8 — Friday, March 16. 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Big Ten preview: Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana set to challenge for title

Snow and baseball are not two 

things that people commonly 
associate with one another, but 
that’s typical in the world of 
Big Ten baseball. It is difficult 
for the conference to reach a 
level of national success when 
many of its schools still have 
weather below freezing in mid-
March. Despite this, the Big Ten 
is coming off a season in which 
five conference teams made the 
NCAA Tournament — tied for 
a conference record — and an 
impressive 35 combined players 
were drafted. The Big Ten has 
developed into one of the better 
leagues in the nation, and looks 
poised to continue its recent 
success in the upcoming season.

Michigan (4-11) has kept up 

with the rest of the conference in 
recent years and has positioned 
itself near the top, though early 
returns hint that this year may 
be different. This season, like 
last, the Wolverines should see 
a plethora of tough conference 
competition, 
highlighted 
by 

defending 
Big 
Ten 
regular 

season 
champion 
Nebraska, 

defending Big Ten Tournament-
champion 
Iowa 
and 
NCAA 

Tournament-participant 
Indiana.

Nebraska: Last season: (16-

7-1, 35-22-1) This Season: (0-0, 
10-7)

Following 
their 
Big 
Ten 

regular season championship 
— and a season that would 
ultimately end with a defeat in 
the first round of the tournament 
— 2017 Big Ten Coach of the 
Year Darin Erstad and Nebraska 
look to bounce back from a 
disappointing end to the season. 
Following last year’s campaign, 
the Cornhuskers return all but 
seven players, including All-Big 
Ten First Team senior outfielder 
Scott Schreiber and All-Big Ten 
Third Team shortstop Angelo 
Altavilla. Erstad will rely on 
Schreiber 
and 
Altavilla 
to 

carry the offensive load come 
conference play. Schreiber, after 
hitting .330/.376/.494 last year, 
has followed up with another 
stellar season thus far, hitting 

.348/.436/.606. 
Altavilla, 
on 

the other hand, who posted 
a .316/.401/.406 stat line last 
year, has struggled at the plate, 
hitting 
only 
.246/.421/.298. 

The rest of the team has also 
struggled to hit the ball, as the 
team’s average is just .258 thus 
far, compared to last year’s team 
average of .281.

On the mound 

last 
season, 

Nebraska 
had 

the 
Big 
Ten’s 

second-lowest 
team 
earned-

run 
averaged 

at 
3.73, 
but 

lost its top two 
starting pitchers 
to 
the 
draft. 

This season, the 
Cornhuskers have registered a 
significantly worse team ERA 
of 4.92, good for fifth highest 
in the conference. Redshirt 
junior 
Jake 
McSteen, 
who 

recorded a 2.04 ERA in 39.2 
innings of relief for Nebraska 

last season, has struggled with 
his transition to starter, posting 
a 6.00 ERA thus far. Senior Luis 
Alvarado, on the other hand, has 
excelled as the Cornhuskers’ top 
starting pitcher with a 2.70 ERA 
in 23.1 innings. If last year is any 
indication, this Nebraska team 
could become very dangerous 

if they can find 
their 
groove 

come 
Big 
Ten 

play. But for now, 
they are playing 
at 
just 
above 

.500 and have 
had their share 
of struggles. 

Iowa: 
Last 

season: 
(15-

9, 39-22) This 
Season: 
(0-0, 

8-6)

After a good but not great 

regular season, Iowa entered 
the Big Ten Tournament as the 
No. 5 seed. Led by the Big Ten 
Player of the Year, All-American 
first baseman Jake Adams, the 

Hawkeyes scraped their way to 
an unlikely Big Ten Tournament 
championship and an NCAA 
Tournament berth. Adams and 
his impressive .335/.417/.747 stat 
line, 29 homers and 71 RBIs, 
as well as All-Big Ten Second 
Team shortstop Mason McCoy 
are gone, and Iowa has had to 
look for offensive production 
and 
leadership 
elsewhere. 

Junior 
outfielder 
Robert 

Neustrom (.321/.403/.415) and 
senior catcher Tyler Cropley 
(.300/.417/.420), 
both 
All-Big 

Ten Second Team selections 
last year, have stepped up to 
the challenge. Iowa, however, 
has not seen the same offensive 
success 
it 
saw 
last 
season 

overall. The team is hitting just 
.248 this season, as opposed to 
.284 last year. Iowa has salvaged 
a meager 8-6 record so far. It 
has remained above .500 due in 
large part to a weak schedule, 
playing only five games against 
over .500 teams, winning none 
of those contests.

The 
Hawkeyes’ 
pitching 

has been a different story 
from their hitting, taking full 
advantage of the weak offensive 
competition. Despite losing All-
Big Ten Second Team pitcher 
Nick Gallagher to the draft, 
redshirt junior Nick Allgeyer 
— who has 24 strikeouts and 
a 1.82 ERA in 
four 
starts 
— 

and the rest of 
the roation have 
combined 
for 

the 
fifth-best 

team ERA in the 
Big Ten (4.20). 
While Iowa has 
players 
who 

can 
continue 

to produce all 
season, 
the 

team’s lack of success against 
above-average competition and 
offensive struggles signal red 
flags for the team heading into 
conference play. Repeating the 
success they saw last year seems 
unlikely, but still possible, at 

this point.

