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Friday, March 16, 2018 —7

2018 Baseball Preview

Freshman class looking to provide strong foundation

Last June, Michigan coach

Erik
Bakich
watched
as
a

program-record 11 players were
drafted to the MLB. It was a
milestone moment to cap off the
fifth season of his tenure in Ann
Arbor that has included five
winning seasons, two NCAA
Tournament
appearances

and a Big Ten Tournament
championship.

“We
want
everyone
to

have the opportunity to play
professional baseball,” Bakich
said. “We don’t hide from it, we
don’t shy away from it. We want
every player in our program to
play pro ball.”

While this philosophy may

be for the long-term benefit of
the program, the unfortunate
reality is that it was always
going to make 2018 a tough
season for Bakich and his staff.

Even with six of their top

seven hitters and three-fourths
of
their
starting
rotation

departed,
the
Wolverines

could not have anticipated the
struggles they have endured
in the first four weeks of
the
season.
Last
season’s

tournament berth is now a
distant memory.

“We’d like to think coming

into this season that we’ve put
ourselves into a position to
reload and not rebuild,” Bakich
said after a loss to Lipscomb
last week. “But clearly we’re
rebuilding right now.”

The hope around Michigan,

though, is that its rebuilding
process will be accelerated by
an acclaimed recruiting class
that ranked 10th in the nation
— an all-time best for a Big Ten
program.

The freshman class includes

eight of Perfect Game’s Top
400 from the 2017 class, and is
headlined by left-hander Ben
Dragani
and
first
baseman

Jesse Franklin, the Gatorade
Players of the Year in Wisconsin
and Washington, respectively.
Beyond
them,
right-hander

Jeff Criswell and catcher Joe
Donovan both turned down
major league draft offers to

come to Ann Arbor.

Donovan
was
named
an

All-American
by
Collegiate

Baseball,
while
right-hander

Blake
Beers
was
All-State

California
and
outfielder

Jordan Nwogu was All-State
Michigan.
The
acclaimed

freshmen are joined by junior-
college transfers Blake Nelson
and Matthew Schmidt.

Their start to life in the

college
baseball
ranks
has

not been as rosy. Blomgren
and Franklin — the only two
freshmen with over 20 at-bats —
are both hitting under .200.

“Some of these guys are

dealing
with
adversity
for

the first times in their lives,”
Bakich said, “and we try to have
a mental game toolbox to go to
when the garbage is hitting the
fan but sometimes it’s easier
said than done.

“They’re
all
seeing
what

college baseball is all about.”

On
the
mound,
Dragani

has been a bright spot for the
freshmen with a 2.77 ERA in
a team-leading 13.0 innings
pitched out of the bullpen. After
giving up two runs in each of
his first two outings, his recent

success has catapulted him
into a relief ace role in pitching
coach Chris Fetter’s bullpen.

“He’s had success because

he’s been aggressive with all of
his pitches in the strike zone,”
Bakich said. “He’s consistently
been a strike-thrower every
time he’s been out there and
he’s executed the pitch call and
game plan. He’s done a nice
job. He’ll continue to get more
opportunities and may have his
role expanded.”

The consistency for which

Bakich praised Dragani has been
a constant refrain throughout
the beginning of the season,
especially on the defensive side,
where the Wolverines have
mixed web gems with little
league errors. This emphasis
on consistency does not exclude
the freshmen, who have been
key contributors to Michigan’s
erratic play.

Last
Saturday
against

Lipscomb, Blomgren made a
beautiful diving catch over his
shoulder before allowing a run
to score on a bobbled grounder
four innings later. Franklin,
meanwhile, went 2-for-4 with
a run batted-in Wednesday

afternoon, but came into the
game just 2-for-21 on the season.
Criswell has a strikeout in each
of his four relief appearances
— three of which have been
scoreless — but gave up a walk-
off three-run homer at Stanford
two weekends ago.

Struggling with consistency,

though, is understandable for
players with less than a month
of collegiate baseball under
their belts.

“You got kids acclimating to

a lot of different areas,” Bakich
said. “They’re acclimating to
school and academics and social
life and trying to make friends.
They’re away from home for
the first time, and now they’re
trying to play in a very good,
elite program and it’s a lot of
balls in the air to juggle at once.”

Added junior shortstop Ako

Thomas: “Very good group of
freshmen. I feel like they came
in and we took them under our
wing. Very willing to learn,
always asking questions and
I feel honored to be able to
answer some of their questions
because I was in their situation
at one point as well, so just being
a leading figure as well makes

me feel good and (they’re) just a
really good group of freshmen.”

As the freshmen traversed

this process last semester, their
progress had the coaching staff
encouraged coming into the
season.

“We’re at a point where (in)

our preseason training, we’ve
started to see that maturity
take place,” Bakich said at
media day, “where the younger
guys are more physical, they’ve
gotten stronger, they can slow
the game down mentally. Now,
you’re starting to see some of
their performance show up a
little bit and that’s where there
is some encouragement and
some freshman that will be in
some roles that they’re gonna
have some opportunities to
compete in early and make early
contributions.”

