The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
March 25, 2019 — 3B
Ben Mason’s viability through versatility
Steve
George
paused
long
enough to make it clear he rejected
the very premise of the question.
George
coached
now-
Michigan sophomore Ben Mason
at Newtown High School. He
granted Mason free reign to
traverse the field at just about
every position from wide receiver
to running back, linebacker to
defensive line. You name it, Mason
did it. He watched Mason set the
Connecticut state record for pick-
sixes.
So,
asked
last
November
whether perhaps Mason would
have thrived at linebacker in a
different era — in a bygone time
where
downhill,
run-stopping
linebackers were in vogue —
George made his feelings known.
Time period be damned.
“I mean, I don’t even know
in a different era,” George said.
“I think this era would be no
different.”
At the time, Mason was in the
midst of a breakout campaign
at fullback, and the idea that
a different position might suit
him better seemed outlandish.
The
sophomore
had
tallied
six touchdowns in just five
weeks. He was emerging as
a reliable staple of an offense
with
otherwise
maddening
inconsistency.
His
persona
defined by brute physicality was
increasingly endearing him to
fans, who regularly greeted his
presence on the field with hymns
of excitement. In his own way,
Mason was emerging as a star.
Fast forward four months and
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh
is talking about Mason moving
around positions, not as any sort
of demotion, but rather quite the
opposite. Harbaugh said last week
he wants to get Mason on the field
for 60 to 70 plays per game, rather
than the roughly 20 to 25 he played
last season. To do so, he’ll be
operating all over the field rather
than primarily at fullback. In his
answer, Harbaugh listed running
back,
fullback,
3-technique,
linebacker, tight end and multiple
special teams positions. And even
that seemed more like an off-
the-cuff hypothetical than any
exhaustive list.
Spotting Mason on the field
next year will seemingly become
a task akin to solving a Where’s
Waldo puzzle.
“One day he’s on defense, the
next day he’s on offense, the next
day he’ll go to defense and so on,
and rotate,” Harbaugh said. “…
It’ll be a lot on his plate, we’ll see
how he can handle it. I think he’s
going to handle it really well.”
Harbaugh isn’t alone in holding
that sentiment. Ask anyone about
Mason’s skill set and there is a
remarkably consistent trope.
“You can put him anywhere
and he can work his tail off,” said
junior VIPER Khaleke Hudson.
“Anywhere he ends up, I feel like
he’ll be great for the team and do
his position really well.”
New
defensive
line
coach
Shaun Nua added that Mason is
“mentally tough, and (has) enough
athletic ability to help us out on
D-Line.”
According to Harbaugh, Mason
“could be a little bit undersized as
an inside 3-technique. But with
his speed and quickness, I don’t
know who’s going to stop him.”
Mason
came
to
Michigan
hoping
to contribute as a linebacker in
Don Brown’s aggressive scheme.
In a conversation with The Daily
last November, he attempted to list
all the positions he had previously
played and/or hoped to play — and
struggled to do so.
And yet, the staff’s decision
begs the question of whether
plugging Mason all over the
field truly maximizes his value,
or simply alleviates some depth
concerns. At 3-technique, for
example, Michigan lost Lawrence
Marshall, Bryan Mone and Aubrey
Solomon, who, it should be noted,
weigh an average of 48 pounds
more than Mason. At linebacker,
the Wolverines lost Devin Bush,
and are looking to a relatively
inexperienced group to fill the
massive void.
All
the
while,
there’s
uncertainty as to how actively new
offensive coordinator Josh Gattis
will deploy a fullback relative to
Mason’s prior two seasons on
the team. Harbaugh voluntarily
hinted the fullback position will
de-emphasized — “used in short
yardage and goal line situations
predominantly” — as Gattis’ “Pro
Spread” offense begins to take
shape. Trying to shoehorn two-
back sets into a spread offense
creates a square-peg, round-hole
predicament.
Perhaps trying to theorize
specifically how Mason will fit into
the equation next season belies the
point Harbaugh is making. When
Harbaugh first called Mason
after the spring of 2016 to ask
what he thought about a move to
fullback, Mason’s response was
unequivocal.
“I said that I would do anything
for the team and that I was excited
to do it,” Mason recalled. “… I
wanted to come in and make an
impact no matter how I could do it
— and I was going to find a way no
matter what to come in and make
an impact.”
That, above all else, is what
defines him.
And as everything else changes
around
Ben
Mason’s
unique
Michigan career, it appears that
never will.
EVAN AARON/Daily
Michigan fullback Ben Mason has shown his value to the Wolverines with the multiple positions he can play.
MAX MARCOVITCH
Managing Sports Editor
Wolverines complete
sweep of Cornhuskers
What used to be Michigan’s
kryptonite turned into its friend
Sunday.
Senior
outfielder
Natalie
Peters stepped up to bat with
two outs and the bases loaded
during the bottom of the second
inning. But rather than leaving
runners stranded on base like
the Wolverines often do, Peters
pounded a bases-clearing double
to left field and drove in the
first three runs that kickstarted
Michigan’s 12-0 onslaught of the
Nebraska Cornhuskers.