Indiana: Last season: (14-

9-1, 34-24-2) This Season: 
(0-0, 12-4)

After placing a disappointing 

sixth in Big Ten play last season 
despite being showered with 
praise, Indiana, the only Big 
Ten team currently ranked, has 
made the NCAA Tournament 
in four of the past five years 
and is poised to further its 
recent 
success 
this 
season. 

Despite losing their top hitter 
from last season, Tony Butler 
(.314/.418/.454), the Hoosiers 
have started the season strong, 
holding the conference’s best 
record. 
Senior 
All-Big 
Ten 

Second Team outfielder Logan 
Sowers (.333/.413/.537) decided 
to return to school for his final 
season and has stepped into 
the role as team leader, helping 
Indiana obtain the fifth-best 
team batting average in the 
Big Ten at .275 thus far. Unlike 
other most other teams in the 
Big Ten, Indiana’s offensive 
focus is more on the big hit as 
opposed to stringing together 
multiple singles; it is second in 
the conference in both home 
runs (15) and doubles (38).

While the offense has been 

good for the Hoosiers, their 
true 
calling 
card 
is 
their 

pitching. With a miniscule 2.92 
team ERA, Indiana’s pitching 
leads the Big Ten in ERA by 
nearly 0.3 points. All-Big Ten 
Third Team pitcher Pauly Milto 
has a 2.36 ERA in four starts to 

go along with a 
batting average 
against of only 
.216. 
All-Big 

Ten 
Freshman 

Team 
pitcher 

Cal Krueger has 
been 
dominant 

in his sophomore 
campaign, 
not 

allowing a single 
run thus far in 
11 
innings 
of 

relief. Indiana’s hot start does 
not appear to be cooling off 
anytime soon, and the Hoosiers 
should be successful in Big Ten 
play this year. They are serious 
contenders, if not favorites, to 
win the Big Ten title.

FILE PHOTO

The Indiana baseball team made it to the NCAA Tournament last year and could do so again; the Hoosiers currently own the conference’s best record.

BENNETT BRAMSON

Daily Sports Writer

Position-by-position breakdown: Wolverines not as deep as last season

At the end of last season, 

Michigan lost 11 players to 
the 
MLB 
Draft 
— 
pitcher 

Oliver Jaskie, infielder Drew 
Lugbauer, 
catcher 
Harrison 

Wenson and infielder Michael 
Brdar. Jaskie was the team’s 
ace and was drafted in the sixth 
round. Lugbauer led the team 
in slugging percentage, home 
runs and runs batted in. With 
such significant roster turnover 
heading into this season, some 
minor growing pains were to 
be expected. Whether a current 
4-11 
record 
can 
be 
called 

“minor,” though, really depends 
on how well Michigan fares in 
conference play going forward.

A recruiting class ranked 

tenth nationally was supposed 
to plug the remaining holes 
in the roster. But the youthful 
Wolverines have struggled so far 
to do so.

At 
times, 
Michigan 
has 

shown 
that 
it 
is 
capable 

offensively. Through 15 games, 
the Wolverines have recorded 
107 hits and taken 65 walks. On 
the flip side, a .221 team batting 
average and 4.13 runs per game 
average have let them down.

The pitching staff has also 

proved to be inconsistent thus 
far, posting a cumulative earned-
run average of 4.66. Defensively, 
Michigan has recorded 27 errors 
with 
a 
fielding 
percentage 

hovering around .950.

As 
the 
Wolverines 
begin 

a five-game homestand with 
a three-game series against 
Bowling 
Green 
beginning 

Friday, The Daily breaks down 
the team position-by-position:

Pitchers
Though Michigan lost Jaskie, 

senior Mac Lozer and others to 
the draft, the team does return 
many from last year’s pitching 
staff. Seniors Alec Rennard and 
Jayce Vancena have starting 
experience from last year, but 
have stepped into the spotlight 
as two of the main starters. 

Rennard has pitched 16 innings 
thus far with an ERA of 3.38 and 
13 strikeouts. Vancena is still 
regarded as one of Wolverines’ 
top pitchers, despite an 0-3 
record, and a 9.35 ERA through 
8.2 innings.

Sophomore Karl Kauffman, 

who pitched a total of 13 innings 
last year, has really come on 
in his second season. With 
Vancena’s struggles early on, 
Kauffman has staked his claim 
to become the No. 2 behind 
Rennard. Kauffman has posted a 
2-2 record with a 4.64 ERA. He 
had stellar outings against Army 
and Stanford, letting up only a 
single run between the two.

Another sophomore fighting 

for a starting position, left-
hander Tommy Henry, has put 
up impressive numbers as well. 
Against Stanford, Henry went 
seven scoreless innings and has 
a 2.74 ERA in 23 innings.

