2 1Thursday, May 22, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
BASEBALL
Adcock ascends rotation Baseballclaims four
Weekly SummerEdition MichiganDaily.com
By BRAD WHIPPLE
DailySports Writer
No one expected this so soon -
not even Brett Adcock.
The freshman left-hander had
been a starting pitcher all his life,
boasting a O.58 earned-run average
in high school. But in the midst of
transitioning to Division I college
baseball, he was sent to the bottom
ofthe pyramid. He needed to prove
he was worthy of a starting role.
Nine months after arriving on
campus, Adcock threw the first
pitch of a Sunday battle against
rival Ohio State, the team he
unabashedly hated growing up.
x He struck out the first two batters
and drew contact on the third, end-
ing the first inning after just seven
pitches in Michigan's fastest open-
ing frame of the season.
He kept it up for another seven
innings, striking out a career-best
seven in his longest outing of the
season.
This surely wasn't the Adcock of
old - the one that relieved for the
Wolverines'starting pitchers in the
beginning of the season, only to
receive punch after punch.
It was the new Adcock, who
leads Michigan and ranks third in
the conference with seven wins.
This was the Adcock who has
lowered his ERA from 4.15 to 2.51
since the start of the Big Ten play.
Now, he's finally earned the week-
end starting role, one he's familiar
with from his high school days and
won't relinquish any time soon.
"Embracing the relief role that I
gotcearly in the year was something
different, obviously, because I've
started all my life," Adcock said.
"Finally getting a chance to have a
weekend start and doing well was
something I wanted to work my
way to eventually, but getting itso
soon was kind of a blessing."
Added Michigan coach Erik
Bakich: "His body strength wasn't
anywhere near what it is now when
he first got here. He made a com-
mitment to his body, to his strength
and to his pitching ... really, you're
just seeing aguy that has benefitted
from a lot of hard work in nine or
10 months.
"The way he's progressed and
continues to improve, he's going to
be a guy that we're going to count
on in the weekend rotation from
here on out."
Adcock has been lights-out in
his last13.3 innings pitched, allow-
ing just four hits while striking out
All-Big Ten honors
Ann Arbor. MI
ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, May 22, 2014
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ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Brett Adcock has improved to become a critical piece in Michigan's rotation.
18. But the journey to this point
hasn't been a seamless one.
With college baseball posing a
completely new challenge, Adcock
needed to minimize the old pitch-
ing mistakes that may have previ-
ously ended with a swing and a
miss. At this level, batters are wait-
ing for those mistakes, leaving little
room for error.
He also needed to learn how to
get the hitters off balance, some-
thing he considers key to successful
pitching. His ability to do so looked
natural against Ohio State on May
11, but that's largely because of his
transformation into a four-pitch
pitcher.
Increasing the velocity of
Adcock's original three pitches -
a fastball that can now touch 92
miles per hour, a decent curveball
and an accurate change-up - sim-
ply wouldn't have been enough to
make much of an impact in the con-
ference.
In addition, he added the cutter
to his resume with the help of assis-
tant coach Sean Kenny. It's not per-
fect, but it's enough to send some
batters back to the dugout.
In addition to working on speed,
Bakich said Adcock has become
extremely comfortable throwing
any pitch in any count, something
many pitchers don't develop until
late in their career. It also benefits
senior catcher Cole Martin, who
recently praised Adcock's pitching
- Martin said because Adcock has
so much control over his routine,
it relieves him of some of the pres-
sure in calling the shots.
But where Adcock initially strug-
gled the most was his pitch location.
He had previously worked in the top
of the strike zone, a style that car-
ried into the first few weeks of the
season, when even Bakich admitted
his numbers weren'tgood.
Recognizing it as his - Achil-
les' heel, Adcock quickly adjusted
to meet Bakich's expectations of
throwing toward the bottom of the
zone, catching opposing batters
off-guard.
"Because of that, you've seen him
have a ton of success as the season
has continued on," Bakich said. "For
me, that's been the biggest change:
watching him transform into a
pitcher that knows how to pitch, set
up a hitter, attack a hitter, get ahead
of a hitter and do it consistently."
