4B- March 7; 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.como I
4B - March 7, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com@
You should feel sorry for
Schilling and Mouton
BASEBALL
M' notches first wins,
but struggles continue
INDIANAPOLIS -
Steve Schilling sat there
taking questions maybe
for the last time about
all the garbage - Rich Rodri-
guez, the 24-26 record Schil-
ling endured in four seasons at
Michigan, the
drama.
Garbage.
But this
time, the
questions
weren't about
the team
anymore. The TIM
fifth-year ROHAN
senior and
captain of
the 2010 football team already
answered those questions week
in and week out. After games -
good and obscenely bad - Schil-
ling spoke-like the team leader
he was. He even stood up at the
podium on most Monday after-
noons for press conferences,
playing with his feet the same
way Rodriguez would, pushing
his toes into the ground.
It was hard to be comfortable,
but he always faced the music.
Now, sitting at table No. 5,
surrounded by a handful of
reporters at the NFL Scout-
ing Combine, he was asked not
about the team, but about him-
self.
Even though you've graduated,
would you like to stay another
year at Michigan to see how
things play out?
Schilling responded with a
company line - he thought next
year's senior class would do a
fine job with the transition.
But that's not exactly what
the reporter was getting at.
What about what Steve wants?
As Schilling walked away, the
reporter clarified.
Would.a little part ofyou
like toplay another year, just to
play without all of that constant
drama?
Now Schilling opened up.
"It's tough to play with those
distractions," he said. "It wears
on you, even if you're not think-
ing about it. Part of me last year
was consciously just trying to
tell myself to have fun playing -
enjoy it.It was my senior year,
try to avoid all of the distrac-
tions."
So, what about another year?
"It would be nice."
For Schilling and fifth-year
senior linebacker Jonas Mouton
- Michigan's two lonely rep-
resentatives at this year's com-
bine - how could you not feel
sorry for those two guys? And
any other member of this senior
Fifth-year senior Steve Schilling was projected by ESPN's Todd McShay to be a day-three pick in April's NFL Draft.
class exiting Michigan during
such a low point in the football
program's history.
Schilling and Mouton both
came from the West Coast -
Schilling from Washington and
Mouton from California - and
left Pac-10 country to come to
Ann Arbor to play for Lloyd
Carr, to play in a pro-style
offense and a 4-3 defense, to
compete for championships -
not Gator Bowl trophies.
But alas, here they were,
five years removed from their
redshirt season when they
watched Michigan battle Ohio
State in the No. 1 vs. No. 2 game.
Then they sat by as their team-
mates played USC in the Rose
Bowl. That was what they were
going to be a part of. They were
recruited to be the next in line
and chosen to fill those cookie-
cutter roles that were the NFL's
training ground for years.
Then, everything changed.
Carr left and so did the NFL-
ready schemes he coached.-
Rodriguez brought a style of
play that won him games at West
Virginia, but it didn't garner
a reputation of being an NFL
pipeline.
Transitioning from Rodri-
guez's spread-option offense or
3-3-5 defense to the NFL is like
an improv actor trying to make
the jump to Broadway. They
may have the ability to do it, and
both involve acting. Some of the
skills translate, but it's not the
same.
NFL coaches and general
managers alike will tell you,
there are enough colleges run-
ning those types of schemes
that they have to adjust how
they evaluate players - but they
never know for sure ifa player
will make the adjustment.
So in Indianapolis, Schilling
and Mouton had to make their
cases - that Schilling could be
a bulldozer rather than just a
guard who can play in space and
that Mouton could be a physical
linebacker in the 4-3. Both of
them had the same answer for
teams.
Just pop in my freshman year
tape, when Iplayedfor coach
Carr.
How unusual - as if the past
three years were for naught.
But the past three years did
have an effect - a negative one.
Twenty-two losses is a lot for
a school like Michigan to pile
up. ESPN's director of college
football scouting for Scouts Inc.,
-Todd McShay, put it like this:
What comes first, the chicken or
the egg?
Was Michigan so bad because
only two players were worthy
of invites to the NFL Combine?
Or were there only two players
invited because Michigan was
so bad?
Teams pay attention to
whether or not your team had
success. Everyone wants to be
around winners.
"They're just around a cer-
tain atmosphere," said Seattle
Seahawks G.M. John Schneider.
