The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, February 25, 2020 — 7

‘M’ confident after UConn losses

Last week, Baseball America 
ranked Michigan No. 1 for the first 
time in school history — a first for 
any Big Ten team.
Such a ranking is obviously 
a high honor, but it comes with 
expectations as well. Any time 
a No. 1 team loses, it’s the kind 
of upset that receives national 
attention. 
Still, Michigan coach Erik 
Bakich made it clear that he sees 
such a response as an overreaction 
in the case of the Wolverines’ (4-3 
overall) 2-1 series loss to UConn 
(3-3) this weekend.
Bakich cited letting innings get 
away from the team as Michigan’s 
chief problem from the weekend. 
The 
Wolverines’ 
bullpen 
struggled, and their hitters were 
not as competitive in the box as 
Bakich would have hoped in the 
team’s two losses to the Huskies. 
But Bakich emphasized that these 
problems are uncharacteristic of 
his team.
“It’s not like I’m seeing these 
guys for the first time these past 
two weeks,” Bakich said. “I’ve 
learned a lot about the team and 
their consistency through the 

entire fall and how they go about 
training up until this point, so I 
do think we have a very tough, 
hard-working and resilient group 
of kids who had a tough weekend.”
The idea of staying the course 
pervaded the Wolverines’ post-
game message, typifying the 
team’s belief that this weekend 
will be remembered as nothing 
more than a mere blip in an 
otherwise successful campaign.
“I’ve learned that the team 
has a high level of believability 
in themselves and a high level 
of 
confidence 
after 
opening 
weekend,” Bakich said. “And 
hearing them today when we were 
down 9-1, I didn’t hear a team that 
was defeated thinking they were 
out of the fight. I mean the verbiage 
coming out of the dugout, the way 
we competed those first four at 
bats in the ninth — if we had done 
it every at bat of the weekend, we’d 
have had a different result.”
Michigan’s current 4-3 record 
looks unimpressive at first glance, 
but the Wolverines feel that they 
have all of the pieces necessary 
to compete at the level of their 
current ranking.
“We just have to get it out 
consistently, we’re too good of a 
team to have slip ups like this,” 

Bakich said.
And Bakich has a plan to get 
this consistency out of his team.
“We need to simulate situations 
in the games that hurt us this 
past week,” Bakich said. “Imitate 
high-leverage situations and just 
try to create an environment 
that’s faster than the speed of the 
game to recalibrate our eyes and 
what we’re seeing. ... I think just 
the more we can have training 
reps that are random and chaotic 
in nature and unexpected and 
challenging then these situations 
that arise in the games, we’ll be 
able to handle them better than 
we did this weekend.”
Bakich and his coaching staff 
used that technique a lot last 
season, and anyone who watched 
Michigan play in last year’s 
postseason saw its effectiveness.
Multiple 
players 
mentioned 
before opening weekend that 
the goal for this season was to 
get back to Omaha and end the 
season ranked No. 1. They never 
mentioned wanting to be No. 
1 in February, and while the 
Wolverines may have just lost 
their early season No. 1 ranking, 
the team still believes it can 
possess that title when it matters 
most.

T

wo weeks, seven games 
and one-tenth of a 
championship-length 
season have already trans-
pired. But 
only some of 
those games 
are guar-
anteed, and 
based on the 
tinkering 
Michigan 
coach Erik 
Bakich is 
perform-
ing with 
his pitch-
ing staff, it would appear he’s 
gunning for game 70.
“On paper,” Bakich said, 
“we have some key pieces that 
we know that have a resume 
that have had success in the 
past, and then we have a 
bunch of unknowns.”
Whether an entity is known 
or unknown, the priority is 
winning games. Bakich hasn’t 
shied away from giving pitch-
ers role-defying work to that 
end. No pitcher’s ego or desire 
for a calcified position has 
proven to be more important 
than winning.
“I’m not worried about 
where I fit right now in the 
rotation,” junior right-hander 
Blake Beers said after his first 
appearance of the season. 
“Our biggest goal right now as 
a staff is to continue getting 
better this week. Whatever 
spot I’m pitching in, and what-
ever spot the rest of my team-
mates are pitching in doesn’t 
really matter as long as we’re 
contributing to our team and 
contributing to wins.”
The team strategy when 
dealing with hitters and the 
lineup, on the other hand, is 
often incongruous with that of 
the pitching staff.
One might argue in favor 
of the status quo on offense, 
pointing to four of seven 
games in which Michigan has 