Despite
their
occasional

tribulations, Bakich’s preseason
prediction has come to fruition.
The volatile nature of baseball
prevents it from mimicking the
one-and-done factory that is
college basketball — freshmen
are rarely key contributors in
baseball.

The
Wolverines,
though,

regularly pencil Blomgren and
Franklin into their daily lineup.
Donovan has found his way
into over half of Michigan’s
games, while Nelson has earned
himself back-to-back starts. On
the pitching side, Dragani and
Criswell have repeatedly found
themselves trusted with high
leverage situations.

“They’ve
been
complementary

pieces so far, would be the way
I would describe it,” Bakich
said. “They’re in a learning
and growth stage still and
they’re paying attention, they’re
learning, they’re adjusting to
the speed of this game and the
level of competition here and
some of them are playing more
than others.”

Despite a 4-11 start, the

Michigan
coaching
staff

—
especially
recruiting

coordinator Nick Schnabel —
must be credited for putting
together a class that has been
ready to contribute since day
one.

Recruiting to Ann Arbor is

no easy task. The minimum
temperature
required
for

outdoor
practices
is
zero

degrees,
a
mark
that
has

been flirted with more than
a handful of times over the
past few months. As a result,
the Wolverines spend the first
month of each season on the road
— this year, migrating from San
Diego to Palo Alto to Nashville
over the opening month, and
they reside thousands of miles
from
the
sport’s
recruiting

hotbeds in Florida, Texas and
southern California.

Instead, Schnabel and his

staff
must
sell
Michigan’s

academics.

“The school is certainly one

of the main reasons that we can
attract (this) type of talent,”
Bakich said “… For all those
kids out there that are very
good students that want to play
at a very high level, this is an
attractive option for them. So
we’ve gotten in the conversation
for players that are the best
students and the best baseball
players.”

Recruiting is a process that

compounds, and recently, the
Wolverines have been able to
use the success of previous
classes to reach new heights on
the recruiting trail, culminating
in their record-setting 2017
class.

“A baseball program that —

even though we’re in a hiccup
right now — has been ascending,”
Bakich said of his team. “And
the trajectory has been up so
people see the school, they see
the athletic department, they
see the facilities, they want to
be a part of this.

“I think (these freshmen)

will all make an impact by the
time it’s said and done,” Bakich
said. “There’s some guys that
are very talented out there.
So we’re certainly excited for
those guys and their continued
development.”

For Bakich and his staff, the

job is to ensure that 2017 was not
the pinnacle of the program’s
trajectory. If that job lies in the
hands of their freshman class,
they have full confidence.

FILE PHOTO

Michigan coach Erik Bakich has recruited a talented freshman class to Ann Arbor.

Michigan’s leading man: Ako Thomas ready to take charge

Mount
Carmel
High

School was in the midst of a
doubleheader and in desperate
need for some life.

Enter Ako Thomas.
The
year
was
2012
and

Thomas was a freshman for
the Caravan in Chicago, IL and
was just beginning his fruitful
baseball career.

After not starting on the elite

varsity squad at the beginning of
the year, Thomas was eventually
called up within the first few
weeks of the season due to his
promising play at the plate.

The
young,
undersized

freshman
stepped
up
and

delivered the performance of
a lifetime, going 4-for-4. His
inspiring performance gave his
team the win — and would prove
to be the birth of a superstar.

But his hot bat wasn’t the most

impressive display of the day.

Stepping onto the infield,

Thomas assumed his position
at shortstop. A position that
typically plays second fiddle
to second base for Thomas, he
fulfilled his duty well.

Then, on his very first play as

a high school varsity baseball
player, Thomas was forced to
ground an absolute rocket hit
by the opposing
batter. The ball
skipped once on
the ground then
thudded off his
chest.
Thomas

collected himself
and threw the
forceout to first.
He had laid his
body
on
the

line to make a
play, and it left a
memorable first impression.

“It just shows how much

toughness and guts he has,”

said Thomas’ high school coach
Brian Hurry. “I mean the four
hits were impressive, but all that
was completely secondary to that
play. I thought that play really
showed what the kid is all about,
internally. To me, it spoke to his
competitiveness and his guts
more than anything else.”

Added Thomas: “I do whatever

it takes for the team, so if that
means getting in front of a line
drive then I’ll do it.”

His
sophomore
season,

Thomas found himself in a
position he would come to know
all too well — leadoff hitter. Due
in part to his leadership and
performance in this spot and at
second base, the Caravan won a
state championship.

Thomas
led
another

postseason
surge
his
senior

campaign, leading his team back
to the state championship game.
The Caravan would inevitably
fall, but Thomas had made a
lasting impression as an all-time
great Mount Carmel baseball
player. Needless to say, Thomas’
time spent at Mount Carmel
helped shape him as an athlete,
leader and person.

