Season Review: Michigan Softball 2024

• Record: 43-18 overall, 18-5 Big Ten Conference (2nd place)
• Big Ten Tournament: champion
• NCAA Tournament: NCAA Regional Runner-up

The University of Michigan softball team benefited from an incredible second-half turnaround to reach a 33-9 record in its final 42 games after starting with a 10-9 record over the first four weekends. The Wolverines finished second in the final Big Ten regular season standings before capturing their 11th Big Ten Tournament title in program history.

Under the leadership of the second-year head coach Bonnie ThollThe Wolverines posted their first 40-win season since 2019 with an overall record of 43-18 and returned to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus, reaching the NCAA Regional against No. 5 seed – and eventual WCWS participant – Oklahoma State.

Team highlights

• The Wolverines clinched the 2024 Big Ten Tournament title with a 3-1 win over Indiana in the championship game on May 11. UM used small ball and smart baserunning to overcome an early deficit and score its runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Sophomore second baseman Indiana Langford scored one hit and two runs; she and junior outfielder Ellie Sieler both scored a point on a throwing error with two runs in the sixth inning. Right-handed young pitcher Lauren Derkowski was named MVP of the Big Ten Tournament with a 3-0 record, 1.84 earned run average and 20 strikeouts. It was UM’s 11th Big Ten Tournament title in program history and first since 2019. UM ranks first in Big Ten history in tournament titles (11), championship game appearances (17), total wins (49) and winning percentage (.721).

• After starting the season with a 10-9 record through March 1, the Wolverines won 33 of their final 42 games, including a conference record of 18-5, to finish second in the Big Ten regular season. They boasted a team batting average of .297 and a slugging percentage of .506 in the final stretch. Michigan hit a total of 63 home runs on the season – the team’s most since 2016.

• Michigan has six walk-off wins in 2024, including three in a four-game series against Iowa and Nebraska at Hutchins Stadium. Among the walk-offs, UM scored four runs in the seventh inning to beat South Dakota State 4-3 on March 16, beat Iowa in both games of a doubleheader on April 3, won with an eighth-inning home run in the first and a seventh-inning single in the second game and used a walk-off two-run home run to beat Northern Colorado 4-2 in the NCAA Regional (May 18). Overall, the Wolverines have won 17 times this season when the opponent scored first, getting the game-winning hit in the fifth inning or later 15 times — three in the fifth, seven in the sixth, three in the seventh and four in extra innings.

• The Wolverines picked up two wins against Florida, which later reached the WCWS semifinals and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the final NFCA Coaches Poll. Derkowski pitched a 10-game, 2-1 victory against Florida on her 21st birthday (Feb. 10) after allowing just one run — and none earned — six hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Michigan picked up a commanding 10-2 win in five innings against the Gators in its final game of the Judi Garman Classic (March 2), scoring four runs in the first and six more in the third. Freshman RHP Erin Hoehn held Florida scoreless for four innings, ultimately allowing two runs on seven hits while helping her own cause with a three-run double in the third inning.

• The 15th annual Michigan Softball Academy, held May 2, raised more than $235,000 for the American Cancer Society, surpassing the previous record of $205,569 to be set in 2023. Since 2007, the Michigan softball program has raised more than $2,065,000 for the ACS (seven Making Strides Against Breast Cancer marches, 15 academies). No college athletic program has ever raised more money for the American Cancer Society.

Individual highlights

• Michigan led all conference schools with four All-Big Ten first-team honorees – Derkowski, sophomore third baseman Maddie EricksonSieler and Senior First Baseman/Catcher Keke Tholl. All four Wolverines were selected to the first team for the first time in their careers, while Derkowski was previously selected to the second team (2023). It was the most first-team selections UM has made since 2021, when they had five players on the first team. Freshman outfielder Ella Stephenson was also named to the All-Big Ten second team.

