Sports
8A — Wednesday, April 1, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

UCLA awaits Michigan in semifinal

By JACOB GASE 

Daily Sports Writer

As April begins and the 

collegiate year draws to a close, 
there are only eight women’s 
basketball 
teams 
in 

the 
country 

that are still 
playing.

And 
while 

it’s 
not 
one 

of 
the 
four 

battling 
for 

the 
national 

championship, 
Michigan 
is 

playing 
in 

April for the 
first 
time 
in 

program history.

Fresh 
off 
a 
69-60 
win 

over Southern Mississippi in 
Hattiesburg last Sunday, the 
Wolverines return to Crisler 
Center on Wednesday to face 
UCLA in their first WNIT 
semifinal matchup since 2010.

Just two wins away from 

hanging 
the 
first 
women’s 

basketball banner at Crisler, the 
team couldn’t be more excited to 
be back in Ann Arbor. And after 
two WNIT victories in front of 
raucous road crowds — at Toledo 
and 
Southern 
Mississippi 
— 

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico 
wants the Wolverine faithful to 
create a similar environment.

“Any time (this season) that 

we have a had a tremendous 
crowd, a supportive crowd and 
a rowdy crowd, it has made the 
difference between winning and 
losing,” Barnes Arico told WTKA 
Radio on Tuesday. “It gets the 
team so fired up, and it really is a 
wonderful environment.”

Michigan (20-14) is hoping 

for a strong turnout Wednesday 
night, but lately, it hasn’t really 
mattered where the Wolverines 
are playing.

Despite playing two games in 

unfriendly territory, Michigan 

managed to escape with two wins 
in large part due to its seniors, who 
have been bound and determined 
to extend their careers. Led by 
senior forwards Nicole Elmblad 
and Cyesha Goree and senior 
guard Shannon Smith, Michigan 
has been playing arguably its best 
basketball of the season.

Most recently, Elmblad filled 

the stat sheet against Southern 
Mississippi with 14 points, four 
rebounds, five assists and four 
steals, all while holding leading 
scorer Tamara Jones to six 
points. Goree added 15 points and 
12 boards for her 17th double-
double of the season, and Smith 
posted 11 points of her own.

“All through this WNIT run, 

we have been led by our seniors,” 
Barnes Arico said. “They don’t 
want to stop playing. Nicole is 
playing with so much confidence 
right now — she has been a 
difference-maker for us on both 
ends of the floor.

“We have five people (scoring) 

in double figures, and that really 
makes it hard for other teams 
to defend us. A lot of times 
when (Elmblad) wasn’t scoring 
during the course of the season, 

people would step off of her and 
double Cyesha. Now that Nicole 
is knocking down that shot, it 
makes it that much tougher.”

The Wolverines will have 

to continue that momentum 
Wednesday against a team that 
barely made the tournament but 
has caught fire as of late.

The Bruins (17-18) entered the 

WNIT as the only team in the 
field with a losing record — two 
and a half games below the next-
worst team in the field — but 
they have now won four straight 
contests. They won three of 
the four by double digits, along 
with a five-point upset of NCAA 
Tournament bubble team San 
Diego (24-7).

UCLA’s offense is led by a trio 

of guards — Nirra Fields, Jordin 
Canada and Kari Korver — that, 
together, scores 30 points per 
game. The rest of the Bruins’ 
lineup has been fluid all season 
— nine other players, including 
guard Dominique Williams (twin 
sister of Michigan sophomore 
guard Danielle), have made at 
least one start and appeared in at 
least 17 games.

“UCLA is super athletic and 

really, really big,” Barnes Arico 
said. “They have probably six or 
seven players on their four-five 
rotation that they rotate in and 
out, play about 10-12 minutes a 
game, and they’re all about 6-2, 
6-3.”

As the Wolverines make their 

push to advance to their first-ever 
postseason championship game, 
they expect to lean heavily both 
on their seniors and their fans at 
Crisler Center.

And though Barnes Arico 

doesn’t know what to expect from 
the crowd Wednesday, her team 
has earned the support of the 
Michigan athletic community, 
including athletic director Jim 
Hackett and men’s basketball 
coach John Beilein, who attended 
last Thursday’s game against 
Missouri.

