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HIRING FOR SPRING AND SUMMER
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8 — Friday, March 25, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Harrison Wenson
hitting his stride
in his junior year
Catcher has become
a fixture in the
Wolverines’ lineup
By COLE ZINGAS
Daily Sports Writer
From the minute he set foot on
campus, junior Harrison Wenson
expected to start at catcher.
Cracking the starting lineup
was not a far-fetched prospect,
and he was the frontrunner for
the job in each of his first two
seasons. But each time, Wenson
couldn’t maintain his status as a
starter.
He graced the lineup early
in the season as a freshman in
2014 but soon dropped out of the
everyday rotation. After playing
in just 22 games that year, he saw
even less time in his sophomore
campaign — appearing in just 12
contests.
In
a
year
when
fellow
underclassmen
Jake
Bivens
and Carmen Benedetti helped
lead the team to a Big Ten
Championship, Wenson couldn’t
carve out a spot in the lineup,
frustrated by inconsistency, both
at the plate and behind it.
But it wasn’t his size and
strength that kept him off the
field.
Wenson came in as a 6-foot-3,
220-pound 18-year-old, plenty
big enough to compete for a spot
as the starting catcher. He was
drafted by the Detroit Tigers
out of high school — one of just
three players in his graduating
class in the state of Michigan to
be selected. Physically, the pro
scouts thought he was ready,
and so did Michigan coach Erik
Bakich.
“Harrison’s a guy who has
always
had
an
outstanding
physical skill set,” Bakich said.
In addition to an impressive
build, Wenson had the intensity
needed for the job.
“His motor
never
stops
pumping,”
said
fifth-
year
senior
outfielder Matt
Ramsay. “He’s
always hitting
in
the
cage
super
early,
and if you’re
not, he’s going
to
give
you
grief about it.”
Wenson has dedicated himself
both in the cage and in the
weight room, gaining 20 pounds
in the last two years.
To
him,
life
is
about
competition, which speaks to an
innate drive he doesn’t expect to
slow down. Wenson has always
been an intense competitor — a
trait instilled by his father, Paul,
a Michigan baseball legend
who played from 1984 to 1986
— so his work ethic was not the
problem, either.
Instead, the biggest challenge
was between his own ears.
“If you think too much, it’s
gonna bite you right in the butt,”
Wenson said. “In baseball, you’ve
got
to
have
consistency,
and
I
didn’t
have
that
whatsoever.”
To
gain
the
mental
consistency he
was
lacking,
Wenson
took
a
page
out
of
fifth-year
senior catcher
Dominic Jamett’s book.
“Dom, throughout the last
three years, has really helped
me out. I’ve never really had a
big brother, but I can definitely
look at him like a big brother,”
Wenson said. “Baseball’s about
consistency, and Dom brings
consistency in everything he
does.”
Added
Jamett:
“We’ll
be
doing a blocking drill, and we’ll
constantly try to one-up each
other. There’s a lot of trash
talking that goes on between us,
but at the end of the day, we’re
just happy to be teammates.”
Through a steady approach on
the field and endless work ethic
this season, Wenson has avoided
the mental peaks and valleys,
which has taken his game — both
offensively and defensively — to
the next level.
And
with
a
consistent
mindset has come consistent
playing
time.
Wenson
has
started every game thus far for
the 12-5 Wolverines, impressing
his coaches with his bat and his
prowess as a defensive catcher.
Bakich
has
seen
Wenson’s
development and rewarded it
— he moved
Wenson
into
the
cleanup
spot,
and
Wenson
has
no intention of
giving it up.
Wenson has
stepped up at
key
moments
this
season
in the middle
of the order.
He leads the team with a .596
slugging percentage and has
knocked in 16 runs — good for
second in the Big Ten.
Against
Hawaii,
the
Wolverines relinquished a three-
run lead in the ninth and were
on their heels heading into extra
innings. Wenson came to bat in
the 10th with Ramsay in scoring
position, and smashed a single
to score Ramsay and put the
Wolverines ahead for good, 5-4.
In that game, and throughout
the first stretch of the season,
Wenson has provided an essential
big bat behind Benedetti, a
preseason
All-American.
But
the Farmington Hills, Mich.,
native has added much more
than power to
the Wolverine
lineup.
In the series
against
No.
22
Oklahoma
State,
with
runs
hard
to
come
by,
Wenson
proved he was
an
exception.
With two outs
in the fifth, Wenson worked the
count full. He laid off the final
pitch of the at-bat, drawing his
11th walk of the year. This set the
table for the Wolverines to score
a run, which ended up being the
game-winner.
