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.