8A — Thursday, February 9, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Betsa chases perfection in circle

For a steadfast endurer like 
Megan Betsa, stopping is the 
most difficult aspect of striving 
for perfection.
But that’s what the senior 
pitcher — who was described as 
the epitome of a perfectionist 
by 
Michigan 
coach 
Carol 
Hutchins — was forced to do 
this fall while healing nagging 
injuries.
Following 
a 
dominant 
season en route to a College 
World 
Series 
Championship 
appearance in 2015, the two-
time Big Ten Pitcher of the 
Year felt the lingering effects of 
repeated use in high-pressure 
situations 
the 
next 
spring, 
sitting out during parts of the 
preseason.
So instead of throwing in 
the bullpen, playing catch and 
running out to the rubber during 
fall exhibitions, she was forced 
to watch from the dugout and 
attempt to achieve perfection 
on the trainer’s table and in the 
weight room.
“… She was convinced she was 
behind (last spring),” Hutchins 
said. “And if you think you’re 
behind, you’re behind. If you 
think you’re tired, you’re tired. 
We needed her to be ready for 
this part of the year — that’s 
the only way we could almost 
guarantee it.”
During her recovery period, 
Betsa changed her approach to 
challenging hitters and focused 
on throwing strikes — something 
she struggled with in 2016, 
when she walked 113 batters. 
While Betsa’s pure ability has 
allowed her to escape numerous 
jams caused by control issues, 
the senior has concluded that 
allowing contact will allow for 
more efficient pitching.
“I definitely want to modify 
the amount of pitches that I 
throw,” Betsa said. “My goal is 
always to get ahead of the hitter, 
and I’m learning now that it’s 
okay to let my defense work for 
me. I have to attack every hitter 
from the very first pitch. I know 
that my defense has my back 
and that’s what I have to trust. 
I trust myself and I trust them.”

Still, control continues to 
be a rare weakness for the 
right-hander in the eyes of 
Hutchins, who credits offseason 
conditioning to Betsa’s pitches 
breaking sharper than before 
— even to the point that 
her 
command 
has 
become 
inconsistent.
“I think she’s pitching better 
than ever,” Hutchins said. “Her 
spin’s tighter, her fitness is very 
good, she’s strong because she 
had to work her back and core 
muscles. Her command of the 
zone is still not as good as it 
would normally be at this point, 
and partly because her ball is 
breaking more.”
Betsa’s 
presence 
will 
be 
stressed in 2017. She’s the only 
established pitcher returning 
to the rotation following the 
graduation of Sara Driesenga, 
who went 22-1 with a 2.13 
earned-run 
average 
for 
the 
Wolverines last season.
Replacing 
the 
131-plus 
innings 
of 
work 
Driesenga 
brought to the rotation has 
been a puzzle that Hutchins has 
attempted to solve all offseason 
by giving junior Tera Blanco 
and sophomore Leah Crockett 
opportunities 
in 
bullpen 
sessions and fall scrimmages.
Blanco has started just five 
games in her career despite 
being recruited to Michigan as 
a highly-touted pitcher. Instead, 
she’s been most valuable inside 
the batter’s box, hitting .404 
with 13 home runs and 66 runs 
batted in as the starting first 
baseman in 2016.
As Blanco proves to be one 
of the most offensively potent 
Wolverines returning to the 
lineup — Hutchins mentioned 
she’d most likely hit in the 
four or five spot this season — 
conventional knowledge points 
to the possible production drop-
off that could come with an 
added pitching responsibility. 
But Hutchins doesn’t believe 
Blanco is a conventional softball 
player. 
“I don’t think (pitching and 
the loss of offensive production) 
has 
to 
go 
hand-in-hand,” 
Hutchins said. “She spent most 
of the preseason pitching, but 
she was first-team All-American 

