The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 — 7A

Big game woes
T

he Michigan baseball 
team is 24-11 overall 
and stands third in the 
Big Ten. The 
Wolverines 
have scored 
100 more 
runs than 
their oppo-
nents, only 
one regular 
starter has an 
on-base per-
centage less 
than .300 and 
the team has 
38 total home runs.
They’ve won five games by 
double digits, 
16 by four or 
more runs and 
have a defense 
that shuts down 
opposing hitters. 
That is, if they’re 
playing lesser 
teams. Teams 
like Michigan 
State, Bing-
hamton or West 
Michigan.
The Wolverines have a .800 
winning percentage against 
opponents with a losing record 
and have committed just 15 
errors in the 20 games, coolly 
putting teams away.
Michigan has rock solid lead-
ership and a great communal 
effort, obvious even from a press 
box a hundred feet away.
“This is some of the best 
leadership and team chemistry 
that I’ve seen in the program 
in the six and a half years I’ve 
been here,” Michigan coach Erik 
Bakich said at the beginning of 
the year.
Added senior infielder Blake 
Nelson after a home opener 
win: “It starts with our team. 
We’re all bought in for the win. 
Whether that’s warming up with 
the outfielders, doing the chart 
or playing in the game. It doesn’t 
really matter, we all know our 
roles and we’re all ready to come 
in when our number is called.”
But then they play good 
teams. They still have a winning 
record against those at or above 
.500, winning eight of 14, mostly 

thanks to a 5-0 record against 
teams with a dead even record.
Their impressively clean 
defense, though, falls apart — 
doubling its rate of errors from 
.75 errors per game to 1.5.
Michigan’s 100-run advantage 
over its opponents? It shrinks all 
the way to one. 
“We were shaky at times 
defensively,” Bakich said after 
a deflating weekend against the 
Buckeyes. “We didn’t get the 
clutch hits when we needed to 
and a rivalry series is very emo-
tional. It has all the characteris-
tics, the look and feel, of big-time 
baseball whether your opponent 
is ranked or not.”
Big time 
baseball hasn’t 
been kind to 
the Wolverines. 
Like they did in 
Columbus when 
they went 1-2, 
Michigan folded 
in Los Angeles 
and Lubbock. It 
was unable to 
compete with 
the spotlight on them.
Bakich, though, has always 
been big on growth.
“What I’d like us to do better 
is continue to trend upwards 
when we have setbacks like 
this, to use it as growth and fuel 
to better our performance in 

the future,” Bakich said after 
Ohio State. “If we’re going to 
be the team that I think we’re 
going to be, then we’re going to 
have to play well when it means 
the most and a rivalry series is 
one of those weekends when it 
means the most.”
When will that growth come? 
The losses to Ohio State came 
a month after losing four out of 
five in California and two weeks 
after being swept by Texas 
Tech. At what point, if ever, 
will the Wolverines’ experience 
settle their nerves in big series’?
In time, we’ll learn. Four 
of Michigan’s final five series 
are against teams with a .500 
record or better, with its final 
two series against the teams 
ahead of the Wolverines in the 
Big Ten standings.
As they enter the final month 
of the regular season, Michi-
gan needs to limit its mistakes 
in the face of tough competi-
tion — its pitchers can’t miss, 
its defenders can’t make costly 
mistakes and its offense needs 
to be consistent. That is, if they 
want to reach their lofty aspira-
tions in the playoffs.

Schwartz can be reached via 

email at kentsch@umich.edu or 

on Twitter @nottherealkent

KENT 
SCHWARTZ

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Michigan coach Erik Bakich noted that his team needs to step up its game.

