The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, March 21, 2019 — 7
In recent years, the Michigan baseball
team has seen both highs and lows. Even
with a record of 111-59 over the past three
years, only two of those wins came in
postseason games.
Last season, despite a thrilling
20-game win streak, the Wolverines
were eliminated from the Big Ten
Tournament with only one victory and
failed to clinch an NCAA Tournament
spot.
This inability to break through in
the past, however, has motivated this
year’s team to strive toward making
a deep run in the postseason. With
improved offensive strength and an ideal
combination of youth and experience,
expectations are high. And as of now No.
23 Michigan is the only ranked team in
the conference. The Daily takes a look at
the other teams in the Big Ten and those
who could potentially pose a threat to the
Wolverines.
Minnesota (5-13)
After their euphoric 2018 season,
the Golden Gophers placed first in
the 2019 Big Ten preseason poll of
conference coaches. Last year the team
posted a 44-15 record, winning the Big
Ten Tournament and advancing to
NCAA Super Regionals. Despite those
achievements, however, Minnesota has
had a rocky start to its season, and it
remains to be seen whether the Golden
Gophers can reclaim last year’s magic.
Player to watch: Sophomore Outfielder/
Right-hander Max Meyer
Meyer competed for the USA Baseball
Collegiate National Team last summer,
bringing his strengths as a two-way
player. He boasts a .333 batting average
and an equally strong 1.17 ERA so far.
Illinois (14-3)
Illinois has had a strong start to its
season and has high expectations after
making it to the semifinals in the Big Ten
Tournament, just missing the NCAA
Tournament field as the second team
out. While they are reckoning with the
loss of Big Ten Player of the Year Bren
Spillane as well as reliable closer Joey
Gerber, the future looks promising
with a D1Baseball.com Top 25-ranked
recruiting class. Keep an eye on the
Fighting Illini.
Player to watch: Freshman Right-
hander Aidan Maldonado
Maldonado — ranked the No. 4
newcomer in the Big Ten by Baseball
America and drafted in the 38th round
of the 2018 MLB draft by the Milwaukee
Brewers — promises to deliver an impact
on the mound but has yet to be heavily
utilized by the team, with only eight
innings pitched in five games.
Iowa (10-7)
The Hawkeyes, who were on the
NCAA Tournament bubble last year, lost
their top four hitters in the offseason. The
team has endured significant losses since
its 2017 run to NCAA Regionals, with
only three offensive starters remaining
from two years ago. The overhauled
team has exhibited some strengths
which were on display in its two wins
against California State Northridge ––
who bested the Wolverines during their
swing through California earlier this
month. But with so many key offensive
players missing, Iowa will find it difficult
to replicate what it’s done in the past.
Player to watch: Junior Right-hander
Grant Judkins
Judkins, with a 1.52 ERA, has had a
strong season so far and was key in the
Hawkeyes’ doubleheader victories over
Cal State, even demonstrating an ability
to contribute at the plate with a two-run
double to win the second game.
Penn State (13-3)
The Nittany Lions posted an abysmal
15-34 record last season and an even
worse Big Ten record. Their relatively
strong start this year has thus been a
pleasant surprise for a team almost
completely excluded from preseason
prognostications. The offseason saw a
lot of turnover and the team has added
seven freshmen, a sophomore and four
upperclassmen transfers to the lineup,
who the coaching staff hopes will shift
things in another direction. Despite its
strong start, resetting a team can be
a long process, and Penn State likely
poses little threat to the conference
heavyweights.
Player to watch: Junior second baseman
Gavin Homer
Homer, a transfer from Kellogg
Community College and part of the
team’s attempt to reinvigorate its offense,
hit a .386 batting average last season and
promises to add more offensive efficiency
to the lineup.
Indiana (12-8)
The Hoosiers have only missed out
on one NCAA Tournament berth over
the six years since their College World
Series appearance in 2013 and have
been a consistent regional presence in
the conference. Their performance so
far this season –– the first under new
manager Jeff Mercer –– however, has
been anything but consistent. In the
first 15 games of the season, Indiana had
difficulty producing consistent pitching
or hitting. Strikeouts also plagued the
offense. Junior outfielder Matt Gorski
was the only hitter making significant
contributions.
Players to watch: Junior Outfielder
Matt Gorski and Senior Right-hander
Pauly Milto
Gorski, a Big Ten preseason honored
player, has been moved into the leadoff
spot thanks to his team-leading .329
batting average. Pauly Milto, meanwhile,
has established himself as the team’s
leading pitcher, and the team enters
its first conference series against Iowa
coming of a five-game win streak. Don’t
count them out just yet.
