The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, April 13, 2017 — 7A

‘M’ to face test in
No. 18 Oklahoma

The 
Michigan 
baseball 

team has yet to claim a victory 
over a ranked opponent, but 
Thursday, that 
could change 
when No. 18 
Oklahoma 
travels to Ann 
Arbor 
for 
a 

three-game 
bout 
this 

weekend. 

“I think it’s 

going to be like 
a heavyweight 
fight,” 
said 

Michigan 
coach 
Erik 

Bakich. 
“I 

think 
it’s 

going to be two very good teams 
going at it.”

The Sooners (5-4 Big 12, 

27-9 overall) will certainly be 
a challenge, despite Michigan 
steamrolling 
through 
its 

competition to win 10 of its past 
11 matchups and claim a third-
place standing in the Big Ten.

Oklahoma boasts a solid 

record in a tough conference, 
highlighted by two wins over 
No. 6 Texas Tech two weeks 
ago.

Still, 
the 
13th-ranked 

Wolverines (6-3 Big Ten, 26-7 
overall) sport a high-octane 
offense that boasts a .292 overall 
batting average with 329 hits 
and 205 runs batted in total on 
the season so far, capping off an 
impressive start to the season.

However, 
Oklahoma 
has 

similarly exhibited a strong 
showing on offense with a .284 
cumulative 
batting 
average 

with 334 hits and 209 RBI led 
by catcher Renae Martinez with 
a .355 batting average.

What sets the Sooners apart 

from the Wolverines, though, 
is their powerful pitching staff. 
Michigan has had incredible 
success from the mound with 
a 3.08 combined earned-run 

average. Oklahoma’s 2.73 ERA 
shows that the Wolverines’ bats 
will have to prove their worth 
in order to scrap hits from the 
Sooners. Jake Irvin spearheads 
their pitching staff with a 1.30 
ERA over 34.2 innings-pitched.

Just as Bakich hinted at, the 

matchup will be a showcase of 
a high-caliber pitching squad in 
Oklahoma against a Michigan 
offense that has consistently 
arisen 
in 
pressure-cooker 

situations and has stayed hot all 
season.

The Wolverines are fresh 

off a win against Eastern 
Michigan 
on 
Tuesday 
in 

which sophomore right fielder 
Jonathan Engelmann launched 
a walk-off double in the 13th 
inning to grant Michigan the 
victory.

On 
Sunday, 
though, 
the 

Wolverines dropped their final 
matchup against Illinois, 5-7, in 
a game marred by 11 forfeited 
hits.

If Michigan wants success 

against its first real challenge of 
the season, it will need to stymie 
the cooling of its offense in 
the past two games, especially 
against the Sooners, who will 
take advantage of any sacrifice 
of opportunity.

The Wolverines will likely 

turn 
to 
sophomore 
second 

baseman Ako Thomas, who 
claims a .346 batting average, 
and junior third baseman Drew 
Lugbauer, who claims 42 RBI, 
continue to perform the way 
they have been.

On paper, it will be the 

toughest test Michigan has 
faced to this point, and perhaps 
the toughest test it will face 
the rest of the season — the 
Wolverines have no ranked 
opponents on their schedule. 
In order to accomplish this tall 
task, they will have to prove 
they deserve their own ranking.

As Bakich put it: “You look at 

it and you say, ‘Okay, yeah, this 
is going to be a very good test, a 
very good challenge.’ ”

ROBERT HEFTER

Daily Sports Writer

Oklahoma 
at Michigan

Matchup: 
Michigan 
6-3 Big Ten, 
26-7 overall; 
Oklahoma 5-4 
Big 12, 27-9

When: 
Thursday 
4 P.M. ET

Where: Ray 
Fisher Stadium

Falk, Wolverines top Michigan State

By keeping her mind free of 

distraction, Aidan Falk continues 
to show up when it counts.

