The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, March 27, 2015 — 7

Big Ten preview: Wins are 

there for the taking

By ISAIAH ZEAVIN-MOSS

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan baseball 

team, after a season of 
playing 
.500 
baseball 

and a quick postseason 
elimination, sets out on 
this year’s conference play 
with a firm belief that it can 
bring home success, pride 
and, perhaps, hardware.

Fortunately 
for 
the 

Wolverines, the Big Ten does not 
boast unusually formidable talent. If this season is to truly represent a 
turning point, Michigan will have to hold its own inside the conference. 
Here is a preview of the Big Ten’s best in 2015.

No. 11 Maryland (3-0 Big Ten, 17-5 overall)

The Terrapins, who are playing their inaugural season in the Big Ten 

after making the switch from the ACC, represent this year’s toughest 
competition. Maryland’s offense ranks first in batting average, on-base 
percentage, runs scored and home runs. Before its loss to James Madison 
on Tuesday, Maryland strung together a 10-game win streak in which it 
scored 9.9 runs per game.

Though Maryland’s pitching staff ranks in the middle of the Big Ten 

in most team statistics, sophomore fireballer Mike Shawaryn leads the 
Big Ten in strikeouts and wins. Last season, Shawaryn was a Freshman 
All-American.

Player to watch: Infielder Brandon Lowe
Lowe is the leader of Maryland’s elite offense, hitting .402. Lowe 

also leads the Big Ten in hits, runs and slugging percentage. Last 
season, Lowe was named to the Freshman All-American Team and 
led the team in batting average as a freshman.

No. 17 Illinois (17-5)

One of the biggest surprise stories in this young season has been 

the success of the Fighting Illini. After a quick exit in the Big Ten 
Tournament last season, few expected to see the elite performance 
that Illinois has put on thus far. Nevertheless, the Fighting Illimi is 
second in the Big Ten in both home runs and total bases.

Player to watch: Left-handed pitcher Kevin Duchene
Duchene leads an Illinois pitching staff that leads the Big Ten 

in team earned-run average (2.08) and opposing batting average 
(.201). Duchene has allowed just two runs all season and is third in 
the Big Ten in opposing batting average (.167).

No. 19 Indiana (1-1, 16-5)

In 2014, the Hoosiers won the Big Ten Tournament and went 

on to make it to the NCAA Regionals. Two players from last year’s 
team, Dustin DeMuth and Joey DeNato, graduated and were 
drafted professionally.

Indiana has found similar success this year. It has won 13 of its 

last 14, and the Hoosiers do it by crushing the baseball. Indiana is 
second in slugging percentage (.410) and third in home runs (14).

Player to watch: Right-handed pitcher Thomas Belcher
Belcher leads a staff that ranks third in team ERA and opposing 

batting average. Belcher has allowed just 16 hits in 22.2 innings, and is 

the only starting pitcher in the Big Ten yet to walk a batter.

Nebraska (3-0, 18-7)

With last weekend’s sweep of Michigan, the Cornhuskers 

started this year’s conference play on a perfect note. Already this 
season, Nebraska has put together an 11-game win streak and, 
although they went on to lose, the Cornhuskers brought the tying 
run to the plate against No. 1 LSU. Sophomore designated hitter 
Ben Miller is third in the conference in hits (31) and RBI (23).

Player to watch: Left-handed pitcher Kyle Kubat
The seasoned Kubat has been lights-out this season, with a 
1.60 ERA and four wins. He has been a workhorse for coach 
Darin Erstad this season, logging 39.1 innings, good for third 
in the Big Ten.

Ohio State (2-1, 15-6)

Coming into this season, the Buckeyes, similar to 

Michigan, had a vision of a team finally producing tangible 
results.

“Last year, we had a young team and dealt with a lot of 

adversity,” said Ohio State coach Greg Beals, in the days 
before opening day. “We are confident we are a much 
tougher team this season.”

So far, the young Buckeyes have shown promise. 

