When
Lauren
Derkowski
threw a no-hitter in the Michi-
gan softball team’s win against
Purdue on Friday it wasn’t all
that shocking. Amid the sopho-
more right-hander’s breakout
season and continual progres-
sion, she seemed certain to
throw a no-no at some point.
But with a second no-hitter
on Saturday, Derkowski proved
that she had evolved into a truly
elite pitcher.
After
pitching
just
44.2
innings last year, Derkows-
ki entered this year with an
unknown ceiling. Although she
flashed potential with a 2.19
ERA and 43 strikeouts, no one
knew what she could do with
the training wheels removed.
“She’s somebody who was
last year kind of waiting in the
wings,” Michigan coach Bon-
nie Tholl said. “And what she
did all summer is she really
improved her game. She went
through a pitching school and
made some adjustments with
her mechanics and really more
than anything just made some
adjustments with her com-
petitiveness. And I think that’s
what we’ve seen.”
Her
mechanical
improve-
ments have been clear all sea-
son. Her one-two punch has
overpowered hitters with the
fastball and perplexed them
with the changeup. But with a
middling offense, even small
mistakes by Derkowski have
resulted in losses. With each
loss, however, the competitor in
Derkowski looks to improve her
craft and do whatever it takes
to win games.
This weekend was no differ-
ent.
“I just had a lot of fun out
there,” Derkowski said. “Not
even thinking about (the no-
hitter), just being in the moment
and enjoying it and doing the
best I can for the team.”
As the Wolverines’ offense
struggled to get rolling on
Friday, scoring only two runs
through five innings, Derkows-
ki’s shutout kept it afloat. And
after her teammates were final-
ly able to extend the lead to 4-0,
she only became more domi-
nant in securing the win.
In the final at bat of the
game,
Boilermakers
catcher
Hailey Hayes only watched
as
Derkowski’s
changeup
laced the outside corner and
capped off the no-hitter with
six strikeouts in the final two
innings and 13 total on the day.
Derkowski pumped her fist in
celebration of the win, as her
teammates swarmed her in
jubilation of her momentous
performance.
“Oh, my goodness, that girl
fires me up,” graduate first
baseman
Melina
Livingston
said. “She’s awesome. I mean,
anytime
she
steps
on
the
mound, we know we’re gonna
get the absolute best out of her.
She goes in there everyday and
practices her butt off and really,
really, really goes in there and
competes and it shows when
we go out there and play other
teams.”
With the 13-strikeout no-
hitter,
Michigan
witnessed
Derkowski’s
best
continue
to get even better. And that
improvement has been notice-
able on the stat sheet. Her 1.66
ERA and 170 strikeouts are
both second best in the Big Ten,
and her case for conference
pitcher of the year grows every
time she steps into the circle.
But after Michigan dropped
a disappointing game two — the
program’s third loss to Pur-
due since 1999 — Derkowski
remained committed to win-
ning the series. And step-
ping back into the circle for
the series finale, she was the
same relentless competitor as
in game one. With the offense
struggling yet again, the game
was undeniably on her shoul-
ders.
But embracing every oppor-
tunity to allow her team to win,
Derkowski continued to pitch
at the high level she did in game
one — proving that level to not
be a rare ceiling, but a step in
her development. She started
with three strikeouts in the
first two innings, and never
looked back.
And in a fitting ending to her
weekend, she fanned the final
batter to complete back-to-back
no-hitters.
“She was exceptional all
weekend,” Tholl said. “She was
a competitor. She’s the reason
we (had) those victories. She
held hitters at bay and was just
an absolute warrior in the cir-
cle this weekend.”
She wanted to win and her
competitive nature drove her
back-to-back no-hitters — just
as it has driven her ascent to
new heights all season.
An ascent that has yet to find
its ceiling.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 — 13
SportsWednesday
Lauren Derkowski’s ascent continues with
back-to-back no-hitters
JONATHAN WUCHTER
Daily Sports Writer
MARIA DECKMANN/Daily
Design by Lys Goldman
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With a second no-hitter on
Saturday, Derkowski proved
that she had evolved into a
truly elite pitcher.