The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, February 9, 2017 — 7A
Newcomers look to fit into veteran squad
Leading up to the 2017 season,
the Michigan baseball team has
been stressing two recurring
themes — culture and experience.
The program has now won 30 or
more games in each of the last
three seasons under coach Erik
Bakich, improving its winning
percentage each year. With a
veteran core of 12 juniors and
seven seniors returning, that
mark appears attainable again.
Now in his fifth season at
the helm, Bakich has overseen
the development of an entire
recruiting class. He has watched
his players progress through
the program, receive interest
from MLB teams, and seen some
eventually be drafted. To Bakich,
the five players chosen in the MLB
Draft last year — the most the
Wolverines have had since 2010
— is emblematic of the culture his
teams create.
“That’s the nature of the beast
in quality programs, (you) try to
build the best program you can,”
Bakich said. “One of the impacts
of that is that the players are
going to develop and get drafted
to professional baseball.”
Three
of
Michigan’s
2016
draftees — pitchers Brett Adcock
and Evan Hill and utility player
Carmen Benedetti — signed pro
contracts last summer, leaving
glaring holes to fill. While the
Wolverines
already
have
an
abundance of upperclassmen ready
to fill these roles, Bakich believes
the 12 newcomers to the team
have an equal chance to duplicate
the
success
and
year-by-year
progression that Adcock, Hill and
Benedetti made in their careers.
Of the Wolverines’ incoming
class,
the
biggest
immediate
impact will likely be made by
those who have already played
baseball at the collegiate level
– the five junior college and
Division I transfers.
Redshirt sophomore outfielder
Miles Lewis is perhaps the most
high-profile among them. He
was the 2016 Western Athletic
Conference Freshman of the Year
and a Freshman All-American
at North Dakota, batting .360
and stealing 20 bases. When the
Fighting Hawks dropped their
baseball program after the season,
Lewis
had
the
opportunity
to transfer anywhere and be
immediately eligible to play. With
only two returning outfielders
on the roster, the Wolverines
will likely rely heavily on Lewis’s
speed and switch-hitting ability
right out of the gate.
“He brings that impact ability
to come in and solidify an outfield
role and hit close to the top of the
order,” Bakich said.
Another player that Bakich
named as having an opportunity
to contribute immediately is
sophomore Nick Poirier, who hit
.372 with four home runs and
31 runs batted in last season at
San Joaquin Delta Community
College. Poirier brings a left-
handed presence with a chance
to add much-needed outfield
depth, and may also see time at
designated hitter.
On the mound, Bakich said that
junior Alec Rennard, a transfer
from Santa Rosa Junior College,
is one of the Wolverines’ four best
pitchers. At Santa Rosa, Rennard
was the Big 8 Conference Pitcher
of the Year and a first-team Junior
College All-American, going 14-1
with a 1.40 ERA, while walking
just 10 batters in 115.2 innings.
“He’s got a winner’s mentality,”
Bakich said. “He’ll be in our
rotation somewhere.”
Michigan’s recruiting class also
includes seven freshmen, three of
whom were highlighted by Bakich
as players to watch. Outfielder
Christian
Bullock
brings
athleticism and solid hitting
potential, while pitchers Tommy
Henry and Karl Kauffman have
the talent to eventually comprise
the backbone of the pitching staff.
“This is obviously a very skilled
freshman class, and we have some
talented (junior college transfers)
that have proven themselves,”
said junior infielder Jake Bivens.
“They’ve been great additions
to this team and have fit right in
with this culture, so we’re excited
to see them actually get on the
field and play against other guys.”
Even though the potential is
clearly there for the freshmen,
the excitement may have to wait
a little bit. With the veteran
makeup of the lineup, it may
be difficult for any of them to
earn consistent playing time
immediately. However, Bakich
stresses that they will still have
opportunities to play key roles.
“They’re trying to get a feel
for the academics and the speed
of the game while still having a
social life and making friends,”
Bakich said. “It’s going to be very
challenging for them to get on
the field and have an impact-type
role, but I think you’ll see them
contribute in ways where they can
help the team in certain spots.”
