The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, April 5, 2019 — 7
Carson’s grand slam emblematic
of freshmen success for Michigan
By the bottom of the second
inning, the No. 23 Michigan
softball team had fallen into a
pattern: get walked to first on
a full count, round the bases to
home, repeat.
Then,
freshman
catcher
Hannah Carson stepped up to the
plate.
Before
Wednesday’s
game
against Toledo, Carson had 35
at-bats, registering eight hits,
though only two were translated
into runs. Close games early in the
season didn’t allow freshmen like
Carson to see much playing time,
but recent offensive surges have
allowed her more time on the field.
In these games, the non-starters
have shown their worth.
Carson,
who’s
had
more
defensive opportunities than most
freshmen on the team, has proven
to be an asset to the Wolverines
behind the plate, not committing a
single error in her 22 appearances
this season.
“Hannah’s been behind the
plate,” said Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins. “She’s a fine catcher. She
does a great job receiving, she’s got
a gun for an arm and just learning
to keep up with the intensity of
this game — she’s done that when
she’s had her opportunity. We can
put her in at any time; we have
confidence in her that way.”
But on Wednesday, it was her
time to prove herself offensively
against the Rockets.
The Wolverines were up 15-0
by the time Carson picked up the
bat. With the bases loaded and
two outs, Michigan was looking
to extend an already long inning.
After a strike, a foul, and two
balls, it looked like Carson’s at-bat
would result in another walk, but
that wasn’t in the cards.
On the next pitch, Carson
swung hard, sending a line drive
over the right-field wall —the
first home run of her collegiate
career. The grand slam increased
Michigan’s lead to 19.
Because the ball was so low,
Carson didn’t even know whether
it went out of the field.
The impressive feat by the
freshman demonstrated just how
impactful this class can be when
given the chance.
Every
player
except
for
sophomore
Meghan
Beaubien
made
an
appearance
before
the game ended in the fifth
inning. The non-starters didn’t
disappoint, accounting for seven
of the Wolverines’ 24 runs.
Carson’s grand slam was followed
by a home run from freshman
infielder Gianna Carosone.
While Hutchins said she loved
the home runs, these weren’t the
highlights of the game in her eyes.
“I was most excited that (the
underclassmen) were able to
get in and get some meaningful
time — more than one at-bat and
get on the defensive side of the
ball,” Hutchins said. “They’re our
future.”
Carson almost repeated this
performance in the next inning
when she fired a ball towards
center field. Just shy of high
enough,
the
ball
ricocheted
against the back wall where a
Rockets outfielder failed to make
the catch, resulting in a double.
Carson’s hit brought two runners
home, bringing her RBI total to six
for the game.
“I thought it was (going out) for
a minute there,” Carson said. “But
it was really exciting anyway.”
In
between
these
at-bats,
Carson was substituted in for
catcher Katie Alexander behind
the plate, a role she will likely
continue to occupy after the senior
graduates.
“She’s got all the skill sets that
we need,” Hutchins said. “I think
she’s got the ability to be a really
great player here. She’s learning
how to hit at this level, which is
really learning how to manage the
strike zone.
“The
sky’s
the
limit
for
Hannah.”
Storako rebounds against Toledo
Alex Storako took a deep
breath, gripped the ball in her
glove and began her windup.
With a pair of runners aboard
and two outs in the inning, the
freshman right-hander’s pitch
froze Toledo’s Brianna Robeson
— Storako’s fourth strikeout of
the inning.
The four-strikeout inning is
a rarity. On Wednesday, Storako
achieved the feat during the No.
23 Michigan softball team’s 24-3
victory over the Rockets (10-
19), an onslaught that marked
the Wolverines’ (24-10) 12th
consecutive win.
Storako’s own blunder made
the
four-strikeout
oddity
possible. In the first at-bat of the
second inning, Toledo’s Kaitlyn
Bergman uncorked a vicious
swing on a ball well outside
of the strike zone with two
strikes in the count. Bergman
whiffed on the wild pitch, but
the ball bounced away from
senior catcher Katie Alexander,
allowing Bergman to reach base
on the dropped third strike
rule. Storako received credit for
the strikeout, but no out was
recorded.
After plunking the next batter
with a fastball, Storako appeared
to be on the verge of unraveling.
The
last
time
Storako
found herself in a situation
involving two baserunners, she
surrendered a three-run home
run to Rutgers on Saturday.
That wasn’t her only rough
patch during the Wolverines’
series in Piscataway, as she
failed to escape the first inning
of the previous game. Following
a double, walk and single by
the Scarlet Knights to begin
the
game,
Michigan
coach
Carol Hutchins called upon
sophomore left-hander Meghan
Beaubien to clean up Storako’s
mess.
Storako recorded just one
out in that start — the shortest
outing of her young college
career.
“I’d like to see Storako go to
the next level,” Hutchins said
after Saturday. “That’s keeping
her composure and keeping her
spin on pitches while she starts
muscling it up and trying harder
when the game gets intense. It’s
time to grow. We learn and get
better in moments and stress, so
I’d like to see her get a little bit
better.”
During Wednesday’s start,
Storako showed flashes of next-
level dominance. She hurled
three
no-hit
innings
while
posting seven strikeouts and
zero walks on just 47 pitches.
