How U-M Advanced to NCAA Play
Michigan (51-11-1) begins NCAA National Championship play as the No. 6-seeded team in the 48-team tournament field and the top-seeded squad in the Regional 6 Championship. The Wolverines captured a seventh NCAA regional slot as an at-large entry after winning the Big Ten Conference regular-season title.

A Ninth Season of Postseason Action
The 1999 NCAA Regional Championship marks the Wolverines' ninth season of postseason tournament play. A year ago, Michigan won the Big Ten season and tournament championships as well as the NCAA Regional 3 championship to advance to the NCAA Women's College World Series, where it placed in a tie for fifth. The 1999 squad, in the midst of one of the 22-year-old program's best-ever seasons, has already claimed the Big Ten season championship. . . . Michigan has participated in three different national postseason tournaments: AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women), NIC (National Invitational Championship) and NCAA.

Regional Hosting Good to Michigan
The University of Michigan is serving as a regional tournament host for the seventh time. Elbel and Mitchell Fields on campus served as the sites for the 1982 AIAW Regional Tournament. The present-day Michigan softball home field -- Alumni Field -- has been the site for the 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 NCAA Regional Championships. . . . All in all, Michigan carries a 14-4 record in regional tournament play in Ann Arbor (AIAW 4-1, NCAA 10-3).

Year	Affili.	Champ	Runner-up
1982	AIAW	Michigan	Central Michigan
1993	NCAA	Southwestern Louisiana	Michigan
1995	NCAA	Michigan	Notre Dame
1996	NCAA	Michigan	South Carolina
1997	NCAA	Michigan	Central Michigan
1998	NCAA	Michigan	DePaul
1999	NCAA	TBD	TBD

Regional Five-Peat on the Way?
The Wolverines head to the 1999 NCAA Regional 6 Championship as four-time defending champions and looking for a fifth NCAA regional trophy to add to their collection. U-M has advanced to the Women's College World Series in each of the last four seasons, placing in a fifth-place tie in both 1997 and 1998, and finishing in a seventh-place tie in the 1995 and 1996 championships.

Top Seeding Nationally, In Regional
Michigan begins NCAA Championship play seeded sixth in the 48-team field. The Wolverines were last seeded sixth in the 1997 national tournament and were the No. 3-seeded team in 1998. U-M was the seventh seed in both 1995 and 1996. At the region level, Michigan is enjoying a No. 1 seeding for the fifth time (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) after being the second seed in the 1993 regional.

Career Hitter
Wolverine Traci Conrad (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way HS), holder of the Michigan and Big Ten career hits and runs records, will finish her collegiate career as one of the top players in NCAA Division I history. In each of her Michigan seasons, Conrad has recorded 86 or more hits and scored 53 or more runs. She set the U-M career hits record March 5 vs. Mississippi State and the Big Ten mark April 10 against Minnesota.

1. Jenny Dalton, Arizona	1993-96	293
2. Alison McCutcheon, Arizona	1995-98	287
3. Leah O'Brien, Arizona	1994-97	273
4. Amy Chellevold, Arizona	1992-95	252
5. Leah Braatz, Arizona	1994-95, 97-98	250
6. Laura Berg, Fresno State	1994-95, 97-98	245
-- Traci Conrad, Michigan	1996-present	223

Doublin' Wolverine Duo
Michigan has a pair of doubles specialists who are quickly ascending the NCAA Division I career doubles list. Seniors Catherine Davie (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS) and Traci Conrad are one-two among alltime Wolverine players in career doubles, with Davie totaling 61 and Conrad 59 over their four seasons. Davie set the U-M career doubles record May 8 vs. Indiana and added the Big Ten career doubles record to her list of achievements on May 14 vs. Iowa in the Big Ten Softball Tournament. The Wolverine pair ranks among the top 15 in the NCAA Division I career doubles list.

Alumni Field A Home Advantage for Michigan
Michigan plays for the NCAA Regional Championship title for the fifth time on its own field. Alumni Field has been a good home for the Wolverines, who boast a .736 winning percentage (249-89) over 17 seasons of use. In NCAA Regional Championship action at Alumni Field, Michigan carries a 13-3 record. The Wolverines' last loss in regional play was in 1997, a 3-1 loss to Central Michigan in the championship semifinal. U-M has a four-game winning streak alive in NCAA regional play.

NCAA Regionals Draw Big Alumni Field Crowds
Four of the five largest crowds in Alumni Field history have been during NCAA Regional Championships hosted by Michigan. The Alumni Field record is 1,452 set on May 16, 1998, when the Wolverines beat DePaul 3-0 for the NCAA Regional 3 Championship. The largest Alumni Field crowd for the 1999 season was 1,265 for the May 15 Big Ten Tournament title game between U-M and Minnesota. That crowd was also the second-largest in Alumni Field history.

High-Scoring Offense Drives Wolverines' Game
Michigan begins NCAA Regional 6 action with solid offensive numbers. The Wolverines are hitting a collective .326 for the season and holding their opponents to a .223 average. Five U-M players are hitting better than .350 for the season. All that Maize and Blue hitting power is pushing runs across the plate at a rate two and one-half times better than the opposition (345 runs to 131 runs for the year), at an average 5.48 runs a game. . . . Michigan ranks among the top 10 among NCAA Division I teams with its .326 batting average.

U-M Trio Honored for Academic Excellence
Three Michigan players -- Traci Conrad, Tammy Mika and Pam Kosanke -- are among the 11 players named to the GTE Academic All-District IV First Team. The threesome were selected by the membership of the College Sports Information Directors of America in the Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Alabama district. All three Michigan players advance to the GTE Academic All-America ballot. Conrad (first team) and Mika (third team) were 1998 GTE Academic All-Americans and listed on the 1998 GTE Academic All-District IV First Team. Kosanke was an all-district second-team award winner in 1998. All three are Academic All-Big Ten Conference honorees. Conrad is a May graduate in sports management and communications. Kosanke is a junior business administration major, and Mika, who will attend Dental School at the University of Detroit in the fall, is a biology/pre-medicine major.

Seven Earn Michigan Academic Awards
Michigan's success on the softball diamond can be traced to the team's success in the classroom. Seven members of the 1999 Wolverine team were presented with Michigan Athletic Academic Achievement awards April 6. Included among this season's MAAA recipients were four 1998 Academic All-Big Ten Conference honorees and two 1998 GTE Academic All-America players, Traci Conrad and Tammy Mika. Joining Conrad and Mika on the softball MAAA list are Kate Eiland (Fresno, Calif./Clovis West HS), Kristen Hunter (Sterling Heights, Mich./Warren Cousino HS), Pam Kosanke, Karmen Lappo (Muskegon, Mich./North Muskegon HS) and Courtney Murdock (Barrington, Ill./Barrington HS).

Volpe Carries A Big Stick
First-year catcher Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth-Salem HS), an All-Big Ten First-Team selection, took apart the Indiana pitching staff over the May 8-9 three-game series, batting a blazing-hot .900 (9-for-10) against the Hoosiers. Volpe posted a pair of perfect games in the three-game series, opening with a 3-for-3 showing in game one and closing with a season-best 4-for-4 performance in game three. Three of her hits went for doubles, including two in Michigan's 5-4 game-two victory. Volpe has 43 RBIs for the year, recording nine in the Indiana series and one in the Big Ten Tournament. Her performance vs. Indiana earned her Big Ten Player of the Week accolades, the first award of her career. She heads to the NCAA Regional batting .355 (59-for-166), fifth-best among the Wolverines.

Barda Records 20-Win Season
Sophomore Marie Barda (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South HS) became the seventh pitcher in U-M history to record a 20-win season in the circle when she two-hit Indiana in an 11-2, five-inning victory May 8. Barda, who will enter the NCAA Regional 6 Championship with a 22-3 season record and a team-low 1.13 ERA, is seventh on the Michigan single-season win list. She is the fourth Wolverine to post 20 wins in her sophomore season and is fifth on the school's season winning percentage list with an 88 percent success rate in 1999. . . . In addition to reaching the 20-win plateau, Barda added to her season save total with a save in the middle game of the Indiana series (May 9). Barda entered in the sixth and retired all six batters faced in order for her third season and career save.

