2023 Michigan Wolverines softball team

2023 Michigan Wolverines softball
2023 Michigan Wolverines softball
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	26–25 (10–13 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bonnie Tholl (1st season);
Assistant coaches	Jennifer Brundage (25th season); Amanda Chidester (1st season);
Home stadium	Alumni Field

2023 Big Ten Conference softball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 15 Northwestern ‍†‍‡‍^y	20	–	3	.870	42	–	13	.764
Indiana ‍‍‍^y	18	–	5	.783	44	–	18	.710
Minnesota ‍‍‍^y	17	–	6	.739	38	–	18	.679
Nebraska ‍‍‍^y	13	–	10	.565	36	–	22	.621
Wisconsin ‍‍‍	12	–	10	.545	27	–	20	.574
Ohio State ‍‍‍	12	–	11	.522	33	–	20	.623
Maryland ‍‍‍	11	–	11	.500	38	–	19	.667
Penn State ‍‍‍	11	–	11	.500	31	–	16	.660
Iowa ‍‍‍	10	–	13	.435	35	–	27	.565
‍‍‍	10	–	13	.435	26	–	25	.510
Rutgers ‍‍‍	9	–	14	.391	32	–	25	.561
Illinois ‍‍‍	6	–	16	.273	29	–	27	.518
Purdue ‍‍‍	6	–	17	.261	23	–	30	.434
Michigan State ‍‍‍	4	–	19	.174	14	–	32	.304

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of May 28, 2023^[1] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

The 2023 Michigan Wolverines softball team was an American college softball team that represents the University of Michigan during the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The Wolverines, wee led by head coach Bonnie Tholl in her first season, and played their home games at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Previous season

The Wolverines finished the 2022 season 38–18 overall, and 14–8 in the Big Ten, finishing in fifth place in their conference. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Wolverines received an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament and were defeated in the Regional Final by UCF.^[2]

Preseason

On June 13, 2022, graduate student Alex Storako transferred to Oklahoma.^[3] The next day, sophomore pitcher Annabelle Widra transferred to Auburn.^[4] On July 5, 2022, Michigan added three transfer students, outfielder Ellie Mataya and pitchers Hannah George and Jessica LeBeau.^[5]

On August 24, 2022, long-time head coach Carol Hutchins announced her retirement after 38 years as head coach at Michigan. At the time of her retirement, she was the winningest coach in NCAA Division I history with a record of 1,707–555–5. During her career as head coach, Michigan never suffered a losing season, and she led the team to 22 Big Ten regular-season titles from 1995–2021, including nine in a row from 2008–16, 10 Big Ten Tournament championships, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament 29 times, including each of the last 27 years.^[6]^[7] Later that day former Michigan associate head coach Bonnie Tholl was promoted to head coach.^[8]

Roster

2023 Michigan Wolverines softball team

Players

Coaches

#	Pos.	Name	Bats/throws	Height	Year	High school/junior college	Home town
1	OF	Ellie Sieler	L/L	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)	So	Monroe	Monroe, MI
2	INF	Keke Tholl	R/R	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	Jr	Victor J. Andrew	Tinley Park, IL
3	OF	Lexie Blair	L/L	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)	RS Sr	West Orange	Winter Garden, FL
4	INF	Ryleigh Carricaburu	R/R	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	So	Woodcrest Christian	Riverside, CA
5	INF	Kaylee Rodriguez	R/R	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)	So	Doral Academy	Miami, FL
7	RHP	Maddie Erickson	L/R	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)	Fr	Wilsonville	Wilsonville, OR
8	INF	Madi Ramey	L/R	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)	Fr	Allen Park	Allen Park, MI
11	OF	Lexi Voss (C)	R/R	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Sr	Marist	Palos Park, IL
12	RHP	Jessica LeBeau	L/R	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Jr	Lake	Hartville, OH
14	INF	Janelle Ilacqua	R/R	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)	Fr	Catawba Ridge	Fort Mill, SC
16	C	Jessica Garmen	R/R	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	Sr	Detroit Country Day	Waterford, MI
17	OF	Ellie Mataya	L/L	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)	RS Sr	Lake Braddock	Burke, VA
18	RHP	Lauren Derkowski	R/R	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	So	York Community	Elmhurst, IL
20	U	Lilly Vallimont	R/R	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)	Fr	Trenton	Trenton, MI
21	RHP	Hannah George	R/R	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)	RS Sr	Northside	Columbus, GA
22	RHP	Emerson Aiken	R/R	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	So	Glen Allen	Henrico, VA
23	INF	Avery Fantucci	R/R	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Fr	Marist	Atlanta. GA
24	U	Melina Livingston (C)	R/R	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)	RS Sr	Regina	Harrison Township, MI
25	U	Audrey Leclair	L/R	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Sr	Phoenix Country Day	Phoenix, AZ
32	INF	Ella McVey	L/R	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)	So	Dowling Catholic	Des Moines, IA
44	U	Indian Langford	L/R	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)	Fr	Poway	Poway, CA