Storako’s pristine spin carried
her throughout the afternoon
until Hutchins substituted her
out of the game along with the
rest of the starting lineup.
“(Storako) finished strong,”
Hutchins said. “We need her to
keep getting better and learn
how to be intense every pitch
without trying too hard. She’s a
spin, moving pitcher and those
pitchers do, if anybody, have
trouble with the command.
That’s not unusual.”
By the time Storako’s day was
done, the Wolverines’ 24-run
lead meant the rest of the game
was merely a formality.
For Storako, the three strong
innings were a much-needed
boost before Michigan’s Big Ten
home stretch. The team’s final 17
games are all against conference
opponents, and having multiple
reliable starting pitchers will
be a key. Beaubien has already
thrown over half of the team’s
innings so far this season, so
Storako’s steady progression is a
major plus.
“It’s really awesome to see
her in the mindset of attacking
things,”
said
senior
second
baseman Faith Canfield. “Having
to be behind Meghan (Beaubien)
is a hard role, and I think she can
get complacent there and I don’t
think she has. Having this sense
of being able to come out and
attack it is really going to help
her in the long run.”
Added
freshman
catcher
Hannah Carson: “I know this
whole week she’s been working
on her pitches and she’s been
pretty disciplined. So it was
really nice to see her come
out and power through those
hitters.”
At
this
point,
Storako’s
numbers reflect a solid overall
freshman
campaign.
After
Wednesday’s dominant outing,
her ERA is down to 2.11. She’s
amassed 110 strikeouts across
89.2 innings, and opponents
have posted a batting average of
just .176 against her.
Storako’s only shortcomings
have come in the form of walks
and long balls. So far, she’s
served up 12 home runs and
issued 34 walks. The rest of the
staff has allowed a combined five
homers and 26 walks.
If Storako can pound the strike
zone and surrender fewer home
runs, recording four strikeouts
in an inning will be the least of
her accomplishments.
“Four strikeouts?” Hutchins
joked. “I’d just as soon have
three and get off the field.”
Advanced metrics aid Wolverines
Erik Bakich has said in the past
he believes his staff is leading the
way on analytics. The defensive
shift has taken over baseball, and
Michigan is no stranger to using
any advantage it can to make the
difference.
“That’s a big picture over
the long haul type of situation,”
Bakich said. “So a few may have
squeezed through and found a
hole today, but over the course of
the season by playing the non-pull
side infielder more up the middle,
we will actually take more hits
away up the middle doing that.”
On
Wednesday
afternoon
against Toledo, it seemed to hurt
the Wolverines as senior infielder
Blake Nelson saw several balls
pass him after he shifted. In this
case, the defensive shift didn’t
pay off. But at the end of the day,
it didn’t matter, as the Wolverines
won, 8-2, and hope their shifts
continue to pay dividends as the
season progresses. And while it
may seem strange to a casual fan
that the defenders are leaving
entire swaths of the field open,
Bakich is firm in his belief that the
method works.
“So, over the course of the
season when the metrics are
calculated and we look back at it,
it’s going to be way more in the
positives in our favor,” Bakich
said. “Even those three or four
balls that got through today —
we’ve had so many outs up the
middle just by having that non-
pull side infielder up there behind
second base.
“You see more fly balls that
are hit, just across the board, you
see more fly balls that go to the
opposite field than more ground
balls that go to the pull side. So we
defend that a lot.”
The shifts are based on if the
batter
is
right
or
left-handed.
If the batter is
right-handed the
defense will often
shift to the third
base
side.
The
shortstop moves
closer
to
third
and the second
baseman
moves
to
replace
the
shortstop.
The
scheme is simply flipped for left-
handed hitters.
The defensive strategy seems
to have paid off as Michigan’s
team fielding percentage of .973 is
second in the Big Ten only behind
Illinois at .979. To come up with
the defensive shifts, Bakich and
his staff have to do more than just
look at stats. The coaches have a
substantial process to decide how
to set up the defense.
The Wolverines utilize several
companies for this. To look at
their opponents hitting Michigan
uses 6-4-3 Charts which gives the
spray charts of their opponents.
The Wolverines try to identify
opponents’ tendencies on video
using a company called Synergy.
“We watch all of our opponents
each week,” Bakich said. “And
then we know how our pitchers
pitch and what our plan is against
their hitters. And then we just
try to put our guys where the
opponents
are
gonna
hit
the
ball.”
Michigan’s
unique personnel
allows
it
to
be
even
more
aggressive than
most teams on
defensive shifts.
For
opposing
teams, the bold
shifts add to the
challenge of playing against such a
tough defensive team in Michigan.
“There’s not as many ground
balls hits that are hit the other
way,” Bakich said. “Certainly not
down the opposite field line on
the ground. Which is why we have
our corner guys so far off the lines
most of the time. When you have
an athlete like Jordan Brewer
or Jimmy Kerr or whoever it is;
you’re just shrinking the field.”
LANE KIZZIAH
Daily Sports Writer
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
KARTIK SUNDARAM/Daily
Freshman catcher Hannah Carson hit a grand slam against Toledo on Wednesday for the first home run of her career.
AVI RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI
Daily Sports Writer
EVAN AARON/Daily
Senior infielder Blake Nelson saw multiple balls get by him after shifting against Toledo on Wednesday in an 8-2 win.
That’s a big
picture over the
long haul type
of situation.