The 1999 Boilermaker Classic schedule has the Wolverines playing a pair of games each day of the two-day tournament. U-M faces Indiana State University (9 a.m.) and Loyola University (11 a.m.) on Saturday. Sunday's schedule includes games vs. Bradley University (9 a.m.) and Central Michigan University (11 a.m.). The Wolverines will not play host Purdue University in the tournament.

Wolverines Making Third Trip to Boilermaker Classic
Michigan will be making its third straight appearance in the Boilermaker Classic after winning the 1997 tournament and finishing as co-champions with Purdue a year ago. U-M carries a 7-1 all-time record in the Boilermaker Classic and has won its last six tournament games. Three Wolverines are returning to the Boilermaker Classic as past all-tournament selections -- 1997 MVP Catherine Davie (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS), 1997 all-tournament Pam Kosanke (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central HS) and 1998 all-tournament Rebecca Tune (Aloha, Ore./Jesuit HS).

Michgan vs. Boilermake Classic Competition
Bradley -- Sunday's game will be the first Bradley-Michigan softball game. . . . The Braves carried a 7-4 record after last week's spring break trip to South Carolina. . . . Web site: www.bradley.edu/athletics.

Central Michigan -- Michigan and Central Michigan will play the 54th game in the softball series with Sunday's tournament game. U-M holds a slim 47-46 lead in the series after sweeping the April 7, 1998, doubleheader vs. the Chippewas, and the Wolverines have won the last three meetings. . . . CMU, off since March 14, carries a 14-4 record and is in the midst of a nine-game win streak. . . . U-M pitchers vs. CMU: Marie Barda 1-0 (1 SHO), Kate Eiland 0-0, Jamie Gillies 1-1. . . . U-M coach Carol Hutchins vs. Chippewas: 20-16. . . . Web site: www.cmich.edu/~cmsports.

Indiana State -- The Wolverines upended Indiana State 8-0 March 19 to take a 2-0 lead in the all-time series. Both Michigan wins have come via shutout, with U-M outscoring the Sycamores 15-0. . . . ISU began the week 3-11 with a March 23 doubleheader scheduled at Indiana. . . . U-M pitchers vs. ISU: Marie Barda 1-0 (1 SHO), Kate Eiland 0-0, Jamie Gillies 0-0. . . . U-M coach Carol Hutchins vs. Sycamores: 2-0. . . . Web site: web.indstate.edu/athletics.

Loyola (Ill.) -- Saturday's game will be the first Loyola-Michigan softball game. . . . The Ramblers competed at the Missouri Tournament March 19-21 and have a doubleheader at Valparaiso scheduled for Wednesday. . . . Web site: www.loyolaramblers.com.

U-M Shares Capital Classic Title With Iowa
Michigan and Iowa showed the West Coast how Big Ten Conference softball teams battle, sharing the Sacramento State Capital Classic championship after a 2-2 eight-inning tie March 21. The Wolverines finished the tournament unbeaten with a 6-0-1 record that included a 2-0 shutout of No. 21 Iowa in the semifinals (March 20).

In action for the first time in 11 days, Michigan showed some rustiness early in the weekend with three one-run victories in pool play: 1-0 vs. Baylor, 3-2 vs. Southern Illinois and 5-4 (9 inn.) vs. Portland State. The Wolverines began their run through the championship bracket with an 8-0 win vs. Indiana State before handing No. 16 Oregon a 7-3 loss in the quarterfinals.

Davie Hits Way to All-Tournament Honors
Senior left fielder Catherine Davie kept her bat warm in Sacramento, hitting a pair of game-winning home runs and earning all-tournament honors at the Sacramento State Capital Classic (March 18-21). Davie finished the seven games 10-for-22 (.455) at the plate with eight RBI, two doubles, two home runs and six runs. Her fourth-inning solo shot vs. Baylor and a two-run blast in the top of the ninth against Portland State were both game-winners. The all-tournament award is the second for Davie this season and the fifth of her Michigan career. . . . Davie recorded her 200th career hit with her two-run, seventh-inning double vs. Portland State (March 19). She is the ninth Michigan player to break the 200-hit mark. Davie has 207 career hits, eighth on the U-M all-time hit list.