The Tuesday after his near-
complete game against Ohio State,
Adcock claimed the Big Ten Co-
Freshman of the Week honor for
the first time. But awards can only
say so much about talent, and they
don't reveal much about Adcock's
grip onthe mental side of the game.
Freshmen are typically timid
coming into college athletics, but
the nerves seem to be absent from
Adcock. He draws inspiration from
the fact that he has been given the
opportunity to continue playing
the game he loves, especially at
Michigan, and is prepared to han-
dle any high-pressure situation.
"I kind of stand back and take a
deep breath," Adcock said. "All the
training you've done over the years
is going to pay off, and you've got
to stick with your approach, stick
with your game and throw how
you throw. If you give up a hit, you
give up a hit, so what? You just go
up against the next batter."
Wednesday, the Wolverines (13-
11 Big Ten, 28-27-1 overall) will
kick off the Big Ten Tournament
against Minnesota. Adcock won't
start the first round but will defi-
nitely start later in the tournament,
should Michigan defeat the Golden
Gophers.
According to Bakich, Adcock
is going to be critical in winning a
championship.
And if his performance of late
is any indication, a stellar showing
will no longer be unexpected.
By BRAD WHIPPLE
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan baseball coach Erik
Bakich has preached all season
about taking the positive aspects
away from every game since
they are neither good or bad, but
instead good and bad.
And on the eve of the Big Ten
Tournament, it should be no dif-
ferent - the Wolverines are likely
looking for every silver lining they
can find with their postseason
hopes hanging by a thread.
Tuesday afternoon, though,
Michigan (13-11 Big Ten, 28-27-1
overall) found several.
The Big Ten named junior cen-
ter fielder Jackson Glines to the
All-Big Ten second team while
sophomore shortstop Travis
Maezes made the conference's
third team. In addition, fresh-
man left-hander Brett Adcock and
freshman designated hitter Car-
men Benedetti earned All-Fresh-
man honors.
After earning the Central Val-
ley Conference's MVP in 2013
while playing at Fresno City Col-
lege, Glines transferred to Michi-
gan, where he's started all 56
games this year.
Previously a Big Ten Player of
the Week in early March, Glines
tops the Wolverine roster with
a .338 batting average, good for
sixth in the conference, in addi-
tion to having the most doubles
(19) and hits (68). He is also ranked
in the Big Ten's top 10 in 10 other
categories, including second-best
in on-base percentage at .453.
Glines' most memorable
moment this year was hiswalk-off
single against Iowa on March30.
Though Maezes has made 15
errors, the most on the Wolver-
ine squad, his contributions at
the plate have proved extremely
valuable - his highlight-reel
moment came in Michigan's first
conference win against Indiana
on March 21, when he hita bases-
clearing double to take a two-run
lead over the Hoosiers and hand
them one of their three confer-
ence losses this season.
With a third-best .293 batting
average on the team, Maezes has
had 17 multi-hit games this sea-
son, including a pair of home runs
in a doubleheader'against College
of Charleston back in March.
As for the rookies, Adcock and
Benedetti have quickly moved up
the rankings to show they deserve
a spot on a Division ISteam.
Adcock, who started the sea-
son struggling in relief, has grown
into a new niche as a weekend
starter after several quality per-
formances, such as his shutout
pitching against Purdue and
Northwestern, when he posted six
strikeouts apiece.
Since the start of Big Teitplay,
Adcock has lowered his ERA by
more than a run and a half. The
standout freshman at the plate
has been Benedetti with a .281
batting average and 26 RBI, only
one shy of tying for first on the
team. Benedetti's biggest contri-
bution of the season was during
an extra-inning game against
Purdue, when he doubled to break
a 6-6 tie.