"They come in with a certain
level of confidence and prepara-
tion and professionalism."
Added Denver Broncos G.M.
Brian Xanders: "We want win-
ners. We want people that love
football."
Anyone who's been a part of
the Michigan program for the
past three seasons can't claim to
be a winner and keep a straight
face.
The past three years might
have gone as badly as it possibly
could have for Schilling and
Mouton's draft stock, consider-
ing everything but their indi-
vidual play.
That's the saddest part. None
of this was in Schilling's or
Mouton's control: Carr's depar-
ture, playing outside of their
strong-suits and adapting to
Rodriguez's schemes, the losing
and the drama that choked the
program.
They stayed with Michigan,
took their lumps and look where
it got them - McShay said the
losing culture probably would
drop their stock a round or two
in the draft.
At this point, of course it
would. Here's hoping Schilling
and Mouton catch a break at the
next level.
They've dealt with more
than their fair share of garbage
already.
-Rohan can be reached
at trohan@umich.edu
By DANIEL WASSERMAN
Daily Sports Writer
If the Michigan baseball team
could face Massachusetts in
every game, it'd be in good shape.
But the Wolverines (2-9 over-
all) have other competition. And
last week Sam Houston State
- the host of the Bearkat Invi-
tational in Huntsville, Texas -
taught Michigan that the hard
way.
The Wolverines snapped their
season-opening, seven-game los-
ing streak with a win Fridayover
the Minutemen, 5-2. Later that
night, the Bearkats quickly hum-
bled Michigan with an 11-3 win.
On Saturday, the Wolverines
again knocked around UMass,
winning 11-6, but Sunday, Sam
Houston State shut out Michi-
gan,8-0.
"We just went on a trip and
played nine games in seven days
and on top of that, unfortunately,
two of our pitchers who are sup-
posed to be starters (senior right-
handers Kolby Wood and Travis
Smith) pitched only a couple of
innings in the beginning of the
trip (last weekend), and then
couldn't pitch at all (this week-
end) due to injuries," Michigan
coach Rich Maloney said. "That
was a bigblow, and that set every-
thing else back tremendously."
The Bearkats (9-2) silenced
the Wolverines' bats on Sunday.
Despite giving up just one run
and one hit in 3.2 innings, fresh-
man right-hander Alex Lakatos
was credited with the loss. His
pitch count was limited after he
made a relief appearance Satur-
day.
Just two days after sophomore
left-hander Bobby Brosnahan,
Michigan's ace, was chased in
the second inning of a Friday
start against Sam Houston State,
Brosnahan made a rare relief
appearance Sunday. Coming out.
of the bullpen proved no bet-
ter for the lefty, who went 2.2
innings, but again found little
success, giving up seven earned
runs on nine hits.
"We've got to get Bobby Bros-
nahan back to pitching like he
did last year, when he was a solid
pitcher for us and a mainstay
in the rotation," Maloney said.
"He's just struggling out of the
gate mentally and we've got to
get him going again, because we
really could use him."
The bats showed flashes of
brilliance on Saturday, as the
Wolverines scored 11 runs off the
Minutemen (0-4) on 15 hits.
Michigan once again got solid
production out of the top of its
lineup - one of the Wolverines'
few brightspots this season.
Sophomore shortstop Derrick
Dennis and freshman left fielder
Michael O'Neill each had three
hits and two RBI to lead Michi-
gan, which got a hit out of every
starter. Dennis also had two*
steals.
O'Neill, batting .386, has a hit
in each game this season.
"I've been extremely
impressed with (O'Neill)," said
sophomore center fielder Patrick
Biondi. "He's definitely someone
who has exceeded expectations
and he's been doing really well,
so I'm happy for him and I hope
he continues to produce like
that."
In the Friday nightcap against
the Bearkats, Brosnahan went
just I-plus innings, giving up
three runs. Junior right-hander
Ryan Kopf and redshirt senior
right-hander Matt Gerbe com-
bined to go 1.2 innings, and
allowed six runs, as the over-
worked bullpen continued to
struggle after short outings from
its starters.
Redshirt senior second base-
ment Anthony Toth led the Wol-
verines offensively with two hits
and two runs and O'Neil added
two steals to his team-leading
five.