After a four-run second inning,
the Wolverines showcased their
power in the third.
Senior
designated
hitter
Mackenzie Nemitz led off the
inning with a solo home run as
Michigan
celebrated
“Kenzie
Nemitz Day” at Alumni Field.
“I was rounding third and
I was like, ‘Please don’t wake
up,’ because I thought it was a
dream,” Nemitz said about the
home run. “As I was rounding
third and running into my team,
I was like ‘This is real.’”
Right after her was junior
third baseman Madison Uden
who drove another home run
to center field, her first of the
year after going without a hit in
Saturday’s game.
But the Wolverines didn’t
stop there. Senior outfielder
Haley Hoogenraad made it three
consecutive solo home runs for
Michigan when she drove her
first of the season as well down
the left field line, putting the
Wolverines up 7-0 after three
innings.
“In each of the games (this
series), it took us a while to get
our timing,” said Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins. “When we found
our process, especially today, I
felt that we had a lot of better
at-bats and we connected.
“I say it every time. Hitting
is contagious and if you get a
few, then people feel looser and
more confident… Our kids were
definitely loose and having fun
today.”
Michigan continued to step on
the gas pedal during the bottom
of the fourth inning, determined
to finish the game on the five-
inning mercy rule.
Loading
the
bases
with
runners throughout the inning,
Michigan found stability from
the middle of its lineup as
Nemitz, Uden, and Hoogenraad
each had at least one run batted
in, extending the lead up to 11.
Hutchins then decided to
unleash the rest of her weapons,
giving playing time to many of the
bench players including junior
catcher Abby Skvarce who added
another RBI to her campaign.
In the meantime, sophomore
left-hander Meghan Beaubien
continued her dominance of
the Cornhuskers, pitching a
perfect game going into the final
inning. However, with two outs
remaining, Beaubien gave up a
double to Lindsey Walljasper,
the other starting pitcher today.
Beaubien
still
finished
with
seven strikeouts and no walks,
completing the sweep of the
Cornhuskers.
“I mean, (Beaubien) keeps
us in the game,” Nemitz said.
“We just have to produce for her
so that’s what we did, and she
owned it out there.”
Added Beaubien: “It was just a
lot of fun. I think our dugout was
having a lot of fun and we were
hitting the ball really well and
that kind of energy is contagious.”
With a seven-game winning
streak and a perfect start to
the young Big Ten season,
the Wolverines seem to have
found some momentum and
quite possibly its identity, both
offensively and defensively.
Wolverines’ lack of consistency proves costly
Over the course of Michigan’s
young baseball season, junior
left-hander Tommy Henry has
established himself as the ace of
the Wolverines’ rotation. He went
undefeated over his first five starts,
allowing just two runs to cross the
plate over those 35 innings, both to
No. 1 UCLA. He still came out of the
day with a win, as the Wolverines
went on to defeat the Bruins, 7-5.
Thursday,
however,
was
a
different story. Despite not allowing
a single earned run, Henry took his
first loss decision as the Wolverines
fell to No. 19 Texas Tech, 11-2, in
the first contest of a mistake-laden
three-game series for Michigan
this weekend.
Against some of their toughest
competition of the season so far,
the 23rd-ranked Wolverines could
not find a rhythm, as the Red
Raiders took all three games of
the series. Though a 16-6 win over
Stetson on Saturday night was a
bright spot on the weekend, Texas
Tech overpowered the Wolverines
across the board in every contest
this weekend.
“Texas Tech is just better than
we are, and they outplayed us all
weekend long,” Michigan coach
Erik Bakich said. “They were better
than us in all the phases of the game
– offensively, defensively, on the
mound and in the bullpen. They’re
an elite program, and they’re the
best team and the most complete
team not only that we’ve seen this
season, but one of the best teams
I’ve seen in a long, long time.”
The beginning of Thursday’s
game
was
a
pitcher’s
duel
between Henry and Red Raiders
right-hander Micah Dallas. The
Wolverines put a run on the board
in the top of the fourth inning, but
Texas Tech answered by breaking
the game open with six runs in the
bottom of the fifth inning. They
added a run in both the sixth and
seventh innings and tacked on
three more in the eighth en route to
a comfortable victory.
Friday was more of the same.
The Red Raiders were on the board
first with a run in the first inning,
but Michigan answered with runs
in the fourth and fifth innings to
jump out to a one-run lead. But
fielding woes for the Wolverines
helped Texas Tech to a five-run
sixth inning. The Red Raiders went
on to add three more in the seventh,
and though the Wolverines were
able to score a run in the eighth
inning to bring the score to 10-3,
they could not manage a comeback.
Michigan showed some fight in
their first game on Saturday, the
conclusion of the Texas Tech series.
Though the Red Raiders were
again the first to put a run on the
board, the Wolverines answered
with a four-run third inning to take
the lead. The Red Raiders kept the
game close, though, scoring two
runs of their own in the bottom of
the third. They later tied it, tacking
on another run in the fourth. Both
teams added a run in the fifth
inning. But Texas Tech grabbed the
lead with two runs in the seventh
inning. And when they added
another in the eighth off freshman
right-hander Willie Weiss to bring
the score to 8-5, Michigan could
not come up with an answer.