The recognition of these Wol-
verines is just another reminder
of the potential Michigan has in
makinga run in the Big Ten Tour-
nament.
inside
N EWS
City budget
Council approves $344
million budget for Ann
Arbor after lengthy debate
>>SEE PAGE 2
NE WS
Art meets science
Fundraiser challenges
artists to create pieces
inspired by research
f SEE PAGE 3
OPINION
Minimum wage
From the Daily: Pass the
proposed increase, but
beware of other concerns
>>SEEPAGE 4
ARTS
Godzilla
Adaptation of this classic
delivers on many fronts,
provides wild ride
>> SEE PAGE 6
SPORTS
Baseball triumph
Four Wolverines claimed
All-Big Ten honors on
Tuesday
>> SEE PAGE 12
IN D E X
Vol CXIV iNo. 107 12014 TheMi chigan D aiy
N EW S ...................................2
OPIN ION ..............................4
ARTS ... ............. .................6
CLASSIFIEDS........................8
CROSSWORD.......................8
SPORTS...............................10
VIRGINIA LOZANO/Daily
LEFT: Kris DeWolf, mother of Paul DeWolf, leads a song at the tree dedication ceremony at the Medical Center on Sunday. RIGHT: Participants at the start of the Paul
DeWolf Memorial Hero Run at Nichols Arboretum on Sunday.
emnorial run celebrates e lfe of
murdered medical school student
Charity race draws
400 participants,
raises money for
veterans groups
By ALLANA AKHTAR
Daily News Editor
With a clear blue sky hanging
overhead, hundreds of athletic
gear-clad joggers stood around the
finish line, catching their breath
while excitedly chatting amongst
themselves. In such an upbeat
atmosphere, it was hard to believe
these participants just finished
running about three miles to honor
Paul DeWolf, the 25-year-old Uni-
versity medical student who was
killed in his bedroom last summer.
This weekend, many ofDeWolf's
family, friends and classmates
gathered in Ann Arbor to celebrate
his life through a tree dedication
in front of the University Medical
School courtyard and a 5K run in
the Nichols Arboretum.
In July of 2013, DeWolf, a sec-
ond lieutenant in the U.S. Air
Force, was found dead in a bed-
room in the Phi Rho Sigma frater-
nity house from a gunshot wound
to his neck. An investigation con-
cluded the murder was the result
of a botched burglary by three
men. DeWolf would have gradu-
ated this month.
About 400 people took part in
the Paul DeWolf Memorial Hero
Run Sunday afternoon, an event
originally planned for 100 partici-
pants.
Three hundred registered par-
ticipants wore bibs and radio chips
to record their time, and a finish
line was stationed in the M30 lot
of the Arb with a professional race
timing company at the end.
Cody Schultz, a medical school
student and key organizer for the
Paul DeWolf Memorial Hero Run,
lived in the same fraternity house
as Paul, though he was out of the
country at the time of his murder.
He thought Paul would appreciate
the competitive atmosphere of a
race because of his ambitious per-
sonality.
Schultz said they named the
race a "hero run" as a testament to
Paul's selfless, supportive nature.
Schultz hoped participants would
not dwell on the tragedy but cele-
brate his life and enjoyeach other's
company.
"The people who murdered Paul
made some decisions that were
selfish and cruel," he said. "The
See RUN, Page 8
oll
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RESEARCH
Study provides safety resources for swimmers
'U' project to
increase awareness
of dangerous Great
Lakes currents
By IAN DILLINGHAM
Editor in Chief
LSA sophomore Rachael Hub-
bell knows the dangers that rip
currents pose for swimmers in the
Great Lakes.
"I grew up across from the water
and was always at the beach, so it
was always amore present danger,"
she said.
However, not all beachgoers,
especially the thousands of tour-
ists that flock from inland areas to
Michigan beaches each year, are as
well informed.
"From what I understand, most
people who don't grow up around
lakes don't really talk about that
sort of thing," Hubbell said.
With the summer season
approaching, researchers at the
University and the National Weath-
er Service have teamed up to pro-
mote safety on Michigan beaches
by increasing awareness of danger-
ous currents, which have claimed
138 lives and prompted almost 300
rescue efforts since 2002.
Compiling 12 years worth
of data, the researchers, under
the purview of Michigan Sea
Grant - a joint effort between
the University's School of Natu-
ral Resources and Environment
and Michigan State University's
Extension Greening Institute -
have established the Great Lakes
Current Incident Database, which
went live this April. The program
allows the public to access records
of fatalities and rescues at beaches
around the state, while also provid-
ing weather information, such as
wind speed, current type and wave
height.
The recent move coincides with
See CURRENTS, Page 3