A weekend packed with five games to open the season might seem daunting to some, but the Michigan softball team used it to make a statement on how it expects the rest of its 2011 campaign to go.

“We had some questions going into this weekend about who was going to play where,” senior first baseman Dorian Shaw said. “It's good to know that you can put people into different positions in the lineup and know that we're still going to have a comfortable unit on the field that can score runs and play defense.”

The Wolverines (5-0 overall) outscored their opponents 59-11 en route to a perfect regular season opening trip to the Hilton Plaza Invitational in Houston. A high-powered offensive performance was accentuated by Shaw's three home runs, bringing her career total to 48 — just 14 shy of the Michigan all-time record.

“(Shaw) is very selective and I'd like to see her be a bit more aggressive because she is such a potent weapon,” Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins said. “She has tremendous power. She has great leadership.”

On Sunday, the Wolverines capped off the weekend with a mercy-rule 16-3 win over Ohio University. After clinging to a 2-1 lead, No. 11 Michigan used a six-run fourth inning to open the floodgates. Shaw drove in four runs for the Wolverines, giving sophomore pitcher Stephanie Speierman sufficient run support to pick up the win.

“It helps to get the pitcher's confident when they have run support,” Hutchins said. “Everybody in the country can hit. No matter who we're playing, every team has good hitters, so our goal is to have a balanced team.”

The win was Michigan's second over the Bobcats on the weekend as the Wolverines rallied around a stellar pitching performance from senior hurler Jordan Taylor on Saturday. Carrying a perfect game into the sixth inning, she fanned eight and allowed just two to reach base in a 6-0 victory. The complete-game shutout was the 31st of her career.

In the latter portion of the Saturday doubleheader, Speierman was exceptional in an 8-1 decision over Stephen F. Austin. Sophomore second baseman Ashley Lane blasted her second grand slam — a monstrous shot to straightaway centerfield — of the weekend.

Friday's doubleheader also proved fruitful for the Wolverines. In the early game, Michigan hung 19 hits on a Southern Illinois team whose pitching staff was left with no answers for the hot Wolverine bats. The 19-4 mercy-rule win set the tone for a successful weekend for nationally-ranked Michigan.

Junior catcher Amanda Chidester had four RBI's, three of them coming off a second-inning homer, dooming the Salukis.

Later Friday afternoon, the Wolverines took on host Houston and once again broke out the big sticks. Michigan propelled itself with a seven-run sixth inning on the way to a 10-3 victory. All the damage in the frame came with two outs, but the Cougars failed to stop the bleeding.

“We were just trying to go after pitchers early and I think we did a pretty good job of doing that,” Shaw said. “I have to do what I'm capable of and there is nothing holding me back because it's (the seniors') last shot.”

This weekend, the Wolverines will continue their early-season run through the warmer portions of the country with the Florida Atlantic University Kickoff Classic in Boca Raton. If Michigan receives the immense run production it did in Houston, it may very easily light up the scoreboard once again.