Hunter First Recipient of Team Academic Award
The first recipient of the Edna and Leo Drewett Academic Excellence Award was presented to freshman outfielder Kristen Hunter. Enrolled in the University's College of Engineering, Hunter received a 1998-99 Michigan Athletic Academic Achievement award. She has been used primarily as a pinch runner in the 1999 season, appearing in 15 games.

Maize & Blue Coaches Award to Lappo
Junior catcher Karmen Lappo was named recipient of the Michigan Maize and Blue Coaches Award. Lappo has seen action as a starter at catcher (21 games) and designated player (5 games) during the season. She earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Speedline Invitational after leading the Wolverines to the tournament title with her career-first home run -- a grand slam -- against South Carolina (March 7).

Kollen, Volpe Share U-M Freshman of the Year Award
Second baseman Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Mater Dei HS) and catcher Stefanie Volpe were named co-winners of the Michigan Freshman of the Year award. Kollen is the Wolverines' third-best hitter, with a .381 batting average, and has a team-high 88 hits -- one shy of tying the U-M season hits record. Earlier named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Kollen was an All-Big Ten First-Team selection. The starting catcher for Michigan (22 games), Volpe also earned starting assignments as the designated player (32 games) in her first season. She sports a .355 batting average with 43 RBIs, and led the Big Ten with 33 RBIs while batting .400 against the conference to earn All-Big Ten First-Team honors.

Barda Nabs Pair of Pitching Awards
Marie Barda picked up a pair of postseason awards after her outstanding season performance in the pitching circle. Barda was named Michigan's Most Outstanding Pitcher as well as the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year after compiling a 22-3 season (10-1 Big Ten) record. The sophomore was a unanimous selection as All-Big Ten First-Team pitcher. Barda tossed a career-high nine strikeouts May 15 vs. Minnesota and has three one-hitters for the year. She enters the NCAA Regional 6 Championship holding opposing batters to a .187 batting average.

Davie, Conrad Share Michigan Softball Outstanding Player Award
Michigan seniors Catherine Davie and Traci Conrad were named co-winners of the U-M Most Outstanding Player award after leading the Wolverines' offense and defense throughout the 1999 Big Ten Conference championship season.

Davie, who leads Michigan with a .418 batting average, eight home runs and 16 stolen bases, set the program's season runs record (64) and ranks second in both season doubles (22) and home runs (8). A unanimous All-Big Ten Conference First-Team selection at leftfield, Davie will graduate with both the Michigan and Big Ten career doubles records (61), and she ranks among the top 10 in NCAA Division I career doubles.

A two-time Big Ten Player of the Year (1998, '99), Conrad is the second-leading hitter for Michigan, carrying a .393 batting average with 20 doubles as the leadoff hitter. The first baseman holds both the Michigan and Big Ten career hits (344) and runs (223) records and is the alltime leading hitter in Wolverine softball history, with a .391 career batting average. She ranks among the top 10 in NCAA Division I career hits and runs.

Kosanke Reaches Hit Milestone
Michigan third baseman Pam Kosanke recorded her 150th career hit with a single to leftfield vs. Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament championship game (May 15). Kosanke, who has played and started in all 197 U-M games over the past three seasons, has 150 hits -- 25 for extra bases -- and a .284 career batting average. The junior is in the midst of her best season with the Wolverines, batting .321 with a career season-best 61 hits and 43 RBIs. Kosanke was rewarded for her play with unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten First-Team at third base. She enters NCAA Regional play with 15 multiple-hit games over the season.

Solid Sophomore Season for Taylor
The move from second base to rightfield has been the spark in the offensive performance of sophomore Melissa Taylor (Deerfield, Mich./Summerfield HS) this season. Taylor carries a season career-best .357 batting average into the NCAA Regional 6 Championship, an 82-point improvement over her first-year .272 average. Taylor was selected for All-Big Ten First-Team honors in the outfield after hitting .368 vs. the conference. . . . Taylor surpassed the 50-hit milestone for the season with a single vs. Wisconsin May 2 and needs just three more hits to reach 100 for her career. Taylor has turned her two season's worth of hits into runs for the Wolverines, scoring 50 career runs for close to a two hits-to-one run ratio.

