Sports
8 — Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan heads into
two midweek games
By BEN FIDELMAN
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan baseball team
will head into a pair of midweek
games against in-state rivals on
Tuesday and Wednesday, looking
to stay perfect
in such games
this season.
Tuesday,
the Wolverines
head to Detroit
to
take
on
Michigan State
at
Comerica
Park, and they
return
home
Wednesday
to
face
Eastern
Michigan.
Michigan (6-6 Big Ten, 21-14
overall) has caught fire lately,
winning nine of its last 11 games.
The Wolverines are looking to
use these midweek matchups to
work some injured players back to
full strength in preparation for a
postseason run.
Two of those players, junior
pitchers Evan Hill and Keith
Lehmann, were big contributors
to last year’s weekend pitching
rotation.
Hill is returning from a knee
injury, and though he has thrown
just 5.1 innings this season, he
seems to be in mid-season form,
allowing only one earned run to
cross the plate. His last outing
lasted two innings, so the team
is looking for the junior to extend
himself to the middle innings
against the Spartans (4-5 Big Ten,
18-15 overall) on Tuesday.
Hill’s
only
outing
against
Michigan State came during
his freshman campaign, when
he threw eight strong innings,
allowing one run in a 5-1 victory.
Currently, Michigan State is
playing some of its best baseball,
having won six of its last eight
games. The Spartans currently sit
in eighth place in the conference
standings — two spots behind
Michigan.
The right-handed Lehmann
hasn’t
pitched
since
facing
Kansas on March 15, missing
time due to a forearm strain. He
and Hill were two mainstays in
the Michigan starting pitching
rotation in 2014, and they will
have a chance to contribute in
big ways as the team looks to
improve on its 3.67 earned-run
average — just seventh-best in
the conference.
Lehmann
will
lead
the
Wolverines against the Eagles
(4-8 MAC, 13-22 overall) as the
two teams face off for the second
time in the last eight days. Last
Tuesday, the Wolverines poured
18 runs on Eastern Michigan, the
second-most the team has scored
in a game this season.
Michigan has only one more
week this season featuring two
midweek games, but coach Erik
Bakich doesn’t mind the weekday
games much.
“Ideally we would just play
one (midweek game), that way
we could have another day of
practice,”
Bakich
said.
“(It’s
especially
big)
during
the
academic year when our guys are
juggling school. But to be honest,
whether we’re playing four or
five games per week is of little
impact.”
Usually the opponents for
these games come from mid-
major conferences, like the MAC
or Horizon League, but this week
the Wolverines face a fellow Big
Ten member in Michigan State.
Since the two teams weren’t
scheduled to play in conference
games for consecutive seasons,
they scheduled a neutral-site
matchup to give fans a taste of the
rivalry.
Bakich
stresses
that
his
team’s goals are all about getting
better during these midweek
games, no matter the opponent.
Improving its conference-best
.299 team batting average could
prove difficult for Michigan
no matter the opponent, but
keeping the positive momentum
rolling through another few
midweek games will be key for
this squad in its march for the
Big Ten crown.
Keeping up no easy task
for Wolverines, Big Ten
By TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
There are many reasons high
school softball players wouldn’t
want to come play in the Big Ten.
Historically, the Pac-12 is and
always has been the conference
to beat. Twenty-four of the 33
Women’s College World Series
titles belong to teams from the
Pac-12, and six more belong
to other teams west of the
Mississippi River.
Recently, Southern schools
have made a strong surge. Since
2007, eight teams from the SEC
have competed in the national
championship, and last year’s
battle
was
a
Southeastern
showdown between Alabama
and Florida. This year, with LSU,
Oregon and Florida holding the
top three spots, many would
favor the Pac-12 or SEC to come
out on top again.
For nearly the entire Big Ten
conference, playing at home isn’t a
legitimate option until mid- to late
March. Big Ten teams on average
competed in 28.47 games before
their first home contest. While
traveling out of the cold weather
to start the season is enticing, the
strenuous weekly trips across the
country become exhaustive.
When looking at the top teams
from the SEC, travel is not a
problem. No. 1 LSU played 20 of
its first 25 games this season at
home, and No. 3 Florida never
left the Sunshine State for its first
27 games.
