The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, February 21, 2013 - 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, February 21, 2013 - 7A
Early on, Hill is a
force on the mound
Redshirt sophomore Justin Rossi has had to deal with multiple injuries over his Michigan career, but seems to be back on the trajectory for success this season.
os B
By JASON RUBINSTEIN
For the Daily
To classify redshirt sopho-
more Justin Rossi's tennis career
as frustrating would be a great
understatement. Rossi has been
through just about everything,
from facing tough opponents to
having multiple injuries in his
college career.
Rossi, a native of Novi, Mich.,
was a blue-chip recruit out of
high school and was a top-20
player in the country according to
tennisrecruiting.net and helped
headline a top-five recruiting
class for the Wolverines in 2010.
Growing up near Ann Arbor,
Rossi was familiar with the pro-
gram and the staff.
"(Rossi) was definitely regard-
ed very high because of his junior
results," said junior Shaun Bern-
stein. "He was thought as one of
the top guys from our class and
was expected to work extremely
hard. He had a very good reputa-
tion as ahard worker and practice
player. He definitely had some
high expectations coming in."
Rossi stepped in and proved to
be type of player the Wolverines
had recruited. He competed well
in the fall, and rightfully secured
a top spot for Michigan's dual
season.
"We thought he was one of the
toughest guys on the team," said
Michigan coach Bruce Berque.
"We had a group of guys at a simi-
lar level, but we thought Justin
was the toughest and most resil-
ient and could handle the pres-
sure of playing a top spot."
But the dual season provided
challenges that Rossi hadn't seen
before. Rossi was not exposed to
top-tier competition week after
week in high school. His col-
lege inexperience showed as he
finished the season with a 15-18
record.
The results might not have
been what he expected, but the
future remained very bright.
"Going into my sophomore
year I was playingthe best tennis
I have ever played," Rossi said. "I
was looking forward to the sea-
son and becoming a dominant
force on the court."
Just as Rossi had become
accustomed to the college game,
things took a drastic turn. While
playing at the Harvard Invita-
tional, Rossi chased a ball and
planted his right foot funny. And
a loud snap later, Rossi's career
looked bleak.
Lucky enough for Rossi, an
orthopedic surgeon had been sit-
ting in the stands and rushed out
onto the court to put his foot back
in place.
Rossi had broken both his tibia
and fibula. Three weeks after the
injury, Rossi had surgery on both
parts and started rehabbing so he
could play in the spring season.
Two plates and 12 screws later,
Rossi's fibula still hadn't fully
healed. For precautionary rea-
sons, Rossi had to get a second
surgery.
After the second surgery, the
future remained bright for Rossi,
who had hoped to make it back
for the Big Ten season. But just
as things were looking favorable,
Rossi broke his fifth metatarsal
on his left foot during a rehab
session. This led Rossi to take a
medical redshirt.
But Rossi would not let this
bump in the road stop him. He's
almost back to full strength and
is now becoming a steady con-
tributor for the Wolverines. His
on-the-court energy is electric
and his joking attitude is all back
- something Berque said the team
greatly missed.
"The injury has made me
stronger," Rossi said. "When you
face adversity and overcome it, it
makes you stronger as a person
and I used that to fuel me on the
court."
Rossi is beginning to regain
form, as he faces one last obstacle
- trust. Once Rossi believes he
won't reinjure himself, he can be
the star that Michigan coaches
once believed he could be. There
is no doubt teammates think
highly of Rossi.
"He has a huge upside," Bern-
stein said. "He is one of the best
athletes on the team. He has a
ton of power and an unbelievable
work ethic, and I think by next
year he will be able to compete for
a top spot in the lineup and earn
a national ranking. He has a real
shot at making an impact on col-
legiate tennis."
By SHANNON LYNCH
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan baseball's pitching
performance during its season-
opening series against Califor-
nia was lackluster, and that's
putting it nicely.
A multitude of starters and
relievers gave up 28 hits and it
runs in the first two games of the
weekend.
To some extent, this show-
ing was expected. With a new
coaching staff, an incredibly
young team and an unsolidified
bullpen, nobody was expecting
perfection.
But after losing the first two
games, 5-4 and then 6-5, a sur-
prising performance came on
Sunday morning when Michigan
coach Erik Bakich chose to start
freshman pitcher Evan Hill.
"I was a little nervous, this
was my first time," Hill said.
"I'm a freshman and I needed
to make a good performance so
that the coaches know they can
trust me and my abilityto pitch."
In his first collegiate start,
Hill struck out three and
allowed just five hits and one
earned run in seven innings.
While Michigan couldn't pull
out the win, the performance
by Hill definitely sent a positive
wave through the dugout.
"He pitched terrific - he did
notlooklike afreshman," Bakich
said. "Evan did everything we
needed him to do to put us in a
position to win that game."
While only a freshman, Hill
has been pegged as a player to
keep an eye on since his high-
school days.