Mika Reaches Hit Milestone
Senior Tammy Mika made the most of her final regular-season home weekend at Alumni Field. The centerfielder recorded her 150th career and 50th season hit with a double down the leftfield line in the Wolverines' 11-2 win vs. Indiana (May 8). She finished the weekend with four hits -- two as doubles -- and three RBIs, including the game-winning RBIs on a two-run single in the final game of the IU series (May 9). . . . Mika's 12 doubles and 36 RBIs over the 1999 season are both career season bests.

Gentile Blast Re-Sets Wolverine Home Run Mark
Since returning to the Michigan lineup on April 17, Melissa Gentile (O'Fallon, Mo./Wentzville HS) has made home run hitting a regular occurrence. The junior designated player recorded a home run in each of the last three U-M regular-season series -- Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana -- with massive three-run shots vs. Iowa (April 25) and Indiana (May 8). She sent two shots over the outfield fences in the Big Ten Tournament to push her season home run total to five and her U-M career record total to 24. Gentile has posted seven career three-run home runs. . . . Gentile tied the Big Ten Tournament record with two home runs.

Gillies Posts Season-Best Wins Total
With a 5-4, three-strikeout victory vs. Indiana on May 9, pitcher Jamie Gillies (Saugus, Calif./Saugus HS) recorded her career season-high 17th win. The junior is 17-5 for 1999 with career season-bests in ERA (1.88) and strikeouts (58). Her 41 wins as a Wolverine (41-13) are the seventh-most in Wolverine history, while her .759 collegiate winning percentage is fourth-best among all U-M pitchers.

Conrad Tops U-M Hit Chart vs. Big Ten Opponents
A 3-for-3 plate performance in the first game of the final regular-season series vs. Indiana (May 8-9) helped first baseman Traci Conrad solidify her place as the Wolverines' top hitter against the Big Ten. Conrad finished the 24-game conference schedule batting .452 against the league, her third straight year as Michigan's top hitter in the Big Ten season, earning the Big Ten batting title for the second straight season. . . . . Conrad closed the Big Ten portion of her collegiate career playing and starting in 92 league games, missing one game in 1997 following a defensive collision with teammate Sara Griffin at Iowa. She graduates with a .435 career batting average vs. the Big Ten, tallying 140 hits -- 28 for extra bases -- and 48 RBIs.

Wolverines Capture 1999 Big Ten Season Title
For the second consecutive year and sixth time in the past eight seasons, Michigan softball claimed the title "Big Ten Conference champions." U-M captured the championship with a 7-4 victory vs. Wisconsin May 2. U-M has been the top team in the conference throughout the 1990s, winning the league's season crown in 1992, '93, '95, '96, '98 and '99. The Wolverines completed the Big Ten schedule with a 21-3 record (.875), the sixth time U-M has won 20 or more games in league play. . . . The softball Big Ten Conference championship is the sixth league crown won by a Wolverine team in the 1998-99 academic year (men's cross country, football, men's gymnastics, women's gymnastics, softball and women's indoor track and field).

OPPONENT SECTION

Arizona State (37-25) -- Arizona State earned a trip to the NCAA Softball Championship as an at-large entry, entering the regional with a 37-25 record. . . . Michigan and ASU met twice in the 1999 season, splitting the two NFCA Leadoff Classic games. U-M beat ASU 4-2 in the first game of the tournament when Catherine Davie smacked a two-run home run to rightfield in the eighth inning. The Sun Devils posted a 5-4 win in the Silver Division semifinals when ASU's Missy Hixon scored the game-winning run on a passed ball after reaching on a triple. . . . Erica Beach tops the ASU hitting stats with a .324 batting average. Chris Gill has 45 RBIs and a team-high seven home runs. Kirsten Voak leads the pitching staff with a 1.85 ERA. . . . Arizona State leads the alltime series vs. Michigan, 6-5. . . . U-M head coach Carol Hutchins is 5-6 vs. ASU. . . . U-M pitchers vs. the Sun Devils: Marie Barda 0-0, Kate Eiland 1-1, Jamie Gillies 0-0. . . . Three-time Wolverine All-American Sara Griffin (1995-98) is a graduate assistant coach with the Arizona State program.

