Three weeks ago, the Michigan softball team identified its offense as its greatest strength. On Sunday, it scored just two runs.
That’s not to say the Wolverines offensive production has been consistently bad. Over the course of the season, Michigan has outscored its opponents 315-226. But in their last three series, the Wolverines have been outscored, 60-73. For a team with only one more weekend until the postseason starts, it’s not a good time to be out of form.
Michigan started conference play with six straight losses, although those came in series sweeps to the top two teams in the Big Ten, one of which is currently ranked second in the nation. Things were looking up when the Wolverines won their next three series, but since then, they’ve won just two of their last six conference games. A large factor of this has been a dip in offensive production.
“(Ohio State) definitely made some nice plays defensively, but I felt that we didn’t have our a game offensively as well,” Michigan coach Bonnie Tholl said April 12 following a loss to Ohio State. “That’s a bad combination for an opponent like us, when they are making great plays defensively and they’re striking the ball well, and we’re not striking the ball as well. That’s really the storyline.”
At the Northwestern series at the beginning of April, the top of the Wolverines’ batting order started to run into problems. Two key hitters that typically invigorate the lineup, senior designated player Indiana Langford and junior center fielder Jenissa Conway, both saw their batting averages dip below .400 either shortly before or during that series. While they still sit strongly above .300, the typical catalysts haven’t been performing to their full potential. Conway went 32 games batting over .400 but hasn’t returned since dipping under, and Langford has gone 6-for-30 in her last ten games.
Of the lineup that started in Michigan’s most recent game against Indiana, only five of nine batters are hitting over .300. It hasn’t all been bad, though — sophomore right fielder Lauren Putz has remained as a powerhouse at the plate for the Wolverines, and senior first baseman Madi Ramey has made her presence known in the lineup. But for a team that puts great weight on its batting, these numbers haven’t been efficient enough for Michigan
“Our offense is definitely one of the key factors to us scoring a bunch of runs and then keeping us in games,” Putz said April 7.
These offensive inefficiencies have come at a poor time. With the regular season winding down, the Wolverines’ postseason hopes hinge on their offensive production. Sitting at 11th in the Big Ten and 40th in RPI, every run in every game matters for Michigan’s chance to play further into May.
However, this isn’t the worst possible time for the Wolverines to need improvement. They’ll finish out their season this weekend against Michigan State, the team last in the Big Ten with a 3-17 conference record. Although this won’t prepare Michigan for the strong teams it would likely face in the postseason, it gives the Wolverines a chance to get back into an offensive groove before the stakes become even higher. The Spartans hold a 5.61 team-wide ERA, giving Michigan an opportunity to find its footing once again.
The Wolverines’ offense hasn’t been producing like it once did, and as the postseason looms, Michigan will need to relearn how to swing the bats — or its tournament opportunities may be limited.
