The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, April 12, 2019 — 7

‘M’ must handle emotion in rivalries

Every Michigan fan, athlete 
and 
coach 
understands 
the 
significance of a matchup against 
Ohio State and Michigan State. 
The Wolverines’ rivalries with 
these two colleges are some of 
the most storied in collegiate 
athletics, and winning a road 
game in Columbus or East Lansing 
presents a formidable task.
But this is a task the Michigan 
softball team has been handed to 
continue its 15-game win streak 
and a challenge it will have to 
conquer in its hunt to host a 
regional site in this year’s NCAA 
Tournament — something the 
program hasn’t done since 2016. 
And it’s not just a single 
matchup away from home. First, 
the Wolverines will head to 
Columbus for a weekend series 
before traveling to East Lansing 
for 
a 
Tuesday-night 
standoff 
against the Spartans.
Though no more is needed 
to set the stage for the next four 
games, these rivalries go past the 
names of each school. 
When Michigan lines up on the 
diamond against the Buckeyes this 
Friday, coach Carol Hutchins will 
be shaking the hand of 1995 Big 
Ten Pitcher of the Year, Michigan 

great and Ohio State coach Kelly 
Kovach Schoenly.
“I’m always proud of my (former 
players) when I see them out on the 
field,” Hutchins said. “(Schoenly’s) 
done a really good job at Ohio State 
and I was watching their game last 
night seeing her in an Ohio State 
hat. I’m proud of her, proud of 
what they do.
“I told (the players), trying to 
go to Ohio State, it’s a brawl. And 
I think Ohio State on their field 
is even tougher. But we really 
try not to make, people ask who 
our rival is and all that jazz. To 
me every game counts the same, 
whether you’re playing Rutgers 
or Ohio State or Michigan State 
or Minnesota. They all count the 
same.”
Freshman 
outfielder 
Lexie 
Blair, who has yet to play in such 
an intense rivalry game, recounted 
how she and sophomore shortstop 
Natalia Rodriguez pretended to 
box one another during practice as 
if they were in a game against the 
Buckeyes. 
“I wanna see that on the field, 
I wanna see you attack them,” 
Rodriguez told her.
As for Tuesday’s competition, it 
is no secret that Michigan State is 
Hutchins’ alma mater. 
“I get to see the plaque of the 
national championship when we 

won, and right on their outfield 
fence is ‘1976 AIAW Champions,’ 
” Hutchins said as she pointed to 
an imaginary banner. “I give all 
the freshmen a history lesson. 
But I wanna win there just like I 
wanna win (against Ohio State) 
and nothing else changes.”
The history with these two 
teams and the Wolverines goes 
beyond Hutchins’ ties. Michigan’s 
most recent results against the 
Buckeyes and Spartans were 
convincing losses — by nine and 
seven runs, respectively — late 
in the Big Ten season that ended 
up dictating the course of the 
Wolverines’ postseason. And even 
though this season’s rivalry games 
are earlier in the year, it doesn’t 
undermine the importance of 
proving that the team can win on 
the road after playing 11 of the last 
15 at Alumni Field.
“You don’t wanna get your 
emotions too involved, whether 
you’re on the field or in the 
dugout,” Hutchins said. “You want 
to play with great heart and great 
intensity, but the minute you start 
getting emotional, your emotions 
are going to get in the way.”
But this is easier said than done. 
The only way to prove whether the 
players can understand this? 
If their win streak is at 19 come 
Wednesday morning.

AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Daily Sports Writer

Gators beat Wolverines, 4-3, ending eight-match winning streak

Comebacks 
in 
singles 
matches were not enough to 
stop Florida’s aggressive play 
in the Michigan women’s tennis 
team’s 
final 
non-conference 
match of the season.
On 
Thursday 
afternoon, 
No. 14 Michigan (13-5 overall, 
9-0 Big Ten) took on No. 23 
Florida (11-9 overall, 7-5 SEC) 
at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis 
Complex in Gainesville, Fla. 
The Wolverines, the top team 
in the Big Ten, were unable to 
claim the victory, losing, 4-3, 
and ending their eight-match 
win streak.
Michigan seniors Kate Fahey 

and Brienne Minor competed 
in their ninth doubles match 
together and battled Florida’s 
Victoria Emma and McCartney 
Kessler. After being down 3-0, 
they brought the match back to 
5-4. But the Gators proved to be 
too much, handing Fahey and 
Minor their first doubles loss 
together, 6-4.
Michigan’s three points came 
from singles victories from 
Fahey, Minor and sophomore 
Alyvia Jones. Fahey won a 
close first set, 6-4, against 
Ida Jarlskog and continued 
her success in the second set, 
winning 6-0. This victory gave 
Fahey her third-straight season 
with 30 wins and added to her 
outstanding 0.815 career win 

percentage and 124-28 record, 
the best in school history.
Minor won her first set 
easily by a score of 6-1 and a 
close second set, 6-4, defeating 
Emma in singles. Finally, Jones 
won 
both 
the 
first and second 
sets, 6-2, against 
Gator freshman 
Sydney Berlin.
“Brie 
and 
Kate both came 
out and played 
the 
tennis 
that 
they’re 
capable 
of,” 
said 
Michigan 
associate 
head coach Teryn Fitch. “It 
definitely gives the team a lot 

