spot among the nation's leaders with a career-high four saves. In her save performances, Derkowski has allowed no runs on four hits and four walks with 10 strikeouts across 10.2 innings.

• Sophomore RHP Erin Hoehn (11-2) ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 10th nationally with 11 wins already this season -- just four away from her total (15) as a rookie last season. Oregon's Lyndsey Grein leads the conference and is one of three pitchers to share the nation's top spot with 14.

• After going 0-2 with a 26.25 ERA over just 2.2 innings at the season kickoff USF Invitational (Feb. 7-9), Hoehn has been terrific ever since, posting a 10-0 record with a team-best 1.02 ERA and 51 strikeouts over her last 54.2 innings.