The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 7A
Hot or cold,'M' gets the 'W'
Despite individual
struggles, Michigan
rides coaching,
culture to success
By JUSTIN MEYER 7
Daily Sports Writers
Wolverines mold
i'dentity in spring
Senior first baseman Caitlin
Blanchard remembers the
shock of transitioning from
high school softball to her first
Michigan practice the fall of her
freshman year. The tradition,
the culture and the intensity
all helped her make what she
described as an exponential
leap from the fall to the spring
of that year.
This year, the turf renovation
of Alumni Field forced the fifth-
ranked Wolverines to miss some u
of that fall practice regimen,"
and Michigan's freshmen have
struggled at times so far this
season.
"We couldn't do a lot with
kids coming in early because Senior firs
we were at Huron High School, program
and they could barely get there," with.
said coach Carol Hutchins. Firsti
"We didn't have a locker room. strugglin
The culture is in this building. Player o
We had a lapse with that, and entered1
now we're
reestablishing
it."
Freshman "We haveC
right-hander
Megan Betsa culture of
was the
story of the success ...co
early season,
dealing with working har
confidence
issues despite
a repertoire of
weapons in the circle. - and sh
The other freshmen,' as I woul
including second baseman Abby she's goir
Ramirez and third baseman ever day.
Lindsay Montemarano, have Betsa
battled all year to step up, at lion's de
the plate. But as good as the relieving
Wolverines are, the freshmen Drieseng
are hardly the only ones dealing slipping
with slumps this season. powerho
Everyone has an opinion one batte
about how to be consistent: It's before ex
a mental game, it's all about registeri
technique, the key is to be loose Driese
at the plate - or maybe it's to be favorite,
on edge in the field. spot intl
To pick out a universal secret own stru
for success from the noise is Betsa's c
nearly impossible. All the advice sag enter
does is confirm that softball is The d
most certainly a game of streaks a first-in
- hot and cold. Indiana
The natural ups and downs debut an
of the season make Michigan's day pitc
consistency this year all the coaches,
more remarkable. The 16-game no distr
winning streak and the 11 desperat
mercy-rule wins in the last her swag
14 games have come amid the The ni
Michigan goes 5-1
in spring schedule,
freshmen impress
By BRAD WHIPPLE
Daily Sports Writer
It was the 68th minute in
the Elite Eight when Virginia
delivered the winning strike
against the Michigan women's
soccer team.
It was the goal that ended
the Wolverines' run in the
2013 NCAA Tournament, and
it was also the goal that ended
the collegiate career of seven
seniors, all of whom gave their
team a force to rally behind.
Though the questions
remained as to how Michigan
would contend next season
without players like forward
Nkem Ezurike, the Wolverines'
recent spring season success
showed glimpses of a new
identity that is forming without
their seniors.
which could be dedicated to
skill training. Now, the team
meets four to five times a week
for full practices.
Ryan has even tried to bring
the senior class back to help the
younger athletes, but he ran
into an issue in January. When
the seven seniors declared for
the National Women's Soccer
League Draft, they were labeled
as professional players, even if
they didn't get selected.
Per NCAA guidelines,
'professional players' are
restricted to stopping by a
team's practices once per
month.
But even if the seniors can't
be there as much as they'd
like, the Wolverines still found
spring success in their absence.
And Michigan isn't even at full
capacity, with nine freshmen
who have yet to arrive on
campus.
"I'm just excited that we have
the kids that are coming in who
do have a lot of talent joining
what has turned out to be a very,
JAMES COLLER/Daily
t baseman Caitlin Blanchard has struggled lately, but her Michigan teammates have picked up the slack easily.
in the country deals
it was Betsa who was
g. The Gatorade
f the Year in Georgia
the season with high
expectations,
none higher
than her
a coach's.
"Betsa has
improved
the most at
f this point in
the season,"
Hutchins
said."Shewas
just really
inconsistent
e's not as consistent yet
ld like. But I like where
rg, and I like her better
was tossed into the
en in her first game,
junior righty Sara
a .with the game
away against national
use Florida. Betsa hit
er and walked another
:iting the game without
ng an out.
nga, the preseason
to take over the first
he rotation, has had her
iggles this season, and
onfidence continued to
ing Big Ten play.
rought culminated in
ining yanking against
in Betsa's home
id, ultimately, an off-
hing session with no
no teammates and
actions. It seemed a
e attempt to finally find
ger.
ext day, Betsa threw a
Coincidentally, Betsa's
return to form came at the same
time Michigan added another
permanent staple to its already
deep batting order.
Senior designated hitter
Taylor
Hasselbach,
a player who
spent three "The
years in a
limited role 'slump'
and rarely
cracked the to aff
starting lineup,
was on fire. At you
first it seemed
like just a -
hot streak,
especially
when Hasselbach cooled off
against a very good Ohio State
pitcher last Saturday.
But the next day, Hasselbach
put those doubts to rest when
she jacked three home runs for
eight RBI. Since entering the
starting lineup March 15, her
batting average is .484.
"I can tell you one thing
that we have in this program
... is culture," Hutchins said.
