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March 25, 2016 - Image 7

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Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, March 25, 2016 — 7

Believe in Erik Bakich

I

n 2012, the Michigan
baseball team was an
afterthought.

The Wolverines finished

with a 22-34
record and
their second
straight
10th-place
finish in
the Big Ten under coach Rich
Maloney.

But in late May of that year,

Maloney’s contract wasn’t
extended, and the head coaching
vacancy was left to be filled.

At the time, Erik Bakich was a

young face who was the perfect
fit to re-energize the oldest
varsity sport at Michigan. Bakich
started as a volunteer assistant
and hitting coach at Clemson
in 2002 — coaching a team that
reached the College World Series
later that season. From 2003 to
2009, he worked as the hitting
coach and recruiting coordinator
at Vanderbilt. In every one
of his seven seasons with the
Commodores, he had a top-25
recruiting class. He was then
hired at Maryland for his first
head coaching gig.

Though his record didn’t

jump off the page, he secured
the Terrapins their first ranked
recruiting class in school history.

Wherever Bakich went, success

seemed to follow. He established
a reputation as one of the most
prolific recruiters in college
baseball, and it was this reputation
that led him to Michigan.

“I was immediately drawn

into his energy,” said graduate
student outfielder Matt Ramsay,
who transferred to Michigan
during the summer of 2015.
“When I first visited with him,
I was like, ‘Does this guy ever
stop? How am I supposed to keep
up with his energy?’ ”

On Bakich’s first day on campus

in 2012, his presence was felt
immediately. At his introductory
press conference, Bakich assured
that Michigan baseball would
be winning championships at a
consistent rate.

It’s no easy task to take a

team with a losing record into
championship contention, but the
Wolverines’ record has improved

every year since Bakich became
the skipper, and they are on pace
to continue that trend once again
in 2016.

Though it seems that Bakich

is primarily focused on winning,
many of the Wolverine players
have stressed that Bakich’s main
goal each year is to make each
athlete the greatest teammate
and student they can be.

“We have

a saying,
‘Champions
behave like
champions
before they
become
champions,’ ”
Bakich said.
“Of course,
everyone
wants to win a
championship
at Michigan, but we don’t go
into our training thinking about
outcomes and statistics and titles.
We talk about being the highest
and best version of ourselves
every day, knowing that those
external things will take care of
themselves later in the season.”

The athletes don’t just admire

what Bakich has done for

them, but also how he works to
improve himself.

“He never stops talking about

(getting better every day),”
Ramsay said. “He never stops
practicing it. You can see it when
he’s out there on the field. He’s
trying to get better as a coach. It’s
one thing to say it to your players,
but it’s another thing to practice it
as a head coach.”

Added

junior utility
player Carmen
Benedetti:
“He’s
implemented
so many
things into my
game that has
allowed me to
slow the game
down, enjoy it
and realize that

it’s just a game. I couldn’t ask for a
better coach.”

The team’s hot start cannot be

disregarded, however. Michigan
headed into this season with the
expectation of maintaining the
Big Ten Tournament title and has
already shown championship-
caliber play with victories over
top-25 opponents California and

Oklahoma State.

Michigan isn’t winning

national championships just
yet, but the team secured its
first Big Ten title since 2008
last season. Bakich has made
baseball at Michigan relevant
again. He has inspired a culture
in the locker room that seeks to
create talented athletes and well-
rounded characters. And like
his time at Clemson, Vanderbilt
and Maryland, the success has
followed with time.

“I’m extremely excited about

this team and the opportunities
in front of us,” Bakich said.

It’s hard not to get excited.

Though the 2016 season is just
getting underway and the Big
Ten title is up in the air, Michigan
is right up there at the top of
the standings. The Wolverines’
starting pitching ranks in the
top-10 nationally in earned-run
average, and the batting order has
also shown flashes of brilliance.

If it wasn’t apparent when he

was first hired, it should be very
clear now: It’s time to believe in
Erik Bakich.

Wolfe can be reached at

eewolfe@umich.edu.

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

Michigan coach Erik Bakich (second from right) has his team poised to take another big step forward in 2016.

ETHAN
WOLFE

On Baseball

“He never stops

talking about
(getting better

every day).”

2016 Baseball Preview
Breaking down Michigan’s roster

By NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer

While the Michigan baseball

team lost some firepower from
last year’s offense that won the
Big Ten Tournament, there is still
considerable talent on the roster.
Below, the Daily breaks down the
2016 Michigan squad.