The pitching staff, almost entirely comprised of 

underclassmen, has posted a 2.58 team ERA, ranking 

fifth in the Big Ten.

Player to watch: Left-handed pitcher Ryan Riga
After a junior year that left many wanting more 
— his ERA ballooned to 4.33 by season’s end — 
Riga has used his seniority for extra motivation. 
Leading the team in almost all major categories, 
Riga’s 0.98 ERA is good for third in the Big Ten.

Iowa (14-5)

Though they have yet to play any ranked opponents, the Hawkeyes 

have had success, despite playing just two games within the friendly 
confines of Iowa City.

Despite the success, Iowa struggles to stand out on either side of the 

ball. The only statistic in which the Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten is hit 
batters. Ouch.

Player to watch: Right-handed pitcher Calvin Matthews
Matthews has been astounding this season. Having only let across 

one earned run in 26 innings, he leads the Big Ten in ERA (0.35).

Rutgers (2-1, 6-14)

After losing 13 of their first 16 games to start the season, things looked 

to be spiraling downward fast for the Scarlet Knights. But last weekend, 
Rutgers traveled to West Lafayette and took two of three from pesky 
Purdue is now riding a four-game win streak. Junior pitcher Howie 
Brey, who surrendered only one run in seven innings Saturday, is eighth 
in the Big Ten in strikeouts (29).

Player to watch: Outfielder Tom Marcinczyk
Marcinczyk is the third hitter in the Rutgers lineup, batting .356 with 

a .603 slugging percentage and 18 RBI.

Michigan State (1-2, 10-11)

Though they have not been able to find any consistency, the Spartans 

can at least hang their hat on being always on their toes — they lead 
the Big Ten in runners picked off (eight) and are fourth in fielding 
percentage (.974).

Player to watch: Infielder Mark Weist
Weist is the only Spartan hitting above .300, ranking 15th in the 

conference in batting average (.341).

Purdue (1-2, 9-14)

While Purdue may not win very many games this season, the 

Boilermakers will make you work to get them out. They are second in 
the Big Ten in walks (88), as well as batters hit by pitch (28). They are 
currently on a four-game losing streak, most recently in an 8-2 loss to 
Ball State.

Player to watch: Left-handed pitcher/first baseman Kyle Wood
Wood is not only the catalyst of Purdue’s offense — he is the only 

Boilermaker to be hitting above .300 (.370) — but he has also posted a 
1.69 ERA in two relief appearances.

A

round the time that Barry Larkin was playing for the Michi-
gan baseball team in the 1980s, the team was wildly success-
ful. In that 10-year span, the Wolverines went to nine NCAA 

regionals, won seven Big Ten titles and earned four trips to the Col-
lege World Series, comprising what many consider to be a decade of 
dominance unlike many others in the sport’s history. There were All-
Americans, Big Ten Players of the Year, first-round MLB draft picks 
and future Hall of Fame players throughout the roster. They came 
together to propel the program into the national spotlight.

And a similar stretch could be on the horizon.
But to get there, Michigan coach Erik Bakich will need to recapture 

the intangible elements that allowed those teams to 
be great.

When asked why he decided to come to 

Michigan, Larkin said more than anything it came 
down to the core values stressed in 
Ann 

Arbor that made him feel at 
home.

“Some of the things that 

were really stressed in my 
household were extended 
when I came up here,” he 
said. “There’s something 

about the values and what’s important 
to the people. The other thing was 
just the people surrounding 
the 
program, 
the 

people around the 
University 
of 

Michigan.”

During 

his recent 

induction to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, Larkin shared more of 
his experiences on being recruited to Ann Arbor. As Larkin grew to be 
a standout football player in Cincinnati, he caught the eye of legendary 
football coach Bo Schembechler, who gave him a spot on the football 
team at Michigan.

When an unexpected player returned for his fifth year on the team at 

Larkin’s position, Schembecher allowed the freshman to take a redshirt 
year and play baseball during spring season instead of working with the 
football team.

