The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Sports Wednesday, March 16, 2022 — 11 Heart of a Spartan, now a Wolverine: Joe Stewart’s unique opportunity IAN PAYNE Daily Sports Writer JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily Joseph Zain Rodger: Michigan’s pitchers need to step up There is one divide that defines collegiate sports for many fans and athletes in the state of Michigan. The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry. Allegiances are strong and pas- sions run high. As a result, it’s not often that athletes cross the battle lines and transfer from one school to the other. But this season one player has taken this lightly traveled path, as the Michigan baseball team welcomes graduate outfielder, and Michigan State alum, Joe Stewart onto its roster as a graduate transfer student. And he’s excited to have such a unique opportunity. “I’m a Michigan kid, I grew up here,” Stewart said. “I have a unique opportunity that a lot of people don’t have, to get to play at both of the big universities in Michigan.” This opportunity came as the result of an unexpected choice that many college baseball players find themselves facing. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stewart was presented with an interesting possibility. Following the limiting of the 2020 and 2021 baseball seasons due to COVID-19 concerns, the NCAA granted all active players an extra year of eligibility. The policy allowed many players to hang around the college scene and try exploring new horizons while continuing in the sport they love. “I didn’t initially plan to play another season,” Stewart said. “I still enjoyed playing … I felt I still had something left in there.” So Stewart exercised the option of entering the graduate transfer portal to play one more season, and Michigan coach Erik Bakich gave him a call. “From talking to him and knowing some guys that have come through this program, (I knew) it was an awesome oppor- tunity for me.” Stewart said. And the Wolverine staff was thrilled to add Stewart to the ros- ter. Graduate transfers can be a valuable asset to a program due to their experience and outsiders’ perspective, which allows them to offer a fresh point of view. That insight can be useful. “Being in the Big Ten, I know what this conference looks like and what it takes to be successful (here),” Stewart said. “I’m not necessarily as much the vocal leader, but (I’m) trying to show the younger guys, lead by example, do the right thing and what that looks like.” Coach Bakich for one, appreciates having a player like Stewart to fill that role. “I really like grad transfers,” Bakich said. “They’ve been instant leaders … experience wins at the college level, and they bring a lot to the table.” While it used to be relatively difficult to line up grad trans- fer students in college baseball, COVID-19 eligibility has made it fairly easy for Michigan to increase their number on its ros- ter. The program has also pulled infielder Matt Frey and outfield- er Alex Fedje-Johnson — both from Davidson College, whose head coach played under Bakich at Vanderbilt — out of the trans- fer portal for this season to help enhance its lineup. “(Grad transfers) have a bit of a chip on their shoulder,” Bakich said. “They really have something to prove and want to be great.” Being the most experienced members of the team, one of Bakich’s main goals for the gradu- ate students are to impart both wisdom and the right attitude upon their new teammates, and Stewart seems to be the right man for the job. In his senior season at Michi- gan State, Stewart was named the team’s most improved player, and he has continued to display the work ethic and improvements that earned him that title. “Joe Stewart comes to mind,” Bakich said when asked which players turned heads in preseason practices. “He’s probably the most improved player from when he first got here … he stands out, I think he’s got a chance to have a special year.” Since then, Stewart has lived up to that praise with his perfor- mance on the field. In addition to leading the team by example off the field, he has achieved the results that his approach can yield. A fixture in the lineup, Stewart has hit the ball hard, and with discipline. He is also working to continue the defensive improve- ments he saw last sea- son in East Lansing, hoping to serve as a defensive rock in center field. “On the field (I’ll) see what I can do to help out in the outfield,” Stew- art said. “Continue to build on that defensive side of my game … and be a guy that can drive some balls into the gap … whatever I can do to get this team to be suc- cessful.” Stewart has been a large part of the Wol- verines’ offensive explosion in recent weeks, and Stewart is enjoying this special chance from a whole new angle. “There is much more appre- ciation