8A - Thursday, April 5, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com E PLAYERS: Fab Fiver lauds choice From page 5A past few days. But he added that if The Fab Five member offered his - -Michigan can keep its three recruits opinions on what fans might expect Udoh didn't seem to think Wol- to go along with its new coach, the from Michigan under Beilein next verine fans had much cause for Wolverines could do some special season. concern. things in the future. "The style of play will probably "I've talked to Manny and Kelvin One familiar face from Michi- change," King said. "(Beilein) men- a couple times," Udoh said. "They gan's past echoed those sentiments tioned he goes to the strength of the ain't leaving. They're coming." while speaking highly of the new team. PersonallyI think this team is Like Beilein, Udoh said he hadn't hire. probably a guard-oriented team, so I had a chance to speak with Legion, "I think they made an excellent look for it to be more up-tempo." who has been too busy to reach the choice in Beilein," Jimmy King said. No matter what style Beilein sees fit to employ withhis newroster,the Wolverines hope to enjoy the same success their new coach has had in the past, reaching the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight while at West Virginia. "The guy's been to the Sweet 16, he's been where we're trying to go," freshman K'en Morris said. "I think he's got the system to fit our team so that he can take us farther than where he's been." Alessandra Giampaolo has a .500 on-base percentage this year, hitting in the lead off spot for the Wolverines. Leadoff hitter finally leading off By ANTHONY OLIVEIRA Daily Sports Writer It took 137 games, but junior Alessandra Giampaolo has finally returned to her comfort zone in the lineup - almost like going back to the sunny shores of south- ern California. Batting behind former Wolver- ine lead-off hitter Tiffany Haas for two seasons, the centerfielder got her chance at the top spot for the first time in her Michigan career this past February. And she never looked back. With her aggressive style at the plate, Giampaolo sets the tone as the leadoff hitter for Michigan every game. The Pasadena, Calif. native has reached base 15 times in 28 attempts in the first inning since taking over the position. "I like starting the game, being the first person to see the pitcher and being the first person with the opportunity to get on," Giampaolo said. "I've been lead-off type my whole life, soit wasn't that hard of a transition. It's my favorite part of the lineup." While most players can scout the pitcher from the dugout before their at-bat, Giampaolo doesn't get that opportunity batting lead-off. But she actually may be better off not seeing any pitches at all. "There was one time when I didn't see any of the pitcherswarm up," Giampaolo said. "I just went up there and said, 'I'm just going to swing. I don't know my timing at all.' And I ended up getting a hit on the first pitch. I think (bat- ting first) lets me get loose a little more, makes me more aggressive. If I'm not thinking about it too much, then I'll hit it." But the centerfielder's success doesn't stop in the first inning. She has hit safely in 25 of 28 games since being promoted to the top of the order. Giampaolo improved her bat- ting average from an already impressive .325 to a formidable .456. Her on-base percentage also rose over the .500 mark, The shift to the junior's natural spot has built a strong 1-2-3 punch at the top of the lineup. "It's been great so far," junior Samantha Findlay said. "When Alessandra gets on - and wheth- er it's (Rebekah Milian) or Molly (Bausher) that usually punch her over - then I put the ball in play to keep her moving. We're just doing a good job at executing the plays." Wearinghernumber aroundher neck, the former Polytechnic Pan- ther has executed her own plays as well, recording16 doubles, already equaling a career-best. Hitting the ball in the gap rather than out of the park, she is well on her way to break the single-season doubles record of 24 set by Sara Griffin 11 years ago. "She's very tough," Michigan pitcher Nikki Nemitz said. "She's got a good eye, and if you put it anywhere near the plate she's going to do something with it." Said Findlay: "(She's like) Ken Griffey Jr. because he's so deter- mined. He makes solid contact all the time. He's a competitor and likes to win and that's how she is." When Giampaolo isn't in the batter's box, she tries to lead the team with her voice. As one of three captains, she makes sure she's heard whether it's in the dugout or in center field. "She's awesome on the field leading," Nemitz said. "She's loud. I can hear her from the mound, but I haven't really tested how far I can hear her." Alessandra's hoping she can be heard - all the way from Okla- homa City. John Beilein hopes to replicate in Ann Arbor the success he has found atall his previous coaching stops. BEILEIN From page 5A