"We have a culture of success,
we have a culture of working
hard, we have a culture of kids
coming in early to hit. That's
championship culture, and it
means you work harder than
everyone else and you work
through the hard times."
That culture, Hutchins said,
starts with the upperclassmen
who work tirelessly to be at
their best every day. The perfect
example is Hasselbach, who
struggled for three years before
finding a spot in the starting
lineup her senior season.
has been Blanchard's turn
to struggle. The starting
first baseman holds down
the most important position
in the Wolverines' lineup -
hitting behind star sophomore
shortstop
Sierra Romero,
who opposing
word teams often
try to pitch
... starts around - and
is unfamiliar
ect how with
prolonged
i do." slumps in her
career.
"She seems
like she's got
a lot on her
mind," Hutchins said. "She
doesn't look comfortable, kids
go through that, she'll get it
back. Sometimes you just kind
of have to let it run its course -
it's like the flu."
The former walk-on has
batted at least .350 since her
sophomore year and is known as
a clutch hitter by her coaches.
"That's something that
happens," Blanchard said. "If
you, as a baseball or softball
player, know that you are in a
slump, and you use the word
'slump,' it starts to affect how
you do long term."
But Michigan has dealt with
cold hitters plenty of times this
season already and it hasn't
slowed the team down a bit.
Blanchard will do everything
she can to get her plate presence
and her swing back even though
recent history suggests the
Wolverines will keep winning
regardless.
To be a championship-
caliber squad in a streaky
sport like softball, the team
has to transcend the player.
Michigan has met that goal
with a combination of talent and
winning culture established
by hardworking veterans like
Blanchard and Hasselbach.
Even the elder statesmen on
the team can't avoid the slumps,
though. They'll say things about
being prepared mentally, echo
their coach's 'one-pitch' softball
mantra and talk about doing
their part for the team, but what
they really mean is that slumps
don't last forever.
So freshman or senior, they'll
keep swinging, pitching and
attacking the opponent.
Detroit, Western Michigan,
Ohio State, UCLA - it
doesn't matter. Alumni Field
renovations interrupting
fall practice, key freshmen
struggling early - that doesn't
matter either.
Sometimes all the Wolverines
can do individually is believe
that turning the corner to being
a better player and an even
better team is just one pitch
away.
"These kids very cohesive
are reallygood, and talented
but they were ,w e have kids group of
playing behind players,"
some very
good seniors," coming in who RyTheaid.
said Michigan do have a lot Wolverines
coach Greg have made
Ryan. "(In the of talent." deep runsinto
spring season), the NCAA
there was a lot Tournament
of teaching of in two
how we were straight years
going to play together, and the - the Sweet 16 in 2012 and the
low-stress environment' gave Elite Eight in 2013 - and Ryan
them time to gain confidence in is optimistic that his team can
themselves, both individually do great things this year.
and as a team. But, especially this early in
"That was a critical element the year, he said there are no
for these guys." guarantees.
Michigan scored 17 goals, a According to Ryan, the talent
spring best, and allowed only is there and a run is possible, but
one en route to a 5-1 record. one thing needs to be present:
Its only loss came at the hands determination and grit, the
of Notre Dame, a team the merits of last year's senior class.
Wolverines previously defeated "I think that those intangible
in the Sweet 16. qualities go beyond talent,"
The spring season has he said. "They take you to the
allowed Ryan to give reserves next round, whereas if you
the opportunity to compete. don't have that, you may have
The player who has stood out the talent but you're probably
the most is freshman forward not going to last as long in the
Nicky Waldeck, who took over NCAA Tournament."
the lone forward spot that
Ezurike occupied last and is
making the most of it. BY THE NUMBERS
"Nicky is scoring hat tricks Michigan coach Greg Ryan
and two goals per game on a
regular basis," Ryan said. "It's
not accidental - she's really,
really talented." Wins with the Michigan women s soccer
Typically, freshman forward team, including18 in 2013.
Madisson Lewis would play up
front in the center, but she has
missed the entire spring season
due to broken bones in her foot. 45
But the injury gave Waldeck the Wins with the US Women's National
opportunity to play and build Teamfrom 2005-2007.
the confidence that she may not
have gained otherwise.
In addition to the spring
games, Michigan has continued
its training regimen that began Career goalsfor forward Nkem Ezurike,
after Winter Break - Ryan who excelled under Ryan.
thinks this team is in the best
shape of any he's seen in the
spring. After initial fitness 21
testing, the first month was Years as a collegiate coachwith anall
limited to eight hours of non- time record of 248-111-38.
competitive practice, two of
LUNA ANNA ARCHEYDaily
Taylor Hasselbach spent three years riding the bench, but her hot bat has been welcomed during her senior season.
OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH LACEY HOLSWORTH, HER FAMILY AND THE
MICHIGAN STATE COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTED HER.
CONTRIBUTE TO CANCER RESEARCH AT
DONATE.CANCER.ORG
ERINKIRKLAND/Daily
Michigan coach Greg Ryan guided the Wolverines to the Elite Eight last fall.