Barda Throws Pair of Shutouts, Earns Big Ten Honor
Sophomore pitcher Marie Barda (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South HS) moved her season record to 7-1 and dropped her ERA to 0.98 with a pair of complete game shutouts at the Sacramento State Capital Classic (March 18-21). Her performance over the weekend tournament earned her the season's first Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award, the first time the sophomore has won the conference honor. Barda opened the tournament by tying her career high with six strikeouts in a 1-0 victory vs. Baylor (March 18). She recorded her second career one-hitter and tallied four strikeouts in the 8-0 (6 inn.) win over Indiana State (March 19). In her 19 innings over four tournament games, Barda gave up one run (earned) and posted a 0.37 ERA. . . . Barda began her second Wolverine season with a 3.08 career ERA. Over her 17 appearances and 71 2/3 innings in the 1999 season, she has dropped her career ERA to 1.95. Barda heads to the Boilermaker Classic with 72 career strikeouts and a 12-3 record as a Wolverine.

Gillies Perfect vs. Hawkeyes
Third-year pitcher Jamie Gillies (Saugus, Calif./Saugus HS) improved her season record to 5-2 with a pair of wins at the Sacramento State Capital Classic. Included was a 2-0 shutout of No. 21 Iowa in the tournament semifinals that kept Gillies' career record a perfect 4-0 against the Big Ten rival. It was also Gillies' second shutout vs. the Hawkeyes, a team she beat three times last season -- 7-0 to capture the Big Ten season title (April 25) and back-to-back 6-1 and 5-1 victories for the league's tournament championship (May 9). The junior heads to the Boilermaker Classic with a 2.35 ERA and 10 career shutout victories.

Sensational Sophomore Season for Taylor
No sophomore slump for Melissa Taylor (Deerfield, Mich./Summerfield HS) -- knock on wood. The right fielder goes into the final in-season tournament with the Wolverines' second-best batting average, a career season-high .356 (26-for-73), and hitting safely in 16 of the last 18 games. She has raised her career batting average 26 points over the first 27 games of the 1999 season, going from .275 to .301. At the Sacramento State Capital Classic (March 18-21), Taylor was 7-for-21 (.333) at the plate. She put together a pair of hits, including her season-first double, in the Wolverines' 7-3 win over No. 16 Oregon (March 19). It was Taylor's fifth multiple-hit game of the season.

Conrad Tallies Career Triple No. 10, Big Sacrifice Fly
Michigan career hits record holder Traci Conrad (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way HS) powered her 10th career triple -- and first of 1999 -- with a blast vs. Indiana State March 19. Conrad, who leads the all-time list of Wolverine batters with 287 hits, has 59 extra-base hits among her total (45 doubles, 10 triples, four home runs). Conrad's sacrifice fly to score pinch runner Kim Bugel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) in the bottom of the seventh vs. Iowa in the March 21 Capital Classic championship game gave the Wolverines a 2-2 tie and sent the contest into extra innings. . . . After suffering her first back-to-back hitless games of the season (Baylor, Southern Illinois), Conrad has put together a five-game hit streak. She is 8-for-19 (.421) over the stretch.

Eiland Nears 10-Win Mark
Kate Eiland (Fresno, Calif./Clovis West HS) heads to the Boilermaker Classic one win shy of her 10th season victory (9-2). The freshman added two wins to her rookie season list with a 3-2 complete-game victory vs. Southern Illinois (March 19) and a 7-3 win over No. 16 Oregon (March 20). Her nine wins are the most by the three Wolverine pitchers this season. Eiland has wins in each of her last three starts.

Kollen Solid at Capital Classic
Wolverine freshman second baseman Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) turned a trip back to her home state into a solid hitting performance at the Sacramento State Capital Classic (March 18-21). Kollen finished the seven-game tournament 9-for-24 (.375) at the plate, sandwiching a five-game hit streak (9-for-17, .529) in the middle of the weekend. The first-year player was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI against Southern Illinois (March 19). The second batter in the Wolverine hitting lineup, Kollen has a .340 batting average -- third-best among the squad -- and leads Michigan with 10 stolen bases.