“We couldn’t hold them down
in the bullpen,” Bakich said. “They
sped the game up on us defensively.
They ran out one mid-to-upper-
nineties pitcher after another. And
we weren’t able to handle it as well
as we would’ve liked to. They were
just better. We can’t make any
excuses for that.”
The Wolverines flipped the
script in Saturday’s second game,
when they beat Stetson, 16-6.
Every Michigan starter had at
least one hit, including one home
run from sophomore outfielder
Jesse Franklin and two from
junior outfielder Jordan Brewer.
Michigan’s offense showed its
explosive potential in the game –
they had two four-run innings and
a three-run inning. Still, though,
its lack of offensive consistency
coupled
with
defensive
woes
against
an
extremely-capable
Red Raider offense led to a
disappointing Texas swing for the
Wolverines.
“Growth is a big part of who
we are as a program,” Bakich
said. “I haven’t lost a single ounce
of confidence in our team, and
in what kind of team that we’re
going to have this year. We’re on
the right track. They’re ahead of
us right now, but we’re getting
there. I’m glad that we had this
type of weekend now instead of in
a regional where our season would
be over. This was a very beneficial
trip for us.”
ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer
‘M’ earns sixth-straight
Big Ten Championship
The
Michigan
women’s
gymnastics team has dominated the
Big Ten in women’s gymnastics this
year, going 9-0 against conference
opponents. On Saturday, it was more
of the same.
The Wolverines capped off a
successful year of conference play
with a strong performance at the Big
Ten Championships at Rec Hall in
State College. They came away with
two gymnasts tied for the all-around
award as well as the program’s sixth
consecutive Big Ten trophy.
“It’s awesome,” said Michigan
coach Bev Plocki. “There’s been a lot
going on and this team has refused
to let anything get in the way of their
goals and they’ve overcome a lot.”
The two Michigan gymnasts
tied for the all-around award were
freshman Natalie Wojcik and senior
Olivia Karas. They each scored a
total 39.600, and they also shared
the award with Minnesota’s Lexy
Ramler.
Karas
and
Wojcik’s
scores,
combined with the rest of the team’s
performances, gave the Wolverines
their total score of 197.400, nearly
a full point ahead of second place
Illinois.
Michigan started the meet on
the balance beam. Though it’s one of
the more difficult events to get high
scores, the Wolverines led the meet
with a combined score of 49.300 at
the end of the first session.
Wojcik and Karas tied for the
high score, each earning a 9.900.
They were followed by sophomore
Lauren
Farley
with
a
9.875,
freshman Maddie Mariani with a
9.825, as well as juniors Lexi Funk
and Maddy Osman, who both had
scores of 9.800. The team had a bye
for the next event and took a break
while other teams began with their
respective events.
Soon enough, the Wolverines
were back in action on the floor
exercise.
On floor, Wojcik had the high
score for the team with an impressive
9.950. She was followed by Karas
with a 9.925 and senior Emma
McLean with a 9.900. McLean and
Karas are the sole seniors on the
squad, and there was no better way
to end their Big Ten careers than
with a championship.
“I am speechless,” McLean said.
“I am so proud of my teammates and
the battles we’ve overcome, and we
stuck together through all of it. We
really just gave it everything we had
from the fall to now and no matter
what we kept pounding.”
Michigan was rounded out in
scoring by freshmen Abby Brenner
and Abby Heiskell, with scores
of 9.850 and 9.825, respectively.
Brenner and Heiskell, along with
Wojcik and Mariani, were integral
to the team throughout the season
and have high expectations for the
coming years.
The team was on vault next,
where Wojcik had earned a perfect
score of 10 earlier in February. There
was no perfect score Saturday, but
the Wolverines still had the highest
vault scores of the meet. McLean
had the high score of the event with
a 9.900.
Wojcik and Karas each had a
9.875. Brenner earned herself a
9.825 and they were rounded out
by Heiskell and sophomore Anne
Maxim, each with a score of 9.800.
The final event of the meet for
Michigan was the uneven bars.
Brenner and Karas had the high
scores of 9.900. Mariani and Wojcik
each had a score of 9.875, and
Maxim and Heiskell both earned
a 9.825. With the conclusion of the
uneven bars, the scores were added
and the Wolverines were crowned
champions.
The Big Ten Championship isn’t
the end for Michigan, though.
“I think we can build on our
momentum
(into
the
NCAA
championship) we’ve been creating
all season,” said McLean. “We’re
still climbing uphill and we haven’t
reached our best yet. That’s what
we’re looking for and hopefully,
we put it together at the right time.
I know we will. I know there’s
exciting things waiting for us.”
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
The Michigan baseball team struggled to find consistency in its trip to Texas, finishing 1-3 in games against No. 19 Texas Tech and Stetson.
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
JAMES HILL
Daily Sports Writer
Read the full story online at
MichiganDaily.com
SOFTBALL
AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Daily Sports Writer