In the bullpen, junior William 

Tribucher and freshman Ben 
Dragani have been the go-to 
guys. Tribucher has an ERA of 
2.53, while Dragani has allowed 
just six hits and four runs in 

13 innings of work. Junior 
Troy Miller and freshman Jeff 
Criswell are also set to see a lot 
of time in relief going forward.

Catcher
The 
position 
battle 
that 

received 
the 
most 
attention 

this offseason was behind the 
plate. Senior Brock Keener may 
have seemed destined to fill the 
void left by Wenson, but three 
younger guys have also been in 
the mix for the job. Sophomore 
Harrison 
Salter, 
redshirt 

freshman Marcus Chavez and 
freshman Joe Donovan have all 
seen time at the position this 
season. Keener has been the 
most 
productive 
offensively 

of the four, recording a .280 
batting average, while Chavez 
and Salter have performed well 
defensively. Altogether, expect 
it to be somewhat of a revolving 
door behind the plate, with all 
four seeing playing time going 
forward, especially if the team 
continues to struggle.

First Base
In 
the 
sixth 
inning 
of 

Michigan’s first game of the 
season, 
fifth-year 
senior 

Hector Gutierrez powered a 
grand slam to right field to 
give the Wolverines a nine-run 
advantage against Army. “Guti” 
as he’s been christened by his 
teammates, is one of the team’s 
best hitters and as a result has 
alternated between first and 
third base in order to get at-bats.

Keener and talented freshman 

slugger Jesse Franklin have also 
seen time at first. All three can 
be offensive weapons on their 
day, so expect to see a lot of 
rotation here throughout the 
season.

Second Base
When the bottom of the 

first inning rolls around at any 
Michigan home game this year, 
the first song is T.I.’s “Bring 
Em’ Out” — junior Ako Thomas’ 
walkout music. One of the best 
all-around players on the team, 
Thomas burst onto the scene 
last year as an All-Big Ten First 
Team selection. Symbolic of the 
Wolverines’ struggles so far, 
Thomas, who helped solidify 
one of the best defensive teams 
in the nation last year, leads the 
team with seven errors.

His .224 batting average this 

season also hasn’t been on par 
with the offensive numbers he 
put up a year ago. And yet, if the 
Wolverines are going to turn the 
tide, Thomas will most likely be 
the one to lead them.

Shortstop
The departure of the sure-

handed Michael Brdar left a gap 
at the shortstop position coming 
into 
the 
season. 
Freshman 

Jack 
Blomgren 
has 
stepped 

up to fill that void. Blomgren, 
another member of this record-
breaking recruiting class for 
the Wolverines has struggled at 
times this season. Blomgren has 
recorded six errors and a .154 
batting average. Despite this, the 
coaching staff appears content 
on having the freshman press on.

Third Base
As has been a theme at other 

positions this year, no one has 
excelled at third base. Junior 
Jimmy Kerr is widely considered 
the starter at the position, 
but only has a .880 fielding 
percentage and a .125 batting 
average. Kerr is a respected 
veteran on the team though, and 

despite his struggles, he will 
remain a fixture in the starting 
lineup.

Outfield
As a redshirt sophomore, 

Miles Lewis started every game 
in left field for the Wolverines. 
Now a year later, Lewis should 
do the same barring injury. 
The current clubhouse leader 
in RBIs and home runs with 
12 and two respectively, Lewis 
typically hits in the two-hole. In 
addition to hitting for power, the 
hulking 6-foot-1, 200-pounder 
is quite capable of getting on 
base and getting into scoring 
opportunities, having recorded 
29 walks and 19 stolen bases last 
year. A 1.000 fielding percentage 
this season also speaks to what a 
great all-around player Lewis is.

To the right of Lewis is 

another 
powerful 
junior, 

Jonathan Engelmann. Typically 
Michigan’s 
cleanup 
hitter, 

Engelmann currently is hitting 
at a rate of .237 with a team-high 
14 hits. Like Lewis, the young 
Wolverines look to Engelmann 
for not only an offensive spark 
but also as a source of leadership.

Sophomore 
right-fielder 

Christian Bullock rounds out the 
outfield and leads the team with 
four stolen bases. The speedster 
has been capable of getting on 
base as well, hitting .250 and 
reaching base on four walks.

The 
outfield 
as 
a 
whole 

has 
been 
fairly 
consistent 

defensively, with Bullock owning 
the only error, which occurred at 
the top of the 7th inning against 
Lawrence Tech on Wednesday.

DH
Sophomore Dominic Clementi 

has been a major contributor 
this season as a designated 
hitter, though he could also play 
in the outfield. As a freshman 
he finished last season with a 
.409 batting average through 18 
games. Thus far, Clementi has 
been hitting at a significantly 
lesser rate of .242. As the season 
goes on though, Clementi could 
be a valuable offensive weapon 
for Michigan.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior pitcher Alec Rennard has been a consistent starter for the Wolverines thus far, pitching 16 innings with an earned-run average of 3.38.

CONNOR BRENNAN

Daily Sports Writer

Indiana’s hot 
start does not 
appear to be 
cooling off. 

Nebraska 

could be very 
dangerous if it 
finds its groove.

