The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, April 19, 2013 -7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, April 19,2013 - 7
Streaking Wolverines
ready for Wrigley Field
An empty jersey in the dugout
has inspired Michigan on run
By ALEX TAYLOR
Daily Sports Writer
The winds of change are blow-
inginthe BigTen.
Not only will the Michigan
baseball team (7-2 Big Ten, 21-14
overall) be looking to extend their
10-game win streak this weekend
when it takes on Northwestern
(4-8, 15-13), the Wolverines will
also play Saturday's game at his-
toric Wrigley Field, home of the
Chicago Cubs.
"We're going to be excited to
be in a major-
league park, Michigan at
especially a Northwestem
park that has
as much nos- Matchup:
talgia and Michigan 21-14;
tradition as Northwest-
Wrigley Field," ern 15-13
said Michi- When: Friday
gan coach 3 p.m. CDT,
Erik Bakich. Saturday 6 pm.,
"To think of Sunday p.m.
all the players Where: Rocky
that have come Miller Park,
through there Wrigley Field
and 100 years Video:
of baseball is BigTenNetwork.
pretty neat." com
Michigan
is currently tied with Minnesota
atop the Big Ten standings thanks
to back-to-back series sweeps
against Michigan State and Penn
State. The Wolverines also got
some help when the conference
frontrunner, Indiana, was swept
by Michigan State last weekend.
In the Big Ten preseason coaches
poll, Michigan wasn't listed in the
top six teams in the conference.
The pitchingstaffhas played an
important role in the Wolverines'
recent run. Since the beginning
of Big Ten play four weeks and
13 games ago, Michigan's pitch-
ing staff has held opponents to
two runs or fewer in every game,
except for three games in which it
allowed three.
"Our pitching coach (Sean
Junior outfielder Michael O'Neill is one of a quintet of hitters powering Michigan.
Kenny) is one of the best in the
countuy at what he does," Bakich
said. "The players have all bought
into the philosophy. It's nothing
different than we've been preach-
ing all year, which is quick tempo
and forcingcontact."
Besides executing this strat-
egy, the pitchers are also get-
ting support from the defense. In
the 10-game winning streak, the
defense has committed just 10
errors while producingsome web-
gem moments.
"The (pitchers) are just pound-
ing the strike zone and letting
the defense make plays," Bakich
said. "The pitching staff has a ton
of confidence right now, knowing
they can attack the strike zone."
As the pitching staff has
recieved much of the attention,
the offense has flown under the
radar. During the winning streak,
the Wolverines have outscored
opposing teams 54-13. A quintet
of hitters has led the charge, com-
prising outfielders senior Patrick
Biondi, junior Michel O'Neill and
sophomore Zach Zott, as well as
freshmen infielders Travis Maez-
es and Jacob Cronenworth. With
the exception of Maezes, who
is hitting .297, all have a batting
average north of.300.
A strong Northwestern pitch-
ing staff will test the hitters this
weekend. As a team, the Wildcats
have a paltry 3.14 earned-run aver-
age. Northwestern is carried by
sophbmore Brandon Magallones,
fifth-year senior Zach Morton and
senior Luke Farrell.
Farrell - the son of Boston Red
Sox manager John Farrell - is the
projected starter for the Saturday
game. Longtime baseball expert
Peter Gammonstweeted aboutthe
matchup between him and O'Neill
earlier this week. Besides having
connections to the major leagues
(O'Neill is the nephew of former
New York Yankee Paul O'Neill),
both of these players are projected
to be drafted in the early rounds of
this year's MLB First-Year Player
draft.
Besides boasting a solid pitch-
ing staff, Northwestern also has
several strong hitters in junior
Kyle Ruchim and senior Jack
Havey. Ruchim carries a .418 bat-
ting average into the weekend
while Havey has a.389 average.
"They are a team that has been
a little bit of up and down," Bakich
said. "When they play well, they
can certainly sneak up on you."
it
B
WhE
Mo
ankle
gan s
Ballan
He kn
over al
in an
first t
Bowli
What
much
his pr
Dur
the n
board
Ind.
pared
right-I
as if s
season
of him
and J
feelini
mate
"I g
his io
alway
bus, s
hangit
bus if]
On
the pi
when
Instea
his no
No. 7
his s
the tv
"#ball
lying
tine'si
top of
"Th
thing
regain
being
Honoring said.
When the team arrived in
ajured pitcher South Bend, Jasman hung the
jersey in the dugout, where it
allantine even remained throughout the team's
4-1 win over Notre Dame, the
en he's not there sixth win in the team's cur-
rent 10-game winning streak.