Outfield

The departure of centerfielder

Jackson
Glines,
who
was
a

10th-round pick in June, leaves
big shoes to fill from last year’s
offense.
Glines
finished
the

2015 season with a .369 batting
average, an on-base percentage of
.440, five home runs, 83 hits and
34 runs batted in — the latter two
were both good for third best in
the Big Ten.

But there is a returning starter

from last year to fill the vacancy:
senior center fielder Cody Bruder,
who has taken up residence in
the fifth spot in the Wolverines’
batting order. Bruder is currently
hitting .353 with 24 base hits and
15 RBIs. He possesses the third-
highest batting average on the
team, the third-highest hit total
and the second most RBIs.

Junior right fielder Johnny

Slater has also seen significant
playing time of late. Though he
recorded nine multi-hit games in
2015, and came up with several
clutch at-bats during Michigan’s
late-season run, he has been
struggling at the plate so far this
season. His batting average is
sitting at .185 and he has mustered
just 10 hits.

Beyond the returning starters,

there are some newcomers to the
outfield, most notably senior left

fielder Matt Ramsay, who arrived
in Ann Arbor this year as a transfer
from Wofford College. Ramsay
has been productive in the second
spot, with a .294 batting average,
20 hits and 14 runs scored.

Infield

Any
assessment
of
the

Wolverines’ infield must take
into account the departure of first
baseman Jacob Cronenworth to
the Tampa Bay Rays. He started
in each of Michigan’s 64 contests
last year, when he posted a batting
average of .338, hit 18 doubles and
three triples, smacked six home
runs, drove in 48 runs and was
the Big Ten Tournament’s Most
Valuable Player.

Junior first baseman Carmen

Benedetti has been tasked with
filling Cronenworth’s role. And
Benedetti is ideally suited to
do so, having hit .353 last year
with a Big-Ten-leading 71 RBI
and conference-best 25 doubles.
While Benedetti’s 2016 batting
average is only .298 at the
moment, history suggests that
number may climb during Big
Ten play after hitting .398 over
the conference season last year.

Another player who has been

asked to fill big shoes is senior
catcher Harrison Wenson, who
is taking over for Kendall Patrick,
Michigan’s home-run leader last
season. Wenson has embraced
the role so far, as he has posted
a .386 batting average, hit three
home runs, driven in 16 runs and
manufactured 22 base hits. His
stats earned him possession of the
cleanup spot in the Wolverines’
batting order.

Sophomore Jake Bivens —

who was moved from second

base to third base this season
— has been a force in the leadoff
spot thus far for the Wolverines.
He leads Michigan with a .389
batting average, 28 hits, 16 RBI
and a 1.062 OPS (the sum of
on-base percentage and slugging
percentage). His speed has also
shown with four stolen bases so
far, which is nearly half of his total
of nine in 2015.

Designated Hitter

Sophomore Drew Lugbauer is

Michigan’s starting designated
hitter. Lugabuer’s hitting has
improved greatly from last year,
and he has already driven in four
more runs than his 2015 total
before the start of conference play.

Lugbauer was highly touted for

his raw power when he came to
Michigan, and he is showing that
much more this season than he
did last year.

Starting Pitchers

Sophomore left-hander Oliver

Jaskie has been the strongest
starter so far for the Wolverines. He
is 3-1 in four starts while compiling
a 1.69 earned-run average, striking
out 21 and giving up 13 hits in 21.1
innings.
Jaskie’s
performance

earned him Big Ten Pitcher of the
Week honors twice during non-
conference play on Feb. 22 and
March 7. Jaskie’s strength comes
from the fact that he is capable of
pitching a solid fastball, changeup,
curveball and slider.

Junior Brett Adcock came

into 2016 as the pitcher with the
most hype after being named
to the College Sports Madness
Preseason Big Ten First Team.
While his record sits at 1-2, his

stats tell a different story. Adcock
has tallied a 2.89 ERA and 32
strikeouts,
holding
opposing

hitters to a .103 batting average.
He struck out 12 against Hawaii
on Mar. 11, but he did not earn the
victory as the bullpen squandered
a 4-1 lead in the ninth inning
before Michigan won the game,
5-4, in the 10th.

Senior left-hander Evan Hill

has played a much bigger role
on the team this year after being
sidelined for the first two months
of last season with an injury. Hill’s
2016 record stands at 3-1, and
his earned run average is 2.84
through 19 innings.