Alex StoraKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKo

Freshman right-hander fans 15 in career day, leading Michigan past Michigan State in East Lansing, 12-1

EAST LANSING — Looking to 
avenge last year’s first round loss 
in the Big Ten tournament, the 
Michigan softball team traveled to 
East Lansing and was greeted by an 
even mix of green and white as well 
as maize and blue. The Wolverines 
ensured they dazzled the strong 
visiting crowd, nearly securing a 
run-rule victory and winning 12-1.
Early on, though, it seemed tough 
to predict such an outcome.
After 
a 
lackluster 
offensive 
showing in the top of the first by 
Michigan, sophomore left-hander 
Meghan Beaubien stepped into 
the circle looking to rebound from 
Saturday’s extra-inning loss against 
Ohio State.
But Beaubien did the exact 
opposite — she gave up three hits 
and a walk to her first four batters. 
And that was plenty enough for 
Wolverines’ coach Carol Hutchins 
to visit the pitcher. Rather than 
having a few words with Beaubien 
and leaving her in, Hutchins pulled 
the trigger and substituted Beaubien 
out for freshman right-hander Alex 
Storako. Storako, even when facing 
a bases-loaded situation, wasn’t 
fazed and dished out two strikeouts 
and a scoreless inning. 
“Just like we’ve been focusing on 
all year, just the one-pitch focus, I 
think that really got me through (the 
jam),” Storako said. “Just clearing 
my head and having no thoughts 
during (it).” 
That was about the only difficulty 
Michigan faced the entire evening.
Trailing 1-0, the Wolverines 
began to string together hit after 
hit, starting with the bottom of the 
lineup — exactly what Hutchins 
asked for after the Indiana series. 
Starting with junior third baseman 
Madison Uden, who hit a double 
to the centerfield wall, Michigan 
found its first runs on a two-run 
home run from senior catcher Katie 
Alexander, giving the Wolverines a 
2-1 lead. 
Sophomore shortstop Natalia 

Rodriguez 
continued 
her 
consistency from the ninth spot in 
the batting order, finding herself in 
scoring position after a single and a 
stolen base — her eighth of the year 
— and coming home on a RBI double 
from dependable senior second 
baseman Faith Canfield.
But that was only the start of the 
Wolverines’ onslaught.
After a RBI single in third inning 
from senior first baseman Alex 
Sobczak, Michigan exploded in the 
top of the fourth inning.
With 
each 
playing 
in 
the 
lineup seeing an at-bat during this 
inning, the wheels came off for the 
Spartans. 
First, Canfield added another 
RBI, this time on a triple. The 
outfield pairing of senior Natalie 
Peters and freshman Lexie Blair 
combined for the next run as Peters, 
who preceded Blair’s at-bat with a 
single and a stolen base, came home 
on a double from Blair down the left 
field line. 
A couple batters later, the 
Wolverines found their next run 
through a rather unconventional 
method. Michigan State pitcher 
McKenna Gregory, who had just 
come into the game, walked Uden 
home from third and Michigan 
found itself leading 7-1. Junior Haley 

Hoogenraad also got in on the party, 
driving in another run off a Spartan 
error at first base.
In the meantime, Storako was 
having herself a career night. 
Continuing her dominance from 
the first inning, Storako pitched six 
no-hit innings along with a career-
high 15 strikeouts. 
“I didn’t know (I had a career-
high) until just now,” Storako said 
when asked about her performance. 
“Just not focusing on the results and 
focusing on the process has really 
helped not only me but the entire 
team.”
After a couple quiet innings of 
being one run away from winning 
on a rule-run, Michigan made sure 
it left Secchia Stadium with a bang 
— literally.
Alexander drove a high-flying 
home run to center, extending the 
Wolverines lead to eight in the top 
of the seventh. And with a surefire 
victory in the bag, the freshman 
pinch hitters kept the intensity 
going. 
With Hannah Carson on first 
base after a full-count walk, Morgan 
Overaitis made sure they both were 
accounted for on the scoreboard as 
she unleashed a long ball to center 
field, capping off the ideal bounce-
back performance for Michigan.

AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Daily Sports Writer

EAST 
LANSING 
— 
Alex 
Storako finally demonstrated the 
endurance that Michigan coach 
Carol Hutchins has been looking 
for all season. 
The 
freshman 
right-hander 
proved herself in Tuesday’s game 
against 
Michigan 
State 
when 
sophomore left-hander Meghan 
Beaubien struggled right off the 
bat. Beaubien, typically the team’s 
reliable ace, allowed three singles 
followed by a walk to force a runner 
home in the first inning, putting the 
Wolverines at a one run early. 
Storako — substituted in with 
no outs and the bases still loaded — 
took the opportunity in stride.
She ended the inning with a 
flyout followed by two strikeouts, 
rescuing Michigan from the jam 
without sacrificing another run.
“Her team needed her to step 
up and she did a fantastic job,” 
Hutchins said. “She has that in her 
and she hasn’t always shown it. 
Tonight we needed it from her, and 
she stepped it up and did what we 
think she’s capable of — shutting 
down an opponent.”
She registered a career high of 
15 strikeouts and went six innings 
before Michigan State registered a 

hit against her.
She began to shake in the second 
inning. While she struck out the 
first batter she faced, Storako 
walked the next. She repeated this 
pattern with another strikeout and 
walk, putting two Spartans on base. 
With these two walks, it looked 
like Storako might be suffering 
from a challenge that’s plagued 
her all season: late-game struggles. 
Facing tough competition and 
close games, recently Hutchins has 
opted to pull Storako at the first 
sign of trouble. 
In 
the 
contest 
against 
Indiana 
earlier 
in 
the 
month, 
Storako 
was switched for 
Beaubien 
after 
hitting a batter 
with a pitch. 
But 
not 
Tuesday. 
Storako 
remained 
composed, 
throwing a ball followed by three 
pitches straight into the strike zone. 
With a flyout, the inning ended 
scoreless. 
These struggles were entirely 
absent in the following inning 
when Storako retired three batters 
with consecutive strikeouts, ending 
the third almost as soon as it had 
begun. 
Storako’s performance began to 
waver again in the fourth, starting 
the inning with a leadoff walk. 
Clawing her way back from behind 
in the count, Storako struck out 
the next two batters, though the 
leadoff runner advanced on a wild 
pitch. Another walk put runners on 
first and second, but Storako wasn’t 
fazed. She struck out the next 
batter to end the inning, once again 
leaving Michigan State without a 
run. 
She regained her rhythm in the 
fifth inning. After the first batter 
flied out, she struck out the next 
two. 
Storako’s 
performance 
only 

improved as the innings went on. In 
the final two innings, she registered 
four more strikeouts and allowed 
just two batters to reach base. 
“She came in and got out of 
that hairy first inning, then she 
had some ups and downs — a few 
walks in the middle there — but 
she was able to bring herself back,” 
Hutchins said. 
This game is the first in over 
a month in which Storako has 
pitched seven full innings. Despite 
not usually pitching into the fourth 
and fifth innings, 
Storako didn’t feel 
physical or mental 
fatigue. 
“It’s 
been 
a 
while since going 
a long game like 
that,” 
Storako 
said. 
“I 
think 
my 
workouts 
have been a lot of 
conditioning. I’m 
not really focused 
on results, just the 
process.”
This contest marked several 
other firsts in Storako’s career, 
including the first time she has 
pitched six innings without a hit 
and seven innings with just one hit.
Storako’s stamina would be a 
huge asset to the Wolverines if it 
were to continue into the rest of the 
season. With 147 innings already 
piled on Beaubien’s left arm, 
having Storako as a reliable second 
pitcher may be the difference 
between success and failure in the 
postseason. 
Hutchins made it clear that 
Storako 
would 
have 
further 
opportunities 
to 
show 
this 
persistence 
after 
Tuesday’s 
performance. 
“That is good for us to see,” 
Hutchins 
said. 
“She 
worked 
through it and in the future we’ll 
have more confidence to allow her 
to work through it.”
Michigan went on to win, 12-1. 
They have Storako’s newfound 
endurance to thank.