Central Michigan (41-16) -- Winner of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Central Michigan will make its third appearance at an NCAA Regional in Ann Arbor (1996, 1997). The Chippewas and Wolverines played for the 1997 regional title, with CMU forcing a second championship game with a 3-1 win and U-M winning the title with a 4-0 shutout. . . . Michigan and Central Michigan have already faced each other three times in the 1999 season, with U-M taking two of the three games. CMU ended the Wolverines' 33-game unbeaten streak (32-0-1) with a 7-4 win at Alumni Field April 14. . . . Eli Barnes leads the Chippewa offense with a .367 batting average and 43 RBIs. . . . Tina Kinney is 17-5 in the circle with a 1.04 ERA and 125 strikeouts. . . . Michigan is 29-27 against CMU and has won five of the last six meetings. . . . U-M head coach Carol Hutchins is 22-17 vs. Central Michigan. . . . U-M pitchers vs. the Chippewas: Marie Barda 3-0 (2 ShO), Kate Eiland 0-1, Jamie Gillies 1-1. . . . Barda has tossed two of her three career one-hitters against CMU, including an 8-0 one-hitter March 28.

Florida Atlantic (47-18) -- A member of the Trans-America Athletic Conference, Florida Atlantic is making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Softball Championship. . . . The Owls advanced to the postseason as winners of the TAAC Tournament, upending Troy State (Ala.) 6-2 in the May 8 title game. . . . Nicole Myers leads the FAU offense with a .373 batting average, 12 home runs and 45 RBIs. Chris Sutcliffe brings a 19-6 record and 1.74 ERA into the regional. . . . Michigan came from behind to beat Florida Atlantic 4-1 in the first game of the Speedline Invitational (March 4). U-M went ahead on a two-run Melissa Taylor single in the fourth inning, and Marie Barda threw five strikeouts to pick up the win in relief of starter Kate Eiland. . . . The Wolverines are 2-0 vs. FAU, facing the Owls for the first time in the 1997 season. . . . U-M head coach Carol Hutchins is 2-0 vs. Florida Atlantic. . . . U-M pitchers vs. the Owls: Marie Barda 1-0, Kate Eiland 0-0, Jamie Gillies 0-0.

Nebraska (31-19) -- Big 12 Conference member Nebraska begins the NCAA Regional 6 Championship with a 31-19 record, including a 10-8 mark in league play. . . . Jennifer Lizama tops the Cornhusker offense with a .417 batting average, including 15 home runs and 24 stolen bases. . . . All-American Jenny Voss is the top pitcher on the Nebraska staff, with a 19-9 record and 1.12 ERA. . . . Michigan leads the softball series vs. Nebraska 5-4. The teams last met in the 1998 NFCA Leadoff Classic, with the Cornhuskers recording a 3-2 win. The Wolverines have four times shut out NU over the nine-game series. . . . U-M head coach Carol Hutchins is 5-3 vs. Nebraska. . . . U-M pitchers vs. the Cornhuskers: Marie Barda 0-1, Kate Eiland 0-0, Jamie Gillies 0-0.

Notre Dame (41-18) -- Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA Championship by winning the Big East Tournament for the conference's automatic bid. . . . The Irish have won their last seven games and 19 of their last 22. . . . Melanie Alkire carries a team-best .359 batting average, including 10 home runs and 37 RBIs. . . . Jennifer Sharron has compiled a 19-8 record in the pitching circle and totals 162 strikeouts for the season. . . . UND assistant coach Deanna Mays-Gumpf is a 1992 Nebraska graduate. . . . Michigan has four consecutive wins vs. Notre Dame to hold a 4-3 advantage in the softball series. The Wolverines scored one-run wins in both ends of the April 10, 1997, doubleheader vs. the Irish in the last meetings. . . . Michigan and Notre Dame played for the 1995 NCAA Regional 1 championship with the Wolverines prevailing 15-6. . . . U-M head coach Carol Hutchins is 4-3 vs. Notre Dame. . . . U-M pitchers vs. the Irish: Marie Barda 0-0, Kate Eiland 0-0, Jamie Gillies 0-0.