After going 6-for-9 at Ohio 

State last weekend, the junior 
right fielder put out another 
stellar effort Wednesday. She 
notched two doubles and three 
RBI en route to a 5-1 win for 
the Michigan softball team (9-1 
Big Ten, 29-8-1 overall) against 
Michigan State (5-5, 21-13) during 
a game moved to Alumni field due 
to flooding in East Lansing.

“I’ve been trying to see the ball 

and swing more freely, getting it 
off the brain,” Falk said.

Following consecutive singles 

in the first inning, Falk launched 
a double to the left-center field 
gap to give No.18 Michigan a 2-0 
advantage and, ultimately, its 
game-winning runs.

She would again knock an RBI 

double in the third frame, as two 
Spartans collided on a Falk flare 
to left field, allowing a runner to 
score.

Leading the team with 14 

doubles, Falk has been a staple of 
the Wolverines’ offense all season. 
But contrary to her foothold in 
the batting order, she has found 
herself in a new spot defensively.

With 
senior 
right-hander 

Megan Betsa and first baseman 
Tera Blanco in the lineup, Falk 
has been relegated to starting 
in the outfield — a place she 
played for just the first time this 
season last month. She was again 
penciled into the right field spot 
against Michigan State.

But 
Falk’s 
performance 

Wednesday shows exactly why 
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins 
calls the junior’s offense the most 
versatile aspect of her game — 
rather than her ability to play yet 
another new position.

Falk’s “versatility,” stemming 

from her ability to keep her mind 
clear in the batter’s box, has now 
become a focus for the rest of the 
Wolverines.

“A lot of us have gone toward 

that now,” Falk said. “We know 
how to play the game, so turn 
off the brain and stop thinking. 

We all know how to hit, it’s just a 
matter of our minds getting in the 
way.”

Clear minds seemed to be 

the case for sophomore second 
baseman 
Faith 
Canfield 
and 

junior designated player Amanda 
Vargas too, who each added 
RBIs of their own. Sophomore 
left fielder Natalie Peters also 
smacked three singles.

But it could have been a much 

larger margin of victory for 
Michigan. 

It left seven runners on base, 

including three in the third inning 
and two in the fourth inning. In 
the former, senior shortstop Abby 
Ramirez’s groundout helped the 
Spartans escape the frame having 
surrendered just two runs. An 
inning later, with runners on 
second and third with one out, 
consecutive strikeouts left the 
Wolverines empty handed.

In the circle, senior right-

hander Megan Betsa was once 
again victorious, striking out 17 
batters — tying her career high — 
and allowing only one run.

But the road to her 15th win 

of the season was bumpier than 
usual. 

After surrendering two walks 

and a hit to load the bases in the 
fifth inning, Betsa found herself 
with Michigan State’s best hitter 
at the plate — Leah Foerster — 
who looked to drive in the game-
tying run.

Betsa buckled down to strike 

out the next two batters, however, 
eliminating the Spartans’ best 
offensive chance all evening.

Even more impressive was how 

Betsa finished the contest, retiring 
her last eight outs on strikes.

“She’s been more consistent 

this year,” Hutchins said. “She’s 
our leader, and that’s one of the 
things we need from her. She 
needs to give us that sense of ‘I’ll 
get it done until the offense gets it 
done.’ ”

In Falk and Betsa, Michigan 

had some of its usual candidates 
leading the charge.

And for Falk to continue her 

hitting streak and possibly the 
Wolverines’ dominance in the 
Big Ten, it’s just about keeping 
softball off the brain.

MARK CALCAGNO

Daily Sports Writer

ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily

Junior right fielder Aidan Falk notched two doubles and three RBI against Michigan State, further proving how valuable her bat is to Michigan’s lineup.

Hutchins helps Betsa
in fifth-inning trouble

Michigan 
coach 
Carol 

Hutchins 
walked 
in 
silence 

to the pitching circle in the 
bottom of the fifth inning to 
talk to her senior right-hander 
Megan Betsa. The PA speakers 
remained hushed.

“I had said before the game, 

we were wondering whether I 
have a walk-out song when I go 
to the mound,” Hutchins said. 

