Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 — 7A

Five Things We Learned: 
Michigan’s Spring Break

By ETHAN WOLFE 

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan baseball team’s 

Spring Break trip did not end 
exactly as it would have hoped. 
The 
19th-ranked 
Wolverines’ 

final two games against UC Davis 
were canceled due to the rain, 
leaving them with a 3-3 record in 
their trip to California.

Despite suffering his first 

losses on the season, Michigan 
coach Erik Bakich believes there 
are teaching moments in every 
game. Here are five things we 
learned from Michigan’s early-
season trip out west.

1. Michigan’s starting pitchers 

are really good …

Sophomore 
left-handed 

pitcher Oliver Jaskie had another 
impressive 
outing 
for 
the 

Wolverines. Against Michigan’s 
chief opponent, No. 9 California, 
Jaskie managed to toss 5.1 innings 
of three-hit, no-run baseball. 
Bakich praised Jaskie for his work 
ethic and performance after his 
earlier start against Canisius, but 
his stellar start has been a pleasant 
surprise for the Wolverines.

Sophomore right-hander Ryan 

Nutof suffered his first loss of 
the season, but he impressed 
nonetheless. Nutof picked up a 
victory in his first start of the 
season by shutting out Saint 
Joseph’s. In his next start against 
UC Davis, Nutof surrendered 
just two earned runs, but did not 
get the necessary run support to 

erase the deficit.

Junior lefty Brett Adcock also 

took a loss in his start against Cal 
Poly. However, his stat line told 
another story. Adcock pitched 
3.1 innings, striking out seven 
batters and not allowing a hit.

Overall, Michigan’s starters 

allowed no more than four runs in 
any of their games in California, 
and the staff is currently boasting 
the fifth-best earned-run average 
in college baseball at 1.59.

2. … But its defense isn’t.

Despite outstanding pitching 

and a serviceable offense, the 
Wolverines’ defense has already 
cost 
them 
games. 
Michigan 

committed errors in every one of 
its contests over the break.

Up 3-2 in the sixth inning 

against UC Davis, sophomore 
infielder Jake Bivens overthrew 
a ball to first base. Instead of two 
runners on with one out, Nutof 
had to pitch in a no-out, bases-
loaded jam. A single and fielder’s 
choice gave the Mustangs a 4-3 
lead and the eventual victory.

“We made a couple of costly 

errors that led to two unearned 
runs against UC Davis,” Bakich 
said. “Sometimes the growth 
comes from learning from your 
mistakes.”

A Michigan error also cost a 

run against San Jose State to ruin 
the Wolverines’ chances at their 
fourth shutout of the season. The 
Spartans continued to surge with 
four runs in the fifth inning to 
tie the game, 5-5, but a double by 

Bivens in the sixth inning secured 
a 6-5 win for the Wolverines.

3. The 7-8-9 hitters are still up 

in the air.

While the first six hitters in the 

Wolverines’ lineup have remained 
consistent in their 10 contests thus 
far, the backend of the lineup has 
seen a number of changes.

Junior infielder Michael Brdar 

has started every game thus far, 
but has not solidified a permanent 
spot in the lineup. He has seen time 
in all of the bottom three spots. 
Junior catcher Harrison Wenson 
— who leads the team with three 
homers so far this season — has 
also started every game, but was 
the seventh batter in two games in 
California. Wenson has typically 
hit in the No. 5 spot.

Besides Brdar and Wenson, 

Bakich 
has 
also 
shuffled 

freshman outfielder Jonathan 
Engelmann, freshman infielder 
Ako Thomas and junior outfielder 
Johnny Slater in and out of the 
lineup at the bottom three spots.

4. Michigan has yet to 

establish itself.

With 10 games under its 

belt, Michigan is yet to build an 
identity. Defense, offense and 
pitching have all had their ups 
and downs, but have rarely all 
come together at once.

