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.