of confidence going into the 
rest of the matches even though 
we didn’t get the result we 
wanted.”
Florida’s Tsveta Dimitrova 
and Michigan freshman Anca 
Craciun 
added 
to the intensity 
of 
the 
singles 
matches. 
Craciun won the 
first 
set, 
6-2, 
but dropped the 
second, 6-2, and 
ultimately 
lost 
the deciding set, 
6-1.
Michigan 
junior 
Giulia 
Pairone faced Kessler, winning 
the first set, 6-2, and losing 
the second, 7-5. After a back-
and-forth deciding set with 
long rallies, Pairone lost the 
third set by a score of 6-4, 
which 
secured 
the 
victory 
for Florida. Michigan junior 
Chiara Lommer also played a 

close match against Florida’s 
Marlee Zein but failed to claim 
the victory, losing the first set, 
7-5, and the second, 6-1.
“We feel pretty good about 
doubles but there’s definitely 
room to improve,” Fitch said. 
“We put ourselves in a great 

position today, but, at times, it 
got pretty tough. Where we are 
as a team now is much better 
than where we were four weeks 
ago, 
and 
everybody 
really 
does believe in each other, so 
that’s going to pay off in the 
postseason.”

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior Kate Fahey reached 30 wins for the third-straight season.

Jordan Brewer making impact

Last season, Jordan Brewer 
was playing against the likes of 
Dyersburg 
State 
and 
Wabash 
Valley 
College. 
The 
junior 
outfielder transferred from Lincoln 
Trail College, a community college 
of 1,031 people based in rural 
Robinson, Ill. — to Michigan last 
year. The expectations on paper 
would usually be low for a player 
making the jump from JUCO to 
a major Division I program, but 
coach Erik Bakich had other ideas 
in the preseason.
“A junior college player named 
Jordan Brewer can play outfield 
and infield and first base,” Bakich 
said in February. “Throws left 
handed, hits right handed, but one 
of our most explosive athletes. Just 
a very dynamic player. He’s made 
probably the most improvements of 
anyone probably from the fall until 
now so he’s going to be pushing for 
playing time as well.”
Brewer 
has 
exceeded 
expectations thus far. He leads 
the Wolverines in batting average, 
RBIs, stolen bases and is tied for 
the lead in home runs. Defensively, 
Brewer has been utilized in both 
the infield and outfield and truly 
lives up to his versatility. At 6-foot-1 

and 195 pounds, he possesses a rare 
combination of power and speed 
that makes him dangerous all over 
the field.
And Brewer hasn’t been phased 
at all by the transition from toiling 
in JUCO to the bright lights of the 
Big Ten.
“You know you dream of this 
as a little kid,” Brewer said. “This 
is just a replay of a little kid, you’re 
dreaming of this situation, of being 
in this situation. So, this is nothing 
new. JUCO only had twenty people 
and then you come out here to 1,100 
people. It’s just cool to see everyone 
out here supporting and seeing my 
family out here. It’s just awesome to 
see everyone come out.”
Brewer is leading off the 
field as well. He has focused on 
helping those in the special needs 
community. He suggested the 
teammates participate in Night 
To Shine, an event run by the Tim 
Tebow Foundation, which provides 
a prom experience for those with 
special needs around the world.
On his own, Brewer brought 
the idea to the locker room and his 
teammates agreed to participate. 
His maturity off the field helps 
bring perspective to the locker 
room. His involvement in the Ann 
Arbor community is unusual, 
especially 
for 
someone 
who 

transferred in, and it’s something 
Bakich feels his team needs to have.
“(Jordan Brewer is) so much 
more than baseball,” Bakich said. 
“This is a kid that brought the 
Night To Shine event to our team. 
He’s a guy that’s very invested in 
the community and giving back.
“That was one of the coolest 
things that our program has ever 
done and that’s something he 
brought. He brings that selflessness 
and just that great spirit out here 
every day. He’s always got a smile 
on his face.”
It’s hard to quantify just how 
much Brewer means to this team. 
His charisma and playmaking on 
the field have made the difference 
in several games this season — a 
grand slam against Manhattan, 
two 
diving 
catches 
against 
Minnesota and many more “web 
gem” plays. The way Brewer has 
embraced this team and been 
embraced makes it seem like he’s 
been here for all three years of his 
college career.
“He’s a positive life-force,” 
Bakich said. “He’s an energy-
giver. He brightens up a room, he 
brightens up a locker room, he 
brightens up a dugout, he’s just fun 
to be around.
“So yeah, his transition’s been 
good.”

THOMAS WEISS
For the Daily

Everybody 
really does 
believe in each 
other.

AVI RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI
Daily Sports Writer

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Junior Jordan Brewer played at Lincoln Trail Community College before transferring to Michigan ahead of the season.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins tells her players not to make a big deal of rivalry games, such as those against Ohio State.

