Michigan set to begin Big Ten play
By COLE ZINGAS
Daily Sports Writer
In the eighth inning on Tuesday,
Bryan Pall was on the mound and
the Michigan baseball team was
leading Central
Michigan,
9-6.
Pall
had
just
walked
the
bases
loaded
and was pitching
to
Robert
Greenman with
only one out.
It
was
a
high-pressure
situation,
but
Pall
kept
his
composure and
forced a crucial
6-4-3
double
play to end the inning and keep
the game out of reach for the
Chippewas.
Moments
like
these
have
become routine for the Wolverines’
bullpen early in the season.
The starting rotation, composed
of
left-handers
junior
Brett
Adcock, sophomore Oliver Jaskie
and senior Evan Hill, along with
right-hander
sophomore
Ryan
Nutof, has been dominant. The
four have posted a combined
ERA of 2.39 and started 21 of 22
contests.
But especially in recent games,
it has been the bullpen that has led
the Wolverines to victory.
Clutch outs late in games from
pitchers such as freshman William
Tribucher and junior Mac Lozer
have helped Michigan (17-5) to
its best start in 20 years. And not
only do these key outs hold the
opponent at bay, they also ignite
the batting order.
“It is instantly able to energize
the offense and get the momentum
back into your dugout,” said
Michigan coach Erik Bakich.
“Guys are hustling off the field,
fired up and ready to go hit.
Added junior outfielder Johnny
Slater: “Fighting at the end of the
game like that — we get a lot of
momentum from that.”
After
dramatic
endings
in
the last two games — a walk-off
win against Illinois-Chicago on
Sunday and stranding the bases
loaded in the eighth on Tuesday
against Central Michigan — Slater
thinks the team will carry that
energy into this weekend, when
it faces Northwestern (7-18) for a
three-game set in Evanston.
Momentum has been on the
Wolverines’ side lately, as they ride
a six-game win streak into their
first conference games of the year.
Maintaining momentum can
depend on a solid relief staff. And
Michigan seems to be getting
better as the season goes.
Junior
right-handed
pitcher
Jackson Lamb hadn’t pitched in
almost 12 months due to an injury,
but he made his season debut last
weekend. He closed out the ninth
inning in two of the last three
games for the Wolverines.
Junior
left-hander
Keith
Lehmann is also coming off an
offseason injury, and he showed
that his arm is ready to join an
already-deep Michigan bullpen.
Lehmann threw four innings on
Tuesday and allowed two earned
runs on three hits.
Lamb
and
Lehmann’s
recoveries aid a staff that is also
boosted by junior first baseman
Carmen Benedetti’s ability to help
the Wolverines on the mound in
addition to hitting in the 3-hole.
“Whenever (Benedetti) is in
there, it’s going to be in a situation
that is an important part of the
game,” Bakich said.
Benedetti’s 92-plus miles-per-
hour fastball and improved off-
speed pitches have come in handy
for Michigan. Sunday, he held a
one-run lead over UIC, pitching
2.1 innings and striking out four
without allowing a hit.
The
Wolverines’
schedule
ramps up starting Friday, with a
stretch that includes 12 Big Ten
games over the next three weeks.
The bullpen — comprising
newcomers
like
Tribucher,
situational pitchers like Benedetti
as well as now-healthy pieces
Lamb and Lehmann — will hope
to continue its successful support
of the dominant Michigan starting
pitching.
As
the
Big
Ten
favorite,
Michigan will want to show right
away that it doesn’t have weak
spots on the mound, whether it is
the beginning of the game or the
ninth inning.
And if they continue to get strong
showings, the Wolverines have a
good chance to start conference
play in dominant fashion.
Michigan at
N’western
Matchup:
Michigan 17-5;
N’Western
7-18
When: Friday
1 P.M.
Where: Rocky
Miller Park
TV/Radio:
Nusports.com
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Carmen Benedetti has given the Wolverines a boost both on the mound and in the batter’s box this season.
Wolverines relaxed ahead of regionals
‘M’ hopes to ride
home advantage
By LANEY BYLER
Daily Sports Writer
Three days before the NCAA
Regional Championships, one
would expect to hear all the
sounds of a grueling practice in
the women’s gymnastics team’s
training center, whether it be
sprints on the runway to the
vault, the squeak of uneven bars
or tumbling passes on the floor.
