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8 - Friday, April 10, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Central, Eastern,
BGSU: Oh my!
MAC beats 'M'
The Wolverines have STAFF DAY DEBUT: It had been a
while since freshman pitcher Kevin
limped to a 2-3 record Vangheluwe stood on the mound,
staring down another team's lead-
against the Mid- off batter to open a contest.
His last start was in the state
finals during his junior year of
high school.
By RYAN KARTJE As a junior, the St. Clair Shores
Daily Sports Writer native went 11-2 with an ERA of
0.79 and was named to the Detroit
Michigan baseball coach Rich News All-Metro team.
Maloney knew weeks ago that this But before his senior season,
year's Big Ten title hunt would be Vangheluwe had to have a blood
"a contested race until the end." clot removed from his right arm, a
And in six confer- procedure that included removing
ence games, the NOTEBOOK one of his ribs.
Wolverines hold Vangheluwe came to Ann Arbor
a 3-3 record, just one game behind last fall with something to prove
conference leader Illinois. after spending the entire 2008
But Big Ten opponents haven't season on the sidelines. Malo-
been Michigan's toughest compe- ney expressed confidence in the
tition this season. Wolverines' top recruit from the
The Mid-American Conference beginning.
- a 12-team league that features "He's been throwing really
just three squads with winning well," Maloney said at the team's
records - has handed the Wolver- Meet the Wolverines night in Feb-
ines three losses so far this season. ruary. "I'm holding him back ... I
And all three came against sub- don't want to rush him. But don't be
.500 teams, including a 10-2 rout surprised when you hear the name
at the hands of Central Michigan Kevin Vangheluwe.
Wednesday. "He's going to be something real-
It was Michigan's worst loss to a ly good."
MAC team since Central Michigan The freshman didn't live up to
beat the Wolverines 14-0 in2002. Maloney's praise in his first start
"We're being back, allowing
outplayed by the four runs in just
MAC conference "W e're being 1.2 innings.
right now, which 'But with a
I think is embar- outplayed by the struggling pitch-
rassing for us," ing staff that has
senior tri-cap- M AC conference allowed five runs
tain Kevin Cislo or more in Michi-
said. "We're the right now." gan's last six
Big Ten. We're games, Vanghelu-
Michigan. ... I we may be forced
think that by the to step up more
Sugiyama surges past Blue's
all-time singles wins record
Senior claims 101st
victory as a member
of the Wolverines to
break team record
By JOE STAPLETON
Daily Sports Writer
It was game, set, 101st match
win for Chisako Sugiyama yes-
terday - the senior set a school
record for most wins in a career.
The accomplishment over-
shadowed another successful day
for the Michigan women's ten-
nis team, which beat Texas A&M
6-1 at the
Varsity TEXAS A&M 1
Tennis MICHIGAN 6
Center.
"This feels really good," Sugi-
yama said through the Athletic
Department. "I didn't even know
what the top mark was when I first
arrived here, and I had no idea
that I would even have a chance
to match it or surpass it."
During the match, it seemed
like every spectator's eyes were
focused on Sugiyama, who sur-
passed former Wolverine Sarah
Cyganiak on the all-time singles
wins list. Sugiyama tied Cyga-
niak's mark Sunday against Penn
State.
"(Cyganiak) was an amazing
player who did so many great
things for Michigan," Sugiyama
said. "I'm just thrilled to even be
compared to her. I have to thank
all three coaches, the assistant
coaches, the trainers and of
course my team. I couldn't have
done it without all of their sup-
port."
Sugiyama's record-setting
match was not without drama.
After she jumped out to a quick
4-1 lead, her opponent, Morgan
Frank, won consecutive games to
seize the momentum and cut the
deficit to one game.
In the ensuing game, Sugiyama
charged the net and won on a slic-
ing drop shot. Frank dropped her
racket and looked to the sky, the
match - and Sugiyama's place in
Michigan tennis history - all but
sealed.
Sugiyama went on to win 6-4,
6-3.
"I knew (Frank) was going to
be a good player, she made me
work hard," Sugiyama said. "She
was the kind of player, I think, a
year ago, I would have lost to."
Frank was very vocal through-
out the match, at one point yell-
time we lose three games (against
MAC opponents) like we have,
(we) definitely shouldn't be over-
looking them."
Michigan's only loss to a MAC
squad last season was also to Cen-
tral Michigan. The Wolverines
blew a 3-0 lead and allowed seven
unanswered runs in the process.
The Chippewas outdid last
year's performance, notching 10
unanswered runs in seven innings
before Michigan managed a run in
the bottom of the seventh.
After the loss to Eastern Michi-
gan on Mar.17,junior firstbaseman
Mike Dufek said the Wolverines
"knew (they) were supposed to
win" and overlooked the Eagles.
The next week, Cislo said the Wol-
verines "weren't prepared" when
they were downed by Bowling
Green 8-3. On Wednesday, it was
the same story.
"We weren't playing with fire in
our bellies," senior catcher and tri-
captain Tim Kalczynski said. "Any
team we play is a threat, and we
just haven't been playing crisp like
that."
Michigan will play in five more
games against MAC teams this
season.
often than Maloney may have origi-
nally hoped.
INJURY REPORT: Sophomore
relief pitcher Tyler Burgoon threw
Wednesday for the first time after
injuring his shoulder against Oak-
land on Mar. 31st. Junior catcher
Chris Berset, who started in 37
games last season, played catch
before the game. He suffered a bro-
ken thumb on his throwing hand
against Jacksonville in February.
Maloney said both players should
be ready for action next weekend
against intrastate rival Michigan
State.