Head coach

Bonnie Tholl (Michigan)

Assistant coach(es)

Jennifer Brundage (UCLA)
Amanda Chidester (Michigan)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

2023 Michigan Wolverines Softball Game Log

Regular season (26–24)

February (7–8)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	B1G record
February 9	at USF		USF Softball Stadium Tampa, FL	1–2 ⁽⁸⁾	Dixon (1–0)	Derkowski (0–1)	Hill (1)	1,506	0–1	—
February 10	vs. Colgate The Spring Games		Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex Leesburg, FL	10–0 ⁽⁵⁾	LeBeau (1–0)	Misken (0–1)	—	—	1–1	—
February 11	vs. Western Kentucky The Spring Games		Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex Leesburg, FL	5–2	Derkowski (1–1)	Houchens (0–1)	—	350	2–1	—
February 11	vs. Western Kentucky The Spring Games		Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex Leesburg, FL	5–2 ⁽⁹⁾	Derkowski (2–1)	Gardner (1–2)	—	300	3–1	—
February 12	vs. Portland State The Spring Games		Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex Leesburg, FL	9–1 ⁽⁶⁾	LeBeau (2–0)	Grey (2–1)	—	—	4–1	—
February 17	vs. No. 20 UCF St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational	No. 25	Eddie C. Moore Complex Clearwater, FL	2–8	DeVoe (2–1)	Derkowski (2–2)	—	657	4–2	—
February 17	vs. Louisiana St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational	No. 25	Eddie C. Moore Complex Clearwater, FL	7–6	LeBeau (3–0)	Landry (2–1)	—	657	5–2	—
February 18	vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational	No. 25	Eddie C. Moore Complex Clearwater, FL	6–15 ⁽⁶⁾	Runner (1–0)	LeBeau (3–1)	—	5,632	5–3	—
February 18	vs. Mississippi State St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational	No. 25	Eddie C. Moore Complex Clearwater, FL	5–4	Derkowski (3–2)	Hawk (1–2)	—	5,632	6–3	—
February 19	vs. No. 16 Duke St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational	No. 25	Eddie C. Moore Complex Clearwater, FL	3–6	Davidson (2–1)	LeBeau (3–2)	Wright (1)	—	6–4	—
February 24	vs. Boise State Stanford Invitational		Smith Family Stadium Stanford, CA	2–4	Walljasper (4–1)	Derkowski (3–3)	—	57	6–5	—
February 24	vs. Nevada Stanford Invitational		Smith Family Stadium Stanford, CA	0–3	Craft (3–0)	LeBeau (3–3)	—	74	6–6	—
February 25	vs. Boise State Stanford Invitational		Smith Family Stadium Stanford, CA	2–1	LeBeau (4–3)	Caudill (1–3)	—	116	7–6	—
February 25	at No. 16 Stanford Stanford Invitational		Smith Family Stadium Stanford, CA	0–5	Vawter (5–1)	Derkowski (3–4)	—	315	7–7	—
February 26	at No. 16 Stanford Stanford Invitational		Smith Family Stadium Stanford, CA	1–3	Krause (3–1)	LeBeau (4–4)	—	115	7–8	—
February 28	at Saint Mary's		Cottrell Field Moraga, CA	Cancelled^[9]