because of her bat. She actually 
makes the case for ‘Why do we 
hit so much?’ because she didn’t 
hit as much as the rest of these 
guys. Tera’s definitely a gamer.”
Crockett, meanwhile, pitched 
to just four batters in only 
one game last season — the 
final inning of a 9-1 February 
blowout against Virginia Tech. 
As expected with an untested 
player, Crockett will have to 
show that she’s deserving of 
pitching meaningful innings.
“… Leah Crockett has to earn 
a spot,” Hutchins said. “She 
has to show us when she gets 
her opportunity, that she can 
be the one. She’s going to get 
an opportunity and she’s got to 
command the zone and be able 
mix up speeds. That’s all she has 
to do.”
While Betsa is the seasoned 
ace 
that 
can 
carry 
the 
Wolverines through a pivotal 
game 
or 
postseason 
series, 
her time away from pitching 
actually gave the rest of the 
Michigan pitching staff the 
repetition it needed.
“I really think Megan Betsa 
sitting out in the fall really put 
the weight of the world on Tera 
and Leah,” Hutchins said. “It 
gave them really meaningful 
experience. Both of them grew 
a lot because you grow a lot by 
getting thrown into the fire. So, 
the fall was critical.”
And Betsa didn’t forget about 
Blanco 
and 
Crockett 
while 
working on her own health and 
strength, either.
“During 
the 
fall, 
I 
was 
watching them pitch,” Betsa 
said. “I think one of my strengths 
is being able to control my 
thoughts and the mental side of 
my game. So, if there’s anything 
that I’ve been able to help the 
other pitchers with, I think it’s 
that. Everything that I do, I’m 
doing for the girls around me. 
I’m doing it for the person to my 
left and the person to my right. 
I try to be as selfless as I can 
when it comes to that stuff.”
Perfection isn’t necessarily 
what Michigan seeks. But with 
Betsa’s 
perfectionist 
spirit 
affecting both her own and 
others’ pitching, the Wolverines 
can move closer to it this season.

MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Writer

FILE PHOTO/Daily
Senior right-handed pitcher Megan Betsa took the fall off to heal nagging injuries in preparation for her final season.

Embracing “junkyard dog” mentality, Simpson emerges for Michigan

In the locker room before 
Tuesday’s contest against Michigan 
State, John Beilein posted a picture 
of a dog on the board where he does 
his pregame talks.
He wanted his team to look 
into the eyes of the image of the 
“junkyard dog” to understand 
the anger and the desperation the 
canine had.
It wasn’t meant to be a cute 
pregame talk. The Michigan coach 
had been trying to get his team to 
play with that sort of attitude for 
weeks.
Perhaps all it took was a visual 
aid.
Beilein’s team finally responded, 
bullying the Spartans all night and 
making plays that revolved around 
the toughness idealized by the dog.
“Today was perfect,” Beilein said. 
“They were there. They were angry. 
They were like junkyard dogs. That 
was the whole idea. We had to go 
out there angry and play with that 
edge we so desperately need.”
One of the more surprising 
players who took the night’s motto 
to heart was Xavier Simpson. The 
freshman guard was averaging 
just eight minutes per game and 
had scored just nine total points in 
conference play entering Tuesday.
With senior guard Derrick 
Walton Jr. carrying Michigan 
through the most recent stretch of 
games, Beilein knew he had to find 
a more effective way for Simpson to 
get involved and make an impact to 
take the load off of Walton.
Simpson’s 
struggles 
in 
Big 
Ten play have revolved heavily 
around not being comfortable with 
the increased pace. Though the 
freshman once scored 65 points in 
a high school game, he hasn’t yet 
seemed comfortable putting it all 
together at the collegiate level.
Beilein 
has 
primarily 
used 
Simpson 
in 
tight 
defensive 
situations in recent games, subbing 
him in for Walton or junior guard 

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman 
when the Wolverines need stops on 
defense.
But 
assistant 
coach 
Saddi 
Washington, who has worked 
closely with Simpson, approached 
Beilein this week and proposed 
tweaking 
the 
freshman’s 
gameplan.
“Saddi 
Washington’s 
been 
doing a great job and he really 
suggested that he played more 
today,” Beilein said. “He also 
simplified (Simpson’s) package. He 
understands everything we do, but 
the timing of it is still just a little bit 
off.”
Washington’s 
adjustment, 
paired with Beilein’s pregame 
message, created the perfect storm 
for Simpson to have the breakout 
game he had been seeking all 
season.

