The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 — 7A

To be successful, Michigan 
baseball needs to be consistent

Last season, the Michigan 
baseball team got off to a horrid 
4-11 start.
It lost a three-game series to 
Lipscomb — which had just a 
.444 win percentage last season. 
The Wolverines were outscored 
by an average of 1.2 runs and 
posted a batting average of 
.230 
while 
their 
opponents 
maintained an average of .255.
Michigan 
had 
its 
worst 
moment, though, in its home 
opener, when they lost 8-3 to 
Lawrence Tech, an NAIA school 
that lost its final game by a score 
of 28-0 to the Indiana Institute 
of Technology.
Yet, after that 8-3 loss to the 
Blue Devils, the Wolverines won 
their next 20 games, outscoring 
opponents by an average of 5 
runs.
During 
that 
win 
streak, 
Michigan found itself. Posting a 
team batting average of .317, their 
defense also found their groove. 
Its pitchers held opposing hitters 
to a .197 batting average and the 
team averaged 1.05 errors per 
game — at one point going four 
straight games without an error.
“Just the consistency of the 
approach and the mindset,” said 
Wolverines coach Erik Bakich. 
“It’s one thing to get up for Big 
Ten play, it’s one thing to be able 
to have a lot of energy when the 
team is winning or has the lead 
in the game. It’s another to be 
able to bring it to training days, 
to be able to take care of the little 
things, keeping the locker room 
clean, going into the weight room 
and really getting after it and 
just competing in everything.”
Then Michigan lost and kept 
losing. The Wolverines ended 
the season having won only one 
of their last six regular season 
games. 
Michigan’s 
batting 
average dropped to .205, while 
its opponents managed a .251 

average, eventually leading to 
the Wolverines being outscored 
35-16.
The 
slump 
couldn’t 
have 
come at a worse time, as they 
quickly crashed out of the Big 
Ten tournament after three 
days, only winning one game: a 
tournament opening 2-1 victory 
over Iowa.
Last year, most of the core 
players on the rollercoaster team 
were underclassmen, having lost 
11 juniors to the MLB draft in the 
previous offseason. This year, 
the team returns eight defensive 
starters and 10 pitchers, as 
well as most of its offensive 
production.
“I see a group of kids who’ve 
had another birthday, who’ve 
gotten stronger, who’ve become 
more physical,” Bakich said. 
“So I would like to think we’re 
capable of hitting for more power 
this year and I like to think some 
of our pitchers are going to be 
stronger, more durable. We’ve 
seen some bumps in velocity 
from some of our pitchers, and 

they look more physical on the 
mound as well.”
Stronger hitters and more 
durable pitchers will benefit this 
team, but if Michigan wishes to 
make as far of a run as its talent 
allows, it’ll also need to learn 
how to lessen the slumps and 
stay consistent.
“I think this group has a lot 
of potential,” said Bakich. “On 
paper, at least, the pieces are 
there to have a special, magical 
type of season. We’ve got our 
goals set as high as you can set 
them, and in terms of how we’ve 
prepared and being around these 
guys every day, it feels like a 
championship team.”
This season, the growth of 
their breakout freshmen and 
sophomores will need to not 
only come physically, but also 
mentally. If they can translate 
their experience from last year 
into taming the waves they go 
through, and finding a way to 
get hot towards the end of the 
season, perhaps the team can 
meet Bakich’s lofty expectations.

KENT SCHWARTZ
Daily Sports Writer 

FILE PHOTO/Daily
Senior infielder Ako Thomas looks to spearhead Michigan’s offense in 2019.

Dilk still working through injury

The 
Michigan 
women’s 
basketball team finally has some 
momentum it desperately needed.
Sunday’s win over Penn State 
was the team’s fourth-straight 
win and its second conference 
victory on the road. Prior to their 
victory over the Nittany Lions, 
the Wolverines (7-6 Big Ten, 16-9 
overall) lost six out of nine games. 
So, things are trending up.
There 
is 
one 
significant 
concern, though. Last Thursday, 
during the first quarter against 
Nebraska, freshman guard Amy 
Dilk went down with a right knee 
injury while attempting a floater. 
She hasn’t played since, and 
the status of her injury remains 
uncertain. In high school, she 
injured the same knee twice and 
had surgery.
“She has a knee injury and 
she’s day-to-day right now,” said 
Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico on Tuesday. “So, she’s out 
until she is back 100 percent.”
From the moment the season 
started, Dilk has been the main 
starter at point 
guard. She logged 
27 
minutes 
in 
each of the first 
four 
contests 
and 
quickly 
transitioned 
to 
the pace of the 
college 
game. 
Since the new 
calendar year, she 
is averaging close 
to 36 minutes per 
night.
When healthy, Dilk is a key 
asset to the Wolverines’ offense. 
She scores 7.6 points per game 
and has strong court vision that 
creates opportunities for her 
teammates.
Though Michigan won its 
two games without Dilk, her 
absence had a clear impact on its 
ball handling abilities. Michigan 
committed 21 turnovers against 
the Cornhuskers — its most in 
a game since late December. 