Despite
having
an
older

brother who played baseball for a
different high school in Chicago,
Thomas elected to explore an
alternative route — an all-boys

Catholic
high

school.

“I
wanted

something
different in my
life,”
Thomas

said.
“I
could

see
where
my

life
was
going

and I wanted it
to change. So I
decided to go to
Mount Carmel to

get away from my neighborhood
friends and just explore out, so
that’s why I chose to go to Mount

Carmel.”

His
father,
Zebedee,
and

mother, Reeshemah, have also
helped Thomas every step of the
way.

“My mom is always the most

influential
person
for
me,”

Thomas said. “She’s just so
hard-working, very independent
woman and she just drives me
and I just go out here and play for
her and for my family.”

Added Michigan coach Erik

Bakich: “He’s an inner city
Chicago kid, he plays with
a ton of energy, a good
student from Carmel
High
School.

Good parents —
Reeshemah and
Zebedee did a
great job raising
he and his three
brothers.

“And
he’s

just a winner
— that’s the
word.”

Thomas

finished
off
his

time at
Mount

Carmel with a

.397
batting

average,
.991

fielding percentage
and 50 hits in his
senior season. These

impressive stats found

him catching the eye of one
program in particular.

Three years later, Thomas

finds
himself
in
a
similar

situation as he bats top of the
order for the Wolverines.

Ever since his arrival in

Ann
Arbor,
Thomas
has

shined bright both on and

off the field. His coaches and
teammates cannot speak highly
enough about the quality of
his play and his character. His
typical charisma and positive
personality consistently inspire
everyone surrounding him.

“When I think of some of

the
greatest
compliments
a

player could have, being a great

competitor

and
being a great
teammate
are
right

there at the

top,”
Hurry

said.
“He

certainly
is

both of them.

Positive
energy,
he’s
always
smiling.
He kinda
lights
up

a
room

when he’s
around,
you just get
in a better
mood
it

seems. His
attitude

was
very
contagious
to

our program.”

Aside from bringing energy to

the program, Thomas brought
a quality of play that saw him
starting from day one as a
Wolverine.

His freshman year, Thomas

accumulated
a
.258
batting

average
off
40
hits
and

cemented himself as an integral
part of the Michigan lineup.
His proficiency from the plate
is not — and has never been —
the only noteworthy aspect of
his game as he displayed great
defensive prowess, an element
the Wolverines take pride in.

“It’s always a thrill just to play

for Michigan, period,” Thomas

said. “And then to be the leadoff
hitter is awesome as well, so
I’m just gonna
continue to do
everything I can
for the team.”

Thomas then

broke out as one
of the country’s
premier
second

basemen
in

his
sophomore

campaign,
leading the Big
Ten
in
both

batting average and on-base
percentage. Amassing a .354
batting average, he ascended the
ranks of the batting order.

Now,
Thomas
is
the

definitive leadoff hitter and the
Wolverines’ most prolific batter.

Thomas’ efforts this season,

however, may come in vain as
he seeks to lead his team out
of a rebuilding season. It’s no
surprise that a squad that lost
15 athletes — 11 of those to the
MLB draft — is suffering, with
a 4-11 record. It’s incredibly
difficult to guide a retool, rather
than a rebuild, since many of the
new players have yet to adapt to
the pace of the college game.

Nevertheless, Thomas is up to

the task, willing to do whatever
his team needs to get it out of its
slump.

“I
definitely

think
and

definitely
the

coaches and my
teammates
as

well,
think
of

me as a leader
and
a
leading

figure out there,”
Thomas said. “I
try my best to
be the best vocal
leader and just
lead by my play as well.”

Added
Bakich:
“He’ll
be

one of the guys that will be

instrumental
in
our
turn-

around this season, and so we’re

really
looking

forward to him
taking the reigns
and leading by
example like he
always does.”

Another area

where
Thomas

leads is in his
academics,
earning
Academic
Big

Ten
Honors

last year as a sophomore. A
practice that began in his days at
Mount Carmel, Thomas worked
diligently in the classroom and
on the field in hopes of acquiring
the best degree he could.

“I think he just epitomizes

what I want all our players
to be,” Hurry said. “He was a
true student athlete, he worked
hard with his grades, he was
relentless in his pursuit of
being excellent and the greatest
baseball player he could be.”

At Mount Carmel, Thomas’

great play was mirrored by his
personality and his academics.
He left a legacy of excellence
and served as inspiration to his
teammates.

At Michigan, Thomas is on

a trajectory to do much of the
same as Michigan’s leading man.

Of course, this is
nothing new for
him.
So
when

asked about his
legacy
for
the

Wolverines, his
answer
makes

sense.

“We’ll
see,

I’m
not
sure,”

Thomas
said.

“I’ll try to leave
a good one, that’s

for sure. I just do whatever I
can for the team. Play hard, run
hard, just the usual.”

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer

THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Writer

“I just do
whatever I
can for the

team.”

“I wanted
something

different in my

life.”

“I think he just

epitomizes what

I want all our

players to be.”