March (9–5)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	B1G record
March 2	vs. UCF Judi Garman Classic		Anderson Family Field Fullerton, CA	2–0	LeBeau (5–4)	Felton (3–3)	—	494	8–8	—
March 2	at Cal State Fullerton Judi Garman Classic		Anderson Family Field Fullerton, CA	2–1 ⁽⁸⁾	Derkowski (4–4)	Sutherlin (4–2)	—	494	9–8	—
March 3	vs. No. 15 LSU Judi Garman Classic		Anderson Family Field Fullerton, CA	0–2	Kilponen (5–0)	LeBeau (5–5)	—	357	9–9	—
March 3	vs. Seattle Judi Garman Classic		Anderson Family Field Fullerton, CA	3–2	Derkowski (5–4)	Ilacqua (7–2)	—	325	10–9	—
March 4	vs. No. 2 UCLA Judi Garman Classic		Anderson Family Field Fullerton, CA	0–8 ⁽⁵⁾	Faraimo (11–1)	LeBeau (5–6)	—	—	10–10	—
March 9	Kent State		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	4–0	Derkowski (6–4)	Kelly (2–4)	—	202	11–10	—
March 10	Georgia Southern		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	Cancelled^[10]
March 11	Georgia Southern		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	Cancelled
March 11	Kent State		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	Cancelled
March 12	Kent State		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	Cancelled
March 15	Bowling Green		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	9–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Derkowski (7–4)	Anderson (5–2)	—	773	12–10	—
March 18	vs. Longwood John Cropp Classic		John Cropp Stadium Lexington, KY	2–1	Derkowski (8–4)	Burton (4–6)	—	—	13–10	—
March 18	at No. 14 Kentucky John Cropp Classic		John Cropp Stadium Lexington, KY	Cancelled
March 19	vs. DePaul John Cropp Classic		John Cropp Stadium Lexington, KY	Cancelled
March 19	at No. 14 Kentucky John Cropp Classic		John Cropp Stadium Lexington, KY	1–2	Schoonover(11–1)	Derkowski (8–5)	—	1,077	13–11	—
March 24	at Ohio State		Buckeye Field Columbus, OH	Postponed^[11]
March 25	at Ohio State		Buckeye Field Columbus, OH	Postponed
March 26	at Ohio State		Buckeye Field Columbus, OH	3–1 ⁽¹⁰⁾	Derkowski (9–5)	Smith (9–4)	—	1,773	14–11	1–0
March 26	at Ohio State		Buckeye Field Columbus, OH	2–11 ⁽⁵⁾	Ruck (5–4)	LeBeau (5–7)	—	1,325	14–12	1–1
March 27	at Ohio State		Buckeye Field Columbus, OH	7–8	Smith (10–4)	Derkowski (9–6)	Ruck (1)	405	14–13	1–2
March 29	Oakland		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	9–0 ⁽⁵⁾	LeBeau (6–7)	Campbell (5–4)	—	1,109	15–13	—
March 31	at Nebraska		Bowlin Stadium Lincoln, NE	10–1 ⁽⁵⁾	Derkowski (10–6)	Wallace (15–7)	—	691	16–13	2–2

April (8–8)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	B1G record
April 1	at Nebraska		Bowlin Stadium Lincoln, NE	0–8 ⁽⁵⁾	Wallace (16–7)	LeBeau (6–8)	—	941	16–14	2–3
April 2	at Nebraska		Bowlin Stadium Lincoln, NE	4–2	Derkowski (11–6)	Harness (8–4)	—	1,137	17–14	3–3
April 5	at Michigan State		Secchia Stadium East Lansing, MI	Postponed^[12]
April 7	Illinois		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	0–3	Sickels (11–6)	Derkowski (11–7)	—	1,339	17–15	3–4
April 8	Illinois		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	3–2	LeBeau (7–8)	McQueen (4–3)	Derkowski (2)	1,941	18–15	4–4
April 9	Illinois		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	2–1 ⁽⁸⁾	Derkowski (12–7)	Sickels (11–7)	—	1,463	19–15	5–4
April 12	at Michigan State		Secchia Stadium East Lansing, MI	5–2	Derkowski (13–7)	Guidry (2–7)	—	1,264	20–15	6–4
April 14	at Purdue		Bittinger Stadium West Lafayette, IN	4–0	Derkowski (14–7)	Echazarreta (5–10)	—	509	21–15	7–4
April 15	at Purdue		Bittinger Stadium West Lafayette, IN	2–3	Elish (8–2)	LeBeau (7–9)	—	686	21–16	7–5
April 15	at Purdue		Bittinger Stadium West Lafayette, IN	5–0	Derkowski (15–7)	Echazarreta (5–11)	—	99	22–16	8–5
April 18	Michigan State		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	8–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Derkowski (16–7)	Guidry (3–9)	—	2,104	23–16	9–5
April 21	No. 21 Northwestern		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	3–4 ⁽¹¹⁾	Boyd (7–3)	LeBeau (7–10)	—	1,384	23–17	9–6
April 22	No. 21 Northwestern		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	15–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Derkowski (17–7)	Henry (10–2)	—	1,852	24–17	10–6
April 23	No. 21 Northwestern		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	0–3	Williams (12–1)	Derkowski (17–8)	—	2,130	24–18	10–7
April 28	Indiana		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	Postponed^[13]
April 29	Indiana		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	1–4	Copeland (17–2)	Derkowski (17–9)	—	1,881	24–19	10–8
April 29	Indiana		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	1–15 ⁽⁶⁾	Johnson (13–6)	LeBeau (7–11)	—	1,881	24–20	10–9
April 30	Indiana		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	5–6	Copeland (18–2)	Derkowski (17–10)	Johnson (4)	1,948	24–21	10–10

