SPORTS 11 Thursday, June 20, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Christan Bullock showing he belongs in the starting lineup OMAHA, Neb. – The Michigan baseball team is having a good time. They’re having so much fun, in fact, that sophomore center fielder Jesse Franklin has dubbed the ballpark where they’ve been playing their games “TD AmeriPlayground.” No other Wolverine, perhaps, is having more fun than Christan Bullock. The junior left fielder made some starts early in the season, including two against Binghamton on opening weekend as well as all three games at The Citadel. After some struggles, though, Michigan coach Erik Bakich replaced him, putting redshirt senior Miles Lewis in left field instead. But as the Wolverines have continued to fight for their season, coming up with clutch victories when they needed them most – and when they seemed least likely – Bullock has been at the center of it all. He’s been a regular starter since late May and has played a key role in several of those clutch victories. He had three hits and scored three runs in Michigan’s defeat of Nebraska on May 25 in the Big Ten Tournament. In the two victories over Creighton in the regional, Bullock combined for a single, a double, and a home run as well as three walks and another run scored. And in the Wolverines’ win-or-go- home victory over No. 1 UCLA in the Super Regional, Bullock had a walk, a double, a triple, two runs and a stolen base. Not too shabby. “It’s exciting just to have the opportunity to do things that help the team win,” Bullock said. “I just want to play for my brothers.” As far as raw athletic ability goes, Bullock is, as Bakich puts it, “unbelievable.” He’s shown flashes of power-hitting potential and stellar defensive ability at times throughout the season. Most importantly, he’s the team’s fastest baserunner, something that’s resulted in him being used as a pinch runner in many situations. Not to mention, he’s compiled 13 stolen bases on the season. “He’s a gamechanger with his speed,” Bakich said. “He can turn a walk into a triple within a few pitches. He’s one of those guys that when he puts it all together, I think he’s got a chance to be one of the more dynamic, explosive players, not only in the conference, but maybe in the country. I think he’s got an incredible toolset.” For Bullock, the bigger issue has been consistency. Harnessing that speed. Finding a way to control that power-hitting and being able to tap it when needed. The difference-maker for Bullock during this time of the season – and what’s helped him make the jump back into the starting nine – is discipline. He’s beginning to understand the importance of not just the games, but the practices, the meetings, the training sessions. He’s dedicated to the team, not just in the big moments, but in every moment. “Consistency is just his key to his success,” Bakich said. “We’ve worked really hard on that consistency, starting in the training sessions and carrying over into the games. He’s always been a gamer, where he wants to turn it on in the game. As he’s matured in our program, he’s understood the importance of all the little things, the attention to detail.” Now, Bullock is finally seeing the payoff of that discipline, that dedication. On the highest stage in college baseball – one of the biggest in collegiate athletics – he’s coming up huge for the Wolverines with over- the-shoulder catches, stolen bases and clutch hits in tense moments. “Being consistent always pays off,” Bullock said. “I’m just trying to do anything to help win a game.” ABBY SNYDER Daily Sports Writer Erik Bakich named Coach of the Year With the sun beating down on Creighton’s patchy turf practice field, the Michigan baseball team walked to the left field line and waited in the ranks for practice to begin. Slowly after them came the man who would run practice, dressed in the same clothes as each of the players — distinguishable by only a bright yellow string around his neck. He blew his whistle, and the players were off. While other coaches were mingling about the infield or watching the players warm up from afar, Michigan coach Erik Bakich was amidst the players, with them every step. On Saturday morning, three hours prior to the Wolverines’ first game in the Men’s College World Series since 1984, Bakich was given the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Coach of the Year Award. “It means we’ve got great players, great coaches, great support staff, great player’s parents, great coaches wives. We talk about deflecting individual honors all the time because they’re not done by any one person,” Bakich said. “All the credit, in my opinion, goes to all the other people that make this team great and that touch our program. So it’s a nice award, and I said this when I accepted it, I accept this on behalf of our team and all the people that I just mentioned because they’re the ones who did it.” It’s always been about making something bigger for this team. In the team’s mind, this isn’t the 2019 Michigan baseball team, it’s team 153 — just another in a long line of baseball teams for the program. But don’t let Bakich’s deflection take your mind off him. He’s the one who created that culture, who sets the tone. He’s the one who tells freshman left-hander Walker Cleveland after his first collegiate win, “Remember, it’s about the team.” He’s taken those steps to make this team bigger than a group of 35 students. “You know, the first year I was here, there were no minority players on our team,” Bakich said. “Maybe this is just a personal philosophy or preference, but I just feel that at this school, especially given its legacy, our roster should look like the United States of America.” Bakich’s talents go beyond culture setting, though, and throughout the year he’s made tough calls and spent days working with his team to put them in the position they’re in. In the middle of the Big Ten season, he switched left-hander Tommy Henry to a Saturday starter after a few games of struggling, and Henry settled back down in his new role. As the playoffs began, he dropped season-long closer, freshman right-hander Willie Weiss in favor of one of his two starting pitchers. He also dropped senior outfielder Miles Lewis from the starting lineup, who started 59 games this year, in favor of a hot- handed Christian Bullock. The Wolverines may have gotten hot at just the right time. They may have caught “lightning in a bottle,” and shocked college baseball with their run, but as Bakich alternated between hitting fly balls to the outfield and gently knocking ground balls to his son twenty feet away, it was clear that Bakich was the one who put the bottle there. KENT SCHWARTZ Daily Sports Writer ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily Michigan coach Erik Bakich has led the Wolverines to a 48-20 record this season. ALEC COHEN/Daily Junior left fielder Christan Bullock has reemerged as a starter this postseason.