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Thursday, July 18, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Michigan has options as it tries to replace studded senior class
Carol Hutchins often touted
the 2019 senior class as one of the
best she’s ever had.
After falling out of the top-25
for the first time in a decade, the
seniors took it upon themselves
to right the ship. A 12-10 start was
followed by a 31-1 record heading
into the postseason, giving the
Wolverines an opportunity to
host a regional as the No. 15
seed. And though Michigan fell
to James Madison in the winner-
takes-all game of the regional,
Hutchins was effusive in her
praise of her seniors.
If the Wolverines want to
replicate any sort of the success
they had this year, they will need
to fill the voids the senior class
is leaving. With the offseason
already in full swing for the
softball team, The Daily looks at
possible replacements for each
vacant position.
Second baseman
Not only will Michigan need to
find a new leadoff hitter but it will
be searching for its new anchor
after the departure of two-time
All-American
Faith
Canfield.
Following a quiet freshman year
where she was backup to former
four-time All-American Sierra
Romero, Canfield took the reins
in 2017 and became another
household name. She started
every single game for Michigan
the last three years, posting a
minimum batting average of .391
each season including a .404
average in 2019. Her .617 slugging
percentage
and
.482
on-base
percentage this past year both
were team-highs — exactly what
any team wants out of its leadoff
hitter.
However, Michigan has its
options to fill the gap. Sophomore
Morgan Overaitis seems like the
most logical fit at this position
as she played 32 games during
her freshman campaign and
earned nine starts. Her best
performance
came
against
Illinois
State
as
designated
player when she hit two-for-
five with two RBI, showing her
ability to get hits with runners in
scoring position.
Then
there
is
standout
incoming
freshman
Julia
Jimenez. Though she primarily
played
shortstop
and
third
baseman
throughout
high
school,
her
infield
instincts
might be able to translate to
second base. Her high school
batting statistics were nothing
short of spectacular, either. The
No. 13-ranked recruit, according
to Softball America, hit at a
.520-clip with 31 RBI during her
senior year. Perhaps her most
impressive
statistic,
though,
is that she struck out just six
times in her high school career,
proving that she has the ability
to continue the legacy of the last
two Wolverine second basemen.
First baseman
If there was one position in the
lineup that wasn’t set at the start
of this past season, it was the
first baseman. But by the end of
the year, Alex Sobczak proved to
be deserving of the spot. After a
convoluted college career where
she showed flashes of potential,
Sobczak broke out in her final
season, batting cleanup and tied
for the team lead in home runs
with 10 while finishing second in
RBI with 42.
It seems likely, though, that
junior Taylor Bump will take
over. Though Sobczak ended
up beating her out for the
starting job, Bump continued to
earn playing time on defense,
especially in the postseason,
due to her reliable glove. Bump
will need to prove that she can
produce consistent results in the
batter’s box, though, which could
make or break her case for the
starting role.
Catcher
Though she ended her final
season with a non-contact knee
injury in the regional, Katie
Alexander left her mark on the
Wolverines. She contributed 10
home runs to an offense that
struggled to put balls over the
fence and had just one error,
maintaining a fielding percentage
of .997.
However, if the end of the
season was indicative of who can
replace Katie Alexander, it seems
like sophomore Hannah Carson
will get the green light. Carson, a
top-25 recruit out of high school,
played the entire regional, batting
at a .417-clip with two doubles
and an RBI. She also showed
great maturity behind the plate,
committing no errors on the year.
Designated Player
After a turbulent career at
Michigan,
Mackenzie
Nemitz
persevered
through
injuries
and fluctuating playing time to
solidify herself as designated
player. Sister of former Michigan
great Nikki Nemitz, Mackenzie
had a batting average of .288
with five home runs and 31 RBIs.
She started 41 games for the
Wolverines and even showed that
she could play third baseman
when Madison Uden was in a
slump.
In
the
postseason,
rising
junior Lou Allan pinch hit for
Nemitz and showed flashes of
potential to get on base. Driving
home a crucial RBI as a pinch
hitter in the Big Ten Tournament
final and even earning a start at
designated player in Michigan’s
most important game of the year
against James Madison. Allan
was given plenty of opportunities
to capitalize once she came back
from the injury that has hindered
her for much of her college
career. Assuming that she can
stay injury-free, it wouldn’t be
a surprise if Hutchins inserts
her into the starting lineup next
season.
Jimenez could also be another
option to replace Nemitz if
Overaitis
wins
the
second
baseman
position.
With
her
impressive batting average and
.940 slugging percentage in high
school, Hutchins might want
Jimenez to contribute to the
Wolverine offense right away.
Center Fielder
As a staple of the Michigan
offense and defense the last two
years, Natalie Peters started
almost
every
game
for
the
Wolverines. With a .352 batting
average
during
her
senior
season, she had the third-most
consistent bat on the team. She
also was the best baserunner for
Michigan, stealing a team-high
15 bases on 16 attempts. Losing
such consistency at the top of the
batting lineup and speed in the
outfield will not be an easy task
for the Wolverines to replace,
especially when their options
have not received much playing
time.
The
most
experienced
replacement
would
be
rising
sophomore
Grace
Chelemen.
She primarily entered games as
a pinch runner, showing that she
could replicate Peters’ speed and
baserunning, but she only received
seven at-bats on the season and
produced just one hit.
On the other hand, there is No.
28-ranked incoming freshman Lexi
Voss. Her .644 batting average was
topped off by 19 home runs and
70 RBI in her senior campaign.
This type of power is significantly
different from Peters’ slap-hitting
style and Voss has the ability to add
another dimension to a Michigan
offense that lacked power last year.
AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Summer Managing Sports Editor
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Rising sophomore infielder Morgan Overaitis is an option to replace two-time All-American second baseman Faith Canfield next season.