Michigan softball coach Bonnie Tholl announced Tuesday that graduate transfer Sydney Schwartz will be joining the pitching staff for the 2027 season. The right-hander previously spent four seasons at Minnesota and will have one more year of eligibility that she will now spend with the Wolverines.
As a senior, Schwartz played in 33 games and started 21, notching 11 wins, five shutouts and 138 strikeouts on the season. Her ERA of 3.56 was the best on the team, and she led the Gophers in both appearances and games started. She was also the only Minnesota pitcher to record a complete game, pitching 11 over the season. Schwartz could be a valuable addition to a Michigan pitching staff whose mainstays had ERAs over 4.0, and her high number of strikeouts could indicate a change from a pitch-to-contact Wolverines defense.
Schwartz was also a strength on the offensive side of the ball for the Gophers. She ended the 2026 season with a .224 batting average, notching four doubles, two home runs and six RBIs off her 15 hits. Schwartz amassed nine walks and four hit-by-pitches, but also struck out 17 times over 67 plate appearances. She played more games in the batter’s box than in the circle for Minnesota, appearing in 38 games and starting 29 of those. Schwartz will join another two-way player in Erin Hoehn at Michigan, and the pair’s flexibility could prove important for the Wolverines in 2027.
“Sydney instantly elevates our pitching staff,” Tholl said Tuesday. “Her combination of success and experience is the exact formula needed, and most importantly, she is a bulldog of a competitor in the circle. We are all thrilled to have Sydney in maize and blue.”
For a Wolverines team that relied mainly on just one or two pitchers this year, adding depth to their roster in Schwartz could prove vital for the 2027 season.
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