scored five or more runs. Look 
closer.
Seven runs were accrued on 
only four hits in game one of 
the series against the Huskies, 
including five off just one in 
the first. Eight runs against 
Cal Poly were scraped togeth-
er without a single extra-base 
hit. 
The problems at the plate 
start with junior shortstop 
Jack Blomgren, who hit into 
three fielder’s choices in the 
opening weekend alone and 
who has hit just .250 on the 
season, a far cry from his .314 
clip last season — two quali-
ties undesirable for a table-
setter. They continue with 
junior catcher Joe Donovan, 
whose average and slugging 
percentage are sitting at the 
Mendoza line and sophomore 
second baseman Riley Ber-
tram and his .176/.267/.176 
slash line.
On the other hand, play-
ers in the back half of the 
lineup — freshman outfielder 
Clark Elliott, freshman third 
baseman Ted Burton and 
fifth-year senior first baseman 
Matthew Schmidt to name a 
few — have been powering the 
offense, combining for 11 RBI. 
Senior outfielder Dominic Cle-
menti started at the cleanup 
spot in the first game, but has 
since hit the cover off the ball 
largely in the bottom third. All 
are either freshmen or new to 
seeing consistent game action.
Bakich stashed the fresh-
men at the bottom of the line-
up in the opening series, away 
from the spotlight. 
“I made the mistake of 
shoving (junior center fielder) 
Jesse Franklin up in the 
four-hole his freshman year,” 
Bakich said. “Probably not 
smart on my part to put those 
kinds of expectations on a 
young kid. We did that again 
to (freshman catcher) Jimmy 
Obertop against Vanderbilt in 

the fall game, put him in the 
four-hole — that was a nice 
four strikeout game.”
But with the end of the 
season constantly staring 
Bakich and the team in the 
face, how many games will 
it take for him to prioritize a 
higher quality lineup in front 
of dimming the spotlight 
on his newbies? When will 
the freshmen invade the top 
half of the lineup, providing 
increased protection to the 
hitters around them than the 
veterans currently installed in 
those spots? Just like Burton 
and company benefited from 
beginning the year at the bot-
tom of the order, so too could 
the struggling veterans.
Redshirt sophomore out-
fielder Danny Zimmermann’s 
usage is certainly a bright 
spot. He started the season 
coming off the bench, but 
Bakich has since begun to 
allow him and his team-lead-
ing 1.059 OPS to do maximum 
damage in the cleanup spot. 
After redshirting the 2019 
campaign, Zimmermann is an 
example of a relative unknown 
whose talents are being used 
to the fullest.
“There were so many dif-
ferent breakout candidates 
that could be on the horizon,” 
Bakich said after the MLB4 
tournament on Feb. 16. “Just 
guys that had their moments 
in different games that could 
be positive contributors for 
the entire season.”
The breakout candidates 
have revealed themselves. It’s 
time to use them in ways that 
maximize win possibility: 
benefiting from and providing 
lineup protection, with more 
chances to hit with runners 
on base.
In other words, it’s time to 
treat them like the pitchers.

Whitten can be reached at jackhw@

umich.edu or on Twitter @JackWhitten6.