Instead, all that could be
heard was laughing.
There’s no doubt that the
laughing came after a grueling
practice, but it was laughter all
the same. For No. 7 Michigan,
this kind of confident, relaxed
attitude is the engine pushing it
to do well in competitions. Less
than two weeks ago, it garnered
the
Wolverines
a
Big
Ten
Championship, and Saturday,
they’re hoping it’ll get them an
NCAA Regional Championship.
Watching
individual
gymnasts on competition day,
one wouldn’t notice this attitude.
Whether it’s Big Ten Freshman
of the Year Olivia Karas prepping
for a Yurchenko 1 ½ that got her
a second-place finish on vault at
the Big Ten Championships, or
junior Talia Chiarelli pausing
before a dismount on beam, each
athlete is completely focused.
But if you look just behind
them on the sidelines, you can
see the rest of Michigan’s team
smiling and cheering like it’s
any another meet.
“The coaches are always
telling us to stop during practice
because they’ll try to have
meetings and we’re just being
loud and funny,” said senior
Lindsay Williams. “We have
a lot of fun together, and that
helps us when we’re competing
because we’re relaxed. We do
way better that way.”
Michigan plans on going into
the regional tournament with
this same attitude. But facing
teams like No. 6 Auburn, No.
18 Stanford, No. 24 Eastern
Michigan and No. 25 Penn State,
the Wolverines know they’re
going to have to focus on more
than just their confidence to get
them a finish on top.
“We have been tracking hit
percentage for landings; that is
a huge focal point for us,” said
Michigan coach Bev Plocki.
“The difference between a team
that goes to the Super Six and
the team who doesn’t are those
stuck landings.”
Near the end of the regular
season, the Wolverines battled
with some of those landings. At
the Big Five meet — a qualifier
for the Big Ten Championships —
they had struggles with multiple
landings on beam and on bars.
But at the Big Ten meet,
Michigan
looked
like
a
completely
different
team.
There
were
stuck
landings
all across the board, most
noticeably by junior Nicole Artz,
who won two Big Ten individual
titles on floor and beam.
However, with competition
coming from No. 6 Auburn this
time around, the Wolverines
know that despite their strong
performance at Big Ten, they
can’t take that win for granted.
Michigan
had
back-to-back
regional titles in 2013 and 2014,
but fell short last year.
And while the Wolverines are
hoping their confident attitude
and work on landings will give
them a chance to claim another
title, they have a safety net.
“I
can’t
emphasize
the
importance of the depth in our
lineup enough,” Plocki said.
“Having Karas doing the job as
a freshman, along with Brown
and Artz — they’re incredible
all-arounders.
“But you can’t be successful
as a team with three great
athletes. I’ve got Chiarelli, who
is phenomenal on three events
but goes unrecognized because
she’s
not
an
all-arounder,
along
with
Sheppard
and
Christopherson. At meets like
these, it can come down to one
kid, one kid can be our savior.
Sometimes, that’s the kid who
doesn’t get recognition.”
Sophomore
Nichelle
Christopherson
is
a
prime
example of this depth.
Christopherson,
who
preformed just four routines
on uneven bars her freshman
year, stepped up to the plate
this year. After senior Briley
Casanova faced a sidelining
back
injury,
Christopherson
filled in. She not only filled in
on the majority of the uneven
bars rotations where she had
previous experience competing,
but also on floor.
Michigan’s roster has just
11 athletes, and with 24 events
in a competition, this could be
a struggle for the Wolverines.
However, with athletes such
as Christopherson to fill in any
gray areas, these low numbers
don’t prove any problems.
According to the rankings,
Michigan should be one of the
two teams advancing to the
NCAA finals. If the Wolverines
use their depth along with their
home advantage, they could
be restarting their Regional
Championship streak.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Sophomore Nichelle Christopherson has made an impact this season filling in for an injured Briley Cassanova.
What to watch for:
‘M’ Spring Game
Fans will get peek
at QB competition,
WR depth, new
D.C. Don Brown
By KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
Spring
football
usually
comes
and
goes
quietly,
with its 15 practice sessions
wrapping up almost as soon
as fans even knew they began.
But for the Michigan football
team, the offseason practices
were anything but reticent.
The
Wolverines
received
scrutiny and praise for Spring
Break travel plans while also
garnering a captive nationwide
audience left wondering what
Jim Harbaugh would do (or
tweet) in his second year at
Michigan.