May (2–3)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	B1G record
May 2	Western Michigan		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	9–1 ⁽⁵⁾	Derkowski (18–10)	Godwin (4–10)	—	1,037	25–21	—
May 3	Oakland		Alumni Field Ann Arbor, MI	13–0 ⁽⁵⁾	LeBeau (8–11)	Konyvka (0–7)	—	318	26–21	—
May 5	at Minnesota		Jane Sage Cowles Stadium Minneapolis, MN	0–3	Pease (24–6)	Derkowski (18–11)	—	830	26–22	10–11
May 6	at Minnesota		Jane Sage Cowles Stadium Minneapolis, MN	10–13	Schwartz (2–1)	Derkowski (18–12)	—	863	26–23	10–12
May 7	at Minnesota		Jane Sage Cowles Stadium Minneapolis, MN	0–2	Pease (25–6)	Derkowski (18–13)	—	961	26–24	10–13

Post-season (0–1)

Big Ten Tournament (0–1)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	B1GT record
May 10	Penn State		Eichelberger Field Champaign, IL	2–3	Lingenfelt (12–5)	Derkowski (18–14)	—	—	26–25	0–1

Win
Loss
Postponement
Bold: Wolverines team member
Reference:^[14]^[15]

Rankings from NFCA.
(#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
NFCA / USA Today	RV	25	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Softball America	21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ESPN.com/USA Softball	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
D1Softball	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

References

^ "Big Ten Softball Standings". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
^ Howard, Leah (May 22, 2022). "Wolverines Fall to Host UCF in NCAA Regional Final". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ Chengelis, Angelique S. (June 13, 2022). "Michigan softball pitcher Alex Storako transfers to Oklahoma for final season". The Detroit News. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ Zuke, Ryan (June 14, 2022). "Michigan softball loses another pitcher to transfer portal". MLive.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ Howard, Leah (August 24, 2022). "Wolverines Add Three Transfer Students to Softball Program". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ Howard, Leah (August 24, 2022). "Hutchins Announces Retirement After 38 Seasons at Helm of U-M Softball". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ Cossman, Barb (August 24, 2022). "The Profound Legacy of Carol Hutchins". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ Howard, Leah (August 24, 2022). "Tholl Named Head Coach of Michigan Softball". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ Howard, Leah (February 28, 2023). "Rain Washes Out Midweek Softball Game at Saint Mary's". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
^ Howard, Leah (March 8, 2023). "Inclement Weather Alters Home-Opening Weekend Schedule". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
^ Howard, Leah (March 25, 2023). "Wolverines' Series Opener at Ohio State Postponed to Sunday". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
^ Howard, Leah (April 5, 2023). "Weather Postpones Wolverines' Rivalry Game at Michigan State". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
^ Howard, Leah (April 28, 2023). "U-M's Friday Opener Against Indiana Postponed, Doubleheader Saturday". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
^ "2023 Softball Schedule". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ Howard, Leah (November 22, 2022). "Wolverines Announce 2023 Softball Schedule, Ticket Information". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[1] "Big Ten Softball Standings". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved May 28, 2023.

[2] Howard, Leah (May 22, 2022). "Wolverines Fall to Host UCF in NCAA Regional Final". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[3] Chengelis, Angelique S. (June 13, 2022). "Michigan softball pitcher Alex Storako transfers to Oklahoma for final season". The Detroit News. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[4] Zuke, Ryan (June 14, 2022). "Michigan softball loses another pitcher to transfer portal". MLive.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[5] Howard, Leah (August 24, 2022). "Wolverines Add Three Transfer Students to Softball Program". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[6] Howard, Leah (August 24, 2022). "Hutchins Announces Retirement After 38 Seasons at Helm of U-M Softball". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[7] Cossman, Barb (August 24, 2022). "The Profound Legacy of Carol Hutchins". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[8] Howard, Leah (August 24, 2022). "Tholl Named Head Coach of Michigan Softball". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[9] Howard, Leah (February 28, 2023). "Rain Washes Out Midweek Softball Game at Saint Mary's". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 28, 2023.

[10] Howard, Leah (March 8, 2023). "Inclement Weather Alters Home-Opening Weekend Schedule". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 8, 2023.

[11] Howard, Leah (March 25, 2023). "Wolverines' Series Opener at Ohio State Postponed to Sunday". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 25, 2023.

[12] Howard, Leah (April 5, 2023). "Weather Postpones Wolverines' Rivalry Game at Michigan State". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 5, 2023.

[13] Howard, Leah (April 28, 2023). "U-M's Friday Opener Against Indiana Postponed, Doubleheader Saturday". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

[14] "2023 Softball Schedule". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[15] Howard, Leah (November 22, 2022). "Wolverines Announce 2023 Softball Schedule, Ticket Information". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

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Michigan Wolverines softball
Venues	Alumni Field (1982–Present)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2024 2025
National Championships in bold; Women's College World Series appearances in italics