Freshman right-hander Chandler 
Dennis entered the circle. At 
the plate stood Hannah Carter, 
Dennis’ first collegiate opponent. 
Shortly after, Dennis got the 
Cyclone swinging — strike three. 
That was it for Dennis’ first 
time on the rubber. One batter. 
She came in to relieve sophomore 
right-hander Alex Storako on 
Saturday in an inning where Iowa 
State had put up four runs on 
the Wolverines. Prior to Dennis’ 
entrance, 
the 
Cyclones 
were 
winning 5-1. 
The stakes were low. Any 
damage a freshman pitcher like 
Dennis may have caused was 
already done before she stepped 
up to pitch. For Michigan coach 
Carol Hutchins, this was the 
moment she needed to give Dennis 
a chance.
“Well we’ve been watching her 
in practice since she got here,” 
Hutchins said. “And at some point, 
when we’re behind in the game, it 
was a good opportunity to get her 
in.”
It was. 
In 
her 
small 
opportunity, 
Dennis showed enough to be given 
another chance. Later that day, 
Michigan played No. 22 South 
Carolina, and Dennis was given a 

bit more responsibility.
It was another relief situation 
where the Wolverines were down, 
but instead of only facing the final 
batter, Dennis was handed the ball 
with over an inning left to play.
She finished the one-and-a-
third innings of the game allowing 
just one hit. Again, Michigan lost, 
but Dennis had proven her ability 
against a true opponent. 
Hutchins had seen enough this 
time to raise the stakes once more. 
Sunday morning, Dennis was 
given her first start.
“Getting my first start of course 
got a little bit of the nervous juices 
flowing,” Dennis said. “But I love 
competing with my team, and 
there was no doubt in my mind 
that they had my back on defense.”
Dennis went through four-and-
a-third innings pitched allowing 
six hits and one run with only 
one strikeout. After Dennis put 
two on in the fifth, Storako came 
in to relieve and gave up a three-
run homerun, tacking two more 
earned-runs onto Dennis’ total. 
Her first start wasn’t perfect, 
but Dennis knows that.
“I think I just need to work,” 
Dennis said. “I think I could have 
done better at getting ahead in the 
count. I think I pitched to contact 
a lot this week.”
On that, Hutchins and Dennis 
are in lock-step. Where they aren’t, 

is in whether the problems were as 
isolated as Dennis seems to think. 
“I think today’s performance 
they got a lot of bat on the ball,” 
Hutchins said. “We need to see 
(Dennis) paint the corners.
“But to be fair, every one of 
our pitchers has got to paint the 
corners much better. All of our 
pitchers are putting too much ball 
over too much plate. And as you 
see, we’ve given up too many big 
hits and we need to dig in here.”
Despite 
their 
superior 
experience, 
starting 
pitchers 
Storako and junior left-hander 
Meghan Beaubien threw similar 
games to Dennis over the course 
of the invitational.
This lackluster pitching no 
doubt contributed to its 1-3 record 
on the weekend. And while it is not 
the result Hutchins would have 
liked to see, it opened the door for 
a third pitcher in the Wolverines’ 
rotation to show her worth.
“I think (Dennis) is really 
capable of some great things,” 
Hutchins said Jan. 28. “And I 
think she needs to see herself as 
great. She needs to have some 
determination everyday and every 
pitch — like all of them. They’re 
always a work in progress.”
This weekend, Dennis made 
her debut as a Wolverine. It wasn’t 
perfect, but it was progress. And 
that’s just what she needed.