“(Beilein) is just the most 

supportive coach and coworker, 
and just tremendous to work 
with,” Barnes Arico said. “He 
said, ‘Kim, everyone’s going to 
be there (Wednesday). I will be 
there, (my team) will be there, 
and anything we can do to 
support you and your program, 
we will do.’ ”

DELANEY RYAN/Daily

Nicole Elmblad recorded 14 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals in Michigan’s quarterfinal victory.

UCLA at 
Michigan

Matchup: 
UCLA 17-18; 
Michigan 
20-14

When: 
Wednesday 
7 P.M.

Where: Crisler 
Center

Offense stays hot 
in midweek win 

By NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer

Lately, the Michigan baseball 

team has had no trouble scoring.

Tuesday was no different, 

as the Wolverines (2-4 Big Ten, 
15-12 overall) defeated Toledo 
(3-3 MAC, 9-19 overall), 7-3, for 
their third 
consecutive 
victory.

“It 
was 

great to see us come out the way 
we did in the first two innings,” 
said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. 

Michigan launched its offense 

right away in the first inning. 
Junior 
third 
baseman 
Jacob 

Cronenworth led off with a solo 
home run, his third this season.

“(The home run) was a good 

tone-setter,” Bakich said. “You 
don’t see that very often.”

After freshman shortstop Jake 

Bivens flew out to center field, 
senior center fielder Jackson 
Glines drew a walk before he 
advanced to second base on a wild 
pitch. Sophomore first baseman 
Carmen Benedetti then drove 
Glines in with a double to put the 
Wolverines up 2-0.

But it was junior left fielder 

Cody Bruder who stole the show. 
He blasted a two-run homer — the 
first of his Michigan career — to 
extend the lead to 4-0. Bruder is 
now carrying a 13-game hit streak 
and a 21-game on-base streak.

“(Bruder) strings together a 

lot of quality at-bats every week,” 
Bakich said. 

After the Rockets put up a 

run in the top of the second, the 
Wolverines 
gave 
themselves 

breathing room in the bottom 
of the frame. With the bases 
loaded and one out, Glines hit 
into a fielder’s choice to drive in 
a run. Benedetti and Bruder each 
followed up by drawing walks, 

forcing in another run and putting 
Michigan ahead 6-1.

“We 
just 
kept 
throwing 

punches at them,” Bakich said.

From there, Toledo chipped 

away at Michigan’s advantage. 
With two on and two out in the 
fifth inning, right fielder Ryan 
Callahan hit an RBI single to left 
to make the score 6-2. The threat 
ended when the Wolverines’ 
starter, junior right-hander Matt 
Ogden, struck out designated 
hitter Dan Zuchowski.

But the situation only got 

more tense for Michigan in the 
sixth. The Rockets had runners 
on second and third with none 
out, prompting Bakich to pull 
Ogden in favor of sophomore right 
hander Cam Wysocki. Wysocki 
got the next two batters to ground 
out, but surrendered a run in the 
process.

Following a walk to put two on 

with two out, sophomore right-
hander Mac Lozer came on to 
relieve Wysocki. Lozer quickly 
shut down Toledo’s rally by 
striking out second baseman Matt 
Hansen.

“In that situation, we used 

three pitchers, and we needed to 
get out of that unscathed. Mac 
Lozer has thrived in that role,” 
Bakich said.

In 
the 
eighth, 
Benedetti 

was called on to pitch for the 
Wolverines. He was up to the task, 
pitching the entire inning without 
allowing a run, walking one and 
striking out one.

While Tuesday’s victory was 

not as flashy as Michigan’s 19-5 
blasting of the Rockets on March 7, 
the win improved the Wolverines’ 
already sterling all-time record 
versus Toledo to 37-13-1. Michigan 
will face another team that it 
has been historically successful 
against, Central Michigan, on 
Wednesday. 

BASEBALL

TOLEDO
MICHIGAN 

3
7

Draft results unknown

By JAKE LOURIM

Managing Sports Editor

Any assistant coach on the 

Michigan football staff will tell 
you there’s no experience quite 
like working for Jim Harbaugh.

Plenty of oddities separate 

Harbaugh from the rest — his 
expressions, his tough attitude, 
his competitive antics — but 
a notable one is that he holds 
a draft to select teams for the 
spring game.