Finally, the top 25 rankings for
college softball currently contain
nine teams from the SEC and
six from the Pac-12, but just two
from the Big Ten.
Yet somehow, among all the
difficulties and issues Big Ten
softball teams face, those two
teams, No. 4 Michigan and No.
19 Minnesota, manage to keep up
with the rest of the country.
For the Big Ten to stay
relevant, it’s important for these
teams to face highly ranked
opponents early in the season
before the conference schedule
starts. Through the preseason,
the Wolverines matched up with
five different top-25 teams. In
conference play, they face only
one.
“People will sometimes forget
about the Big Ten teams because
we are so far away,” said junior
infielder Sierra Romero, who was
raised in southern California.
“During preseason, we go and
play in places like California to
go out and get wins against big
teams.”
Despite the high level of
competition out west, Romero
left home to join Michigan in the
Big Ten. Along
with Romero,
three
other
consistent
starters
come
from
California. In
fact, out of the
10 Wolverines
that
have
appeared in at
least 20 games, only one comes
from the state of Michigan,
and just three come from the
Midwest. Michigan’s core talent
is largely based around players
from other parts of the country.
Junior
outfielder
Sierra
Lawrence and sophomore right-
handed pitcher Megan Betsa
both came to Michigan from
Georgia. Growing up in SEC
country, Betsa was still drawn up
north to Michigan. However, she
acknowledged the strength of
Southern teams as a whole.
“They all have very strong
lineups one through nine,” Betsa
said. “For pitching there aren’t
any holes, and the number nine
batter is just as strong as the two
and three batters.”
Even though the Big Ten
doesn’t have the same depth as
high-caliber teams, Michigan
coach
Carol
Hutchins
has
succeeded in building a program
that stays in line with the rest of
the country. Her coaching style
and habits are factors all her
players mention when discussing
why
they
chose
to
attend
Michigan over other powerhouse
schools around the country.
“Personally,
I
felt
that
(Hutchins)
genuinely
cares
about all her players,” said junior
outfielder Kelsey Susalla. “She
cares not just about our athletic
ability,
but
about
our
character and
academics
as
well.”
Added
sophomore
infielder Abby
Ramirez:
“What I think
was the most
attractive thing here was the
tradition. The team and the
coaching staff was a big part of
decision. She wants what’s best
for you as a person.”
Growing up in East Lansing,
playing basketball and softball
for Michigan State and working
as an assistant coach at Indiana
meant the Big Ten has always
been home for Hutchins.
“You know, I’ve been in the
Big Ten my whole life,” Hutchins
said. “I think what I love most
about the conference, at least
from the softball view of it, is the
amount of respect we have team
for team, coach for coach, and
even the new coaches that come
in. We have huge amounts of
respect for the game and for the
institutions in the conference.
“We all really believe in playing
with integrity, we all support
each other in our conference
endeavors, we support each other
to win outside the conference,
and we stick together.”
The Big Ten doesn’t have a
reputation for softball prestige,
and it doesn’t have a history of
winning championships. But the
one title it does have belongs to
Michigan, and year after year,
Michigan continues to fight for it,
despite the impossible odds they
face in the frigid Midwest.
Kyle Connor: ‘A player to watch’
By JASON RUBINSTEIN
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan hockey team
may have taken a spear to the
heart when its captain, Andrew
Copp, decided to forgo his senior
season and join the Winnipeg
Jets.
But there is a silver lining.
Copp’s absence in the lineup will
provide opportunities for others
to fill his production — he tallied
31 points this past season.
Look no further than blue-
chip recruit Kyle Connor. The
Shelby
Township,
Michigan
native has torn up the United
States Hockey League the past
three years — registering 195
points in three seasons with the
Youngstown Phantoms — and
that has Michigan coach Red
Berenson excited.
“Kyle Connor, he’ll be a player
to watch,” Berenson said. “Right
now, he’ll be the main recruit to
watch.”
More
notably,
Berenson
wouldn’t
rule
out
Connor
having
a
similar
freshman
season to that of Dylan Larkin,
who was just named a second-
team All American and the
Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
He notched 47 points in his
sensational freshman campaign.
“Maybe he could,” Berenson
said of Connor’s chances of
emulating Larkin. “He’s that
type of player.”
