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.