10 Thursday, May 14, 2015 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS Baseball thumps Eastern by 15 By ZACH SHAW Managing Sports Editor No one in the stands Tuesday evening would’ve guessed that Eastern Michigan had beaten the Michigan baseball team eight of its last nine tries. Few would have guessed that the same Wolverines lost to the same Eagles less than a month ago. On a cold, windy night, Michigan (14-10 Big Ten, 32-21 overall) hast- ily unseated its Washtenaw County rival, pouring on 17 runs in the first four innings to cruise past the Eagles (19-33). With the 17-2 win and a 19-1 win over Northwestern on Sunday, the Wolverines have perfected their blowout look. “We took advantage of the free passes that we got,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “With our offense, if you get that many free passes, that many walks, hit-by-pitches, errors, you’re going to score. I didn’t think we had an unbelievable day offen- sively, but I thought what we strive for, which is quality at-bats, we had a lot of. “Whether they were given to us or earned, it’s still stringing together quality at-bats together, and that was a positive tonight.” In total, Michigan hitters reached base via 14 walks, 11 hits, four errors and two hit-by-pitches. Sophomore infielder Carmen Benedetti led the way for the Wolverines, going 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Benedetti now has 63 RBI, the most by a Big Ten player since 2010 and good for third in the nation. On the other side of the ball, Michigan used seven pitchers, who combined to allow just five hits, eight strikeouts and zero earned runs. With No. 13 Okla- homa State coming to town on Thurs- day, the committee — comprised mostly of lesser-used bullpen arms — gave some of the regular pitchers much-needed rest. “We had kind of scripted it out, that that’s how we wanted the day to go,” Bakich said. “We were hoping that we would have a lead that was expanded that we could do that. Get- ting all of those guys some innings pitched keeps everybody fresh for Oklahoma State. “It was good to get everybody and inning or two, and everybody Wolverines to begin shootout with No. 13 Cowboys Thursday By BEN FIDELMAN Daily Sports Writer Over its last two games, the Michigan baseball team scored an average of 2.25 runs per inning, blowing out Northwest- ern in a rubber game, 19-1, and rolling over cross-town foe East- ern Michigan, 17-2. However, those two opponents combine to have just three more wins than the Wolverines (14-10 Big Ten, 32-21 overall) on the sea- son. No. 13 Oklahoma State will travel to Ann Arbor this week- end to provide a tougher test. The series pits the Big Ten’s top offense and the Big 12’s leading pitching staff against each other, with high stakes for both sides. As it stands, Michigan looks in from the outside on the field of 64 teams that comprise the NCAA Tournament. Sitting at 83 in the Rating Percentage Index stand- ings doesn’t look good for the Wolverines, who enter their final regular-season series. RPI takes into account both win percent- age and strength of schedule, so a series win for Michigan over a highly-ranked (15th in RPI) opponent could help a late push toward the tournament. “We know we haven’t done anything yet,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “We have a challenge with a ranked Oklaho- ma State team coming in, but we just want to be playing our best at the end of the year because of the momentum that can create to allow us to extend our season as long as we can. “The only way we’re going to do that is to play well, train hard and execute well. You want to be playing your best baseball when it means the most at the end of the year.” Michigan also has a chance to qualify with an automatic bid by winning the Big Ten Tourna- ment, which begins in Minne- apolis next Wednesday. The Cowboys (14-8 Big 12, 32-16 overall) are a lock to make the NCAA tournament, and at this point are playing to improve their seed, secure the opportu- nity to host a Regional and keep momentum rolling through to the postseason. Much of Oklahoma State’s success this season has come from its conference-best pitch- ing staff. Carrying a combined 2.90 earned-run average, the Cowboys are projected to cause problems from the mound for the Wolverines from the first to ninth innings. Pitchers Michael Freeman and Remey Reed highlight the staff, holding 1.16 and 0.92 ERAs, respectively. Freeman anchors the rotation, and Reed works pri- marily from the bullpen. On the weekend of May 1, Michigan faced No. 16 Iowa and its 2.84 ERA — similar to Okla- homa State’s. Though the Wol- verines lost two of three games that weekend, they scorched the Hawkeyes for an average of six runs per game. Breaking through with that offensive success will prove to be key this weekend if Michigan moves to pull the upset. This will be just the sec- ond series the Wolverines have played against a ranked opponent this season, but the lack of expe- rience against top-flight teams isn’t shaking the team’s confi- dence. Sticking to the approach is something the coaching staff has preached all year, and there’s no sense in deviating from that now. “The mentality has really been the same since September, which is to just get better every day,” Bakich said. “That’s all we talk about, and there’s no secret. Everyone has goals and everyone wants to win championships, but those things happen because of a relentless attack on each day to get better every day, and that’s kind of how we approach it. Keep pushing the program forward, keep getting each individual play- er a little better, and the whole team will get better.” The public test for that men- tality will come Thursday eve- ning, as Michigan and Oklahoma State kick things off at Ray Fisher Stadium. If the Wolverines want to prove to outsiders that they belong in the NCAA tournament, there’s no time like the present. PAUL SHERMAN/Daily The Michigan baseball team has outscored its opponents, 36-3 in its last two games “We took advantage of the free passes that we got.” Good job. Don’t think too much, just keep doing what you’re doing.’ ” But Dries- enga does much more than supply moral support for Michigan. She’s intimate with the craft of pitching as well as softball in general, and as such is a valuable resource for her teammates during in-game sce- narios. When assistant coach Jen- nifer Brundage is relaying sig- nals and calling pitches during games, Driesenga lends a valu- able set of eyes to her pitching comrades. She’s on guard for lapses in fundamental mechan- ics and stays wary of potential tells that might warn oppo- nents of what pitch Wagner or Betsa are readying to deliver. “I think I’ve definitely got- ten closer with them over the course of the year,” Driesenga said. “I’ve been close with Hay- lie (Wagner) because we’re in the same class, and last year I was close with Megan (Betsa) too, but I think our relationships have just developed because I can watch them.” Dedicated to her desire to contribute and to see the Wol- verines reach success, Dries- enga has maintained a critical role within the pitching staff and developed a deepened bond with the other two hurlers. “If they’re struggling with certain things, they ask me to watch them warm up or watch them pitch a little bit,” Dries- enga said. “I think I’ve been able to help with them in that way and still just help them be confident.” DRIESENGA From Page 9 “I think I’ve been able to help them.”