Michigan's first game of the
weekend was highlighted by red-
shirt sophomore right-hander
Tyler Mills pitching a strong
7.1 innings in his second career
start. Mills, who Maloney called
an 'X-factor' enteringthe season,
gave up just one earned run to
garner the win.
"We're really, really excited
about Tyler Mills," Maloney
said. "He's had two starts now
and one relief appearance in his
whole collegiate career, and he's
showing signs of giving us great
hope ... He's been pretty electric.
(Mills and Lakatos) are going to
give us two really solid arms."
With any chance of earn-
ing an at-large bid likely out the
window, the Wolverines have to
look to expand on the flashes of
potential they've shown thus far
heading into Big Ten play, which
begins in three weeks.
"There's a lot of season left,"
O'Neil said. "People can sit there
and say, 'You're 2-8, you're not
going to be any good,' but the Big
Ten season hasn't even started.
We're 0-0 in the Big Ten. Ulti-
mately, our pre-Big Ten schedule
is to get us ready for the Big Ten.
There's some people who are
going to question us, obviously,
but we've got to stick together as
a team."
Hutch's approach tried and true for Blue
en Michigan softball
coach Carol Hutchins
earned her 1,200th
career victory Saturday - an
8-3 decision
over Ball MATT
State that SLOVIN
improved on
the Wolver- On softball
ines' unblem-
ished record - it seemed that
the milestone may be just one of
many reached this season.
After all, it's no secret that No.
8 Michigan (22-0 overall) is very
capable of a special spring, show-
ing no signs of slowing down
while traveling across Florida en
route to a perfect trip over break.
The team completed its tour
of the Sunshine State with a 7-2
triumph over host South Florida
on Sunday.
Hutch, as she's affectionately
known, doesn't like talking about
her accomplishments and gives
the credit for her success to vir-
tually anyone who will take the
spotlight from her.
"I don't really keep track of
that stuff," Hutch said of the
milestone. "It just means I've had
a lot of good kids in my program
and alot of good assistants."
Of the 1,200 wins - many of
them coming in convincing fash-
ion like Saturday's 8-0 trounc-
ing of Arkansas -1,177 have
come during her tenure in Ann
Arbor, so it's clear that success in
Maize and Blue is nothing new to
Hutch. But this year has a differ-
ent feel to it.
Different from last year's run
to the NCAA Super Regional.
Different from the 2009 trip
to the College World Series in
Oklahoma City - where the Wol-
verines hope to return this year.
Even different from 2005 when
Michigan completed its magical
run, coming back to beat UCLA
for the national championship,
giving Hutch her ring.
But anyone who knows her
knows one title isn't enough to
appease her will to succeed - a
deeply rooted desire that she,
in turn, lends to each one of her
student-athletes.
That's why nobody should
be surprised when after lead-
ing Mi
school
to the ?
Fame,,
last 18
champ
relent.
Th,
pa
The
part of
accept
less the
for less
Lansin
athlete
I-96 to
est coa
history
been cr
polls. V
chigan to its best start in hasn't been filled with national
history, after being named powers, some difficult challenges
Michigan Sports Hall of await Michigan.
after claiming 13 of the If it can overcome them, the
Big Ten regular-season' ascend up the rankings will con-
ionships, Hutch refuses to tinue. But don't tell Hutch - she
doesn't read them.
"We don't care about the
polls," Hutch said. "You play (the
words "day games) on the field. We'll get our
opportunity."
P aren't a This weekend, the Wolverines
will attempt to remain unbeaten
rt of EHutch's when theytravel to Louisville to
play a pair againstboth the Car-
rocrabulary. dinals and Western Kentucky.
In order to remain one of the
nation's few unbeatens, they
certainly won't need to deviate
words "day off" aren't a from the sound fundamentals
her vocabulary. She won't that Hutch preaches from the
from her players anything moment her players put on that
an their best. Settling uniform.
isn't what brought the "We're just tryingto get better
g native from a two-sport because everyone in the country
at Michigan State down is doing the same thing," Hutch
become one of the great- said.
thes in college softball And she hasn't given us any
. And the Wolverines have reason to think otherwise. In
reeping up the national fact, she has given us 1,200 rea-
While the schedule thus far sons to believe.
JAKE FROMM/Daily
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins has amassed 1,200 career wins and was just
named to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
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