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