Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 — 7

‘M’ looks to retool pitching staff

By ORION SANG

Daily Sports Writer

Backed by an explosive batting 

lineup and a lethal pitching staff, 
the No. 2 Michigan softball team 
enjoyed a magical run to the 
Women’s College World Series 
last season.

And though the Wolverines 

graduated All-American pitcher 
Haylie 
Wagner, 
this 
year’s 

pitching staff has the potential to 
be just as good, if not better.

All-American and 2015 Big Ten 

Pitcher of the Year Megan Betsa is 
poised to anchor the staff.

The junior went 31-5 with a 1.72 

ERA last year, and she believes 
that her big year, along with the 
experience of pitching in the 
WCWS, was a big part of her 
growth and development.

“Megan had a great year for 

us,” said Michigan coach Carol 
Hutchins. “She’s come into her 
own as one of the greats.”

Now, she looks to add to an 

already impressive career.

“We’ve talked a lot about not 

having 
expectations,” 
Betsa 

said. “Just because I was an All-
American doesn’t mean I need to 
try any harder. I need to focus on 
my preparation, and realizing that 
my spin is what makes me good.”

Betsa has become more of 

a leader as well. She is now an 
upperclassman with two full 
years of pitching experience 
under her belt, and has tried to 
pass on some of her wisdom to her 
pitching counterparts.

“(Freshman right-hander Leah 

Crockett) has been working really 
hard on developing her mental 
game as much as her physical 
game,” Betsa said. “She has a lot 
of questions, and I’ve tried to take 
her under my wing because I was 
in a similar situation — I had to 
work on my mechanics and get 
stronger mentally. I’ll be able to 
help her out and get a head start 
on that.”

Betsa isn’t the only experienced 

pitcher on the roster, however.

Fifth-year 
senior 
Sara 

Driesenga has pitched extensively 
for the Wolverines over her 
career, and was 4-0 with a 0.78 
ERA in 2015 before missing the 
rest of the season because of a rib 
injury.

“She didn’t hesitate to come 

back as a fifth-year,” Hutchins 
said. “She wanted to be here and 
to have her senior year. We’re 
very fortunate. It was a blessing in 
disguise, because she beefs up our 
staff and she can help us be great.”

Driesenga has had a long hiatus 

from 
pitching, 
but 
Hutchins 

believes she can continue to get 
back in the groove of things as the 
season gets underway.

“She still isn’t in the form I feel 

she’s capable of,” Hutchins said. 
“But she’s come a long way, and 
pitching in games is what’s going 
to help her get there.”

In 
addition 
to 
the 
two 

upperclassmen, younger pitchers 
will push for playing time.

Sophomore right-hander Tera 

Blanco was a ballyhooed high 
school recruit, ranked as the No. 
1 softball recruit in the Orange 
County region, and started most 
games at first base her freshman 
season.

Hutchins now looks to her to 

bolster the pitching staff.

“I told her at the end of the 

season that we need her to pitch,” 
Hutchins said. “She’s improved a 
lot, worked really hard and stayed 
here in the summer. She couldn’t 
train with us (because of NCAA 
rules), but she trained with our 
strength and conditioning coach 
and worked with one of our local 
pitching coaches.

“The big thing with Tera is she 

is a gamer. She is going to get a lot 
better when she gets the chance to 
get on the mound and I do expect 

you’ll see her.”

And while Hutchins thinks 

Blanco is ready for an expanded 
pitching role, she believes that 
Crockett needs more seasoning 
before taking a rotation spot.

“If I had my best wish, I’d 

like (Crockett) not to pitch and 
to 
continue 
getting 
better,” 

Hutchins said. “She comes to us 
raw and physically strong.”

How the pitching staff shakes 

out is currently unknown to 
Hutchins. 
Just 
like 
seasons 

before, she thinks it will continue 
to evolve as the season plays out.

However, she is sure of one 

thing, and that is how large of 
a role the pitchers will play in 
her team’s push for a national 
championship.

“(Betsa) can’t do it by herself,” 

Hutchins said. “We need a 
pitching staff. To me, how our 
pitching staff evolves is the key to 
our season.”

DELANEY RYAN/Daily

Junior right-hander Megan Betsa will anchor a pitching staff that should be among the Big Ten’s best in 2016.

Wolverines third 
at Stanford Invite

By BILLY STAMPFL 

Daily Sports Writer

On a weekend when a lot of 

people asked the No. 7 Michigan 
water polo team if it knew Jim 
Harbaugh, the Wolverines made 
a name for themselves with their 
stellar play in the Bay Area.

Michigan (10-3) won three of 

its four matches against ranked 
opponents and claimed third at 
the Stanford Invite on Sunday. 
It also rebounded from a loss to 
No. 1 Stanford on Saturday by 
winning out for the rest of the 
weekend.