• Erickson and Sieler both had big breakout seasons in 2024 – with career highs in every hitting category. Erickson led the Wolverines with a .352 batting average – a 117-point improvement over her previous best last season – as well as 28 extra-base hits and 48 RBI. Sieler improved her best batting average by 54 points to .341, with 47 runs, 62 hits – including 18 for extra bases – and 19 from the leadoff spot.

• Tholl tied the Michigan program record with three home runs in the Wolverines’ 11-5 win over Michigan State on April 9. She hit home runs in the second, fifth and sixth innings to become the fifth player in program history to hit three home runs in a game and the first since Kelly Christner in 2017. It was Tholl’s third career multiple home run effort. She led the Wolverines with a career-high 16 home runs on the season.

• Stephenson, a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in four of the final six weeks of the regular season. In the final six weeks of the regular season, a 22-game streak from March 29 to April 28, Stephenson posted a team-best .400 batting average (30-of-75) with 15 extra-base hits — 10 doubles, three triples and two home runs — and 26 RBIs. Stephenson opened her rookie season with a .167 batting average (9-of-54) in the first 22 games of the season.

• Derkowski was named the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after throwing all 19 innings of the tournament, going 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA and 20 strikeouts. After a bit of a slump in the middle of the Big Ten season, Derkowski finished the season 6-3 over the final five weekends, including five postseason games, with a 2.17 ERA, two shutouts and 69 strikeouts in 67.2 innings.

• Hoehn threw a six-inning no-hitter against Bowling Green (March 10), recording a career-high 11 strikeouts and allowing just three baserunners. Hoehn’s previous strikeout high was five against UCLA (March 5). It was the Wolverines’ only no-hitter this season, while Hoehn became the first UM freshman to throw a no-hitter since Meghan Beaubien in 2018.

• Doctoral student right-handed Hannah George She won six straight – the first of her Michigan career and all as a relief pitcher – and picked up another victory in NCAA Regional play, finishing the season with a 7-1 record. She picked up two wins each in UM’s home series against Iowa and Nebraska and earned her first save in the series opener against OSU. Over the final 21 games and in addition to her seven wins, George posted a 1.75 ERA, two saves and 10 strikeouts in 28 innings.

honors and awards

Lauren
Derkowski

Maddie
Erickson

Ellie
Sieler

Cookies
Thol

Ella
Stephenson

National Fastpitch Coaches Association
All in the Great Lakes Region (First Team): Maddie Erickson, Ellie Sieler
All-Great Lakes Region (Second Team): Lauren Derkowski
All Great Lakes (Third Team): Keke Tholl
Great Lakes Region Coaching Team of the Year: Michigan
Pitcher of the week: Lauren Derkowski (April, 30th)

Big Ten Conference
All-Big Ten (First Team): Lauren Derkowski, Maddie Erickson, Ellie Sieler, Keke Tholl
All-Big Ten (Second Team): Ella Stephenson
Pure freshman team: Ava Costales, Ella Stephenson
Award for sporting sport: Ellie Sieler
MVP of the tournament: Lauren Derkowski
All-Tournament Team: Lauren Derkowski, Ella McVey, Keke Tholl

Big Ten Player of the Week
Player: Keke Tholl (April 15)
Jug: Lauren Derkowski (March 26, April 30)
Student in the first year: Jenissa Conway (March 18), Ella Stephenson (April 1, April 15, April 22, April 30)

Academic All-Big Ten

Emerson AikenJr., Biology, Health and Society BS

Ryleigh CarricaburuSr., Sports Management BA

Lauren DerkowskiJr., Industrial Engineering and Industrial Engineering BSE

Avery FantucciSo., Business Administration BBA

Hannah GeorgeGr., Int Prac IH MH & Substance Abuse MSW

Janelle IlacquaSo., LSA not declared

Indiana LangfordSo., LSA not declared

Jessica LeBeauSr., Psychology BA

Ella McVeyJr., Communication and Media BA

Madi RameySo., Applied Sports Science BS

Kaylee America RodriguezSr., Sports Management BA

Ellie SielerJr., Communication and Media BA

Keke ThollSr., Business Administration BBA

Lilly VallimontSo., Applied Sports Science BS