The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 — 7
Michigan’s bullpen taking shape behind Lamb, Lehmann
Jackson Lamb has experienced
plenty during his three-plus
years at Michigan. As a freshman
in 2014, he appeared primarily as
an outfielder, making 29 starts.
Moving to pitcher full-time the
next season, he pitched just 17.2
innings combined as injuries
sidelined him for long stretches
of time.
Lamb’s
talent
has
never
been
in
question.
Standing
an
imposing
6-foot-6
and
possessing a powerful fastball,
he recorded a 1.50 earned-run
average and 10.1 strikeouts
per game over his first three
seasons,
albeit
in
limited
playing time, and was drafted
in the 35th round of the MLB
Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals
last summer. But until this year,
he had yet to carve out a steady
role in the Wolverines’ bullpen.
So on Saturday, when Lamb
took the mound inheriting two
baserunners with two outs
in the eighth inning facing
Southern
California
third
baseman Adalberto Carrillo,
who had already homered in
the game, it was a new role for
the senior right-hander. But
according to Michigan coach
Erik Bakich, it’s not a role he’s
unprepared for.
“He pitches with a lot of
passion and conviction,” Bakich
said. “His mindset is a good fit
for the closer role, and he likes
being in those situations.”
Lamb would go on to strike
out Carrillo and retire the side
in the ninth inning to close
out the Trojans and record
his second save of the season,
further asserting himself in the
late-inning role he has seemed
destined to fill. In 6.2 innings
this season, he has struck out
three and has yet to allow a run,
and has prompted Bakich to
call him a closer “on a mission”.
In a way, Lamb’s career as a
whole has been a microcosm of
Michigan’s bullpen this season.
The Wolverines possess a deep
stable of skilled relievers, and
while they have had several
huge moments, they have still
suffered from inconsistency.
This was exemplified in late
blown leads against Seton Hall
during the opening weekend
and in a near-collapse against
Creighton
during
the
Jack
Gifford Tournament last week.
Bakich believes that this is not
due to any issues with talent,
but is more a product of the
necessary process of nailing
down clearer roles for the
relievers early in the season.
“We’ve gotten a lot of good
looks
in
certain
situations
from various people and feel
comfortable with some of our
relievers in multiple roles,”
Bakich said. “It’s just going to
be trimming those roles down
so they can get comfortable in
those roles and have the most
success
in
them.”
The
USC
game
also
saw a crucial
performance
from
senior
right-hander
Keith Lehmann,
a senior whose
career
has
mirrored
Lamb’s
in
many ways. By the end of his
freshman season, Lehmann had
become one of Michigan’s most
consistent pitchers, recording
a 2.91 ERA in 49.1 innings,
and
began
his
sophomore
season as the Wolverines’ No.
2 starter. But tightness in his
forearm gradually decreased his
effectiveness, and
in turn his playing
time, to the point
where it became
necessary to shut
him down.
“It’s been an
interesting
year
and a half for him,
and I know it’s
been frustrating
for him,” Bakich
said. “He tried to
come back last year and pitch in
some certain spots, but he just
wasn’t ready, so we gave him
some time off. If he’s healthy
he’s going to be a weapon for
us in the bullpen and a huge
asset.”
After the time off, Lehmann
has turned back the clock to
begin this season, replicating
his successes as a freshman.
His talent and experience came
through for the Wolverines
against
the
Trojans.
After
allowing a bases-loading walk
in the seventh inning and
quickly surrendering a 3-0
count
to
pinch-hitter
John
Thomas,
Lehmann
buckled
down and struck out Thomas to
preserve the Wolverines’ three-
run lead.
“To
have
(Lamb
and
Lehmann) in the game in the
eighth and ninth was a big
deal,” Bakich said. “Number one
because they’re healthy, and
number two because they’re
seniors. They have good stuff
and they showed their veteran
experience in the bullpen and
were able to hold the lead in
a close game. They’re doing a
really good job of performing in
pressure situations.”
