1 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
March 23, 2009 - 3B
Softball Preview 2009
ROB M Ge N/Onily
Sophomore Jordan Taylor (left) and junior Nikki Nemitz (right) lead the Wolverines' pitching rotation this season after accounting for all 52 of Michigan's wins last season.
Pair of pitching aces lead Blue's NU sweeps 'M' in
rotation into the Big Ten season first Big Ten series
By IAN KAY tying run standing on second base,
Daily Sports Writer Hutchins called Taylor in from the
bullpen. The sophomore slammed
Michigan softball coach Carol the door, stranding the runner on
Hutchins wants her team to play base before striking out the side in
"one-pitch" softball. the seventh to secure the Wolver-
The idea is that no matter the ines' win.
score, situation or opponent, each It's that type of reliability in the
player on the field must execute circle that has been Michigan's
to the best of her ability on every greatest strength over the past two
single pitch. seasons.
But sometimes, it's hard not to After finishing last year with
look at the big picture. Entering the the top team ERA in the country
start of Big Ten play, the eighth- (0.88), the duo has pitched to a 1.03
ranked Wolverines stood at 20-7.- mark this year. Nemitz has won the
Anchored by a pair of aces in Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award
junior Nikki Nemitz and sopho- twice and Taylor has thrown two
more Jordan Taylor, Michigan is a no-hitters.
threat to win the conference title But both pitchers buy into
and advance deep into postseason Hutchins' system. Rather than
play. But to do so, the team will dwelling on their success, they pre-
need more consistent contributions fer to focus on just fulfilling their
from an offense that has swung roles on the team, with an emphasis
from dominant to anemic, often on on taking it one pitch at a time.
a game-to-game basis. "We count on them to keep us
in every game," Hutchins said.
ACES UP "They've done that thus far. Their
At the Judi Garman Classic from job is to keep us in the game until
Mar. 12-Mar. 15, Michigan faced our offense can win it."
five ranked teams in four days. It At times this season, that second
was the most daunting stretch of part has presented a problem.
what Hutchins called the tough-
est schedule she's faced in 25 years SLUMPS AND SURPRISES
as Michigan's head coach. But for The one game Michigan lost at
Nemitz, it was just another week- the Judi Garman Classic two weeks
end at the office. ago was a nailbiter.
The junior pitched in four games Against No. 3 Washington, Tay-
- all Michigan wins - and allowed for worked into and out of trouble
just two runs. Over 17.1 innings, she all day. She allowed an uncharacter-
struck out 24 batters and allowed istic 10 baserunners, but ultimately
just 15 to reach base. surrendered just one run - a solo
At the Classic, Nemitz was clear- home run in the second inning.
ly Michigan's best pitcher. But for By all accounts, Taylor kept
the season? That's debatable. Michigan in the game against one
"We have two No. 1 pitchers," of the top teams in the country.
Hutchins said. "We're the only But it wasn't enough.
team that I know of that can really The Huskies' Danielle Lawry
say that." held the Wolverines scoreless in a
Most college softball teams have dazzling 13-strikeout performance.
a clear top starter and then one or Against Lawry, Michigan's lack
more second-tier pitchers. In Nem- of offense was understandable. The
itz and Taylor, Hutchins has two junior is one of the top pitchers in
hurlers who she feels comfortable the nation with a 0.27 ERA and 10
with in any situation. The pair gen- shutouts in 17 starts. Unfortunately
erally alternates starts, but neither for the Wolverines, this wasn't an
has trouble pitching in a relief role. isolated incident.
-iFo-opponents,-Thipresents-a--Michigan-aver-ages-4.4-runs-per
nique problem. game, but it has also scored two
"You know that as a pitcher, you runs or fewer seven times. Only
don't have to carry the team," Nem- part of this can be attributed to the
'tz said. "If you're having an off difficultschedule.Severalmembers
ay, there's an All American com- of the starting lineup have suffered
ing behind you to pick you up. It's through extended hitting slumps.
like 'All right, you figured out this Dorian Shaw has just 9 RBI. At
one, now try to beat this All Ameri- this point last season, she had 17.
an."' Molly Bausher's on-base percent-
On Feb.13 at the Louisville Tour- age is hovering around .300. But no
ament, Louisville figured Nem- hitter has been more disappointing
itz out in the bottom of the sixth than Teddi Ewing.
'nning. A team captain and Michigan's
With Michigan clinging to a 3-2 only senior starter, Ewing seemed
lead, the Cardinals got a leadoff poised for a huge season after hit-
ingle and a sacrifice bunt. With the ting .347 last year. But she began
the season with just one hit in fidence, the coach reminds younger
Michigan's first seven games and team members that they aren't
has struggled to break out of the freshmen or sophomores, but sim-
funk since. ply Michigan softball players.
Ewing is a vocal leader on the "It shows a lot for the coaching
field and plays stellar defense at staff, making sure that they all they
shortstop, but her .115 batting aver- have just as much ability as any-
age is the worst on the team by one else on that field and not let-
more than 100 points. ting them think that since they're a
"It's probably a case of her just freshman they might not be able to
trying too hard and trying too do it," Ewing said.
hard to do all of the things a senior But Chidester's contributions
captain has to do," Hutchins said. aren't limited to the field. Accord-
"We've asked her to step back and ing to teammates - who refer to
play her game." her exclusively as "Chiddy" - her
Hutchins has limited Ewing's enthusiasm for the game and con-
at bats in recent games by pinch- stant energy bring a loose and fun
hitting for her in key situations, dynamic to the dugout and the
but the senior's confidence hasn't locker room. When asked in Feb-
waned. Ewing said she's still help- ruary about her first experience
ing the team in other ways and playing in real competition with
feels that she could break out of the the team, Chidester used the word
slump at any time. "awesome" four times in three sen-
"I go up there every time saying tences.