“If he’s starting an inning,
he does a great job of drawing a
walk and seeing pitches for the
rest of the guys hitting behind
him in the order,” Ramsay
said. “He does an absolutely
wonderful job of setting the table
when he needs to and driving in
runs when he needs to. Having
someone like that in the middle
of the lineup is crucial.”
And beyond his patience and
toughness in the batter’s box,
Wenson has proven himself a
leader.
His coaches, as well as his
teammates, have recognized a
huge step up in his voice within
the locker room. His desire to
succeed extends beyond himself,
and Ramsay pointed out that
Wenson is always trying to
push his teammates to their full
potential.
“He’s always got your back,”
Ramsay said.
Wenson has always had a
strong personality, and now, as
an upperclassman, he is making
that strong voice heard. His
leadership, along with a clear
mind and a hot bat, bodes well for
Michigan. The Wolverines hope
Wenson’s growth will eventually
translate into improvement for
the team in the postseason —
which means building on a 2015
Big Ten Tournament title.
The last time the Wolverines
went to the College World Series,
it was 1984 and Harrison’s father
was on the roster. It took 30
years for another Wenson to join
the roster and two more for him
to get comfortable. But now, as
Harrison Wenson hits his stride,
he’ll hope to help Michigan
recapture the same success his
father had.
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Junior catcher Harrison Wenson (far right) is finally starting to gain consistency and realize his potential this season.
Now, as an upperclassman, he hopes to become a leader of a team on a Big Ten title chase after an NCAA berth in 2015.
“If you think too
much, it’s gonna
bite you right in
the butt.”
“His motor never
stops pumping.
He’s always hitting
in the cage.”
Newsome settling in
Sophomore ready to
step in at left tackle
after learning from
Mason Cole in 2015
By KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
Last
season,
as
a
true
freshman, offensive lineman
Grant
Newsome
had
some
misgivings about his ability to
face a true Big Ten defensive
line during a game.
But in his first appearance
against Minnesota, he realized
that his daily combat with the
nation’s fourth-best total defense
was enough to prepare him for
game time. This offseason, he
still gets to go up against what
he thinks is one of the best
defensive lines in the country.
“We get to practice, as an
offensive line, against one of
the best defensive lines, if not
the best defensive line, in the
country every day,” Newsome
said. “Football-wise, it was a
great experience to get that
learning experience on the field.
At the same time, it wasn’t as big
of an adjustment as I thought it
would probably be just because
of how great our defensive line
is, and that was positive.”
Now, Newsome frequently
lines up across from Chris
Wormley and Taco Charlton in
practice. Newsome says he can
hold his ground, but against
a defense that’s so stout, he’s
always going to be battling in
practice.
“Who aren’t some of the
toughest guys to block out
there?” Newsome said. “They’re
just so talented, we’re so deep.
We’re going to have two or three
lines defensively who are just
absolute studs.”
Furthering
Newsome’s
comfort on the field is the
constant
direction
he
has
received
from
offensive
lineman
Mason
Cole.
Cole
has two years of starting
experience as a junior, and
following
offensive
lineman
Graham Glasgow’s graduation,
Cole is expected to take over
at center after playing two
seasons at left tackle. As the
natural successor as left tackle,
Newsome has a true mentor in
Cole.
Throughout this offseason,
Newsome has gone to Cole for
any question he might have,
even likening Cole’s football
knowledge to that of Glasgow’s.
It also doesn’t hurt that of the
five
offensive
linemen
who
played regularly last season,
four will be returning, including
fifth-year seniors Kyle Kalis,
Ben Braden and Erik Magnuson.
“There’s
definitely
some
pressure (this season), but I
think it’s more pressure I put on
myself to keep up the standard
that Mason set,” Newsome said.
“It’s definitely been good, but
there’s definitely a long way
to go. … (Cole) is so football-
smart. He’s just got it all down.
Whenever I can tap his brain, I
love doing that.”
In 2015, though Newsome
enjoyed
receiving
playing
time, he valued his bench
time reviewing the starting
offensive line’s dynamics. The
combination of playing and
studying helped Newsome, and
now he feels more than ready
this offseason.
Last summer was his first
offseason experience, and after
hustling to keep up with some
of his early-enrollee teammates,
the first three months felt like
a whirlwind. This time around,
though, he knows what it’s like
to play under the lights and
won’t be anxious about getting
his first game under his belt.
“It was nice that I had
that buffer year to get that
experience and, at the same
time, watch Mason,” Newsome
said. “I really got to understand
the tools of the trade through
him and (offensive coordinator
Tim Drevno).”
Now, with the spring season
reaching its peak at the Spring
Game next Friday, Newsome
will be able to showcase his
freshly
honed
abilities
and
confidence on the field to try to
win the job.