The junior college transfers
have the experience and ability
to step in right away and fill key
holes vacated from last season,
supplementing
an
already
veteran team. In the meantime,
a promising group of freshmen
lies waiting for their opportunity.
After
years
of
consistent
improvement,
the
Wolverines
appear to have a solid foundation
in place, both now and in the
future.
Michigan edges Purdue
The No. 21 Michigan women’s
basketball
team
traveled
to
Purdue on Wednesday night,
looking to reach their 20th win
in the shortest amount of time in
program
history.
Despite a
slow start
to the contest, Michigan eked out a
72-62 win over the Boilermakers.
The Wolverines missed their
first three shots in the first
minute alone, and their struggles
continued throughout the frame.
Even though it led at 22-18 at the
end of the first quarter, Michigan’s
scoring
difficulty
was
still
apparent. The Wolverines missed
more than half of their shots from
the floor, and their leading scorer,
junior guard Katelynn Flaherty,
was 0-7 from the field.
Freshman
guard
Kysre
Gondrezick
though,
was
unfazed by the inaccuracy of her
teammates. She put Michigan
on the board with a 3-pointer
and continued to carry the
team
offensively,
ending
the
first quarter with seven points.
Sophomore center Hallie Thome
was right behind her with six
points.
The
second
quarter
went
slightly
smoother
for
the
Wolverines. Flaherty tallied seven
points while sophomore guard
Nicole Munger — who scored
the game-winning layup against
Iowa — earned her first points
of the game with a big 3-pointer,
coming off the bench to rouse her
sluggish teammates. By halftime,
the game was anything but
decided. Michigan led by eight
points, but had committed 10
costly turnovers that Purdue had
capitalized on.
“I thought we got better with
(turnovers) as the game went on,”
said Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico. “At halftime, we were really
concerned. We had 10 of them and
a lot of them were touchdowns,
they were layups. And that was
really scary.”
Despite their mistakes, the
Wolverines found a way to stay
ahead, never relinquishing their
lead. Yet, Purdue was constantly
at Michigan’s heels, narrowing
the Wolverines’ lead to only one
point late in the third quarter.
Even though the Wolverines
were not comfortably ahead,
Flaherty — who ended the
game with 13 points on 5-for-19
shooting — took just four shots
in the second half. Instead, she
increased her passing, ending
the matchup with five assists —
surpassing even senior guard
Siera Thompson, who is ranked
third in the conference in assists.
“(Flaherty) led our team in
assists tonight, which was was
great to see,” Barnes Arico said.
“Sometimes
you’re
going
to
have an off night. … If you’re not
making shots, somebody on our
team probably is.”
Gondrezick was that player.
The rookie – who earned her fifth
Big Ten Freshman of the Week
award Monday — scored 14 points
in the fourth quarter for a total of
25, setting her career-high.
“She took over the game,”
Barnes Arico said. “We got
stagnant a little bit. We couldn’t
figure out a way to score. And
Kysre figured that out for us.
“She’s been the player that
continues to improve in each and
every contest.”
While Gondrezick led the team
in scoring, Thome did her part
as well, tallying 15 points, eight
rebounds and four assists.
Junior forward Jillian Dunston
held steady on defense, tying her
career high for rebounds with 15.
The Boilermakers had almost the
exact same field-goal percentage
as Michigan — 42.2 and 42.3,
respectively. Without her crucial
defense, the Wolverines’ lead
could have easily been surpassed.
Thompson also played a large
role on defense, never stepping off
the court in 40 minutes of play.
“What she does for our team
doesn’t always show up in the
box score,” Barnes Arico said.
“The goal that she had for today
was to hold (senior guard Ashley
Morissette) under 10 (points).
She’s an awesome defender.”
Against Purdue on Wednesday,
Michigan — ranked for the first
time since 2013 — proved that it
wants to stay.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
As recruiting accelerates, Michigan’s tactics shift
The conversation may have
taken place nearly three years
ago, but Jack LaFontaine still
remembers it vividly.
