Monday June 12, 2006 sports.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com SPRe fSidliganDug 13 . The season that rewarded those who stayed M ichigan baseball coach Rich Malo- and top two pitchers, Michigan looked young ney made it the team motto before and vulnerable, and at the beginning of the the season began: season, it showed. In 2005, the Those who stay will be cham- Wolverines entered conference play pions. with a 16-3 record. This season: But at the beginning of the sea- 11-7. son, the Wolverines had the dubi- a For a time it looked bleak for ous task of following their first those who did stay, notably for three 40-win season in 16 years with a fifth-year seniors: Paul Hammond, roster marked with reminders of Jeff Kunkel and Drew Taylor. those who didn't stay: Hammond had a 1-3 record with a Chris Getz - team leader in 4.94 ERA. batting average (.381), hits (88) H. JOSE Taylor was also 1-3, and his ERA and steals (29). BOSCH was an astronomical 7.71 ERA. Clayton Richard - team leader Only Kunkel was having mar- in ERA (2.43) and second in The Bosch ginal success compared to where saves (five). Watch he was after the same number of Derek Feldkamp - team leader in wins games in 2005. He was second on the team in (nine) and saves (six). on-base percentage (.462) and just sixth on the And even though a baseball team is more team in batting average (.311). Last season, his than three players, these weren't just three batting average was 57 points higher after the ordinary players. same amount of games. Without arguably its best position player With a less than stellar start in the confer- ence (1-3), I had already determined Michigan was out of the Big Ten race - picking the team to finish a paltry fifth in the conference. Those who stay will underachieve. But the tide turned quickly - very quickly. Soon, the Wolverines won three out of four against Minnesota and swept Ohio State on consecutive weekends - the two symbols of Big Ten supremacy through the '90s and into the new century. That stretch would catapult Michigan to a more than impressive 23-9 finish in the Big Ten and its first regular-season conference title since 1997. Just one weekend later, the Wolverines would add a conference tournament title to its legacy - the program's first since 1999. Michigan's 180 degree turn from a middle- of-the-pack team to the kings of the Big Ten hill can be attributed partly to young and inex- perienced players maturing over time. Still, without the leadership of players like Hammond, Kunkel and Taylor - those who stayed - that maturity would have taken lon- ger to develop and a Big Ten championship may have already been out of reach. These three co-captains have seen the drastic change this program has gone through since they were freshmen, and they weren't about to let the story of their college career finish without a happy ending. How did they finish the year? Hammond finished the season 8-4 and second on the team in ERA (2.36) while also being voted by his teammates as the team's top pitcher. Taylor wrapped up his season with a 6- 4 record and dropped his ERA to a more respectable 4.94 ERA. Kunkel was second on the team in batting average (.335) and overall hits (77). He was voted the top position player by his fellow teammates. And those who stayed became champions. - Bosh-an e~rarh~~at hprt-nv(@m ,l Blue sends two more players to the Major League ranks By H. Jose Bosch the Geoff Zahn Award, given to the team's overall pick) but opted to stay with Michigan Daily Sports Editor most valuable pitcher as voted by his team- forhis finalyearofeligibility. Because Kunkel mates, while he amassed an 8-4 record. was a fifth-year senior, the Tigers could hold Last season,seven Michigan baseball play- In Big Ten play, Hammond was 6-1 and onto his rights until midnight the day before ers were drafted in the 2005 Major League posted a conference-best 1.32 ERA. this year's draft. Had Kunkel not signed, he Baseball draft. But this year, just one Wolver- In his final start as a Wolverine, Hammond would have reentered the draft after midnight ine was selected in the draft, and it was left- ended on a strong note. Against Stetson in the on June 5. handed pitcher Paul Hammond. Atlanta regional, he threw a complete game, Kunkel was the team's MVP and defen- The Mason, OH native was drafted on allowing just one run off of six hits and strik- sive player of the year in 2005 and 2006. He June 7 by the Detroit Tigers in the 35th round ing out six. was also a finalist for the Coleman Company (1,042nd overall pick) - the second day of But Hammond isn't the lone Michigan Johnny Bench Award this season, which is the 2006 MLB draft. ballplayer to catch the eye of the Tigers. given to the nation's top catcher. Hammond was impressive in his final sea- Teammate Jeff Kunkel signed with Detroit on He will first report to the Tigers' mini- son with Michigan. His overall ERA (2.36) June 5, the eve of the 2006 MLB draft. camp in Lakeland, Fla. where he will even- was not only second on the team, but also sec- The Oak Forest, Ill. native was drafted by tually be assigned to his first professional ond in the Big Ten conference. And he won the teamlast season in the 37th round (1,110th baseball team. Jeff Kunkel was the Bli Dear Readers and Advertisers: The Michigan Daily has MOVED! As of June 4, while our new building is being constructed, we will no longer be at 420 Maynard. 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