10 - Tuesday, April 3, 2007
4
STAFF PICKS
The Daily baseball beat makes
its predictions for the season
These writers look into the
future to guess who will win
it all - and who will just be
disappointing.
Michigan overall record
Michigan Big Ten record
Michigan MVP
Michigan Pitcher of the Year
Michigan Freshman of the Year
Big Ten Regular Season Champion
Big Ten Regular Season Runner-Up
Big Ten Regular Season Third Place
Big Ten Tournament Champion
Big Ten Tournament Runner-Up
Big Ten MVP
Big Ten Pitcher of the Year
Big Ten Surprise Team
Big Ten Disappointing Team
Michigan Season Ends Here
ROB MIGRIN/Daily
National Champion
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Prosperi
41-4
23-9
Doug Pickens
Zach Putnam
Alan Oaks
Ohio State
Michigan
Purdue
Michigan
Purdue
Lars Davis, Illinois
Putnam
lowa
Minnesota
College World Series
South Carolina
40-15
24-8
Nate Recknagel
Putnam
Chris Bernet
Michigan
Minnesota
Ohio State
Michigan
Ohio State
Mike Mee, Minnesota
Putnam
Michigan State
Purdue
Regionals
North Carolina
39-t6
23-9
Zach Putnam
Putnam
Oaks
Michigan
Ohio State
Minnesota
Michigan
Illinois
Putnam
Dan DeLucia, Ohio State
Illinois
Purdue
SuperP egionals
Florida State
Sophomore pitcher Zach Putnam has a chance to lead Michigan in the Big Ten season,
Strange success for senior
By COURTNEY RATKOWIAK
Daily Sports Writer
EVANSTON - Statistics don't
always show success.
And for Michigan's Brad Roblin,
Saturday's box score barely tells the
story at all.
Technically, the senior outfielder
had one hit in six at-bats through
the day's two games. But in a dou-
bleheader where every unusual play
seemed to go his way, Roblin scored
four runs for the Wolverines.
The Wayland, Mass., native
walked with the bases empty in the
first inning of game one. One bat-
ter later, he scored the Wolverines'
first run after advancing to third on
a passed ball and coming home on a
wild pitch. The score gave-Michigan
a run without a hit.
"Some crazy things can happen
when you get to third," Roblin said.
"You always try to move up a base
if you can get it. It's not a very big
backstop, so I was able to read it as
soon as it hit the dirt and score a run
for us ... but it was a bizarre play."
In his next at-bat, Roblin reached
first on a bases-empty bunt to the
mound. Northwestern's pitcher
bobbled the ball and the first base-
man dropped the throw, ensuring
Roblin was safe at first.
Roblin's bunt was meant to put
pressureonNorthwestern'sdefense,
Michigan coach Rich Maloney said.
Maloney noted Northwestern's fail-
ure to field the bunt was consistent
with its day-long struggles in the
infield.
Maloney's strategy to get Rob-
lin on base with a solid bunt wasn't
exclusive to Saturday's game. The
Wolverines have also capitalized on
poor bunt defense in past seasons
under Maloney.
"A few years ago, when we were
on ESPN at home, we basically bunt-
ed ourselves to victory against Ohio
State on national TV - bunt after
bunt after bunt, and they couldn't
field it," Maloney said. "That's part of
what we practice every single day."
Minutes after his bunt, while
attempting to steal second base,
Roblin collided with the second
baseman and forced the ball out of
the Northwestern player's glove.
Roblin scrambled around him on all
fours to touch the base.
"I saw him and he was moving
toward me, soI knew it was going to
be kind of a bang-bang play," Roblin
said. "I was just going for the bag, he
was going fortheball and, thankful-
ly, I got there a split second before.
There was a little bit of contact, but
I beat the ball there."
In Saturday's afternoon game,
Roblin continued his streak of
unconventional plays by scoring
two consecutive unearned runs.
He reached first on a pitcher's field-
ing error, then scored two batters
later as part on a nine-run Michigan
inning.