By MAX COHEN Jasman wanted the jersey to
Daily Sports Writer be visible during games when
Ballantine couldn't be there to
ments after awaking from embody the traits Ballantine, a
surgery on April 9, Michi- member of the team's new lead-
tenior right-hander Ben ership council, exhibited when
tine checked his Twitter. he played.
ew his baseball career was "Ben's always been a guy that
fter he shattered his ankle has led by example," Jasman
aborted attempt to cover said. "Even though he may not
base in a game against be there for a particular game,
ng Green a week earlier. you can see Ben's work ethic in
he didn't know was 'how everybody else."
his teammates would miss As Ballantine recovered from
esence. his surgery into the weekend,
ing Ballantine's surgery, the managers placed his jersey
Michigan baseball team into Jasman's locker before each
ed a bus to South Bend, game of the home series against
As the Wolverines pre- Penn State.
to leave, fifth-year senior About 20 minutes prior to
hander Chad Jasman felt each game, Jasman hung up
omething was wrong. All Ballantine's jersey in the dug-
n, Ballantine sat in front out. Whether the team won or
on the bus on road trips, lost, Ballantine would be there
asman couldn't bear the with them, even if he physically
g of not having his team- couldn't.
with him. "We always want Ben-there
grabbed (his jersey) from with us," Jasman said. "If he
cker," Jasman said. "He can't physically be there, then
s sits in front of me on the (his jersey) will help us get
sI wanted to see hisjersey through each game."
ng in front of me on the The Wolverines did more
he couldn't be there." than get through the first five
the bus, Jasman tweeted games in which Ballantine's jer-
cture for Ballantine to see sey hung in the dugout, they won
he awoke from surgery. them all. In fact, Ballantine's
id of Ballantine sitting in devastating injury coincided
rmal spot on the bus, his with the start of Michigan's cur-
jersey was hanging over rent 10-game winning streak.
eat. Jasman pledged in That's not to say Ballantine's
veet that the team would absence has been a boon. Before
4bally," creating the ral- his injury, Ballantine had been
cry in the wake of Ballan- a consistent contributor on the
injury that's written at the pitching staff, maintaining a
Ballantine's cast. 2.62 earned-run average in five
at was a pretty emotional starts and two relief appear-
to see right when I was ances. But Michigan coach Erik
ing consciousness after Bakich believes Ballantine's
operated on," Ballantine injury inspired the Wolverines
MAXCOHEN/Daily
Senior pitcher Ben Ballantine has
been a rallying point for Michigan.
on a different level.
"The team is going to con-
tinue to play extremely hard
because, as they found out, you
never know which play could be
your last play in a college uni-
form," Bakich said.
Jasman and his teammates
have continued to ensure that
Ballantine's jersey is in the
dugout before each game, even
when Ballantine is present.
Before Wednesday's rain-sus-
pended game against Eastern
Michigan, Jasman wouldn't
let Ballantine put on his jersey
in the locker room before the
game. Instead, Jasman made
Ballantine wait to put the jersey
on until after it was placed in
the dugout, per ritual.
"We've definitely got some
superstitions, some routines
we're going through," Jasman
said. "We like to call them rou-
tines."
Ballantine's jersey will hang
in the dugout before each game
as long as Michigan's winning
streak continues, and maybe
longer. For no*, each Michi-
gan player plans to continue to
"#ball4bally" with a No. 7jersey
hanging in the background, a
reminder that each game could
be their very last.
Team spells out 'The Victors' to
prepare for NCAA Championships
Troublesome Iowa
team could test 'M'
By CINDY YU
Daily Sports Writer
For the 20th time in program
history, the No. 7 Michigan wom-
en's gymnastics team, invigorat-
ed after vindicating themselves
at Regionals on April 6, has qual-
ified for the NCAA Champion-
ships.
The Wolverines (12-2 Big Ten,
23-2 overall)
wrap up their NCAA Cham-
season this
weekend at poships
Pauley Pavil- When: Friday
ion in Los 6 p.m. PST,
Angeles. They Saturday 4 p.m.,
will take on Sunday 1 p.m.
Oklahoma, Where: Pau-
Alabama, ley Pavilion
UCLA, Utah Video:
and Arkansas NCAA.com
in the eve-
ning semifinal session on Friday,
when the all-around champion
will be determined. Their rota-
tion order will advance from
uneven bars to balance beam, a
bye, floor exercise, vault and a
second bye. If Michigan places
among the top three teams in
its session, it will advance to the
Super Six to vie for the national
team title on Saturday. Individu-
ally, the top four competitors on
each event from each semifinal -
ties included - will be invited to
the event finals on Sunday.
With a long weekend ahead,
the team simulated back-to-back
mock meets in practice to mir-
ror the short amount of rest time
between the semifinals and the
Super Six.
Because sticking the landing
can decide who wins a national
championship, Michigan coach
Bev Plocki assigned a task which
the team successfully accom-
plished; each time a gymnast
stuck a dismount or landing, she
put her name on a letter to spell
out both of the verses of "The
Victors."
"Let's try to put up the whole
By SIMON KAUFMAN
Daily Sports Writer
Even with ominous clouds
looming over Ann Arbor, the
Michigan softball team is shining
bright and clear.