Early against the Nittany Lions, 
the Wolverines lacked direction 
again. They had a shaky start and 
picked up 22 turnovers — 13 of 
which came in the first half.
“To try to adjust without your 
point guard took a little bit of time 
in the last two 
games,” 
Barnes 
Arico said. “The 
problem is at this 
point of year, we 
don’t have too 
many 
practices 
to start working 
on 
developing 
another 
point 
guard. But at least 
we have the next 
couple days to 
really get people 
ready to be in that position.”
In the Penn State game, 
sophomore guard Deja Church, 
junior guard Akienreh Johnson 
and senior guard Nicole Munger 
shared most of the time running 
the offense. Barnes Arico plans to 
keep a rotation going — potentially 
giving freshman guard Danielle 
Rauch more reps, too — but looks 
to Church as the starter.
“I think for each of them, 
they’re willing to take on that 

role. But the responsibility of 
doing it 100 percent of the time 
is enormous,” Barnes Arico said. 
“And I think at this point in the 
season, for the best interest of our 
team it’s great to have different 
people there throughout the 
game.
“And Deja obviously is gonna 
be the first one there, and I think 
she has the most experience there 
and I think she can definitely 
handle that role and I think she 
embraces that role.”
Michigan’s 
three 
main 
options 
all 
bring 
something 
different to the table. As the 
veteran of the group, Munger is 
the most fundamentally sound. 
Her experience can help avoid 
mistakes in crunch time. Church 
is quick and excels at attacking 
the 
basket. 
Johnson 
brings 
size and hit her stride recently, 
scoring in double-figures twice 
this month.
Regardless, 
time 
will 
tell 
how well those characteristics 
compensate for Dilk’s absence.
“I can’t wait for (Dilk) to get 
back,” Barnes Arico said.
The Wolverines though, have 
managed — at least in the short 
term — without her.

‘M’ bounces back from lone loss

It wasn’t the most difficult 
matchup of the season, but it 
did provide the No. 4 Michigan 
wrestling team (10-1 overall, 
6-1 Big Ten) an important 
opportunity. Coming off their 
first loss of the season at top-
ranked Penn State, it was time 
to see if the Wolverines could 
process a loss and respond. 
As 
Drew 
Mattin 
reminded 
everyone, they absolutely can.
By pinning Matthew Vinci 
at 4:04 into the match, the 
sophomore brought Michigan 
back to its winning ways in 
the 
team’s 
return 
to 
Cliff 
Keen Arena. The fall gave the 
Wolverines a lead they would 
never relinquish and Michigan 
shook off its first loss of the 
season, beating Northwestern 
(3-10 overall, 1-7 Big Ten) by the 
score of 30-9. The commanding 
win saw the Wolverines drop 
three matches — all by decision 
— while the seven victories 
included two decisions, three 
major decisions and two falls.
Prior 
to 
Mattin’s 
match, 
the dual got off to an eventful 
start 
as 
freshman 
Mason 
Parris wrestled the Wildcats’ 
Conan Jennings. Down 5-2 to 
start the match’s final period, 
Parris escaped from the bottom 
position 
quickly 
to 
narrow 
the deficit to two points. An 
aggressive late push by Parris 
tied the match at five with 20 
seconds 
remaining, 
eliciting 

a roar from the packed Cliff 
Keen Arena crowd. It wouldn’t 
be enough, as Jennings earned 
a point from an escape and 
Parris’ late attempt at another 
takedown 
was 
unsuccessful 
upon video review.
In 
the 
133-pound 
class, 
Northwestern’s 
Sebastian 
Rivera was bumped up from 
the 
125-pound 
category 
to 
compete 
with 
redshirt 
junior 
Stevan 
Micic. 
Both 
wrestlers 
are ranked atop 
their 
respective 
weight 
classes, 
and Rivera was 
bumped 
up 
moments 
before 
the match. But 
Micic had little 
trouble scoring and wrestled to 
a 10-4 decision regardless.
“I didn’t really get to have 
a reaction (to the change in 
opponent). I was already on the 
mat,” Micic said. “I literally 
just turned around and shook 
his hand and wrestled. I treat 
every opponent the same way. 
Obviously you’ve gotta have 
some game plan, a little, but 
it’s hard, and you’re going 
to have to stick to your own 
way of wrestling. That’s most 
important.”
Redshirt sophomore Kanen 
Storr followed Micic with a win 
by major decision to extend the 
Michigan lead to 13-3, but the 
Wolverines’ 
momentum 
was 