During his sophomore year of
high school, the now-freshman
goaltender
for
the
Michigan
hockey team was in Ann Arbor to
watch the Wolverines take on Penn
State. LaFontaine, still a relatively
unheralded prospect in search of
an offer, met with the coaching
staff for the first time after the
game.
LaFontaine
smiled
while
recalling that talk with Michigan
coach Red Berenson. Clearly, it still
holds weight with him — a marker
of his past and the path he took.
“I finally introduced myself to
coach
(Berenson),”
LaFontaine
said. “I remember him saying, ‘Go
develop, do your thing and come
talk to me in a couple years.’ ”
Sure enough, two years later,
LaFontaine found himself back in
Ann Arbor, albeit under different
circumstances. This time, he was
a highly-coveted prospect in the
midst of a stint with the United
States Hockey League’s Janesville
Jets, projected to be taken in
the NHL Draft later that spring.
And this time, when he met with
Berenson, the coach offered him a
scholarship.
After the visit, LaFontaine went
home to Canada, discussed it with
his family and then called both
Berenson and assistant coach Brian
Wiseman to let them know he was
committing to Michigan. He didn’t
officially commit until nearly a
week after his visit, but LaFontaine
had laid in bed the previous Friday
— the night he arrived in Ann
Arbor — with an inkling that he
wanted to be a Wolverine.
While the natural progression
from unofficial visit to official visit
to commitment may have once
been common practice, the pace
of recruiting in college hockey has
quickened so much that stories like
LaFontaine’s are now unique.
***
That phenomenon has taken
place in most collegiate sports. It
was once standard for athletes to
commit to a school during their
senior year, but now top recruits
are committing to schools earlier
and earlier. Freshman forward
Will Lockwood committed in the
spring of 2014 as a sophomore
in high school. Jacob Truscott,
a 14-year-old defenseman in the
2020-21 class, committed this past
Saturday.
As Berenson says, it’s an “ever-
changing process,” and it has
caused a shift to the types of visits
that players take.
LaFontaine’s
interest
in
Michigan was initially piqued by
his first trip to Ann Arbor — dubbed
an “unofficial visit” by the NCAA.
Recruits can take unofficial
visits to schools whenever they
want. The only caveat is that the
athlete and his family must pay
their own way. The school, as
bound by NCAA rules, cannot
pay for their travel or lodging,
among other expenses. Most of the
work Michigan has to do involves
contacting the ticket office to
let them know which games the
recruit will be visiting for, or the
coaches setting aside time to meet
with the player and his family.
Schools, however, can pay for a
recruit’s official visit, but recruits
must wait until at least their senior
year to take one.
This is where the acceleration
of the recruiting process comes
into play: with players choosing
to commit earlier in the process,
schools can no longer afford to
bring them in only on official visits.
In Michigan’s case, the assistant
coaches — and Berenson, to a lesser
extent — are constantly involved
with setting up unofficial visits,
either during the season or the
offseason.
“The official visit is important,”
Berenson said. “But the unofficial
visit might be the most important,
where they come early and realize,
‘Oh, this is where I want to go.’
They might get blown away the
first time they come here.”
Luckily for the Wolverines,
they
already
have
a
built-in
advantage compared to teams like
Arizona State or Penn State: their
geography.
Michigan is typically a hotbed
for hockey, and the United States
National
Team
Development
Program practices just 30 minutes
away from Ann Arbor. The city
is also within driving distance
of much of Canada. The more
manageable
the
distance,
the
easier it is for recruits to take
unofficial visits to Michigan early
in the process, before they leave
their hometowns to finish their
prep careers in junior leagues like
the USHL.
While the Wolverines have
extended their reach nationally
as the sport has grown in the
past few decades, the team is still
mostly comprised of players from
the surrounding region. Of the 28
players on the roster, 13 are from
Michigan and six are from the
Midwest or Canada.
Despite the growing importance
of unofficial visits, official visits
still serve a valuable purpose.
They can solidify the status
of a recruit wavering on his
verbal commitment, grow the
relationship between a player and
his future coaches and teammates,
or allow players to compare
different schools.
