Big Ten Tournament preview: How Michigan softball earned No. 2 seed

Michigan softball kicks off its Big Ten Tournament run on Thursday as the Wolverines look to win the Big Ten Tournament for the third time in the last eight tournaments. The second-seeded Wolverines are set to take on No. 10 seed Maryland in the tournament quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.

Head coach Bonnie Tholl's team enters the weekend as the No. 2 seed after a tremendous regular season in which the Wolverines lost only five league games. Aside from a two-game skid to finish off the regular season, Michigan put together a win streak of 14 games and was playing dominant softball before it ran into Ohio State at the conclusion of the regular season.

Michigan enters postseason play with a 38-16 overall record and is in solid position to secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Of the seven three-game Big Ten series the Wolverines played during the regular season, Michigan swept five of them.

A steady dose of consistent bats and dominant pitching has helped the Wolverines earn the No. 2 seed in the league tournament. Lauren Derkowski, the team's ace, has lifted a heavy load throughout the entirety of the year, having pitched 175.2 innings heading into the postseason.

She has posted a 16-8 overall record and an ERA of just 2.19. She's pitched 13 complete games and has struck out 182 batters, which is better than one strikeout per inning pitched.

On Derkowski's off days, Erin Hoehn takes command of the pitcher's circle. Although her ERA is a tad higher at 3.44, Hoehn has accumulated a record of 14-5 this season and has done it while allowing an opponent batting average of just .229, which is the lowest mark on the team among players that have pitched 40 or more innings.

At the plate, third baseman Maddie Erickson leads the way with a .362 batting average. She's played in every game so far this season for the Wolverines and leads the team in a number of offensive statistical categories.

She leads the team in at-bats with 177, OPS with a mark of 1.006, hits with 64 and RBI with 43.

Ellie Sieler and Ella McVey also boast batting averages higher than .300. Sieler is tied with Jenissa Conway for the most runs scored with 43.

Leading the team in home runs is Keke Tholl, who has 14 homers on the season. Tholl's OPS of .993 and slugging percentage of .597 are both good for second on the team (among eligible players) behind Erickson.

Michigan is set to take on No. 10 seed Maryland, which upset seventh-seeded Penn State 3-1 in Wednesday's tournament opener. First pitch between the Wolverines and Terrapins is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EST.

If the Wolverines knock off Maryland, a team they did not face in the regular season, they will face either No. 3 seed Rutgers or No. 11 seed Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal.

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