'This is it, I'm going to get a hit, I'm "Whatever is going on, she's
goingto have agood atbat,'"Ewing still jumping around the dugout,
said. "I don't ever go up there cheering and screaming her head
doubting that I can do it." off," Nemitz said. "It's great that
In a lineup that features three when you start getting frustrated
freshmen, Ewing's struggles could or something, you have Chiddy
be crippling - if one of those fresh- back there screaming her butt off
men wasn't Amanda Chidester. for you."
After committing to Michigan For an offense that has been
during her sophomore year of high frustrated many times this season,
school, Chidester was a fixture at it's also great to have Chidester
Wolverine softball camps and in knocking in runs.
the stands during home games.
Now that she's actually on the LOOKING FORWARD
field, the Allen Park native has The Big Ten looks to be a three-
wasted no time making her pres- team race this year, with Michigan
ence felt. A versatile player who has dueling Ohio State and perennial
seen time at five defensive positions power Northwestern for confer-
and designated player, she leads the ence superiority. With the elimina-
team in six offensive categories tion of the Big Ten tournament at
including batting average (.384) the end of the regular season, each
and RBI (17). series becomes even more impor-
Most importantly, her hits have tant.
come at the most crucial times. But Michigan should be ready.
Seven times, she has knocked in The Wolverines are battle-tested
Michigan's winning run. Against from 13games againstrankedoppo-
Florida State on Feb. 24, it was nents, including No. 2 Florida (4-0
Chidester's 13th inning RBI double loss) and defending national cham-
that proved the difference in a 1-0 pion Arizona (4-0 win). Michigan's
Michigan win. Many inexperi- pitching staff is dominant and the
enced players would be intimidated lineup has been adequate and has
in such a clutch situation. But that's the potential to be explosive. There
-never been Chidester's attitude I't-teamin-the-eountry-tha
"She looks at everything that should intimidate Michigan.
comes at her as an opportunity that "Hopefully that's whatthattough
she seems to relish, as opposed to schedule does for you," Hutchins
the burden of an expectation or said. "It prepares you for the rest
a challenge," Hutchins said. "She of the season. I feel like we're very
looks at it as an opportunity and you ready and very well prepared."
can see it in her eyes. She's always But that was enough big-picture
excited to come up with runners on outlook for the coach. From here on
base or the bases loaded." out, it's all about one-pitch softball.
The transitions of Chidester "We've learned why we played
and fellow freshmen Stephanie so well (at the Judi Garman Clas-
Kirkpatrick and Bree Evans to col- sic) was we were very one-pitch
lege softball have been eased by oriented, very moment-oriented,"
Hutchins' philosophy of judging Hutchins said. "We played staying
players based on talent and effort in our moment. We didn't get ahead
rather than age. To help instill con- of ourselves."
By AMY SCARANO
Daily Sports Writer
Captain Angela Findlay
caine out, bat in hand, ready
to finish off the Wolver-
ines' opening series of the
Big Ten play at the Sharon
Drysdale Field in Evanston on
Sunday.
But she couldn't come away
with a big hit - it had just been
that kind of weekend for the
Wolverines.
Michigan fell behind early in
its first game to Northwestern
on Saturday. The Wolverines
fought their way back to a 5-5
tie before committing an error
that allowed the Wildcats to
score the winning run in Michi-
gan's 6-5 loss.
Sunday was a fresh start and
Findlay got a hit on her first at-
bat, giving her the confidence
she needed early.
She tallied the Wolverines'
second hit during her second
time at the plate.
"As far as the team goes, hit-
ting is definitely contagious,"
Findlay said. "When one of us
is hitting, all of us are hitting.
Once one of us gets a hit, then
it gives everyone else the confi-
dence that they can do it too."
Although she did register the
first two hits for the Wolverines
(20-9, 0-2 Big Ten) - the first a
bunt in the first inning and the
second a grounder in the top of
the third - to lead her team in
hits on Sunday, it wasn't enough
to take the second game of the
weekend against the Wildcats
(15-8, 2-0).
This weekend's series against
the Wildcats was the first time
Michigan has been swept by
Northwestern since 2000.
The two teams, historically
very closely matched, have split
five of their last eight Big Ten
series.
Despite Findlay's early hits
to boost her team's confidence
Sunday, a pitching dual ensued
between Michigan sophomore
Nikki Nemitz and Northwest-
ern pitcher Lauren Delaney.
Neither team had scored a
run headed into the fourth
inning.
When Nemitz gave up back-
to-back home runs to the first
two Northwestern at-bats in
the fourth, the Wildcats took a
2-0 lead that remained until the
seventh inning.
Nemitz quickly regained her
rhythm and struck out the next
batters after the Wildcats' home
runs to end the inning.
Meanwhile, Delaney, known
for her occasionally wild arm,
gave up only four hits all game
on Sunday, one of which the
Wolverines were able to convert
into a run.
She also hit three Wol-
verines on the weekend, but
luckily, all were able to ice their
bruises and escape unscathed.
"When you are playing a
team (with a wild pitcher), you
just know that some people are
going to get hit," Findlay said.
"And you hope that it's not going
to affect anyone for the rest
of the season. You can't think
about that going into the box or
you are not going to be able to
perform."
Finally, in the top of the sev-
enth with two outs, Michigan
got on the board with a home
run by sophomore Dorian
Shaw.
But Delaney erased the
Wolverines' comeback hopes
quickly, striking out the next
Michigan batter.
"Our coach tries not to
emphasize too much it's the Big
Ten, that now we have to win,"
Findlay said. "We just try to
treat every opponent the same.
Obviously, we want to do well
,but you can't have that in the
back of your head when you are
playing or else we aren't going
to do well."
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