And perhaps most importantly
for
Michigan,
a
school
that
deals with early or unexpected
departures nearly every offseason,
official visits allow the coaching
staff to showcase the school late in
the recruiting process to recruits
who haven’t committed yet at
all, like LaFontaine, or who are
reconsidering their initial decision.
The script for an official visit to
Ann Arbor is usually the same
for most recruits, according to
Berenson. The recruits will arrive
in the evening, eat dinner with a
current team member assigned as
their host and spend time with the
host and the rest of the team. The
recruit will also tour the campus
and meet with academic officials
before visiting the hockey facilities
and spending time with the
coaches. In most cases, the recruit
will also attend practice and a
game, before the trip concludes
with a meeting in Berenson’s office.
Yet, while most official visit
itineraries
are
similar,
what
resonates the most with each
individual recruit is often different.
For Slaker, it was how the coaching
staff watched film with him.
“They videotape every practice
and they’ll break it down and look
at what guys need to work on,”
Slaker said. “There’s always extra
ice in the morning for guys to work
on depending on classes. They
were showing me videos of guys
working on stuff in the mornings
and incorporating it into games.
After talking to the coaching staff
and seeing everything that they do
and how professional it is, I thought
it was the best opportunity to give
me a shot to play pro hockey.”
His visit to Michigan only
confirmed what he had already
been feeling, and he didn’t take
much time in making his second
commitment — telling Berenson he
wanted to be a Wolverine.
While
Slaker
enjoyed
the
technical breakdown of his future
at Michigan, LaFontaine was most
enamored with the family feel he
got from Michigan.
***
By
now,
Berenson
has
delegated most of the recruiting
responsibilities
to
other
staff
members like associate head coach
Billy Powers and Wiseman. It
was Wiseman who served as the
primary contact for both Slaker
and LaFontaine before each took
their official visit to Michigan.
Perhaps that is by design.
Berenson
has
a
legendary
reputation within the sport, and
at this point, he has been a coach
for long before any recruit was
born. So when a recruit steps into
Berenson’s office, having had little
prior contact and not knowing what
to expect, something as simple as
a short face-to-face conversation
can still have the most meaningful
impact.
“It was surreal,” Slaker said.
“His history speaks for itself. It was
kinda shocking just to get to shake
his hand. I felt really honored to
have an opportunity to play here.
It was really cool meeting him
and getting to talk to him a bit and
see where he saw me in the lineup
and where he thought I could be
as a player. It got me really excited
about coming here.”
Added
LaFontaine:
“...
I
remember sitting down at practice,
and coach (Berenson) just telling
me all these great stories. Not even
Michigan-related, just about his
time as a professional hockey player
and his time as a coach. It was by far
the most unique visit I’ve had.”
It’s in those final meetings
where Berenson gets to state his
final case on unofficial or official
visits, and he has secured many a
commitment doing so.
“We had one kid — his name was
Luke Moffatt,” Berenson said. “I
told him, ‘We’re not going to rush
you. You take your time and decide
and let us know what you want to
do.’ And right away, he ripped off
his overshirt and he had a Michigan
hockey shirt underneath, and he
said, ‘That’s my answer.’ That was
one of the more memorable ones.”
At this point, there isn’t much
complexity to Berenson’s pitch. As
a visit comes to an end, the recruit
and school have become familiar
with each other. By the time they
met with Berenson, Slaker and
LaFontaine knew what type of
opportunities a Michigan offer
presented, and so he didn’t have to
sell the program very hard.
“We’re
very
transparent,”
Berenson said. “They can ask any
questions. We lay it all out, and this
is Michigan. It’s pretty hard not to
like it. If you’re looking for a good
school and a good program, that’s
what we offer. I would say that goes
for all our sports here. You get the
best of both worlds.”
Read the full story at
michigandaily.com
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Michigan coach Red Berenson has adjusted his recruiting methods over time.
MAGGIE KOLCON
Daily Sports Writer
MICHIGAN
PURDUE
72
62
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan coach Erik Bakich sees plenty of opportunities for his new players to take on key roles this season.
JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer
ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor