10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 28, 2006 Ewing sees her dream come true By Amber Colvin Daily Sports Writer At last year's Women's College World Series cham- pionship game, one spectator sitting in the stands had M BASEBALL Putnam's first career * start is a family affair a special interest in the game. A high school senior at the time, she sat next to her dad and watched the Michigan softball team hoist the national champi- onship trophy, the Wolver- ines weren't just players to her - they were her future teammates. Freshman Teddi Ewing TODAY Bowling Green at Michigan 4 p.m. Alumni Field may have been in the stands then, but this year she could be playing in the WCWS. The shortstop from Olathe, Kan., is the one new player consistently in Michigan's starting lineup, and so far she seems pretty comfortable amongst the national champs. "It was like a dream come true to come into a program like this," Ewing said. "When they won, it was really exciting to be able to come onto that." And even though most of her teammates sport national championship rings, fitting in hasn't been a problem. "I don't feel like a freshman," Ewing said. "I just feel like part of the team." With 16 games under her belt, Ewing has already notched a home run, four RBI and a .213 average. Ewing is stepping in for Jessica Merchant, last sea- son's shortstop who has graduated. Merchant, a two- time All-American, left Michigan with the most career home runs in program history (43) and was fourth all- time in RBI (155). And while her extraordinary stats may be missed, her presence isn't completely gone. After being crowned national champion with the Wolverines and an impressive summer stint with the By David Murray Daily Sports Writer Most people who have siblings know that beating them at a sport, especially if they're older, is a better feeling than win- ning the Super Bowl. Freshman pitcher Zach Putnam would agree. On Friday, opening day at the Fish, Put- nam was given his first career start at pitcher. It was signifi- - cant enough that the highly touted freshman was starting T in Michigan's home opener. Bowli But more noteworthy was the at M fact that it came against his 3:0 older brother Dylan - Oak-T land University's head coach. "We fought a lot (when we were younger)," Zach said. "Until I was about 14 and I started kicking his ass. He used to beat me up until then. He is a really good athlete, so he was always a little better than me in most things." The Ann Arbor native held onto those feelings from when his brother defeated him in the backyard and took out his anger on Jeff Kunkel's catcher mitt and Oakland's innocent batters. Zach allowed just two hits and fanned five batters over five innings, garnering his first collegiate win in a 14-5 rout of his older sibling's team. "It was a little bit ironic (to have my first win against Oakland)," Zach said. "It would have been exciting against anybody, but it was extra exciting against Oakland." Still, older brothers are never too happy to lose to their younger brother. "It was an interesting experience," Dylan said. "It was something that will be very memorable. We tried to keep it as objective as possible, so the guys on my team could keep their minds clear and go about their business as they always do. But it will be something that we look back on in Vi 05 he as a family for sure." Zach's return from lingering injuries marked a momentum change for the Wol- verines and sent the Golden Grizzlies into a tailspin. Putnam's victory was the first win in a four-game weekend sweep of Oakland, while Friday's loss was the Golden Griz- zlies' fifth loss in a row. Putnam, whose fastball has been clocked in the 90s, caught the eye of many major league scouts as a senior at Pioneer High School, gar- nering accolades such as DAY Gatorade Player of the Year g Green for the state of Michigan chigan and Baseball America All- P.m. American, among numer- Fish ous other awards. Despite interest from the major leagues, Putnam made the choice to go to Michigan. "Zach is very talented," Michigan coach Rich Maloney said. "He was our top recruit. There is no doubt about it. He hadn't been healthy 100 percent yet, and he showed glimpses of what he might do in the future for us, and it was pretty positive. He's a spe- cial player, and he can flat-out hit. It is just too bad that he hadn't been in the lineup every day because he adds something that not many people can bring to the table." Zach's brother always knew that Zach would encounter success, because he grew up watching his work ethic firsthand. "Anybody that works as hard as he does off the field and on the field has to be successful no matter how talented you are,' Dylan said. "You add in the fact that he is very talented, and he has a bright future in baseball." Michigan (10-7) will look to carry its momentum into today's game against Bowling Green (9-10). The Falcons have lost two games in a tow, but had no trouble defeating Michigan's last opponent, Oak- land, earlier in the season, 8-5. The game is slated for 3:05 p.m. at the Fish. MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily Freshman shortstop Teddi Ewing has notched a home run and four RBI in 16 games this season. USA Softball Elite Team last year, Merchant returned to Ann Arbor to work as a volunteer assistant coach for the team she starred on. She plans to pursue a career in coaching, and according to Merchant, there's no better place to get her first year of coaching experience. "It's an adjustment," Merchant said. "I love to play, obviously that's what I'd rather be doing, but you've got to move on." Merchant has been able to help Ewing as she feels her way through her first season. Sometimes the two train together at practice, and other times Merchant will pull Ewing aside to tell her what she can work on. "Anytime she sees something I can change to get better, she helps me," Ewing said. "She did unbeliev- able when she played here so to have her here showing me the ins and outs of the position is great. There's no one better to have doing it." Ewing's first chance to test her skills on the col- legiate level came Feb. 17 against DePaul. The game proved to be a memorable one; she collected her first start at shortstop, first hit, first run and first RBI. "Putting on the jersey was a really cool feeling," Ewing said. "Stepping on the field that first inning, I was a little nervous. But once you get into the game it's just like playing any other game." She has started every game since, and Mer- chant sees this as the beginning of a successful college career. "Teddi's a great kid" Merchant said. "She's tough. Part of being a big-time Division I shortstop is that you have to be mentally strong, and that's what I want to work with her on. Once you have that, you can have a great career. Teddi's going to have a great career at Michigan, and she's going to be a great shortstop for us." ks, -i n ,is~ ' '# I I{. The Finger thin Ie Smell teS I is an acceptable alternative to laundry.