Friday
night,
its
well-
watched spring season will
come to its close in a fitting
way: under the lights and in
front of hoards of curious fans
in the Big House.
Here’s what to watch for
when the Maize takes on the
Blue in the Wolverines’ Spring
Game.
1. Who’s under center?
Jake Rudock was a more-
than-capable signal caller in
2015, but the fifth-year senior
transfer from Iowa was only a
temporary fix at quarterback.
Following
his
departure,
three
quarterbacks
have
separated themselves from the
pack, but the coaching staff
says it hasn’t gained enough
confidence
in
any
player
to name a starter. Redshirt
sophomore Wilton Speight and
redshirt juniors Shane Morris
and John O’Korn are still
battling it out, but Friday night
should provide insight to who
has the best chance of playing
on the gridiron on Sept. 3.
Both O’Korn and Morris sat
out last season, but Speight did
see some game action. Against
Minnesota, the 6-foot-6 player
came in for an injured Rudock
and
led
a
game-winning
touchdown drive, proving he
can play under pressure.
While
the
Spring
Game
provides a clear checkpoint
and will show how the other
two react to a large audience,
things will still change over the
summer months.
2. O-line chemistry
Of the five offensive linemen
who
played
regularly
last
season, four are returning.
After playing two seasons at
left tackle, sophomore lineman
Mason Cole is expected to
take over at center following
Graham Glasgow’s graduation.
Cole’s move will leave a spot
open at the left tackle position,
which
sophomore
Grant
Newsome will likely assume.
Newsome, who made his college
debut against Minnesota in
2015, contributed as a true
freshman on the O-line. Now,
with a season of experience
under his belt, Newsome is
expected to perform. Redshirt
junior Patrick Kugler could
also play into the mix, if he
plays well enough at center. If
so, Cole could be pushed back
to the outside and Newsome
would move to the bench.
A lot of team leaders will be
returning on the line as well,
including
three
fifth-year
seniors: Kyle Kalis, Ben Braden
and Erik Magnuson. With as
much experience as it has, the
O-line should be a good match
Friday for a unit that ranked
fourth
nationally
in
total
defense last season.
3. Receivers who aren’t
named Amara Darboh or
Jehu Chesson
Last season, Darboh and
Chesson
made
names
for
themselves as starting wide
receivers, but the Wolverines
could have benefitted from
more depth at the position.
Michigan
passing
game
coordinator Jedd Fisch listed
Moe Ways as a receiver who was
making strides in the offseason,
but the sophomore recently
injured his foot and had surgery
on Tuesday. He’s expected to be
back in time for the start of the
season, but he will miss critical
practice time throughout the
summer that will lead to more
opportunities for others.
Michigan natives Grant Perry
and Drake Harris could step up,
but the sophomore and redshirt
sophmore,
respectively,
will
need to prove they can play
under pressure. The Spring
Game will be another good test
for that.
Early-enrollee
freshman
Ahmir Mitchell has turned
heads
throughout
spring
practice and received more
than a few reps at the spring
practice held at Ford Field.
Don’t be surprised if the young
wide receiver grabs attention
on Friday night, too.
4. Don Brown’s new defense
(starring Jabrill Peppers)
Redshirt sophomore Jabrill
Peppers could be found on both
sides of the ball last season, but
so far this spring, he’s spent
all of his time on defense.
Peppers is a big asset for first-
year
Michigan
defensive
coordinator Don Brown, who’s
using Peppers in multiple ways.
Brown
likes
Peppers
at
the SAM linebacker position,
estimating that he spends about
70 percent of his time at the
position. He likely allots the rest
of his time at safety or nickelback.
The
Wolverines
might
put
Peppers on offense for the first
time during the Spring Game for
the crowd’s enjoyment, but don’t
expect too much from him there.
No promises on defensive scores,
though.
Brown left Boston College
after leading the Eagles to the
best total defense in the nation
in 2015, and he’s taking over
the remnants of the fourth-
best total defense. With the
combination of returning talent
and coaching, it’s expected that
Michigan’s defense will be of
similar strength to last season’s.
Brown is known as “Dr. Blitz”
for a reason, so keep watch on
the defense if you can tear your
eyes away from the quarterback
competition.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Jim Harbaugh believes he has a more athletic team this spring than a year ago
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, April 1, 2016 — 7