He earned three consecutive
varsity letters and went 8-3 on
the mound in his senior season
at Mount Pleasant (Mich.) High
School.
Hill will tell you himself that
his biggest strength right now
is being able to spot his fastball,
but he also catches batters off
guard with his curveball and
changeup, which he's constantly
working to improve.
"I'm doing the same things
over and over to create consis-
tency in my pitching area and
pitching mechanics," Hill said.
Hill stands at 6-foot-5, and
with his large athletic frame, he
holds a strong presence on the
mound.
He was an important recruit
for Michigan, and has adjusted
well to the new setting.
"(College baseball) is a huge
transition in the fact that it's so
much more time consuming and
it takes a lot more work and ded-
ication," Hill said. "But I think
it's a huge factor in maturity and
becoming more of a man on the
field - taking more responsibili-
ty for the things going on around
you."
Hill's pitching on Sunday
came as a warranted relief dur-
ing a weekend clouded with dis-
content. But Bakich is confident
that in the next few weeks, per-
formances like the one Hill had
will become much more com-
mon.
"We're still ironing out all
the roles of the bullpen and the
pitching staff, and making sure
we put our players in the right
spot to have success," Bakich
said.
The weekend might not have
ended exactly the way the team
was hoping, but for Hill, it was a
positive learning experience for
growth on the mound.
"Even though we got the
loss ... I think it helps me in my
confidence knowing that I can
give the team a really good per-
formance like that," Hill said.
"Hopefully we can score some
runs and get some victories."
- Nebraska, 'M' both
htin for 20th win
By GLENN MILLER JR.
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's bas-
ketball team has resurged itself
in the Big Ten with two straight
upset wins. On Thursday, the
Wolverines have an opportunity
to topple another ranked oppo-
nent and regain a foothold in the
conference standings with a win
over No. 24 Nebraska.
In one of the Big Ten's premier
matchups, Michigan will fight
to maintain its recent winning-
streak against
the red-hot Nebraska at
Cornhuskers.
The battle holds chiga
a major influ- Matchup:
ence on both Nebraska
teams' fate 19-6; Michi-
within the con- gan 19-6
ference, as both When: Thurs-
squads look day 7 P.M.
to jockey for a Where: Crisler
first-round bye Center
in the Big Ten TV/Radio:
Tournament. BTN
The Wolver-
ines have had a
bumpy road through the Big Ten,
but they now find themselves
with the chance to compete for a
top-three conference ranking.
After four straight wins to
start conference play, Michi-
gan dropped four of its next five
games. A recent momentum
swing has earned the Wolverines
big wins over Illinois, Purdue and
Michigan State.
Sunday's 70-69 upset of the in-
state rival Spartans marked a new
pinnacle for Michigan's season.
Senior guard Jenny Ryan led the
Wolverines, who broke a 12-game
losing streak against Michigan
State, by scoring a career-high
24 points without tallying a turn-
over. Ryan's effort earned her the
Big Ten Player of the Week award
on Tuesday - the first time she
has received the honor.
With a win over Ohio State last
Thursday, Nebraska improved
its conference winning streak to
PATRICK BARRON/Dail
Senior guard Jenny Ryan scored a career-high 24 points against the Spartans.
seven games. During the stretch,
the Huskers have won four con-
secutive games on the road.
While Nebraska currently holds
the second-best record in the Big
Ten, a loss to Michigan would
give both teams identical 9-4 con-
ference records.
While Ryan's leadership has
focused the Wolverines as of late,
it's senior guard Kate Thomp-
son who leads the team on
offense. Thompson's team-high
15.5 points per game has car-
ried Michigan as of late and has
also given her confidence in her
3-point shooting. Senior forward
Rachel Sheffer holds down the
interior for Michigan, scoring
12.6 points and pulling down six
rebounds per game.
The Huskers have been fueled
by the play of junior forward
Jordan Hooper, who's averaged
21.9 points and 7.7 rebounds dur-
ing Nebraska's current winning
streak. Hooper's impressive play
this season is worthy of consid-
eration for Big Ten Player of the
Year honors.
Assisting Hooper is senior
guard Lindsey Moore, whose
averaging 14.9 points and 5.44
assists per game this season.
Moore is expected to make her
124th-consecutive start against
the Wolverines, as she has started
in every game of her career as a
Husker.
The showdown at Crisler Cen-
ter is a must-win situation for
both teams as they head into the
postseason. If Michigan wins
its remaining four games, which
includes a difficult road game
at Penn State, it places itself in
a favorable position for second
place in the conference. Nebraska
is in a similar situation, with a
good opportunity to continue its
winning streak until the regular-
season finale against Penn State at
home. Nonetheless, the winner of
Thursday's game determines its
fate in the conference, while the
loser risks falling into the three-
team log jam for a first-round bye
at the Big Ten Tournament.
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