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”