The same team that swept 

Canisius and shut out the top-10 
Golden Bears has also suffered 
defeats to UC Davis, Santa Clara 
and Cal Poly. Each game is a 
matter of which Michigan team 
decides to show up.

Though disappointed by the 

losses, Bakich says that he cares 
most about how the team has 
handled each loss.

“We’ve got knocked down 

a couple times, and we’ve got 
back up,” Bakich said. “I think 
our guys have done a good job of 
responding to small amounts of 
adversity we’ve experienced.”

5. Bold Prediction: Michigan 
will sweep Hawaii, averaging 

at least nine runs a game.

Win 
or 
lose, 
Michigan’s 

pitching has been dominant to 
start the season. It’s time that 
the offense follows suit. Les 
Murakami Stadium in Honolulu, 
Hawaii, should be a good stadium 
for the Wolverines’ offense to 
pick up, measuring just 325 feet 
to left and right field.

The Rainbow Warriors are 

131st in ERA in college baseball 
at 4.49, and the Wolverines will 
be the biggest challenge that they 
have encountered so far.

With 
so 
much 
attention 

focused on the pitching staff, it 
will be Michigan’s bats that will 
shine against Hawaii.

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico’s team should find itself back in the WNIT when the brackets are announced Monday.
‘M’ awaits WNIT fate

By TED JANES 

Daily Sports Writer

Since the 2012-13 season, the 

Michigan 
women’s 
basketball 

team has failed to make the 
NCAA Tournament.

And after a short stay in 

Indianapolis for the Big Ten 
Tournament last week, it looks 
like that drought will live on 
another year.

The 
Wolverines 
(9-9 
Big 

Ten, 17-13 overall) don’t boast 
the strongest record, and they 
struggled to collect any “big 
wins” that could swing the 
selection committee into giving 
them a shot. The 64-team NCAA 
Tournament field will almost 
certainly leave out Michigan — 
which finished at a tie for seventh 
in the Big Ten — so on deck for 
the team is the Women’s National 
Invitation Tournament.

While the men’s NIT features 

just 32 teams, the WNIT includes 
a full 64, and the Wolverines 
certainly won’t be left out of that.

But exactly where Michigan 

falls between No. 65 and No. 128 in 
the country is anyone’s guess.

The team has put together a 

strong enough season to earn a 
high seed in the WNIT, which 
potentially would allow them to 
host a handful of games.

Instead of playing at neutral 

sites, the team that records 
a 
higher 
average 
attendance 

generally hosts, a feature that 
played well to the Wolverines 
advantage last year when they 
went all the way to the semifinals.

Last year’s WNIT run ended 

with a loss to the eventual 
champion, 
UCLA. 
And 
even 

though it wasn’t the NCAA 
Tournament — which is always a 
goal for the team — Michigan coach 
Kim Barnes Arico mentioned that 
the tournament provided the 
team, especially then-freshman 
guard Katelynn Flaherty, with 
invaluable experience.

Thursday, 
Flaherty 
scored 

31 points against Iowa at the 
Big Ten Tournament, setting a 
single-season scoring record for 
Michigan with 677 for the year.

Flaherty’s 
record-breaking 

season was the biggest reason the 
team had a chance of reaching the 
Big Dance this year.

Flaherty led the Wolverines to 

plenty of almost-wins against top 
teams like No. 5 Maryland and No. 
9 Ohio State, and the first-team 
All-Big Ten selection played a big 
role in sweeping a solid Minnesota 
team led by Naismith Award 
semifinalist Rachel Banham.

Regardless, Michigan couldn’t 

build its résumé over the past few 
months, and it lost control of its 
postseason destiny as the season 
wound down.

The following weeks should 

determine how the Wolverines 
stack up on the national scale, 
which 
has 
been 
difficult 
to 

interpret all year.

The Wolverines’ third straight 

WNIT appearance should be 
confirmed this coming Monday, 
March 14, when the selection 
committee 
reveals 
the 
final 

bracket a day after the NCAA 
Tournament’s Selection Sunday.