Volpe Batting Average Vaults Upward
A .400 hitting performance (8-for-20) over the seven games of the Sacramento State Capital Classic March 18-21 improved the season batting average of designated player Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth-Salem HS) 82 points. The freshman began the weekend hitting .182 and, by the time the Wolverines wrapped up their tournament co-championship, Volpe was hitting .264 and had moved from the eighth position in the batting lineup to clean-up. Volpe opened the tournament with three consecutive two-hit games, including back-to-back perfect 2-for-2 showings against Baylor (March 18) and Southern Illinois (March 19). In the third game, she was 2-for-5 vs. Portland State. Volpe recorded a pair of collegiate-career firsts at the Capital Classic, posting her first triple vs. Baylor and first double vs. No. 21 Iowa (March 21).

Kosanke Matches Game-Best RBI Total
A 2-for-3 performance at the plate against No. 16 Oregon (March 20) translated into a career game-best-tying four RBI for third baseman Pam Kosanke. The junior last collected four RBI March 15, 1997, vs. Georgia State.

Maize 'n Blue Diamond Gems
-- Michigan's 2-2 tie vs. Iowa in the March 21 Capital Classic championship game is the second tie game in school history. U-M opened its 1997 season with a 3-3 tie vs. Cal State-Northridge.

-- Tammy Mika (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) made her 125th career start with the March 19 Portland State game. Mika, who has played in 180 games as a Wolverine, has 129 career starts.

-- Rebecca Tune (Aloha, Ore./Jesuit HS) picked up a single in each game against her home state teams at the Sacramento State Capital Classic. Tune was 1-for-3 with a sacrifice against Portland State (March 19), and 1-for-2 with a walk vs. No. 16 Oregon (March 20).

-- For the fourth time in her career and second time in the 1999 season, Catherine Davie has tied her career game best with four RBI. The lastest RBI explosion came March 19 vs. Portland State when the senior powered a two-run home run, a one-run double and one-run single.

Michigan Career Record Watches

Career Hits Leaders
287	Traci Conrad, 1996-present
275	Sara Griffin, 1995-98
272	Kellyn Tate, 1995-98
244     Patti Benedict, 1990-93
240	Alicia Seegert, 1984-87

Career RBI Leaders
184	Sara Griffin, 1995-98
143	Catherine Davie, 1996-present
131	Tracy Carr, 1993-96
124	Patti Benedict, 1990-93
118	Traci Conrad, 1996-present

Career Home Run Leaders
19	Melissa Gentile, 1997-98
15	Catherine Davie, 1996-present
14	Sara Griffin, 1995-98
11	Alicia Seegert, 1984-87
7	Jessica Lang, 1994-97

Career Doubles Leaders
58	Sara Griffin, 1995-98
51	Catherine Davie, 1996 - present
45	Traci Conrad, 1996 - present
40	Traci Carr, 1993-96
37	Jenny Allard, 1987-90

USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll
Michigan Weekly Rankings

Poll	Date	Rank	Pts.
Pre	January 27	No. 5	498
1	March 3	No. 14	280
2	March 10	No. 9T	383
3	March 17	No. 10	393
4	March 24	No. 8	433

Michigan 1999 Record When . . .
At home 0-0
On road 1-0
Neutral 20-5-1
Tournament 19-5-1
Vs. Ranked (season) 7-3-1
On Monday 0-0
On Tuesday 2-0
On Wednesday 0-0
On Thursday 3-0
On Friday 6-3
On Saturday 7-1
On Sunday 3-1-1
Scoring first 11-4-1
Opponent scores first 10-1
U-M scores in 1st inning 7-3
Opponent scores in 1st inning 3-1
U-M leading after 3 innings 12-2
U-M tied/trail after 3 innings 9-3-1
U-M leading after 6 innings 17-1-1
U-M tied/trail after 6 innings 4-4
Extra-inning games 4-1-1
Shutouts 8-1
One-run games 6-2
Two-run games 3-0
Five+-run games 6-1
Scoring fewer than 3 runs 3-2-1
Scoring 3 or more runs
18-3 Getting fewer than 6 hits 3-2-1
Getting 6 or more hits 18-3 Team steals 2 or more bases 7-3

Current Win Streak: 16 games
Current Unbeaten Streak: 17 games (16-0-1)

Scoring by Innings

Inning	Michigan	Opponent
1	20	6
2	10	7
3	21	7
4	9	9
5	18	9
6	15	4
7	5	11
Ex.	13	7
Total	111	60

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

Last updated: Thursday, 25-Mar-1999 11:18:44 EST