halted by Shayne Oster’s decision 
victory over fifth-year senior 
Malik Amine. Coming out of the 
intermission, Michigan’s lead 
decreased when Alec Pantaleo 
lost to Ryan Deakin. The loss 
would be the Wolverines’ last 
and the Wildcats’ score never 
rose above nine, as redshirt 
junior Logan Massa promptly 
won by major 
decision. 
Michigan never 
looked 
back 
en route to its 
victory.
In a meet full 
of 
impressive 
performances, 
though, 
sophomore 
Reece Hughes’ 
stands 
out 
among the rest. 
Wrestling above his weight, 
Hughes needed only 1:18 to 
earn six points and then pin 
his opponent to earn a fall. The 
Wolverines’ score subsequently 
vaulted 
to 
a 
seemingly 
insurmountable 23-9 margin.
“When you’re going up (in 
weight), the pace tends to be a 
little bit slower, so I can keep the 
pace higher for longer,” Hughes 
said. “Usually with bumping up, 
like I’ve done a few times this 
year, I have to wear down the 
dude a little bit more, but this 
time I got in, I got a smooth shot, 
and I could finish quick, and 
then just went to work on top.”
Redshirt 
freshman 
Jelani 
Embree and redshirt junior 
Jackson Striggow closed out 
the dual with a major decision 
and a decision, respectively. 
The four consecutive victories 
— including two major decisions 
and a pin — to finish the dual 
meet was a dominant end to 
a dominant performance by 
Michigan.
“We were a little concerned 
coming off two weekends — 
really big opponents, really big 
arenas — that guys might not 
have their intensity as high as 
they need it (today),” said coach 
Sean Bormet. “So we talked 
about that during the week and 
I think overall they did a good 
job and responded really well.”

OWEN SWANSON
Daily Sports Writer

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Redshirt junior Stevan Micic wrestled to a 10-4 decision this weekend.

...they did a 
good job and 
responded 
really well.

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Freshman guard Amy Dilk remains day-to-day after injuring her right knee.

She has a knee 
injury and she’s 
day-to-day 
right now.

Wolverines face questions on offense

On Tuesday, the No. 17 
Michigan softball team spent 
most of practice doing one drill: 
batting with the bases loaded.
The Wolverines’ struggled 
against 
the 
nation’s 
elite, 
putting up a total of one run 
against then-No. 5 Florida and 
then-No. 7 Arizona while failing 
to drive baserunners home for 
much of the weekend.
“The only question we asked 
them after the Florida game 
was, ‘What do you think people 
say when they watch you play?’ 
” said Michigan coach Carol 
Hutchins. “One of the words 
that came out of everybody’s 
mouth was timid. Well, timid 
is not really a good quality, you 
know, in a playing surface.”
Added freshman outfielder 
Lexie Blair, “I feel like our first 
few games we were a bit tense 
up at the plate. We were just 
trying too hard, we’re thinking 
too much. And then I would 
say after the Florida game, our 
coach was just telling us to not 
think, swing with intent. We’ve 
been playing for such a long 
time, we know what we’re doing 
when we go out into the box.”
By its last two games, the 

Wolverines’ offense broke out 
of its cage, lighting up South 
Florida and Illinois State for 10 
and 11 runs, respectively. But 
this resurgence very well could 
have been the result of playing 
unranked competition.
“(Playing against top-ranked 
teams) is something you can’t 
let get to your head,” said junior 
outfielder Haley Hoogenraad. 
“And I think, personally, it did 
at times, but I caught myself.”
But if Michigan has any 
hopes of being one of the best 
teams in the nation, it will need 
to replicate those performing 
against the likes of Florida and 
Arizona.
Opening weekend also raised 
some positional questions for 
Hutchins, who still isn’t sure 
what to expect and who to rely 
on offensively.
One 
of 
those 
glaring 
questions is who will play first 
base as the season progresses. 
Sophomore 
Taylor 
Bump 
started the first three games 
before senior Alex Sobczak got 
the nod against South Florida 
and Illinois State, but neither 
seemed to outperform the other 
at the plate. Hutchins, though, 
wants answers now, which 
means she will continue to 
experiment until she finds the 

perfect fit.
“First 
base 
is 
a 
hitting 
position, we all know, but you 
gotta be able to take care of the 
defense,” Hutchins said. “We 
gotta find a place for our best 
hitters. And first of all, I gotta 
figure out who the best hitters 
are.”
With 
the 
Big 
Ten/ACC 
challenge 
coming 
up 
and 
more 
top-10 
nonconference 
opponents 
to 
follow, 
the 
Wolverines 
will 
continue 
to 
be 
challenged. 
And 
if 
performances like those against 
Arizona and Florida occur again 
– when the lineup struggled to 
produce offense – it could raise 
bigger concerns for Michigan.
Chief 
among 
those 
is 
whether the team has enough 
power to hang with the best of 
the best. With senior catcher 
Katie Alexander hitting the 
only Wolverine home runs this 
past weekend, Hutchins hopes 
to find that power throughout 
the rest of the lineup. This 
could possibly mean playing 
one of the catchers at first base 
or Hutchins could try freshman 
infielder Morgan Overaitis who 
went 3-for-9 with three RBIs as 
a designated hitter.
For now, though, she’ll just 
have to wait and watch.

ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins lamented her team’s offensive inconsistency in the season-opening series.

AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Daily Sports Writer