The first round of the WNIT 

will be held from March 16 to 
March 18, and the Wolverines will 
expect to play at Crisler Center 
sometime in that frame. But as 
always, nothing is guaranteed.

All they can do now is wait. 

Quick Hits with Michigan 
sophomore Tony Calderone

By JASON RUBINSTEIN 

Daily Sports Writer

Sophomore 
forward 
Tony 

Calderone likes to shoot the puck. 
And that was on full display this 
past weekend during the home-
and-home Ohio State series.

Calderone’s nine shots led the 

Wolverines in that category. He 
also led the team with three goals. 
His 96 shots on the season slot 
him in third on the team, behind 
junior forward Tyler Motte and 
freshman forward Kyle Connor, 
respectively.

Heading into this weekend’s 

series 
against 
Penn 
State, 

Calderone agreed to join the Daily 
for this week’s edition of Quick 
Hits.

The Michigan Daily: You 

shoot the puck a lot according to 
the stats. Do your linemates ever 
get angry with you for shooting so 
much?

Calderone: (Laughs) No. They 

haven’t said anything yet, at least. 
I like to think they give me the 
puck so I can shoot it.

TMD: 
(Junior 
defenseman) 

Michael Downing seems to shoot 
a lot on the power play. Do you talk 
to him about that?

Calderone: (Laughs) On our 

power play, we like to get the puck 
to the net, and I think he does a 
good job with it, so I can’t get on 
him about it too much.

TMD: When you got here this 

season, you were paired with two 
freshmen. Was that an insult?

Calderone: Not an insult. They 

both had impressive track records 
coming in, so I was excited to play 
with some fresh guys and show 
them the way.

TMD: Who would you least like 

to room with on the road?

Calderone: 
(Sophomore 

forward) Dexter Dancs. I live 
with the guy, and he’s a pretty 
obnoxious roommate.

TMD: Why? Because he is 

dirty?

Calderone: No. He’s just loud. 

He plays music a lot. He just is 
loud.

TMD: Why do you think 

(senior netminder) Steve Racine 

has his own room on the road?

Calderone: He needs to stay 

mentally focused. He’s a guy who, 
if he has too many distractions, he 
could lose focus.

TMD: 
(Sophomore 

defenseman) Cutler Martin was a 
forward once again this weekend. 
How’d you like that?

Calderone: He did well. He’s 

played 
that 
fourth-line 
role, 

hitting guys, shooting the puck. 
He adjusted to it pretty well.

TMD: You were the first pick of 

the United States Hockey League 
draft back in the day. What was 
that like?

Calderone: It was cool. (My 

family) was watching the draft on 
our computer and my named pop 
up, and it was awesome. It was a 
big deal for my family, especially 
because I was out the year before.

TMD: 
You 
grew 
up 
in 

Michigan. Did you play on that 
travel team with all the kids on 
this team?

Calderone: I played on Victory 

Honda 
with 
Shuart, 
Cutler, 

(sophomore 
forward) 
Niko 

Porikos, 
(sophomore 
forward) 

Alex 
Talcott 
and 
(freshman 

goalie) Chad Catt.

TMD: You must’ve been good.
Calderone: We went to the 

state finals and we had norovirus, 
so we had just six people on the 
bench. I went to the hospital for 
four days. It was a mess.

TMD: So when the norovirus 

came back to Ann Arbor, what 
were you thinking?

Calderone: All the guys, we 

joked, “Not again, not again.” It 
was horrible.

TMD: Does it surprise you 

that (freshman defenseman) Joe 
Cecconi would tell his grandfather 
to put more money on his debit 
card 
during 
the 
norovirus 

outbreak because “Ferraris can’t 
take regular fuel”?

Calderone: It sounds exactly 

like something he would say.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Sophomore forward Tony Calderone has racked up high shot totals all season.

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

Junior lefty Brett Adcock took a loss despite not allowing a hit over Spring Break.