“So when I went out there, 

I asked her ‘What are they 
playing?’ 
and 
(Betsa) 
goes 

‘Nothing.’ … Then one came on 
and I said ‘What’s this song, this 
is not my song’ and she agreed 
it’s not my song. So we came to 
the conclusion that I don’t have 
one.”

At 
that 
point, 
Betsa’s 

command was teetering, with 
back-to-back 
walks 
bringing 

the tying run to the plate for 
the Spartans. After a single by 
catcher Lindsay Besson loaded 
the bases and brought a vocally 
dormant Michigan State dugout 
to life, the Wolverines’ 4-1 lead 
appeared vulnerable.

Perhaps more importantly, 

though, so did Betsa.

Hutchins’ visit — in contrast 

to one from pitching coach Jen 
Brundage — signaled a mental 
fix rather than a physical one. Up 
to that point, Betsa was cruising, 
with a bloop single serving as 
the only real blemish on her day 
to that point. Hutchins knew 
what Betsa needed, and knew a 
light-hearted conversation was 
all it would take for her to regain 
focus and escape the jam.

The senior ace has been 

adamant about her improved 
confidence 
this 
season 
— 

something she says she “had in 
the past, but… I don’t know if 
I’ve ever actually had this type 
of confidence.” 

But here was real adversity. 

With the bases loaded in a 
crucial midweek tilt against a Big 
Ten foe, even the most confident 
of pitchers would be fazed.

It was a test of her mental 

acuity in a pressure situation; 
a test Betsa passed with flying 
colors.

It was like Hutchins turned 

on a light only she could 
activate, 
as 
Betsa 
quickly 

mowed down Michigan State’s 
pinch hitter Jordan Davis to 
set up a showdown with the 
Spartans’ star centerfielder Lea 
Foerster.

Foerster came into the game 

boasting team-highs in batting 
average (.420), home runs (9) 
and slugging percentage (.870). 
In addition, she had just three 
strikeouts all season. Foerster 
had already singled in the third 
inning to account for Michigan 
State’s only run on the day, and 
the first run Betsa has allowed at 
Alumni Field all season.

But this time, Betsa came out 

on top, dialing a 2-2 fastball past 
Foerster to get the last out of 
the inning, stranding all three 
runners on base and preserving 
the 4-1 lead.

“She pitched herself into the 

jam and she pitched herself out,” 
Hutchins said. “And what’s the 
approach? Do what you do. Spin 
the ball. When you spin the ball, 
you’re really hard to hit.”

Betsa stayed in the groove, 

striking out the side in the sixth 
inning and the seventh inning 
en route to a complete-game, 17 
strikeout performance.

“I think she threw really well 

today,” said sophomore catcher 
Katie Alexander. “Even though 
she got deeper into the count… I 
think she did well fighting back 
from that.”

All it took was a casual 

conversation with her coach 
— no mechanical tweaks or 
background music necessary — 
to get the job done.

SOFTBALL

BASEBALL

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Writer

Wilson, Wagner take different paths to draft

As 
the 
Michigan 
men’s 

basketball team gathered with 
family and friends to celebrate the 
past season, two of its players were 
looking forward to an exciting, yet 
uncertain future.

Sophomore 
forward 
Moritz 

Wagner and redshirt sophomore 
forward DJ Wilson both declared 
for the NBA Draft on Monday. But 
both players opted to do so without 
hiring agents, leaving the door 
open for a possible return to Ann 
Arbor for the 2017-18 season.

In the weeks that followed 

the Wolverines’ Sweet 16 loss to 
Oregon, Wagner and Wilson spoke 
with family, the Michigan coaching 
staff and consulted with reports 
from the NBA Advisory Committee 
to make an informed decision on 
their respective futures.

“After we got all the facts — we 

got great input from the Advisory 
Committee — and they looked at 
those facts and I encouraged them 
to look at this aggressively and go 
after it,” said Michigan coach John 
Beilein. “Don’t go into this if you’re 
not going after it all.”