Following a 

12-7 defeat to 
the 
Cardinal 

on 
Saturday 

morning, 
Michigan 
slipped 
by 

No. 15 Loyola 
Marymount 
later that day, 
9-8. Backed by 
strong defense 
and three goals each from senior 
Ali Thomason and freshman Kim 
Johnson, the Wolverines downed 
the 
Lions 
after 
overcoming 

what Michigan coach Marcelo 
Leonardi called “the proverbial 
Stanford hangover.”

“I told them, ‘We can’t allow a 

team like (Stanford) to physically 
push us around,’” Leonardi said. 
“And I thought they responded 
really well.”

Michigan, heeding the advice 

of its coach, answered with a 
stronger second half against 
the Cardinal and, following 
the aforementioned slow start 
against Loyola Marymount, a 
win over the Lions.

“(The 
Stanford 
game) 

was kind of a wake-up call,” 

Thomason said. “We realized we 
had to push harder, and I think 
that carried over to our later 
games.”

The Wolverines kept their 

momentum going into the next 
day, beating No. 8 San Jose 
State, 8-7, in a game that saw 
Johnson score the winning goal 
in the final seconds of the fourth 
quarter.

“(Johnson)’s been able to learn 

the system,” Thomason said. 
“She has a great skillset — she 
can post up, she can defend, she 
can shoot — which is why she’s 

been able to 
contribute 
so 

much.”

Thomason 

herself scored 
seven 
times 

for 
Michigan 

in Palo Alto, 
making her the 
ninth 
player 

in 
program 

history 
to 

record 
150 

career goals. She added one goal 
against No. 10 UC Irvine in the 
final match Sunday afternoon.

Not just an excellent player in 

the water, Thomason offers great 
leadership out of it for a young, 
still-growing team.

“(Thomason)’s development at 

this university is second to none,” 
Leonardi said. “Everybody looks 
to her at the most difficult times 
to lead us through challenges.”

Led 
by 
Thomason 
and 

Johnson, the Wolverines hope 
to continue to play up to the 
standards of top competition. 
Leonardi may not be quite as 
famous as Jim Harbaugh yet, 
but the coaches have one thing 
in common: They don’t let their 
teams get pushed around.

WATER POLO

‘M’ strong on hill

By ETHAN WOLFE 

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan baseball team 

lost some firepower from its 
pitching staff to the MLB draft 
and graduation last season, but 
that hasn’t seemed to be a problem 
in the 2016 preseason.

The Wolverines, who are 

ranked as the No. 15 team in 
the nation according to Baseball 
America, are looking to improve 
on the mound after finishing 
79th in Division I with a 3.81 
team-earned run average last 
season.

To lead this charge, Michigan 

will rely especially on senior left-
hander Evan Hill, who missed 
the first two months of last season 
recovering from anterior cruciate 
ligament surgery. In the 38 innings 
he was able to pitch last season, 
he managed to fan 37 batters. His 
most 
remarkable 
performance 

came in the NCAA Tournament 
against Bradley, allowing only 
one run and striking out six in 6.2 
innings.

After finishing strong last 

season, but missing out on the 
MLB draft, Hill pitched in the 
Cape Cod Baseball League over 
the summer and finished with a 
5-0 record and a 1.80 ERA. Hill 
is anxious to get on the mound 
and be at full strength for his 
final season.

“The rehab was frustrating, not 

being able to get out there and help 
out in the ball games,” Hill said. “I 
feel comfortable now. I’m healthy 
and I couldn’t be happier.”

Hill credits pitching coach 

Sean Kenny for helping all of the 
pitchers improve their mechanics 
and watching game film with 
them.

“(Kenny) is there to make 

sure we are all on the same 
page,” Hill said. “We take the 
same approach going into every 
season: Stay relaxed, throw a lot 
of strikes and put the pressure on 
(the batters).”

The Wolverines also return 

their ace in junior left-hander 
Brett Adcock, who finished last 
season 10-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 
17 starts. In 90 innings pitched, 
Adcock struck out an impressive 

95 batters. In the Big Ten, Adcock 
ranked 
second 
in 
strikeouts, 

tied for third in wins and fifth in 
opponent’s batting average.

Though 
the 
prospects 
of 

Adcock and Hill are promising 
for Michigan, it will be difficult to 
replace closer Jacob Cronenworth, 
second on the Wolverines’ career 
saves list, who was selected in the 
seventh round in the 2015 MLB 
draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Junior 
left-hander 
Carmen 

Benedetti, who gave up just four 
hits in 18 relief appearances last 
season, hopes to help fill those 
shoes. 
Michigan 
coach 
Erik 

Bakich believes he could be used 
a lot more out of the bullpen this 
year.

“(Benedetti’s) 
growth 
is 

impressive in a lot of ways,” Bakich 
said. “He was a hard-throwing 
left-hander whose command and 
secondary pitches were not as 
polished. Now, not only is Carmen 
throwing two pitches, but he’s 
throwing three pitches. He has a 
breaking ball and a changeup to go 
along with fastball that’s improved 
in velocity.