LANE KIZZIAH
Daily Sports Writer

Hutchins’ history lesson: At 
MSU, a reminder of progress 

EAST LANSING — Each 
year, the Michigan softball 
team plays a road game at 
Michigan State. And each year, 
coach Carol Hutchins seizes 
the opportunity to give her 
team a history lesson.
At 
Secchia 
Stadium, 
the 
right field fence is draped in 
a green 1976 AIAW National 
Champions banner. The crown, 
which came four years after 
Congress passed Title IX of 
the Education Amendments, 
is the Spartans’ lone national 
championship.
On a team that featured 
talent from top to bottom, 
senior pitcher Gloria Becksford 
stood out. Becksford’s three 
consecutive shutouts and 25 
strikeouts propelled Michigan 
State to the 1976 AIAW Softball 
College 
World 
Series 
title 
that is commemorated on the 
Spartans’ fence to this day.
That 
season, 
Becksford 
took a certain Michigan State 
freshman 
under 
her 
wing. 
Today, that freshman is the 
NCAA’s winningest coach of 
all-time.
On Tuesday night, Hutchins 
made her 35th homecoming 
as 
the 
Wolverines’ 
coach. 
She tallied her 1,601st career 
coaching victory — the most in 
the history of the sport. No. 21 
Michigan (30-11 overall, 12-1 
Big Ten) throttled the Spartans 
(15-25, 3-9), 12-1, behind senior 
catcher 
Katie 
Alexander’s 
two home runs and freshman 
right-hander Alex Storako’s 15 
strikeouts.
After taking care of business, 
the Wolverines boarded their 
bus 
with 
something 
more 
valuable than just a win. The 
experience of competing on the 
same field that Hutchins played 
on — and often maintained 
herself amid an underfunded 
era of women’s athletics— gives 
Michigan an annual reminder.
“She talks a lot about where 
sports were during her time (at 

Michigan State) and she teaches 
us how far we’ve come,” said 
senior second baseman Faith 
Canfield. “She lets us know we 
need to be thankful for where 
we are now because when she 
was here, it was not like that. 
… She’s one of the core people 
who have given us the platform 
for where we are now. It’s 
unbelievable and I’m thankful 
for it.”
To Hutchins, it’s just one 
component of a meaningful 
college 
experience. 
The 
philosophy 
plays 
an 
instrumental 
role 
in 
the 
legend’s approach to coaching.
“I 
had 
a 
great 
college 
experience,” 
Hutchins 
said. 
“It’s one of the reason I stayed 
in college athletics. When I 
got college and then started 
coaching, my mom said, ‘You 
know, you’ve never left college.’ 
And I said, ‘Why would anybody 
ever leave college?’ ”
Today, 
Hutchins 
strives 
to offer her student-athletes 
a 
well-rounded 
college 
experience. 
Her 
program 
goes far beyond the diamond. 
Words 
like 
“relationships” 
and “education” come up in 
conversation before wins and 
losses are even mentioned.
Her definition of greatness 
— as with everything she does 
— comes with its own unique 
flair.

“I want my kids to experience 
what it is to be great,” Hutchins 
said. “We achieved greatness at 
Michigan State when I played, 
and greatness isn’t just defined 
by a national championship. 
Greatness is (defined by) great 
friends, great teammates and 
great work, and it’s a life lesson 
to be a college athlete.”
After 
three 
and 
a 
half 
decades of greatness in Ann 
Arbor, 
Canfield 
sometimes 
struggles to associate Hutchins 
with her alma mater’s colors.
“It’s weird to see (the banner 
in East Lansing), just seeing 
how 
passionate 
(Hutchins) 
is about Michigan,” Canfield 
said. “It’s actually really weird 
seeing it in green. She’s one of 
the greatest to ever do it. All 
of us have played for her, it’s 
interesting to remember that 
she actually played too.”
Forty-three 
years 
after 
taking 
home 
the 
national 
championship, Hutchins uses 
the banner as a benchmark. 
But not a benchmark of time, 
success or experience. Instead, 
she smiles every time Michigan 
launches a home run over the 
wall it covers — the same one 
she helped build.
Asked 
about 
the 
banner 
and its legacy after the game, 
Storako flashed a smile.
“She told the hitters to hit 
the ball there.”

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

We have a 
lot of big... 
opportunities 
ahead.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Freshman right-hander Alex Storako racked up a career-high 15 strikeouts in her six shutout innings of work on Tuesday.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins uses the banner in the Michigan State outfield to 
remind her team of the immense inequalities that used to plague female sports.

She came in 
and got out of 
that hairy first 
inning...