Morgantown, W.Va., and begin a career in Ann Arbor. "You go with what you feel is right in your gut and what you believe," Beilein said. "I think that there are a lot of similari- BROMWICH From page 5A since 1957) and advanced to the second round with Richmond in 1998. Beilein took over at West Virgin- ia after a 2001-02 season in which the Mountaineers finished 1-15 in the Big East. Within just three years, he had them in the Elite Eight and followed that with a trip to the Sweet 16. Before this past season, West Virginia lost four starters and 83 percent of its scoring. The team was picked by many to finish last or second-to-last in the 16-team Big East. "I'm only putting West Virgin- ia this high - i.e., next to last - because of Beilein," Gary Parrish of CBSSportsline wrote. "This team, STAFF PICKS The Daily softball 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 oerall record Michiga n 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 Freshman of the Year Bi TensCoach of the Year 8ig Ten Surprise Team Big Ten Disappointing Team Michigan Season Ends Hero National Champion ties in the type of young man and student-athlete and student that come from Michigan to the same ones that I've recruited in all my years of coaching." Beilein answered an array of questions ranging from the issue of his buyou to how his offensive system runs. Asked about his strategies, quite simply, is going to be ter- rible. The only question is whether things will be down for one year, two years or longer?" Beilein the led his team to a 9-7 conference record, good enough for seventh in the conference. West Virginia defeated then-No. 2 UCLA in February (the Bruins stomped Michigan by 37 points two months earlier) and went on to winthe NIT Championship. In my mostrecent column, I enu- merated the reasons former Michi- gan coach Tommy Amaker should be fired. I specifically pointed to X's-and-O's, results and player development, declaring that Amak- er fell short in all three areas. Beilein is widel. considered one of the best X's-and-O's guys in college basketball. Other coaches respect him for it. For an example, look no further than the NIT semi- Beilein attempted to get everyone on the same page regarding his "Princeton-style" offense. "I want to set the record straight," Beilein said. "Please don't use the word - I love Princ- eton, it's a great university, (but) that would be like saying, 'Hey, if you understand Japanese, you understand Chinese.' It's differ- final, where, trailing by two with two seconds left, he designed a play that freed Darris Nichols for a game-winning 3-pointer. It looked a little different than Amaker's "lob-the-ball-to-Jerret-Smith-at- halfcourt-and-start-the-offense-with- lO-seconds-left-on-the-shot-clock" play. In terms of results, Beilein's teams have averaged 25 wins in the past three seasons and have been to the Elite Eight and Sweet 16 in that time, in addition to winning an NIT championship this year. "An awful lot of teams have been watching us play at the end of the year the pastfew-years," Beilein said. That's yo'u'\ic'gan, don't be shy. Beilein hasn't had the chance to coach any stars -not a single player of his has ever played in the NBA. Dan Feldman 57-13 17-3 Samantha Findlay Wilson Angela Findlay Michigan Northwestern Iowa Michigan Northwestern Williams Eileen Canney, Northwestern Lauren Delaney, Northwestern Hutchins Wisconsin Northwestern College World Series Tennessee ent." Beilein was assertive in his vision for the basketball pro- gram. "I brought a couple of NCAA rings and an Elite Eight ring and a Sweet 16 ring," Beilein said. "I passed it around to these guys today and I said, 'We're going to put these on as soon as we can.' But he turned unknowns Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle into household names and crucial con- tributors on an Elite Eight team. At Michigan, Beilein will finally have a talent pool from which to recruit potential stars. The results are still to come, but for many, they don't seem too far off. "I think he saw this as the elite level," Patrick Beilein said. "He did all he could at West Virginia. (Michigan) is a program that he can take to Final Fours, and that really intrigued him." His father opened yesterday's press conference by calling his arrival in Ann Arbor a "thrilling day." Coach Beilein, Michigan's more than thrilled to have you. - Bromwich can be reached at dabromwi@umich.edu. Anthony Oliveira 52-13 15-5 Glampanlo Wilson Angela Findlay Northwestern Michigan Penn State Northwestern Michigan Williams Canney Ashley Grittith, Penn Stile tohin Petrini, Penn State Illinois Michigan State Super Regionals Alabama university unions- amst as good as [we're proud of you!] M University Unions Michael Eisenstein 58.12 16-4 Alessandra Giampaolo Lorilyn Wilson Angela Findlay Michigan Northwestern Iowa Michigan Northwestern Tammy Williams. Northmestern Wilson Angela Findlay Carol Hutchins Iowa Northwestern College World Series Tennessee 4 4