In his 12 minutes of play, 
Simpson was a menace to Michigan 
State guards on both ends of the 
court.
Defensively, 
he 
built 
upon 
his recent solid 
performances 
by 
being 
more 
aggressive 
and 
taking advantage 
of the Spartans’ 
inability to protect 
the ball. Simpson 
didn’t record any 
steals, but much 
of the night, he 
was either putting 
his teammates in 
positions to make them or forcing 
Michigan State players to turn the 
ball over.
It was on the offensive end 
where Simpson really showed 

signs of growth. The freshman, 
who was shooting just 24 percent 
from the field before Tuesday’s 
contest, went 3-for-4 from the 
field while also dishing out two 
assists. The six-
foot guard showed 
a new willingness 
to drive to the 
hoop and absorb 
whatever contact 
met him near the 
basket.
“I’m a (more) 
complete 
player 
than 
I 
was 
a 
month ago and 
a 
week 
ago,” 
Simpson said. “So the coaches are 
teaching me and I’m embracing the 
challenge. Obviously, it was hard at 
first, but I just have to stick with it 
and trust the process.”

After Simpson drained his lone 
3-point attempt, Michigan State 
called a timeout and Michigan’s 
bench exploded, mobbing him 
when he reached the Wolverine 
sideline.
But no other Michigan player 
will welcome Simpson’s emergence 
as much as Walton. 
Despite playing the best stretch 
of basketball of his career, Walton 
still needs help from his fellow 
guards to help him lead the offense 
or fill in when he needs a rest.
“I knew for a fact, down the 
road (Simpson would break out),” 
Walton said. “He’s a really tough 
kid and he always sticks to it. 
Nights like this don’t surprise me. 
I’m really excited for him and I’m 
hoping he can build on it.”
Walton 
himself 
has 
been 
part of the problem as to why 

Simpson hasn’t had this type of 
performance, simply because it has 
been impossible for Beilein to sub 
out the senior during his recent 
run.
But Simpson is in no way 
deterred by staying on the bench 
and watching his mentor perform 
like he has.
“Derrick (has been) playing 
tremendous the last few games,” 
Simpson said. “I can’t be on the 
bench and wish he got more fouls 
or wish a negative impact on him. 
He’s been playing great.
“When a guy like that is doing 
his job and getting us wins, you 
have to do what you have to do.”
Walton and Simpson did spend 
some time on the court together 
Tuesday, 
with 
the 
freshman 
playing the point and the senior 
at the ‘2.’ Beilein was able to 
use that combination, and one 
in which Walton, Simpson and 
Abdur-Rahkman were all on the 
court together. Beilein will hope 
Simpson’s form carries over into 
the future so he can use these 
lineups again in order to give the 
Wolverines a different look.
“He actually surprised me with 
the three-guard lineup,” Simpson 
said. “I knew we could do it. We’re 
all pretty aggressive and at the time 
that’s what (Beilein) wanted, so 
that’s what we did. I felt like it was 
great for the team.”
Simpson’s emergence has been 
a long time coming, and it couldn’t 
have come at a better time for 
Michigan. His “junkyard dog” 
mentality and the simplified game 
can give the Wolverines the boost 
off the bench they’ve been looking 
for to power them through the 
upcoming stretch of the Big Ten 
schedule.
“It feels great,” Simpson said. 
“Not just for me, it takes pressure 
off Derrick. It takes pressure off 
other players also. For me to come 
in and give that extra boost I felt 
like I not only helped myself, but 
also, most importantly, helped the 
team.”

EVAN AARON/Daily
Freshman guard Xavier Simpson responded to coach John Beilein’s pregame talk with an aggressive attitude on both ends of the court against the Spartans.

The freshman guard has been waiting under the wings of senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. this season

BRANDON CARNEY
Daily Sports Writer

“He’s a really 
tough kid and 
he always sticks 
to it”

