Season Opens for No. 5 Wolverines
The 22nd season of University of Michigan softball begins this weekend with the Friday-Saturday-Sunday (Feb. 19-21) Louisville Slugger Classic in Gainesville, Fla. Ranked No. 5 in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, the Wolverines face a pair of Top 25 teams over the first weekend. Michigan opens play with a doubleheader vs. No. 4 Washington Friday (Feb. 19, 11 a.m.) and closes the tournament vs. No. 20 Florida Sunday (Feb. 21, 1 p.m.). In between is a Saturday doubleheader with Virginia Tech (Feb. 20, 11 a.m.).

Louisville Slugger Classic Competition

No. 20 Florida (5-1) -- Michigan and Florida play for just the third time in the softball series, with the Wolverines holding a 2-0 advantage vs. the Gators. The two U-M wins have been one-run games at the 1997 (W, 1-0) and 1998 (W, 2-1) Speedline Invitational. . . . Florida began its 1999 schedule at its own Feb. 12-14 University Centre Invitational. . . . U-M head coach Carol Hutchins is 2-0 vs. Florida. . . . U-M pitchers vs. UF: Marie Barda 0-0, Kate Eiland 0-0, Jamie Gillies 0-0. . . . Web: www.uaa.ufl.edu.

Virginia Tech -- The doubleheader in Gainesville will be the first two games in the softball series between the two universities. . . . The Hokies open their season at Georgia Tech (DH) on Wednesday (Feb. 17). . . . Web: www.hokiesports.com.

No. 4 Washington (4-1) -- The two top-five teams meet for the first time since 1995. . . . Michigan leads the all-time series 3-2, including a current two-game win streak. All five games were played during the Arizona State Classic. . . . UW head coach Teresa Wilson is no stranger to the Wolverines as she directed Big Ten rival Minnesota for two seasons (1990-91), winning the conference title in 1991. . . . Wilson is 6-7 vs. Michigan. . . . U-M head coach Carol Hutchins is 3-2 vs. Washington. . . . U-M pitchers vs. UW: Marie Barda 0-0, Kate Eiland 0-0, Jamie Gillies 0-0. . . . Web: www.gohuskies.com.

Off to Sunny Florida
For only the second time in 22 years, Michigan will begin season play in the state of Florida. The Wolverines began the 1990 season in Tallahassee, playing Florida State and Florida A&M. U-M has started its last three seasons (1996-97-98) at the San Diego State Campbell/Cartier Classic. . . . The state of California gets the nod as the site of the most Michigan softball season openers. Eight times the Wolverines have headed to the west coast for warm temperatures and top softball competition. . . . Only the 1978, 1979 and 1980 seasons saw U-M start the season north of Mason-Dixon Line.

Season-Opening Success
Michigan softball has been successful in its season-opening games over the first 21 years of the varsity program. The Wolverines are 13-7-1 (.643) in their first games of the year, including a 3-1-1 record over the last five seasons. U-M is unbeaten in its last four opening games (3-0-1), recording the lone tie score in its softball history courtesy of a 3-3, six-inning tie vs. Cal State-Northridge at the 1997 San Diego State Campbell/Cartier Classic.

Conrad Eyes No. 200
Senior Traci Conrad (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way HS) is projected to play in her 200th Michigan game with the second game of Friday's (Feb. 19) doubleheader vs. No. 4 Washington. The two-time All-America first baseman has starts in 197 of her 198 Wolverine games. She holds the Michigan career batting average (.391) and runs (166) records and begins her final year third on the all-time hits list. Conrad has 258 hits, chasing No. 2 Kellyn Tate (272) and No. 1 Sara Griffin (275) for the Wolverines' record.

The Race to 600 Wins
Wolverine head coach Carol Hutchins begins her 15th season just 12 wins shy of recording her 600th collegiate victory. With 588 coaching wins, Hutchins is racing Southern Illinois head coach Kay Brechtelsbauer (593 wins) to become the 25th coach at any NCAA division to reach the 600-win milestone. While Michigan begins its season with five games at the Louisville Slugger Classic, Brechtelsbauer's Saluki team is in New Orleans for the Feb. 19-21 Mardi Gras Classic. The two teams will both compete at the Feb. 26-28 NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. Track the coaching run to 600 wins via the internet: Michigan at mgoblue.com and SIU at www.siu.edu/~softball.

Michigan A Top 1990s Program
The Michigan Wolverines head into the final season of the decade carrying a 395-158-1 record over the previous nine seasons. The 395 wins ranks eighth and the .714 winning percentage No. 11 among all NCAA Division I programs for the 1990s. U-M is coming off a 56-7 record in 1998, which lists as the 16th-best win percentage in NCAA Division I history.

Maize 'n Blue Diamond Gems

• Pitcher Jamie Gillies (Saugus, Calif,/Saugus HS) needs one win for her 25th collegiate victory. The junior, who has 32 starts in 52 career appearances, begins the season 24-8 and carrying a .750 career winning percentage, the fourth-best Michigan career winning percentage.

• Third baseman Pam Kosanke (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central HS) is projected to make her 134th career start in the Wolverine infield with Friday's Washington game. Kosanke has started all but one game in her U-M career. She has 73 starts at shortstop (freshman) and 60 at third base (sophomore).

• Tammy Mika (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) needs four doubles to reach 20 for her career. . . . Melissa Taylor (Deerfield, Mich./Summerfield HS) and Rebecca Tune (Aloha, Ore./Jesuit HS) are each eight hits shy of recording their 50th Michigan hits.

• The Michigan softball team will spend the Feb. 26-March 7 University spring break in the southeast. U-M plays in the NFCA Leadoff Classic Feb. 26-28 in Columbus, Ga., then travels to Tampa, Fla., for March 2 single games vs. St. John's and Providence. The break closes at the South Florida Speedline Classic March 4-7.

• The 1999 Michigan Softball Yearbook will be available to the public Monday, Feb. 22, at a cost of $7.00 a copy. Requests should be directed to the Athletic Media Relations Office, University of Michigan, 1000 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2201. Checks for the exact amount and made payable to "University of Michigan Athletics" must accompany the order.

• For the third straight season, Michigan starts the year ranked among the nation's top five teams in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches Poll. U-M is listed at No. 5. A year ago, the Wolverines began the season No. 4, and they were listed No. 5 in 1997.

Contact: Amy Carlton, Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423

Last updated: Wednesday, 17-Feb-1999 01:31:19 EST