When 
something 
doesn’t 
work, you change it.
When it still doesn’t work, you 
keep making changes in order to 
find the solution.
Michigan 
softball 
was 
searching for a solution this 
past weekend. The problem: an 
uncharacteristic lack of offensive 
production. The solution: making 
changes to the lineup.
Going into the weekend, the 
Wolverines were averaging 5.22 
runs per game, a respectable 
number by any measure. But 
in the first three games of 
the 
Gamecock 
Invitational, 
Michigan only managed to put 
up two runs. Total.
“We didn’t do a real good job 
at the plate of swinging well and 
swinging free,” Michigan coach 
Carol Hutchins said.
It was no coincidence that 
in 
those 
three 
games, 
the 
Wolverines suffered their first 
two losses of the season. Their 
only win on the weekend came 
from a 1-0 victory over Liberty, 
held together by pitching and 
defense.
Hutchins 
knew 
something 

needed to change. 
“We moved people around as 
we’re trying to find something 
to spark our offense,” Hutchins 
said.
Some sparks were found. 
Senior Abby Skvarce found 
a place in the batting order as 
designated player and left fielder, 
previously only getting a chance 
as a pinch hitter. Skvarce hit .333 
on the weekend in her new role. 
Senior Thais Gonzalez was also 
able to find success, producing 
for Michigan wherever she was 
placed in the lineup. Gonzalez 
showed versatility by hitting in 
the eighth, ninth and second spot 
in the batting order over the four 
game slate. The final game was 
the one in which she took up the 
most responsibility by batting 
second, and still she produced, 
batting 1-for-2 with one run in 
the game. 
Another notable adjustment 
came from freshman second 
baseman Julia Jimenez moving 
into the lead-off position ahead 
of struggling outfielder Lexie 
Blair. The sophomore is hitting 
just .175 this season — a stark 
contrast to her .406 average a 
year ago. 
Here, the Wolverines may 

have found one solution. 
“Juju (Jimenez) I thought did 
a really nice job,” Hutchins said. 
“Juju didn’t make it any bigger 
than it was. Which was, ‘I’m 
batting.’ She doesn’t care when.”
Jimenez 
echoed 
Hutchins’ 
thoughts: 
“I just have to be on my A-game. 
No matter what happens, I just 
have to keep rolling with it and 
just do my best to stay up there. 
Just help my team out.”
Skvarce, 
Gonzalez 
and 
Jimenez were responsible for 
10 of the team’s 20 hits on the 
weekend as well as three of its 
seven runs. Each member of 
the trio — whether they were a 
starter before this weekend or 
not — found themselves in a new 
position in the lineup. With their 
new positions came new roles, 
and they delivered.
That was the purpose of 
Hutchins’ 
changes 
— 
move 
players around and see what 
works. So with Skvarce, Gonzalez 
and Jimenez producing in new 
spots, 
one 
could 
reasonably 
expect them to remain there. 
For Hutchins though, it’s not 
that simple. Because although 
there were sparks, they didn’t 
start a fire.
The 
Wolverines 
finished 
the weekend 1-3, and they only 
scored more than one run in 
the final game. The trio made a 
positive impact, but the entire 
puzzle wasn’t complete. 
“I don’t think there’s any 
right answers or not,” Hutchins 
said. “You know when our 
offense definitely isn’t clicking, 
it’s definitely difficult to know 
who to put where. … We’re 
going to continue to give people 
different looks and different 
opportunities. 
“The people that can handle it 
and compete when they’re called 
upon are those who are going to 
end up with it.”
New opportunities bring new 
changes to the lineup. Hutchins 
is prepared for that. She knows 
that eventually, the lineup will 
settle, but now is not that time. 
Now, 
Michigan 
needs 
solutions. And for solutions, it 
needs change.

Freshmen must step up

New faces
Wolverines go 1-3 on weekend, trying different lineup combinations and throwing pitcher Chandler Dennis

NICHOLAS STOLL
Daily Sports Writer

NICHOLAS STOLL
Daily Sports Writer

JACOB COHEN
Daily Sports Writer

MILES MACKLIN/Daily
The Michigan baseball team is keeping its confidence high despite dropping a series to UConn last weekend.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Freshman second baseman Julia Jimenez moved into the lead-off spot.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Freshman right-hander Chandler Dennis pitched in her first collegiate games over the weekeend as Michigan went 1-3.

JACK
WHITTEN

BASEBALL