“He’ll be counted on heavily 

at the end of the game in high-
leverage spots. If he’s in there, it’s 
because it’s an important part of 
the game.”

Benedetti, who also led the 

Wolverines last season with a 
team-high 71 runs batted in, 
focused a lot on pitching this 
offseason. He, like Hill, played 
summer ball in the Cape Cod 
Baseball League and worked with 
retired Cincinnati Reds relief 
pitcher Bill Bray to improve his 
pitching repertoire.

“Getting (Bray’s) knowledge 

about the game, what he has 
experienced, and with some 
pitching tips that he gave me 
definitely helped me and gave 
me more confidence towards the 
season.”

Alongside Adcock and Hill, 

sophomore right-hander Ryan 
Nutof is also returning to the 
rotation as the third starter. 
With so many returning arms 
and promise in the bullpen, the 
Wolverines have a reason to feel 
confident heading into the 2016 
season.

BASEBALL

Wolverines set season-high score

By MATTHEW KENNEDY 

Daily Sports Writer

Last Friday, the balance beam 

was 
the 
Michigan 
women’s 

gymnastics 
team’s 
nemesis, 

causing the Wolverines to drop 
their first meet of this season 
against Nebraska.

Monday night, in a tri-meet 

against Eastern Michigan and 
Maryland, the beam became the 
team’s best friend.

No. 3 Michigan (3-1 Big Ten, 

7-1 overall) set a season high 
at the meet, easily beating the 
Eagles and Terrapins, 197.425-
195.875 
and 
197.425-194.075, 

respectively.

“What we did after the loss 

to Nebraska was just sort of try 
to make sure that our athletes 
knew that we had not lost 
any confidence in them,” said 
Michigan coach Bev Plocki. 
“Just tried to make sure that they 
understood that we believe in 
them completely and totally and 
we need them to believe in each 
other completely and totally. 
Just go out and be aggressive 

and confident and they were able 
to do that tonight.”

Junior Nicole Artz, who has 

been named Big Ten Gymnast of 
the Week twice this season, won 
the all-around title with a score 
of 39.550. Sophomore Brianna 
Brown, who was named Big Ten 
Freshman of the Year a season 
ago, finished second in the all-
around with a 39.300.

The night’s dominant tone 

started off early when freshman 
Emma 
McLean 
stuck 
her 

landing on the first vault of the 
night, receiving a score of 9.850 
and loud cheers from the crowd.

The rest of the Michigan 

gymnasts had great rotation 
throughout their vaults, capped 
by 
freshman 
Olivia 
Karas 

getting judge-pleasing height 
and almost sticking her landing, 
helping Michigan to a meet-high 
49.300.

The Wolverines followed up 

their success on the vault with 
an even better uneven bars, 
an event in which Michigan is 
ranked sixth nationally. The 
Wolverines 
consistently 
had 

good 
extension 
and 
stayed 

straight when perpendicular to 
the floor, leading to a 449.350 on 
the day.

Most surprising, though, was 

Karas’s fall off the bars when 
she jumped from the higher bar 
to the lower bar. Karas, who 
was named Big Ten Gymnast of 
the Week last week, had usually 
been sure-handed on the bars. 
She did recover from the fall, 
though, and managed to salvage 
a 9.150.

“I really like that as a 

freshman, she showed a lot of 
maturity to be able to snap back 
from a mistake and do great on 
beam and floor,” Plocki said. “I’m 
really proud that she came back 
and did a great job on the next 
two events.”

After the uneven bars, the 

Wolverines had to go on the 
daunting balance beam. This 
time, though, the team had no 
issues, performing the best on 
the beam of any event on the 
beam. The team began with 
Karas, who quickly recovered 
from her fall on the bars to score 

a 9.875 — the fourth best score on 
the day in the event.

Artz and junior Talia Chiarelli 

capped off the beam by both 
sticking 
their 
dismounts, 

helping Michigan to conquer the 
previously-disastrous beam with 
a meet high 49.450.

“Beam is the event where if 

there are nerves, you tend to see 
them all,” Plocki said. “I thought 
that they competed relaxed and 
confidently and it showed.”

With one event remaining, the 

Wolverines were all but assured 
of winning the meet. Michigan 
had just the floor event — an 
event in which it is ranked first 
in the nation. With great height 
and powerful rotation on their 
jumps, as well as multiple stuck 
landings, the Wolverines were 
able to best both teams by a half 
point on the floor with a 49.325.

“This group of athletes loves 

to perform,” Plocki said. “We 
work a lot on that aspect of it. 
We really try to make sure they 
are having fun, and when they 
are having fun, they make it look 
easy and the crowd gets into it.”

“Everybody looks 

to (Thomason) 

at the most 

difficult times.”

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Junior Nicole Artz was part of a bounce-back day on the beam for the Michigan women’s gymnastics team against Maryland and Eastern Michigan on Monday.

