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.