“By the end of that season I decided I just wanted to play baseball,” 

Larkin said. “I had to go tell Bo that … and the meeting didn’t go too well. 
He reminded me, ‘Larkin, this is the University of Michigan. Nobody 
comes to the University of Michigan to play baseball.’ ”

Schembechler told Larkin to go home and come back the next day 

when he had come to his senses, but nothing would change in his mind.

“I thought that was the end of it,” Larkin said. “But we were out there 

taking ground balls in spring baseball practice and this guy in a parka 
comes walking inside the stadium and stops on the third-base line. He 
says, ‘Larkin, you sissy! Come hit a man that can hit you back instead of 

that baseball.’ It was Coach Schembechler.”

Telling one of the most storied coaches in the history of college 

football something he didn’t want to 

hear was one of the best 

moves 
Larkin 

made in his life. In 
his college career, 

Larkin went on to be a 

two-time All American, 

two-time Big Ten Player of 

the Year and lead the team to 

the College World Series in back-

to-back seasons.

By recruiting the best talent the Midwest has to offer, along with 

using ties from his time in California and the East Coast, Bakich is 
putting the fruits of his first true recruiting class to work right away. 
And the results will prove impressive.

The tangible rankings are nice to look at. This year’s recruiting class 

came in at No. 20 in the nation, and for the first time in a few years the 
Wolverine coaching staff has enough veteran firepower to shelter some 
of the young players from jumping into game action too quickly. For the 
handful of freshman players who are getting playing time, the results 
are largely positive.

The standouts from this 2015 class have been second baseman Jake 

Bivens, who is hitting .304 and has started in 21 games this season, along 
with right-hander Ryan Nutof, who has proven to be a reliable starting 
pitcher for the Wolverines through six appearances in his young career. 
Another is right-hander Bryan Pall, who has a minuscule 0.63 earned-
run average through 14.1 innings of relief. Others could emerge in due 
time this season.

While those rankings can sometimes predict on-field success, they 

can’t often measure the field of character.

From a Michigan coach’s perspective, you look for a combination of 

talent on the field, in the classroom and as a leader in the players you’re 
recruiting. The types of players Bakich seems to be looking for have 
to be strong in all three phases of that evaluation to have a spot in the 
program.

Bakich has a ways to go with the current team in both on- and off-

field areas, but make no mistake about it: When firing on all cylinders, it 
has no ceiling. Some year in the near future, people around the program 
will know it’s “the year.” The right blend of baseball talent and passion 
for Michigan will come together and propel this program back to that 
decade of dominance it experienced in the 1980s.

This year might not be the one where it all comes together for the 

Wolverines, but following Bakich’s vision, “the year” won’t be far off.

STAFF PICKS

Isaiah Zeavin-Moss
Danny Vargovick
Ben Fidelman

32-25

13-12

Glines

Glines

Bivens

Maryland

Maryland

Lowe

Iowa

Big Ten Tournament

35-22

15-10

Glines

Glines

Ryan Nutof

Maryland

Maryland

Lowe

Ohio State

Big Ten Tournament

36-21

13-12

Evan Hill

Glines

Bryan Pall

Maryland

Indiana

Glines

Iowa

NCAA Regionals

Nathaniel Clark

The Daily baseball writers 

do their best to predict 

what will happen in the 

world of Big Ten

baseball this season.

34-23

16-9

Jackson Glines

Glines

Jake Bivens

Maryland

Maryland

Brandon Lowe, Maryland

Iowa

Big Ten Tournament

Michigan overall record

Michigan Big Ten record

Michigan MVP

Michigan Offensive POY

Michigan Freshman of the Year

Big Ten regular season champion

Big Ten Tournament champion

Big Ten MVP

Big Ten surprise team

Michigan’s season ends here

BEN
FIDELMAN

Mirroring the decade of dominance
Baseball Preview