Nebraska (7-7)
After
the
Cornhuskers
earned
their first Big Ten title in 2017, their
2018 season with a 24-28 record was a
disappointment stemming from injury
problems within the pitching staff as well
as offensive inconsistency. Having lost its
two leading hitters, Chad Luensmann
and Connor Curry, Nebraska will have
to find a way to fill gaps in its offense.
The Cornhuskers’ mixed record thus far
indicates this will be a challenge.
Player to watch: Freshman Infielder/
Right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach
Nebraska
is
fortunate
to
have
Schwellenbach — who turned down
an opportunity to join the Cleveland
Indians after being drafted in the 34th
round. He has the team’s second highest
batting average so far this year at .333.
AIDAN WOUTAS
Daily Sports Writer
At the start of the season,
Michigan coach Erik Bakich had a
feeling.
“I do like this group,” Bakich
said. “I think this group has a lot
of potential. On paper, at least, the
pieces are there to have a special,
magical type of season.”
Now, the No. 23 Michigan
baseball team is validating that
feeling. It has quality pitching
and elite defense. A cohesive team
chemistry and the drive to prove
itself. It’s only missing one thing —
a consistent offense.
Starting off the year in Florida,
the bats looked red-hot, averaging
nine runs per game over the three-
game series, leaving Binghamton
in the dust. The next week, The
Wolverines’ bats showed the first
signs of slowing down — averaging
just over five runs per game as they
rode their impressive pitching to
comfortable victories.
In California, the problems
were aired out for the whole
country to see. Junior infielder
Jordan
Brewer
and
junior
outfielder Jordan Nwogu were tied
with Michigan’s highest batting
average at just .285. The team eked
out an average of just over three
runs per game against the team’s
toughest competition all year —
USC, Oklahoma State and then No.
2 UCLA.
Beyond hitting, the Wolverines’
other offensive weaknesses were
exposed.
In
the
Dodgertown
Classic, five times Michigan’s
baserunners were caught stealing
or put out. The team’s aggressive
mindset was being pushed too
far, it had crossed the fine line of
positive mistakes it was treading
earlier in the season — aggressive
defensive
plays
and
forcing
opposition to make tough choices
— to bad mistakes.
“We had a lot of outs on the
bases from this trip,” Bakich said.
“Whether it be caught stealing or
pick-offs, those are very costly
mistakes
against
really
good
teams. We can get away with it
against lesser teams, you can’t get
away with it against UCLA, USC,
Oklahoma State, some of these
west coast teams that are playing
outside all year long”
The Wolverines’ 3-4 run over
Spring Break sent them tumbling
down most rankings. The only poll
that kept them in the top 25 was
Baseball America, dropping them
to No. 23.
“All of the games were close
because of our pitching and our
defense in the losses,” Bakich said.
“That’s how we’re built, and we
are not even close to firing on all
cylinders offensively.”
Bakich predicted an offensive
storm following the trip, but not
even the most optimistic fan could
have predicted the onslaught to
come on Michigan’s five-game
homestand. With 50 runs, the
Wolverines blew past their two
opponents
—
Manhattan
and
Western Michigan.
But Michigan’s ability to score
against struggling teams isn’t
a question. The question is if it
can keep a productive offense
throughout the season against
good teams — the same question
that was asked last year.
After an awful start to 2018, the
Wolverines went on a 20-game win
streak that ended shortly before
the postseason. Their offense
couldn’t show up — only averaging
two runs over the last six games —
and they crashed out of the Big Ten
Tournament after two games.
Bakich, though, has a feeling
this year is different.
“It feels like a championship
team,” Bakich said.
First, they’ll need to prove it.
KENT SCHWARTZ
Daily Sports Writer
Big Ten Breakdown
A question of offensive
consistency
The 2018 season for Michigan
baseball was a roller-coaster.
After losing 11 players to the
MLB draft, many freshmen and
inexperienced players were thrown
into important roles. After a 4-11 start
last season, the Wolverines followed
by going on a 20-game win-streak.
After accomplishing such a great
achievement, Michigan subsequently
crashed — a disappointing Big Ten
Tournament and a poor finish for
the regular season resulted in the
Wolverines getting left out of the
College World Series.
This season couldn’t be more
different.
Michigan coach Erik Bakich and
this team entered the season with high
expectations — and so far they seem to
be on track. The experience gained by
those young and untested players has
already paid dividends as they have led
the Wolverines to a 14-4 record.
Michigan
has
used
only
two
newcomers extensively in its lineup thus
far. Junior outfielder Jordan Brewer
who transferred in 2018 after two
seasons at Lincoln Trail Community
College (Illinois) and freshman right-
hander Willie Weiss. Brewer has been
a consistent starter all season while
Weiss has seen opportunities in a relief
role.