Another
key
performance
out of Michigan’s bullpen this
weekend came from another
pitcher who is still searching
for a defined role. Junior Alec
Rennard began the season as
the Wolverines’ No. 2 starter,
but was replaced in that role
over spring break by junior
Ryan Nutof. But Rennard still
was able to display what Bakich
called his “winner’s mentality”
against San Diego, as he entered
in relief of starter Michael
Hendrickson and retired nine
straight batters, struck out
three and earned the save on
Sunday.
And it hasn’t just been the
upperclassmen
who
have
made an impact. Freshman
left-hander
Tommy
Henry
has clearly earned the trust
of the coaching staff, making
several appearances in high-
leverage situations this season
and logging a 1.08 ERA and
12 strikeouts. While it was his
throwing error that allowed
UCLA to score the winning run
Friday, Henry showed poise
in keeping the game scoreless
throughout the seventh and
eighth innings.
Through
12
games
of
Michigan’s season, it is clear
that the team possesses a wealth
of experience, an aggressive
offense and strong starting
pitching. The bullpen, however,
has
been
up-and-down,
mirroring the careers of Lamb
and Lehmann themselves. But
just as Lamb and Lehmann
have found roles for their talent
to shine through in relief, the
bullpen as a whole continues
to take shape, which may give
the Wolverines the necessary
ingredient for their aspirations
to come into play.
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Senior right-hander Keith Lehmann has had a tumultuous career due to injuries, but has recently emerged as an anchor of the Wolverines’ emergent bullpen.
Big Ten hockey roundup: One more week
Less than a year ago, members
of the Michigan hockey team
gathered around a Big Ten
Tournament trophy at Xcel
Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Laden in championship hats and
bold smiles, the team celebrated
one of the most iconic moments
of its season as it celebrated its
place at the top of a six-team
conference.
In nine days, those same six
hockey teams will gather at Joe
Louis Arena in Detroit to battle
it out for a Big Ten Tournament
title.
For the past three years, a
different team has left the ice
with the championship trophy.
In
2014
it
was
Wisconsin
leaving
Xcel
as
champions
with a 5-4 overtime win over
Ohio State. In 2015, Minnesota
knocked out Michigan with
a 4-2 decision at Joe Louis to
claim
the
tournament
title,
complementing
its
second
Big
Ten
regular-season
championship.
Last year, the tables turned
in favor of the Wolverines.
Michigan avenged its loss to the
Golden Gophers the year before
with a 5-3 win, celebrating its
first-ever Big Ten Championship
in hockey.
But the rosters have changed,
and those standings that once
placed the Wolverines near the
top are long gone. Currently,
after splitting a series with No.
5 Minnesota, Michigan sits
second-to-last in the Big Ten,
only falling in front of Michigan
State.
The Spartans sit on the
bottom rung of the Big Ten
ladder with just 11 points.
They are stuck with a 3-13-
2 conference record and an
overall record of 7-22-3.
The Wolverines haven’t fared
much better, though, with a .278
win percentage and 16 points.
They do have one additional
conference win (and one fewer
loss) with a conference and
overall record of 4-12-2 and
11-18-3, respectively.
Boasting the best record
in the Big Ten are, again, the
Golden Gophers. Under the
instruction
of
Don Lucia —
the
program’s
head
coach
for
the
past
18
years
—
Minnesota has
recorded
13
wins
against
Big Ten teams
this
season.
Saddled
with
a
.722
win
percentage
and 39 points, the Golden
Gophers have only lost to three
conference teams, including a
single loss to Michigan and two
to both Wisconsin and Ohio
State.
The Golden Gophers have
recorded an impressive 22-10-
2 overall record and a .676 win
percentage, and currently have
131 goals scored with 96 goals
against.
Just
trailing
Minnesota
is
Wisconsin, which
has
an
almost
identical Big Ten
win-loss
record
as
the
Golden
Gophers, save a
single win and
additional
loss.
The
Badgers
feature a .667-win
percentage
and
36 points, and a 19-12-1 overall
record.
The third and fourth spots
of the Big Ten standings are
occupied by Penn State and Ohio
State, respectively. The Nittany
Lions are only in their fifth
season as an NCAA Division I
ice hockey team, yet they have
managed to land at No. 11 in the
USCHO poll. Penn State has the
second-highest overall record
among Big Ten teams at 21-9-2,
but comes in at third in the Big
Ten with 31 points.