Michigan’s 
draft, 
held 

Saturday, 
helped 
solidify 

some of the strengths and 
weaknesses 
of 
the 
team. 

While 
offensive 
coordinator 

Tim 
Drevno 
and 
defensive 

coordinator D.J. Durkin were 
hesitant to elaborate ahead of 
this Saturday’s spring game, 
they did talk about drafting a 
team for the first time since they 
last worked on Harbaugh’s staff 
at Stanford in 2010 and 2009, 
respectively.

“It’s 
great 
experience,” 

Drevno said. “It’s something 
that we’ve done in the past 
with Coach Harbaugh. You 
go through the roster, and 
you pick out your strengths 
and weaknesses, and you pick 
out 
your 
positions. 
You’re 

strategizing as the draft goes 
on because you have to fill those 
positions to make sure you 
don’t lose out on somebody. … It 
really makes you a better coach 
because you have to fill a team 
and build your strengths.”

The 
two 
wouldn’t 
give 

specifics on the players they 
picked, but Durkin said he had 
an idea of some of the top players 
on his defense are as he closes 
spring camp.

“We’ve got a much better 

sense now than a month or two 
ago,” Durkin said. “It’ll give us 
a good starting ground for (fall) 
camp. We’ll (go back) through 
it in camp. One of the best 
things in practice is to keep it 
competitive.”

Neither coordinator has been 

shy in his career about shaking 
things up and starting new, 
younger players.

Drevno 
hasn’t 
been 
an 

offensive coordinator since 2006 

at San Diego, but as the offensive 
line coach at Southern California 
last season, he started two true 
freshmen all year and a third 
late in the season because of an 
injury. This year, he has a stable 
of linemen to rotate during 
spring.

Durkin 
had 
a 
solid, 

experienced defense at Florida 
last season, but he started two 
freshmen and two sophomores 
toward the end of the 2013 
season, his first year as defensive 
coordinator for the Gators.

Durkin 
has 
most 
of 
his 

defense returning this year, but 
he gave some early names to 
look for at defensive end, where 
Michigan lost both 2014 starters, 
Frank Clark and Brennen Beyer. 
Durkin mentioned senior Chris 
Wormley, senior Royce Jenkins-
Stone, junior Maurice Hurst 
Jr. and sophomore Lawrence 
Marshall, the latter of whom has 
made tremendous strides this 
spring.

“He’s a young guy, he’s a 

freshman — first two practices, 
it looked like he could barely line 
up,” Durkin said. “Now he’s out 
there and he’s playing really well 
for us. We expect him to help 
us.”

Durkin specializes in coaching 

linebackers, who are his most 
experienced group of players.

“Joe Bolden, who’s played 

a lot of football here, he’s had 
a really good spring,” Durkin 
said. “I like his toughness. I 
like his leadership. (Desmond) 
Morgan is the same way. Those 
two are pretty much the same 
type of guy there for us.”

And 
then 
there’s 
the 

secondary, which holds the one 
true wild card: top 2014 recruit 
Jabrill Peppers, now a redshirt 
freshman.

“The 
guy 
loves 
football,” 

Durkin said. “He’s intelligent off 
the field. He’s very intelligent on 
the field as well. I’m not surprised 
at all. He works really hard at it. 
He’s got a great attitude every 
day.”

Durkin added that he’d feel 

comfortable throwing Peppers 
anywhere 
in 
the 
starting 

secondary, just as he has with 
young players in the past.

“Freshman, true freshman, 

that doesn’t matter to me,” 
Durkin said. “A guy’s either 
ready or he’s not. That’s been 
my experience and my track 
record. We’ve played a lot of 
young guys.”

Haylie Wagner looks to 
right ship after struggles

Left-hander’s 

outings have been 
a cause of concern 

for Michigan

By TYLER SCOTT

Daily Sports Writer

Another 
narrative 
has 

been eclipsed by sophomore 
right-hander 
Megan 
Betsa’s 

spectacular 
pitching 

performance against Iowa. It’s 
hard to follow, but has been 
slowly developing throughout 
the season.

It’s the story of how senior 

left-hander Haylie Wagner has 
suffered a few ill-timed lapses 
and now faces the challenge 
of regaining control midway 
through a season.

Every 
athlete 
undergoes 

troubled times, and so far in 
2015, Wagner is no exception. 
But as the season has continued, 
Wagner has seen her struggles 
grow 
from 
footnotes 
in 

otherwise-respectable outings 
to a full-fledged chapter in the 
story of her season.

Wagner allowed four runs, 

had four errors and walked two 
batters in Saturday’s 7-4 win 
over Iowa. A three-run fifth 
inning for the Hawkeyes had 
the Michigan coaching staff 
visiting Wagner on the mound 
several times before she was 
finally subbed out for the final 
frames.

“I just wanted her to get 

angry,” said Michigan coach 
Carol Hutchins after Saturday’s 
games. “That other team wants 
to beat her and she needs to 
get mad at them. … I wanted a 
pitcher that was going to play to 
win.”

It got worse in Sunday’s 6-4 

loss to Iowa, when Wagner 
was brought in for Betsa to 
protect a one-run Michgan 
lead with one out and runners 
on first and second. Wagner’s 

first pitch was wild, allowing 
the runners to advance. After 
intentionally walking catcher 
Holly Hoffman, Wagner gave 
up a double, surrendering the 
Michigan lead.

“We needed Haylie to do 

her part,” Hutchins said after 
Sunday’s loss. 
“That did not 
occur, so we 
got what we 
deserved.”

Wagner, 

a 2014 All-
American, 
has amassed 
a 13-2 record 
and recorded 
two 
saves 

in 
her 
20 

appearances this year. Outings 
like her complete game, one-run 
win over then-No. 3 Alabama on 
Feb. 21 have proved she can pitch 
as well as her accomplished 
résumé suggests she can.

Yet 
the 
instances 
where 

Wagner has faltered have been 
critical.

It all started in the first game 

of the year against No. 1 Florida. 
After pitching six innings of 
two-hit softball, two walks 
followed by a fielder’s choice 
put runners on first and third 
in a tie game. With two Florida 
outs, Wagner threw a wild pitch 
that allowed the winning run 
to score. It was a microcosm 
of Wagner’s entire season. One 
bad inning undid an entire 
game of solid work.

On March 5, the Wolverines 

played the Gators again at 
the 
Judi 
Garman 
Classic, 

and Wagner hit three Florida 
batters in the third inning as 
the Gators scored three runs 
and cut into Michigan’s lead. 
In the home opener against 
Kent State, Wagner allowed 
three runs and was outdueled 
in a pitching battle by Golden 
Flashes right-hander Emma 
Johnson in an upset loss for the 
Wolverines.

“We’ve blown a lot of teams 

out,” said Michigan coach Carol 
Hutchins after the Kent State 
loss. “But to get where we want 
to go, we’ve got to be able to chip 
it out and win a tight series.”

Nobody who has watched 

the Michigan softball team 
can question the support the 

players 
and 

coaches openly 
show for one 
another. 
One 

need only look 
to the pregame 
ceremony 
of 
highly 

choreographed 
handshakes 
and 
high-

fives, or watch 
the 
throng 

of supportive teammates that 
gather outside the dugout after 
every home run or inning-
ending strikeout.

“Confidence comes around 

from the entire team,” Wagner 
said after the win against 
Bowling Green. “As long as I 
trust them and they trust me, 
we’re going to be good.”

Despite her troubles against 

elite 
competition 
early 
on, 

it seemed like Wagner was 
settling into a rhythm as she 
chalked up quality wins over 
Bowling Green, Ohio State 
and Western Michigan. But 
Wagner’s 
struggles 
against 

Iowa are a cause for renewed 
concern.

A decorated veteran, the 

senior 
left-hander 
plays 

an important role for the 
Wolverines. She still has the 
regular season to overcome this 
adversity, and she still has the 
ability to pitch at an elite level. 
But to contribute to Michigan’s 
hopes of a championship run, 
Wagner will have to right the 
ship before the problem grows 
larger.

“That other team 
wants to beat her 
and she needs to 
get mad at them.”

SOFTBALL

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

D.J. Durkin did not reveal his strategy in Michigan’s spring game draft.

For more softball coverage
Check MichiganDaily.com 
throughout the week for updates