The Wolverines will hope for
better weather this weekend
when they host Iowa in a three-
game series at
Alumni Field. Iowa at
A game against Michiga
Michigan State
was postponed Matchup:
last weekend Iowa 24-16;
due to inclem- Michigan 36-7
ent weather, and When: Friday
on Tuesday, the 6 p.m., Sat-
second game in urday 2 p.m.,
a doubleheader Sunday 3 p.m.
with Indiana Where: Wil-
was rained out. pon Complex
Riding 18 TV/Radio:
consecutive Big Ten Net-
wins, No. 10 work
Michigan holds
the longest current streak in the
country. It also has 13 consecutive
wins against Big Ten opponents -
its best streak versus conference
foes since 2010.
Iowa (4-8 Big Ten, 24-16 over-
all) has certainly played better
softball than a season ago. It has
beaten six ranked opponents this
year, including then-No. 15 Stan-
ford and No. 24 Oregon, but the
Hawkeyes have struggled since
Big Ten competition began. When
they have lost, it has been because
of their inabilityto score runs - in
14 of their losses, they've scored
three runs or fewer.
When their offense gets going,
though, it's largely in partto soph-
omore Megan Blank. Blank, who
was named the Big Ten Player of
the Week on Monday, is hitting
.440 with 49 RBL
In the circle, Michigan will
likely see a lot of junior right-
hander Kayla Massey. Massey has
pitched the bulk of Iowa's innings
this season while posting a 2.52
earned-run average and striking
out 82. She can hit, too, owning a
.322 batting average for the year.
The Wolverines have handled
opposition.well throughout their
current winning streak, though,
winning several games in come-
from-behind fashion.
"This team is all about fight,"
said senior third baseman Amy
Knapp. "We attack, we fight and
that's my favorite part about this
team."
Offensively, Michigan (13-0,
36-7) is putting up some record-
breaking numbers. Last Friday
in its first game against Michi-
gan State, the Wolverines scored
21 runs - setting a new record
for most runs scored in a Big Ten
game.
Senior second baseman Ashley
Lane has been a big help in the
lineup all year. She crushed her
11th home run of the season on
Tuesday against Indiana - her
40th career blast - putting her in
a tie for fifth place for most home
runs in Michigan history.
At this point in the schedule
last year, the Wolverines had four
more losses in three fewer games
and had dropped a game to a Big
Ten opponent.
This year, freshman shortstop
Sierra Romero, who received her
fourth consecutive Big Ten Fresh-
man of the Week award earlier
this week, and freshman left field-
er Sierra Lawrence have provided
a big boost in the lineup and in the
field. The two have hit .412 and
.377 this season, respectively, and
own a combined 83 runs scored -
more than half of what opponents
have scored against Michigan all
year. Defensively, Romero leads
infielders on the team with 103
assists, while Lawrence leads out-
fielders with nine.
Historically, the Wolverines
have had trouble with the Hawk-
eyes. Iowa is the only Big Ten
team that leads the all-time series
against Michigan, 50-54-1. But
past records, Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins will assure you, mean
nothing now, as the Wolverines
look to extend their streak to21.
Sophomore Sachi Suglyama and the Wolverines have their eyes on the Super Six in Los Angeles this weekend.
fight song," Plocki said. "Because
if we can do this at nationals,
then that's what we're going to
be singing when we're up on the
podium."
After just missing qualifica-
tions for the NCAA Champion-
ships in 2012, the Wolverines
have a renewed focus on the
quality of their gymnastics. Col-
lectively, the upperclassmen are
excited to return to nationals
while the freshmen and sopho-
mores are ready for the new
experience.
"This season has really shown
me what college gymnastics is
about, especially how fun it is and
just how exciting it is to compete
with a full team that has such a-
deep lineup on every event," said
sophomore Sachi Sugiyama. "It's
definitely put a different kind of
pressure on me in comparison to
last year, where I was just put in
the lineup because I was one of
the only ones ready to go."
Seniors Natalie Beilstein,
Brittnee Martinez and Katie
Zurales - three former NCAA
All-Americans - lead the squad.
Along with junior Joanna Samp-
son, the NCAA Northeast Region
Gymnast of the Year, Michigan
certainly has the talent and abil-
ity to reach the Super Six for only
the 11th time in history.
"We're there, but we still have
work to do," Plocki said. "We
haven't had our best meet of the
season yet. Everyone has to dig a
little bit deeper. We're referring,
to these days as 'practice oppor-
tunities.' During that two-day
intrasquad, we did a great job of
being focused, paying attention
to details and had a much bigger
sense of urgency. There's a qual-
ity to what we're doing."
Michigan has an advantage
over some of its competitors, hav-
ing already competed at Pauley
Pavilion in aquad meet, where it
scored its season-best 197.550 on
March 10, defeating No. 6 UCLA,
California and Iowa State.
"You can come into the gym
and visualize yourself at the
venue," Zurales said. "As you're
going through your routines, you
know what it feels like."
Plocki has a new quote each
week. Her final one reads, "Suc-
cess is the sum of small efforts
repeated day in and day out."
By continuing to do what
they've been doing in practice
and competition from week to
week, the Wolverines, who have
been ranked No. 1 in the country
twice this season, look to qualify
for finals.
"They're certainly not over-
confident, but they're confident
enough to believe that they're
going to be competing on Satur-
day at four o'clock in the Super
Six," Plocki said.