After eight innings in the second game of a doubleheader against Michigan State on Sunday, the No. 12 Michigan softball team (12-0 Big Ten, 35-7 overall) passed the halfway mark to history with its 17th straight victory.

The longest winning streak in program history came in 2005 — the year of Michigan softball’s first and only national championship — when the Wolverines won each of their first 32 games.

In order to break the record, ‘Team 36’ will have to go unbeaten through the rest of the regular season and through the Big Ten Tournament, which begins on May 9 at Nebraska.

Already, Michigan coach Carol Hutchins believes it’s possible.

“I think we can be one of those (elite) teams,” Hutchins said. “We’ve shown it. We’ve beaten some of the elite teams, but we’ve also lost to teams I think we should’ve beaten. It’s how you show up every day.”

What might be a more attainable goal for this young team is a record set in 2001, when the Wolverines won 16 straight Big Ten matchups. Thus far, Michigan is a perfect 12-0 and is set to face two of the conference’s weaker opponents this week.

It starts with a doubleheader against Indiana in Bloomington on Tuesday. The Hoosiers’ (3-9, 19-23) only Big Ten wins this season came against Big Ten bottom-feeder Penn State and will enter having been swept over the weekend by Purdue.

The Achilles’ heal for Indiana this season has been poor pitching. Hoosier pitchers carry a team earned-run average of 3.45, while the offense has been held to just over three runs per game. And against a Michigan offense that makes quick work out of aces, the matchup could be a promising one.

The Wolverines have thrived in the early innings this season, and, of late, have seen very little of the sixth and seventh innings. Through the first 12 contests of the Big Ten season, Michigan won via mercy rule in seven games.

Against Michigan State, the offense scored a total of 32 runs to complete two run-rule victories. It marked the fourth straight mercy-rule win for Michigan and the 16th this season.

“Our entire game plan the whole time is hit the low pitch and lay off the high,” said senior second baseman Ashley Lane.

Freshman Sierra Romero — who won her fourth straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week award — represents just one power bat the Hoosier pitching staff will face on Tuesday. Behind the slugger, Hutchins has gone to several bench players, namely freshman first baseman Kelsey Susalla and senior co-captain outfielder Jaclyn Crummey. With Crummey hitting .475 in limited at-bats and Susalla contributing with 13 RBI, it is easy to see why.

“(Romero’s home runs) ignited us. If nothing else, she ignites us. The kids have had so much confidence in her all year,” Hutchins said.

With two outs in the bottom of the third inning Friday, Susalla — who has earned more playing time of late — hit her second home run in as many games. Her shot was the first of back-to-back pinch-hit home runs from utility players. A deep bench means pitchers can no longer afford to walk Romero.

“If one thing isn't working for us, we pick it up in another area,” Lane said. “If one person can't do it, we know another another person can.”

Michigan has been doing just as much damage without swinging the bat this season.

“The one thing I like about this team is that nothing fazes them,” Hutchins said. “They don’t seem to worry about things they can’t control, and that’s what I like about them.”

Patience has been a virtue in two-out situations, especially when Romero is at the plate. In an April 6 game against Ohio State, the Wolverines walked eight times en route to an eight-run inning. After the Spartans intentionally walked the bases loaded with two outs, Romero hit her second home run of the weekend.

“I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this (team),” Hutchins said. “I’ve seen some explosions from my teams, but I can’t even remember.”