Roblin hit a routine grounder to
Northwestern's third baseman in
the following inning. The throw
from third was short, bouncing past
the first baseman.
Both games on Saturday were
fueled by big hits but spurred by
Michigan's ability to capitalize on
Northwestern's errors.
Most of the at-bats that led to
Roblin's runs won't boost his aver-
age - but on a cold, rainy day when
the game was anything but clean,
the Wolverines celebrated their
unearned runs and the day's double
victory.
"It's about being able to do the
little things and ... just scrapping out
and getting a run here and there,"
Roblin said. "If we can get to three
or four runs, we feel like we have
a really good chance at winning,
so we're always just trying to ... do
whatever we can to score a lot."
Junior Samantha Findlay and her sister Angela compose the third pair of sisters in Michigan softball history.
Findlay sisters teamup
,we
11
By ANTHONY OLIVEIRA
DailySports Writer
EVANSTON - Some sisters,
like Northwestern's Kelly and Erin
Dyer, not only talk and look alike,
but also complete each other's sen-
tences.
This weekend, the Findlay sis-
ters did something extra.
They hit back-to-back jacks.
Just the third pair of sisters in
Michigan softball history, junior
Samantha Findlay and freshman
Angela Findlay made Michigan
history posting two solo home
runs off two-time Big Ten player
of the week Lauren "boom-boom"
Delaney (no relation to Michigan
sophomore Stacey Delaney).
With both sisters facing two
strikes, the wind to right field
helped Samantha's high ball carry
out while Angela's blast to the left
field gap took no more than three
seconds to clear the fence.
As the ball trailed out of the park,
everyone knew it was something to
remember, even the Dyer sisters,
who played with the Findlays back
at Lockport High School, approxi-
mately 50 miles from Evanston.
"It's really cool and just to see
them hit those," Kelly Dyer said.
"It's something that if Erin and Idid
that, I'd be so excited. Playing with
them and knowing how (Samantha
and Angela) are together, it's just
really nice to have them do that."
The only person who didn't care
for the moment was " Northwest-
ern's Delaney, who got yanked after
just 2/3 of an inning and saw less
than three innings of work during
the series.
Starting the season seventh in
the batting order, Angela earned
the clean-up spot behind her sister,
batting .387 in 24 games. Trailing
her older sister by just one home
run, it was simply a matter of time
until the moment happened.
But to Angela, it was just another
at-bat.
"After (Samantha) hit the home
run, all I was thinking was to get
the ball in play and get us another
baserunner," Angela said. "Home
runs happen. Obviously, we both
had some great cuts and just so
happened that we were back-to-
back."
Since Angela's shift up in the
line-up to protect her sister, the
Findlays have flourished, hitting a
combined .400 in three games.
Although Samanthas home
runs (four) are down from last sea-
son (10 through 35 games), she has
become a much more patienthitter.
Her 3.56 walks-to-strikeout ratio
through 32 games in 2007 is a vast
improvement from last year's .559
ratio through 35 games.
Angela complements her sister
well. In the past weekend, each has
upped her slugging percentage by
about 30 points.
Though the two runs in the first
weren't enough for the Wolverines,
the moment exemplified how spe-
cial these sisters were to their high
school coach Marissa Chovanec.
"It was very exciting to see them
hit back-to-back homeruns," Cho-
vanec said. "When your sister's got
your back, it says something for
them. They feed off each other's
emotions. They're just real athletes
and great players. I was fortunate
to be a part of that."
With the duo being sisters,
though, you can't help but to com-
pare the two. With similar stats,
one would guess that Angela has
formed her game to be like her
sister's.
But according to Samantha, that
theory can be thrown out the win-
dow.
"In high school, Angela was
more of a contact bitter, but she
could put the ball out of thepark,
whichmakesherthatmuchbetter,"
Samanthasaid. "Butwe'rebothtwo
different people. She's always been
asked-about being in my shadow,
but she's her own person."
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Michigan Apprentice is open to juniors and seniors. Those selected
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Application deadline is Thursday, April 12.
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