Ohio State ranks fourth with
29 points and a 9-8-1 Big Ten
record. After dropping a single
game to Michigan two weeks
ago, the Buckeyes fell from No.
11 to No. 15 in the poll, but still
sit in the middle of the Big Ten
standings.
But
another
week
of
conference play still remains,
and each team has one last
chance to give itself a push before
hitting the Big Ten Tournament.
After that, it’s anyone’s game in
Joe Louis Arena.
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Michigan coach Red Berenson and the Wolverines have two games left before beginning the Big Ten Tournament.
LANEY BYLER
Daily Sports Editor
With a final weekend of Big Ten play remaining, the Wolverines sit in second-
to-last in the conference standings, looking to play spoiler at Joe Louis Arena
After that, it’s
anyone’s game
at Joe Louis
Arena
T
wo weeks ago at the ACC/
Big Ten Challenge, the
Michigan softball team’s
10 home runs made it seem as if
the opening weekend’s poor run
production against No. 2 Florida
and No. 25 UCF was just a fluke,
an inevitable early-season hiccup
in a cold-weather school’s path
to another strong season. But
the team has averaged just 1.8
runs per game in eight contests
— three of which were shutouts
— against ranked opponents this
season.
It would be easy to blame
the offensive ineptitude on the
graduation of two of the most
proficient hitters in program
history. Sierra Romero, the 2016
USA Softball Collegiate Player of
the Year, and Sierra Lawrence,
who batted .429 with 11 home
runs and 45 RBI last season,
are both gone from the core of a
lineup that averaged over seven
runs per game.
“(Romero) is a huge loss,
but I got over it in September,”
Hutchins said. “She’s gone; she
was great. That’s team 39 — my
only focus is on Team 40. I’m not
going to talk about Sierra Romero
and say what a great career she
had. My team is not focused on
her, she’s irrelevant.”
While Romero might be gone
in Hutchins’ mind, her returning
players have yet to pick up the
slack; the underproduction of
returning players is also a culprit
of the offensive struggles endured
by the Wolverines thus far.
Getting shutout by No. 22
Baylor in the Judi Garman Classic
last weekend demonstrated how
far the team is from that slugging
bombardment, as Michigan
struck out six times and collected
just two hits against the Bears.
A combined two runs against
No. 7 UCLA and No. 20 Arizona
State the next day offered another
microcosm of the offensive
struggles Michigan has endured.
Junior first baseman and
pitcher Tera Blanco’s average has
dropped 180 points, while senior
infielder Lindsay Montemarano
is hitting under .250 — a steep
drop from the adequate .323 of
last season. In 2016, not a single
Wolverine starter batted under
the .310 mark. This year, three
Wolverines have averages under
.275. There is still plenty of
time to turn the season around,
but if the current trend is any
indication, the production will
not match that of last season.
Senior outfielder Kelly
Christner, hitting .500 with four
home runs and 20 RBI, bucks the
trend. She launched three home
runs in a single visit to North
Carolina State in that ACC/Big
Ten Challenge.
But despite that monstrous
weekend in Raleigh, the team’s
power is also lacking; Michigan
averages just .84 home runs per
game in comparison to the 2016
mean of nearly 1.5 blasts per
contest.
As the Wolverines needed
to find a second option behind
senior right-hander Megan
Betsa, Blanco has emerged in
the circle with nine starts and a
2.61 earned-run average. While
conventional thought points to a
drop-off in offensive production
that comes with added pitching
responsibility, Hutchins didn’t
believe Blanco’s bat would be
affected.
“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.”
But Blanco’s .224 batting
average says otherwise. Instead
of being the consistent presence
she was last season, Blanco has
struggled to be the run-producing
force expected from her role in
the middle of the Michigan order.
To have the success the
Wolverines hoped to have, Blanco
and returning players must
prove that Romero’s absence is
irrelevant to them, too.
That’s the only way Michigan
will prove that the outburst of the
ACC/Big Ten Challenge wasn’t
just a fluke.
ON SOFTBALL
Time to adjust
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Writer
JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer
“If he’s healthy
he’s going to be
a weapon for
us”