Meet the parents of Michigan softball stars
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Lauren Putz saw her become one of the latest freshman batsmen in college softball throughout the year in Michigan’s first season.

But it's also a "surreal" person, as Wolverine's designated hitters come from a group of athletes in Michigan, parents JJ and Kelsey Putz (Kollen) who follow the footsteps.

"As a kid, I was introduced a lot, always coming here to play football, hockey, and I have family here. I won't say I know it completely, but it's always a dream. It's always a dream to come here." "Once September 1 comes, they reach out and it's so cool. It's been so surreal after having been here many times."

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The Austin area that competes in the NCAA softball game (also includes the 6th National Seed, UCF and Eastern Illinois National Seed), if Putz will continue to be the driving force for the Wolverines offense if they want to advance to the super region.

The 5-foot-7 left-handed batsman made the playoffs with a 0.381 batting average, a team-leading 14 doubles and 13 home runs, while also having a 1.170 move.

Here's what you need to know on Lauren Putz's genealogy before the NCAA softball game:

Lauren Putz's father: JJ Putz

Putz's father is former Major League Baseball right-handed rescuer JJ Putz, who spent 12 seasons in the major leagues, owning four different franchises: Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamond Back, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets.

Before JJ Putz had a great career in the Grand Slam, he pitched to Michigan State for the Wolverines baseball program. During Ann Arbor, JJ Putz was selected twice, first in the 17th round of the 1998 Major League Draft, by the Minnesota Twins, and then in the sixth round of the Seattle Mariners' 1999 Major League Draft.

In four seasons at Michigan, JJ Putz scored a 18-11 overall record in four seasons with 11 full games and 185 strikeouts. He also helped lead the Wolverines to the Top 10 regular season championships in 1997 and the Top 10 Championships in 1999.

"He definitely had a big impact on my career," Lauren Putz said in track and field in Michigan. "Growing up, you watched him on TV, so when I grew up watching him play at baseball (and thinking) I wanted to be like him."

Lauren Putz's mom: Kelsey Putz (Coren)

Putz's mom is Kelsey Putz, one of the players of all time in Michigan's softball history. Kelsey Putz's maiden name is Kelsey Kollen, who was an All-American second baseman while at the Wolverines.

"It's been a really cool experience. My mom and I have been talking about what she went through when she was playing here and what I'm going through now," Lauren Putz said of the team her mother did.

Kelsey Putz started all 247 professional games from 1999 to 2002. Her professional batting average scored .350 while recording 298 careers, 187, 77 RBIs and 5 home runs, all of which were in her senior season.

In her junior year, she earned NFCA All-American first-team honors, where she had her career best .383 hit average and a benchmark percentage of 0.439. This isn't the only All-American honor Kelsey Putz has won at Michigan, as she also received a true freshman second team honor.

"All kids love Michigan and give her the chance to realize her childhood dreams because that's what she knows, and it's cool."

Lauren Putz said in an interview with Softball America that while both her parents were linked to Michigan and that she often revolved around the program in her childhood, playing for the Wolverines was her own decision.

"My junior year September 1 was a decision I made myself. My parents were obviously big fans of Michigan, their alma mater, so they tried to take a step back and let me make my own decision, which was great."

"They didn't stress me out or do the same thing they did. But now, they're just looking at it, enjoying it, taking everything in because it's not about having two parents every day and then a kid going to the alma mater."

Where does Lauren Putz come from?

Lauren Putz is from Phoenix and attended Xavier College before arriving at Ann Arbor to become a member of the Wolverines 2024 recruitment class.

She was ranked 13th according to the additional softball top 100 2024 rankings. Lauren Putz completed her high school career with a career rate of 0.559, 1.223 career rate and a benchmark percentage of .679 while recording 165 totals, 187 totals, 122 RBIs and 42 home runs.

Statistics by Lauren Putz of Michigan

Here is a breakdown of the statistics Putts played in NCAA softball games this season at Michigan: