8 — Thursday, April 4, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Notebook: Harbaugh details spring depth chart, updates on injuries

About five minutes into his 
press conference Wednesday 
morning, Jim Harbaugh was 
asked about Ben VanSumeran. 
Questions about younger guys 
— in this case, a sophomore 
running back who appeared 
in four games last season, 
narrowly avoiding a redshirt — 
are what spring pressers are for. 
Hype builds and, most often, 
recedes by the time the season 
gets underway. The media tries 
to figure out the depth chart, 
and who’s playing where.
In the case of Michigan 
football under Harbaugh, the 
operative word in that sentence 
has been tries.
Harbaugh 
is 
famously 
secretive, rarely forthcoming. 
He dismisses questions about 
injuries. When an outlet tried 
to file a Freedom of Information 
Request to figure out the most 
basic of things: the roster, 
before the 2017 season, it was 
stonewalled. A depth chart has 
long been considered out of the 
question. Let alone as a response 
to a question that didn’t ask for 
it.
“I would call it a hybrid in the 
sense that a tailback can also 
be an H-back,” Harbaugh said 
of VanSumeran’s position. “But 
he is definitely cemented in the 
running back rotation as well.”
Then he kept going.
“Right now Tru Wilson is 
the starter (at running back). 
Julian Garrett’s backing up or 
— Ben VanSumeren’s the backup 
tailback right now, second team, 
then Julian. Nick Capatina is a 
person who tried out who’s in 
school here and tried out and 
looks like he’s making the team.
“Christian Turner is—I think 
we’ll have Christian back either 
this Sunday or by the following 
Friday practice, so Christian 
should make it back for four 
or five practices. He had a soft 
tissue, hamstring, early on in 
practice, like day two. But he’s 

progressing well.
“Hassan Haskins has also 
been limited this spring. He has 
a prior meniscus that’s—trying 
to get through what he can in 
spring ball, and so far it’s been 
a couple practices. May make it 
back for some practices toward 
the end but I think he’s gonna 
need a procedure when spring 
football practice is over. Zach 
Charbonnet is coming along 
really well. He had an existing 
injury coming out of high school 
that was fixed when he got here 
in January. Not going to be able 
to do any spring ball this session 
but he’ll be back and will do 
fine.”
Got that? Good, because it 
wasn’t the end. By the end, 
Harbaugh 
had 
noted 
Lucas 
Andrighetto’s ACL tear, as well 
as the sophomore’s achievements 
in his high school championship 
game. Andrighetto, mind you, 
played zero games last year, and 
likely wouldn’t this year even if 
healthy.
By the end, Harbaugh had 
been talking for 10 minutes 
straight, touching on seven 
different positional groups and 
giving a verbal depth chart for 
each of them.
Offensive line
No 
surprises 
here. 
The 
Wolverines return four starters 
— Jon Runyan Jr., Ben Bredeson, 
Cesar 
Ruiz 
and 
Michael 
Onwenu, from left to right — 
and according to Harbaugh, 
they will remain the starters.
At 
right 
tackle, 
where 
Michigan 
is 
looking 
for 
a 
replacement for the graduated 
Juwann 
Bushell-Beatty, 
Harbaugh said junior Andrew 
Stueber and sophomore Jalen 
Mayfield are “neck and neck.”
Still, for a unit that was a 
constant source of questions last 
year, this is a welcome calm.
“We’ve got the guys all around 
and one of the things that we 
really have is an offensive line 
that can drive our offense,” 
said offensive coordinator Josh 
Gattis on Mar. 22. “I would 

say that’s the strength of our 
offense right now.”
Wide receiver
If the offensive line looks 
every bit as expected, the 
receiving corps is the complete 
opposite. 
Harbaugh 
named 
early 
enrollee 
Mike Sainristil, 
junior 
Oliver 
Martin 
and 
redshirt 
sophomore 
Tarik 
Black 
as the current 
starters.
That 
comes 
with 
some 
injury 
caveats 
— junior Nico 
Collins, the Wolverines’ leading 
receiver last season, is rehabbing 
from surgery, per Harbaugh, 
and progressing well. Things 
may not be quite as good for 
Donovan Peoples-Jones.
The junior is dealing with 

a 
soft-tissue 
groin 
injury, 
according 
to 
Harbaugh, 
that’s lingering longer than 
the 
program 
anticipated. 
Harbaugh 
grouped 
Peoples-
Jones in with defensive tackle 
Michael Dwumfour as having, 
“more 
serious 
injuries 
than 
we 
previously 
thought,” 
saying 
they 
could 
potentially 
miss 
game-time.
It 
does, 
however, 
seem 
that 
Sainristil’s 
chances of getting 
on the field are 
very much real.
“He has a level of quickness, 
change of direction, speed,” 
Harbaugh said. “Been really 
eye-opening and really good for 
the team.”
Defensive line
With 
Dwumfour’s 
injury 

potentially 
lasting 
into 
the 
season, 3-technique becomes a 
question in need of an answer. 
For now, Harbaugh is turning 
to junior Donovan Jeter, who he 
says, “appears hellbent on being 
the starting defensive tackle,” 
though Ben Mason has gotten in 
the mix as well.
The rest of the front four 
— Aidan Hutchinson, Carlo 
Kemp and Kwity Paye — seem 
fairly 
set, 
though 
there 
is 
some fluctuation amongst the 
backups. In addition to Mason, 
Harbaugh named Mazi Smith, 
Luiji Vilain, Julius Welschof, 
Taylor 
Upshaw 
and 
Gabe 
Newburg as players competing 
for time.
Notes
• 
Harbaugh named the 
current quarterback depth chart 
last week: Shea Patterson, Dylan 
McCaffrey and Joe Milton, and 
it remains unchanged.
• 
Unsurprisingly, 
Sean 

McKeon and Nick Eubanks are 
the current starters at tight end.
• 
Right now, Josh Uche, 
Devin Gil and Josh Ross lead the 
two-deep at Sam, Will and Mike 
linebackers, respectively.
• 
Quinn 
Nordin 
and 
Jake Moody, who took the 
starting kicking job at the end 
of last season, are in a tight 
competition for the role this 
season.
• 
Peoples-Jones 
and 
Dwumfour are the only injuries 
deemed serious by Harbaugh. 
Cornerback 
Lavert 
Hill 
is 
currently rehabbing from a 
procedure, Harbaugh said, but 
may be able to make it back for 
some of spring ball.
• 
With Hill out, Vince 
Gray 
is 
starting 
at 
corner 
alongside 
Ambry 
Thomas, 
with Brad Hawkins at nickel. 
Harbaugh also named Josh 
Metellus and J’Marick Woods 
as the two starting safeties.

ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh gave updates on the Wolverines’ depth chart and various injuries during his press conference on Wednesday morning.

We really have ... 
an offensive line 
that can drive 
our offense.

Wolverines crush Toledo, 24-3

Early in the first inning, 
senior 
first 
baseman 
Alex 
Sobczak hit a line drive single 
to right field to move senior 
second baseman Faith Canfield 
to home plate.
And the runs kept coming.
With 13 walks and 12 hits for 
the No. 23 Michigan softball 
team, the Wolverines shredded 
Toledo on Wednesday, 24-3, 
running through the batting 
order almost four times in the 
first two innings alone to win 
by run rule. By the end of the 
second inning, several walks 
with bases loaded resulted in 
more runs than hits and a 19-0 
lead for Michigan.
Starting the game with a big 
first inning, the Wolverines 
ran through the batting order, 
with four walks contributing 
to six runs on the inning. But 
Michigan’s avalanche of runs 
didn’t take shape until, up 2-0 
off a walk that forced senior 
outfielder Natalie Peters home, 
junior Haley Hoogenraad hit a 
ground ball to third base. The 
Rockets’ third baseman tossed 
the ball to the catcher, who 
dropped it, allowing Sobczak 
to slide home on the error, 
along with senior Mackenzie 
Nemitz. A line drive hit by 

senior 
Faith 
Canfield 
also 
increased the score to 6-0.
“We took advantage of 23 
free bases,” said Michigan 
coach Carol Hutchins. “You 
can score six runs in the first 
inning and not score again, 
so it doesn’t necessarily carry 
over, but as you have runs on 
the board, your hitters can be a 
little more loose and confident 
and not feel that pressure and 
get tight, so you see some of 
that.”
But the day’s real highlight 
was the second inning.
After 
freshman 
Lexie 
Blair hit a fly ball for the 
inning’s first out and Sobczak 
slammed a double into center 
field, Toledo’s pitcher walked 
Nemitz, 
foreshadowing 
the 
end of the inning.
Though 
junior 
Haley 
Hoogenraad hit a line drive for 
two RBI, the Wolverines’ next 
six runs all came in on walks 
or players hit by pitches with 
bases loaded.
During 
the 
onslaught, 
Hutchins started putting in 
bench players, and freshman 
catcher 
Hannah 
Carson 
stepped to the plate. For her 
first home run as a Wolverine, 
Carson blasted a grand slam 
to right-center field to empty 
the loaded bases and move the 
lead to 19-0. As she rounded 

the bases, Hutchins threw an 
M&M at her.
“I didn’t know at first 
because it was a low line drive, 
but then when I saw it go out I 
was just super excited because 
I’d never hit a grand slam 
before,” Carson said. “It was 
really exciting.”
Even after that monster 
inning, 
Michigan’s 
power 
didn’t diminish. For her first 
college home run, freshman 
infielder Gianna Carosone hit 
a flyout. Hits by Hoogenraad 
and Carson brought the score 
after the third inning to 24-0.
And the defense thrived 
as well as the offense. Before 
leaving the game after the 
third inning, freshman right-
hander Alex Storako allowed 
no hits.
After the bench took over 
the infield, Michigan allowed 
three runs and scored none 
in the fourth inning, but the 
win nonetheless remained a 
blowout.
“I told them to come back 
tomorrow and be ready for a 
hard practice because I like 
confidence, but you don’t want 
to get soft,” Hutchins said. “I 
love home runs, but it’s just fun 
that everybody but (sophomore 
left-hander Meghan Beaubien) 
got in that game and held their 
own and did well.”

LILY FRIEDMAN
Daily Sports Writer

KARTIK SUNDARAM/Daily
Senior first baseman Alex Sobczak helped spark Michigan to a 19-0 lead over Toledo, a game it eventually won 24-3.