NOTES: Michigan will take on
Illinois in a three-game series in
Ann Arbor this weekend, starting
tonight at 7 p.m. The series is an
important one for the Wolverines,
as they sit just one game behind the
Fighting Illini for first place in the
Big Ten.... Rick Samuel, a left-hand-
ed pitcher from White Lakewilljoin
the 2009 recruiting class, according
to an Athletic Department state-
ment. The preferred walk-on is the
seventh player to join the class.
"I'm very excited about this
group, especially since all of them
are from Michigan," Maloney said
in the statement.
Senior Chisako Sugiyama broke the Michigan record for career wins with her 6-4, 6-3 victory yesterday.
ing, "My grandmother could play
better than me!"
Probably not - but Sugiyama
tends to make players feel that
way.
Though most of the afternoon
was focused on Sugiyama, Michi-
gan coach Ronni Bernstein said the
senior leader is all about the team.
"She wants to do well for her-
self, obviously, but wants to do
well for the team, too," Bernstein
said. "When you have that com-
bination and you're a good com-
petitor, good things are going to
happen."
And good things definitely hap-
pened for the Wolverines yester-
day. They won the initial doubles
point before Sugiyama took the
court for her match.
The other five Wolverine vic-
tories were decided in two games
apiece. By the time the Aggies
got on the scoreboard with their
lone point, the overall match was
already decided. Michigan closed
it out on a positive note in the No.
3 singles spot with sophomore
Denise Muresan's 6-3, 6-3 win.
Alumni excited to be back in Ann Arbor for the spring game
FRIDAYS
Domestic Bottles are only
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By ANDY REID
Daily Sports Editor
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For the 40,000 fans Michigan
football coach Rich Rodriguez
hopes come out for tomorrow's
spring game, the event will be a
chance to get a first glimpse at the
2009 edition of the Wolverines.
And they'll also get to see a few
faces they might remember from
seasons past.
To prepare for his first open-
to-the-public spring game, Rodri-
guez has worked with the Athletic
Department
to make the
festivities Annual
more fan springgame
friendly. Part
of that is the When:
first annual Tomorrow, noon
alumni flag Where:
footballgame, Michigan Stadium
slated to take Live Blog:
place before http://thegame.
the 100-play blogs.michi-
intrasquad gandaily.com
scrimmage.
When Ron Bellamy, a Michigan
wide receiver from 1999-2002,
was asked by assistant athletic
director for football Scott Draper
to play in the game, he jumped at
the chance.
"Scott knows I'm a Michigan
man until the day I die," Bellamy
said. "And he knows that once he
asked me, I wasn't going to turn
down the opportunity to be back
in that stadium and be a part of
something special."
Other big-name players on the
roster include Rick Leach (quar-
terback from 1975-78), Anthony
Thomas (running back from 1997-
2000), Aaron Shea (tight end from
1996-99) and Scott Dreisbach
(quarterback from 1995-98).
At practice Tuesday, Bellamy
comfortably roamed the sidelines,
chatting with coaches and others
in attendance. Although the staff
the facilities, the place where we
warm up before the game," he
said. "Every fan is interested in
that, and I think that's important
to keep the interest in the game.
"Michigan football is going to
sell itself, but I think it's special
that you're allowing the fans to be
a big part of it."
Members on the team, how-
ever, aren't so focused on the off-
the-field hoopla.
"I'm excited to just be out there
playing football," junior lineback-
er Obi Ezeh said. "I don't really
get caught up with it. It will be
nice to be back in the Big House,
that's for sure, but other than that,
I'm just excited to go out and
play."
Unfortunately for Ezeh,
Rodriguez said the game will be
"watered down." He said that
Michigan may have some news
packages this year, and Rodriguez
doesn't want to give too much
away to Western Michigan and
Notre Dame - the first two team
the Wolverines will face this sea-
son.
Althoughitwon'tbeafullgame,
there will be certain situations,
like two-minute and goal-line
drills, which will pit the first-
team offense versus first-team
defense. And fans will get to see
their first glimpse of quarterback
Tate Forcier. The highly touted
early-enrolee will take most of the
reps with the first-team offense
because redshirt junior Nick
Sheridan sustained a leg fracture
earlier this spring.
"We don't have enough guys, I
think, to have atruegame, amaize
and blue team," Rodriguez said.
"But (fans will) be able to see guys
compete a little bit, watch some of
our young guys out there for the
first time and have a little fun. It
will be mostly live, so hopefully
there will be a few plays they'll be
enjoying."
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FILE PHOTO/Daily
Former Michigan wideout Ron Bellamy will play in the alumni flag football game.
is completely different than when
the wide receiver was with the
program, Bellamy has a long his-
tory with Rodriguez.
While at Archbishop Shaw
High School in New Orleans,
Bellamy was recruited by Rodri-
guez, the offensive coordinator at
Tulane at the time.
"I've known Coach Rodriguez
for a while," Bellamy said. " I used
to go to games and stuff when he
was at Tulane. He ran the same
offense. So I've seen his offense
for quite some time, but it's new
to a lot of Michigan folks."
Bellamy, who played in his fair
share of Michigan spring games,
is excited to see the changes that
Rodriguez and Co. are bringing to
the event.
Other activitiesplannedinclude
locker room tours, an introduc-
tion of ex-Wolverines who played
in this year's Super Bowl and a
field goal challenge for Univer-
sity students. Prior to this year,
the day usually involved just a
scrimmage and an autograph ses-
sion.
"I like the marketing idea,
helping get the fans involved in
the game, let them see what the
players go through, let them see
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