Comparing the Regional Opposition

	U-M	ASU	CMU	FAU	NEB	ND
Record	51-11-1	37-25	41-16	47-18	31-19	41-18
Batting Ave.	.326	.267	.290	.276	.247	.304
Runs	345	256	247	300	180	260
Hits	578	431	443	465	304	489
2B	101	79	93	66	41	77
3B	8	5	13	31	5	7
HR	19	25	20	36	25	29
RBI	306	235	218	247	151	220
Walks	168	127	125	141	153	102
Strikeouts	202	212	223	341	274	182
Stolen Bases	73/90	40/51	72/92	92/116	60/90	67/88
Fielding Ave.	.962	.963	.956	.957	.955	.952
ERA	1.49	2.07	1.58	1.90	1.46	1.71
Pitcher K's	290	356	250	302	248	334

Wolverines vs. 1999 NCAA National Championship Field

Team	1999	Series	Hutchins
Alabama	0-0	3-0	3-0
Arizona	0-0	1-8	1-8
Arizona State	1-1	5-6	5-6
California	0-0	0-4	0-4
CSU-Fullerton	0-0	1-5	1-3
CSU-Northridge	0-0	0-0-1	0-0-1
Central Michigan	2-1	29-27	22-17
Colgate	0-0	0-0	0-0
Cornell	0-0	0-0	0-0
Creighton	0-0	1-2	1-2
DePaul	0-0	4-0	4-0
East Carolina	0-0	3-0	3-0
Florida A&M	0-0	1-1	1-1
Florida Atlantic	1-0	2-0	2-0
Fresno State	0-0	0-4	0-4
Hawaii	0-0	2-2	2-2
Hofstra	2-0	2-0	2-0
Illinois-Chicago	1-0	2-2	2-2
Kansas	0-0	0-0	0-0
Long Beach State	0-0	2-3	2-3
LIU-Brooklyn	0-0	0-0	0-0
Louisiana State	0-0	1-0	1-0
Manhattan	0-0	0-0	0-0
Maryland	0-0	0-0	0-0
Massachusetts	0-0	4-2	2-1
Michigan State	2-0	52-19	45-9
Minnesota	3-2	49-21	47-15
Missouri	0-0	1-2	1-2
Nebraska	0-0	5-4	5-3
Notre Dame	0-0	4-3	4-3
Oklahoma	0-0	9-3	9-3
Oregon	1-0	3-1	3-1
Oregon State	0-0	2-0	2-0
Pacific	0-0	1-2	1-2
South Carolina	1-0	5-4	4-1
Southeast Missouri	0-0	0-0	0-0
Southern	0-0	0-0	0-0
Southern Mississippi	0-0	0-0	0-0
Southwest Texas State	0-0	1-0	1-0
Southwestern Louisiana	0-1	0-4	0-4
Stanford	0-0	1-0	1-0
Tennessee	0-0	1-0	1-0
Texas	0-0	1-1	1-1
Texas A&M	0-0	3-3	2-1
Texas Tech	0-0	0-0	0-0
UCLA	0-0	2-6	2-3
Washington	0-2	3-4	3-4
TOTALS	14-7 (.667)	206-143-1 (.590)	186-105-1 (.639)

Michigan in the Weekly USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll

 Poll  Date         Rank   Pts.
 Pre   Jan. 27       5th   498
  1    March 3      14th   280
  2    March 10     T9th   383
  3    March 17     10th   393
  4    March 24      8th   433
  5    March 31      7th   438
  6    April 7       6th   478
  7    April 14      6th   501
  8    April 21      6th   497
  9    April 28      4th   532
 10    May 5         6th   497
 11    May 12        5th   511

Last updated: Wednesday, 19-May-1999 23:43:37 EDT