That could be premature. But
if Connor’s USHL stats are any
indication, he has the tools to
become an impact player for the
Wolverines.
Connor just put an exclamation
point on his final season with the
Phantoms, scoring his 33rd and
34th goals in his final game. His
80 points are already a personal
record and lead the USHL this
year. More impressively, his 195
points in three seasons are the
sixth-most in USHL history, and
he still has playoff games to raise
his total.
Clearly, the USHL is becoming
too easy for Connor and he needs
more of a challenge. He’ll be
joining a Michigan team that
has failed to make the NCAA
Tournament for three straight
seasons after qualifying for the
post season 22 straight years
before.
But that doesn’t faze Connor.
“I think that is something
I’m definitely coming in to do,
trying to get them back in the
right direction,” Connor said. “I
think I can step in right away and
go out there and try to compete
and help us get back to the
tournament.”
Back
in
November,
Phantoms
coach Anthony
Noreen
gushed about
his star. He
told the Daily
that
Connor
has an “NHL
release on his shot,” possesses
“an elite skill level” and is a
“student of the game.”
Though it’s bittersweet for
Noreen to lose Connor, he knows
Connor will be in good hands
with the legendary Berenson.
And Connor is also excited
to play for Berenson, who will
be in his 32nd season behind
Michigan’s bench when Connor
first takes the ice in a winged
helmet.
“Red Berenson, his pedigree
and resume speaks for itself,”
Connor said. “He is such a great
guy, and it’s going to be fun
playing for him next year. I’m
really looking forward to it.”
Connor grew up a Michigan
fan,
and
he
has
watched
Wolverine hockey games for
most of his life. And when he
joins the squad this fall, he’ll
know a face or two.
Connor grew up playing travel
hockey for Belle Tire alongside
freshman
forward Dylan
Larkin
and
freshman
defenseman
Zach
Werenski.
The trio won
a
national
championship
together, and
Connor sees no reason why they
can’t do the same thing in Ann
Arbor.
Larkin still hasn’t announced
his return to the program for next
season, as he could potentially
leave to join the Detroit Red
Wings organization.
“I’m still just trying to figure
it out,” Larkin told the Daily on
Monday. “It’s straight down the
middle. Every day it changes and
things come into play. I don’t
really know yet.”
Connor and Larkin played
on the same line for Belle Tire.
The two had success there, and
Connor would love to rejoin his
old linemate while in a Michigan
sweater.
“We
clicked
right
away,
and we’ve been good friends,”
Connor said. “We played roller
hockey way back in the day. It
would be pretty fun playing with
him.”
Added
Larkin:
“He’s
a
dynamic player who finds a way
to score at every level he has
played at. I’m hoping he can come
in and have an impact. Speaking
as a freshman, you never want
the pressure on you, but I think
he will handle that well. He’s a
mature kid. We’re excited to have
him. I have talked to him a little
bit, and it would be fun to play
with him.”
Even
if
Larkin
isn’t
at
Michigan next season, Connor
will still be excited to don the
block ‘M.’ An expected first-
round pick in this year’s NHL
Draft, Connor said no NHL
team could convince him to join
its organization. The same can
be said for Saginaw Spirit, who
own his Ontario Hockey League
rights.
“That’s where I want to play,”
Connor said of Michigan. “I
want to play at Michigan, and
I’ve wanted to play there for a
long time.”
COURTESY OF THE YOUNGSTOWN PHANTOMS
Michigan commit Kyle Connor has totaled 195 points in three seasons in the USHL and will join Michigan in the fall.
“Right now, he’ll
be the main
recruit to watch.”
BY THE NUMBERS
Softball in the Big Ten
28.47
Average games away from home
before the first home game for Big
Ten teams
9
SEC teams in this week’s coaches’ top
25 poll
2
Big Ten teams in this week’s poll
(Michigan and Minnesota)
6
Players on Michigan’s roster from the
state of California
“I’ve been in
the Big Ten my
whole life.”
SOFTBALL
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Keith Lehmann will be back on the hill this week for the first time since March 15.
Michigan vs.
Michigan St.
Matchup:
Michigan
21-14; Michigan
State 18-15
When: Tuesday
6:35 P.M.
Where:
Comerica Park