Beilein has yet to have an 

underclassmen declare for the 
draft since the new rules were 
established two seasons ago. They 
allow younger players to ‘test the 
waters’ and go through the NBA 
Draft Combine, interviews and 
workouts before making a final 
decision to go pro. So the process 
Wilson and Wagner will be going 
through the next couple months is 
just as new to Beilein as it is to his 
two players.

“It’s so new to so many different 

people,” Beilein said. “Everybody’s 
learning, because it’s like a game. 
You throw a game up and are they 
zone? Are they man? Are they 
pressing? Are they not? Are they 
overplaying? Are they not? And it’s 
the same thing we deal with when 
we talk about their futures.”

Just like preparing for any game, 

Wilson and Wagner will be treating 
the draft process the same way — 
working out regularly, checking the 

tape and gathering any information 
out there — despite the different 
end goal.

Beilein says he believes both 

forwards will receive invites to 
next month’s NBA Draft Combine 
in Chicago, and that will be the 
greatest source of information 
for both of them as they make the 
decision.

The final deadline to pull out 

of the draft is May 24, and neither 
Wilson nor Wagner have any idea 
if it will take that long for them to 
make the final commitment to stay 
or go.

As for how events will transpire 

between now and the deadline, 
Wilson and Wagner seem to have 
different approaches on how they 
each attack the draft process.

Wilson said he started thinking 

about his potential NBA prospects 
as early as the beginning of the 
season, when coaches began to 
instill the confidence in him that 
with a breakout season he could get 
on some teams’ radars.

Within the past few weeks, 

Wilson has reached out to the 
likes of Marquese Chriss, Kelly 
Oubre Jr., Stanley Johnson and Ben 
Gordon about the draft process and 
life in the NBA.

Based on early feedback and 

the conversations he has had with 
coaches and current NBA players, 
Wilson realizes at this point he 
should be focused on working 
out and improving all areas of his 
game, rather than focusing on just 
his strengths or weaknesses.

“I think it’s just working on 

my overall game, working on 
everything,” Wilson said on where 
he’s looking to focus on improving 
in the coming weeks. “I can get 
better in all facets of the game, so 
there’s not really one particular 
area where I’m gonna key in on 
more.”

As for Wagner, his focus has 

been much narrower, as he’s only 
recognized himself as a viable 
prospect for a few weeks now, 
unlike Wilson.

“As a basketball player, you don’t 

think that far (ahead),” Wagner 
said. “You’re not successful if you 

don’t focus on the next thing. I’ll 
focus on preparing for the workout 
and for the combine and then we’ll 
see.”

Wagner has talked to former 

Michigan guard Caris LeVert and 
some other individuals he knows 
back from when he played in 
Germany. He says that from what 
he’s learned, moving onto the 
NBA will be nothing like what he’s 
experienced in Ann Arbor the past 
two years and completely different 
from the experiences he went 
through playing for his professional 
club — ALBA Berlin — through his 
prep days in Germany.

The sophomore has also been 

planning for the summer as if 
he’s staying at Michigan. Wagner 
believes he’s going to attend 
summer workouts in Ann Arbor 
and enroll in spring-term classes.

Neither Wilson nor Wagner will 

commit to saying if they’re leaning 
one way or another in terms of 
staying or leaving. Right now, the 
pair is focused on learning as much 
as they can about how well their 
games can carry over to the next 
level and if they personally are 
ready to bear the responsibility of 
NBA life.

While it may be agonizing for 

others waiting for their decision, 
Wilson and Wagner are taking 
solace in knowing they have 
time to make what could be the 
biggest decision of their lives, and 
are confident whatever way they 
choose to go will be the best choice 
for them.

“I have no idea what I’m going to 

do,” Wilson said. “As of right now, 
I’m a Michigan Wolverine. Ask 
me in a few weeks and that might 
be different. But right now, I don’t 
know.”

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Moritz Wagner and DJ Wilson will each test the waters of the NBA Draft.

BRANDON CARNEY

Daily Sports Writer