The
Wolverines’
defense
and
pitching were expected to be their
strengths this season and have been
as advertised with a team ERA of just
2.56 and a team fielding percentage
of .974. But their hitting has also been
impressive. Michigan has put up five
or more runs in 11 of its first 18 games.
As a team, the Wolverines average over
seven runs per game and have a healthy
batting average at .281.
The Daily breaks down the team
position-by-position:
Pitchers
Someone with two first names is
usually subject to a plethora of jokes.
But junior Tommy Henry’s season
has been no joke.
The left-handed ace has been dealing
this season. His 0.51 ERA and a 5-0
record puts him atop the team and the
Big Ten in both categories. He leads the
team in innings pitched, has the fewest
walks, earned runs and batting average.
Henry has a strong supporting cast
of starters in junior right-hander Karl
Kauffman and sophomore right-hander
Jeff Criswell. Kauffman would be the
headliner if not for the outstanding
performance of Henry. Kauffman
has an ERA of 1.06 and a 4-1 record.
He holds his opponents to a batting
average of .164. Criswell rounds out the
rotation with a 3.51 ERA. Criswell has
seen a major step up in his role after
pitching in relief last season. The loss
of sophomore left-hander Ben Dragani
to season ending Tommy John surgery
seems to have pushed Criswell into a
larger role.
Catchers
Sophomore Joe Donovan grabbed
the starting position in the offseason
and hasn’t looked back. Donovan has
been a steady presence behind the
plate thus far. His defensive prowess
with a .993 fielding percentage and his
vocal leadership have made Donovan
a key player for Michigan. Freshman
Casey Buckley and redshirt sophomore
Harrison Salter are the primary
reserves for Donovan. Combined,
they’ve played in 12 games and started
four. Unlike last season, catcher is a
known quantity and should continue to
be a strength for the Wolverines.
First Base
Junior Jordan Brewer was a bit of
an unknown coming into the season.
Bakich raved about his athleticism, but
Brewer’s batting has been the highlight
of this season. Against Manhattan,
Brewer had the bases loaded with two
outs and an 0-2 count. He crushed
the ball into left field for a grand slam
adding to his collection of highlights
this season. He has started all 18 games
and has the third best batting average
on the team at .368. But, Brewer is
more than just a slugger. His fielding
percentage is an incredible .986. At first
base, Michigan is solid both defensively
and offensively so don’t expect many
opportunities for the reserve players.
Second Base
Last season, senior Ako Thomas
suffered a wrist injury derailing a
promising
junior
campaign.
This
season, he is looking to reach the All-
Big Ten First Team form he enjoyed in
his sophomore season. Thomas looks
healthy again and, while his early
season batting average is lower than
last season, he has plenty of time to
rectify those issues. Thomas’ defense
has been top-notch again this season
with a fielding percentage of .982.
Additionally, his base-running skills
are something that the Wolverines will
look to utilize. Over his sophomore and
junior seasons Thomas stole 38 bases
— an impressive tally considering his
junior season was shortened due to the
aforementioned injury. Thomas has
split time this season with senior Blake
Nelson. Nelson brings an added element
of batting with an impressive .452
average in 11 games this season. But,
the added power comes with a tradeoff
as Nelson has accrued six errors this
season compared to Thomas’ one.
Shortstop
Sophomore Jack Blomgren has
retained his starting position from
last season. Blomgren appears to have
made a significant jump since then,
batting at .339 as compared to .216 last
season. Blomgren already has 13 RBI
this season compared to last season’s
tally of 18 in less than half of the games.
Blomgren’s fielding has improved vastly
as well, with just one error this season.
Third Base
Senior Jimmy Kerr is the veteran
leader of this team. Kerr returns as
starter this season and, while his
batting has not been exceptional, his
defense appears to have improved since
last season. Kerr has built on his fielding
percentage from last season, going from
.893 to .923. Kerr is a steady presence
on both the field and in the dugout.
His teammates have a lot of respect
for the player who embodies Michigan
baseball. Kerr’s father and grandfather
played at Michigan as well. Kerr has
started every game this season.
Outfield
After starting the past two seasons
in left field, redshirt senior Miles Lewis
has been shifted over to right field.
Lewis has been a solid hitter this season
at .292 — a marked improvement over
.230 last season. His two home runs
this season nearly equal last season’s
total of three. Lewis has once again
been a pillar of Michigan’s defense with
a 1.000 fielding percentage.
AVI RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI
Daily Sports Writer
From Henry to Thomas to Kerr: Breaking down the 2019 Michigan baseball roster
Ruchita Iyer / Daily
A preview of the 2019 Michigan Baseball team
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