Relievers

Sophomore Bryan Pall is 1-0

as Michigan’s primary closer so
far this year with two saves. In
9.1 innings pitched, he has given
up three earned runs and six
hits while striking out 16. His
lone blemish came in the form of
a blown save on Mar. 11 against
Hawaii, when he gave up three
runs in the ninth inning.

Junior Keith Lehmann is a

veteran presence delivering in
Michigan’s bullpen and has yet to
give up a run in 6.2 innings.

One newcomer has logged

significant
innings
for
the

Wolverines: freshman William
Tribucher. In 13 innings this year,
he has compiled a 2.08 ERA, and
struck out 17.

Unlike 2015, when Michigan was

buoyed by a high-powered offense
and wins and losses depended on
the pitching performance, the 2016
Wolverines are anchored by their
pitching staff and their five losses
are attributable to an up-and-
down offense.

Big Ten Preview:
Michigan, MSU
the frontrunners

In-state rivals off to
strong starts; Ohio

State, Nebraska
not far behind

By SYLVANNA GROSS

Daily Sports Writer

The 2016 Michigan baseball

team has all the makings of a
perfect storm.

It’s just the fourth year under

Michigan coach Erik Bakich and
his staff, but it’s shaping up to be
one of the most successful yet,
after the best season start since
2009 with five straight wins.

The
2015
Michigan
team

went to the NCAA Tournament
for the first time since 2008.
Though the Wolverines lost at the
NCAA Regionals, this year could
potentially see national play
beyond that point.

At the start of the 2016

season, Michigan was picked
by a committee of conference
coaches as the favorite to win
the Big Ten Championship. This
prediction could play out well
for the Wolverines, who were the
only nationally ranked team in
the conference.

For those who are eager for

a look at what lies ahead, the
Daily breaks down the teams
that will compete for the
coveted Big Ten title.

Michigan State (15-3)

Michigan
State

ranked

sixth in the Big Ten preseason
polling — has started to shed its
historic underdog coat and make
significant program strides. This
year, the team was ranked in the
top 25 for the first time since 1988
by Baseball America. To start off
the season, the Spartans had a hot
start with a 14-game win streak,
the best in program history.

The Spartans are currently the

only team in the country to rank
in the top 10 in the country for
both batting average (.333) and
earned-run average (2.28), good
for sixth and eighth, respectively.

Despite averaging 7.1 runs

per game and allowing just 16
earned runs in 55 innings, the
team managed to rebound off a
losing streak that might be the
difference in beating out the
Wolverines for the top spot in the
conference. Their first contest
will be Friday, April 29.

Michigan State has the third-

and fourth-best players in the
conference in junior infielders
Dan
Durkin
and
Jordan

Zimmerman, respectively. Durkin
has a .421 batting average and, like
Zimmerman, has started all 17
games this season. Zimmerman
boasts a .418 batting average and
is in his first season with the
Spartans after transferring from
Mesa Community College.

Michigan State did not earn a

berth in the NCAA Tournament
for the 2015 season, nor did it
advance past the third round of
the Big Ten Tournament.

This year, the Spartans don’t

look like they’ll let that happen
again.

Ohio State (12-6-1)

The Buckeyes are on a four-

game winning streak heading
into conference play, led by senior
infielder Nick Sergakis, who
ranks fifth in Big Ten with a .419
batting average. Sergakis will be a
player to look out for when he’s on
the basepaths as he’s scored in all
19 games.

One player does not a great

team make, as the Buckeyes didn’t
even make it onto any preseason
polls. The 2015 Ohio State team
couldn’t make it out of the second
round of Big Ten Tournament play
and lost in the NCAA regionals.

The 2016 Ohio State team has

one of the largest senior classes
with a total of 10 players — the
majority were starters or key
reserves on the 2015 team. The
experience and maturity on the
team will definitely help the
Buckeyes, but won’t guarantee
them a strong season finish.

The team is in the top five for

many Big Ten offensive statistics,
including first in home runs —
21 in 19 games so far — and runs
batted in.

Nebraska (13-7)

The Huskers finished the 2015

season without an NCAA bid and
just scraped out of the first round
of Big Ten Tournament before
losing quickly in the second.

Nebraska hasn’t made any

national polls, but might have
an ace up its sleeve with left-
hander Ben Miller or left-hander
Jake Meyers. The junior and
sophomore, respectively, have
led the Huskers on a four-game
winning streak and don’t show
signs of slowing down. Nebraska
potentially could be a formidable
opponent for Michigan.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Michigan’s Evan Hill (top) and Michigan State’s Alex Troop (bottom) hope to
pitch their red-hot teams to a Big Ten Championship at the end of this season.

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

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