for still being able to play,” Stewart said. “I’ve gotten this revived chance this year to come over and help this team. … It’s been fun, I think I definitely appreciate the little things a lot more.” Nevertheless, while he has been enjoying his time at Michi- gan, he still hasn’t forgotten his old friends in East Lansing. “That’s a game that will be circled on my calendar,” Stewart said. “(I have) a lot of friends over there. … It’s gonna be really fun to compete with those guys. … I’m looking forward to it.” Stewart’s familiarity and good relationship with the Spartans will undoubtedly bring a fresh twist to the mid-April rivalry bouts between the two teams. Stewart’s career in college baseball reflects the connec- tions to both schools that many in Michigan possess. Just like his attitude towards baseball helps encourage his teammates to per- form on the field, his attitude towards the rivalry also shows how these connections can often bring people together and offer the chance for new experiences. And Stewart is enthusiastic to experience it. “Love Michigan State and all those guys,” Stewart said. “But it was awesome to get this oppor- tunity to come here for my last year.” Joe Stewart looks to lead the Michigan baseball team after playing for Michigan State. Despite top tier hitting talent, the Michigan baseball team has not had the success they’ve hoped for. Through the first 15 games, the Wolverines are top 30 in the country in scoring and second in the Big Ten. However, they sit just one win above .500. That means one thing — they can’t pitch. Michigan can’t hold down a team for a full nine innings. The only game where the Wolver- ines kept their opponent under four runs was an 8-2 vic- tory against a sluggish 1-12 Seton Hall. “We just haven’t played a com- plete game yet,” Michigan coach Erik Bakich said. “You know, we’ve had some games where we scored a lot of runs, but we’ve also given up a lot of runs.” It gets worse when you dive deeper into the pitching num- bers. Among the seven arms who’ve seen the most innings, the average ERA is a woeful 5.35. Michigan is third to last in the Big Ten in walk frequency and fifth to last in hit frequency. Letting that many men on base is not sustainable. It sets the team up for failure and late game collapses regularly, like those against No. 17 Texas Tech Michigan earns first No. 3 seed in program history MARK PATRICK Daily Sports Writer After losing four of its last six games, the Michigan women’s basketball team awaited the fate of potentially not hosting home games in the NCAA Tournament. That fate was put to rest Sunday night, as the Wolverines earned a No. 3 seed — their highest seed in program history — in the Wich- ita region. Being a top-four seed allows the team to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tourna- ment. “To be a three seed, that’s pretty awesome,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “Being able to host and get another game at Crisler (Center) for our senior class that has meant (so much) to us is really special.” Michigan’s first game will be against No. 14 seed American on Saturday. If the Wolverines win, they will face either No. 6 BYU or No. 11 Villanova on Monday. Fresh off winning the Patriot League tournament champion- ship, the Eagles present a tough challenge. After starting the sea- son 11-6, American has won 12 of its last 14 games. This is in large part due to its defense holding opponents to just 56 points per game — 33rd best in the nation. The team is led by senior guard Jade Edwards. The versatile guard does it all for the Eagles, leading the team in points, min- utes, rebounds, steals and blocks. “They’re a great program, always successful in their league and have a really good coach,” Barnes Arico said. After starting the season 20-2, Michigan struggled down the stretch. It went out in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to Nebraska, losing 76-73, mak- ing its seeding more precarious. After the Wolverines were up six with five minutes left in the game, the Cornhuskers ended the game on a 9-2 run, crushing their hopes of a Big Ten tourna- ment championship. The No. 3 seed has much to do with the Wolverines early sea- son success. The team started the season 7-0 for the second straight year. After losing to the Cornhuskers 79-58, Michigan compiled an eight-game win streak with wins coming against Ohio State, Iowa, Indiana, and Maryland. The team was par- ticularly successful at home fin- ishing the year 12-0 at the Crisler Center. “We’re undefeated at home this year and I think that’s in large part due to our fan base and the support that we’ve got- ten throughout the course of the season,” Barnes Arico said. Looking to win its first regu- lar season Big Ten championship for the first time in program his- tory, things began to turn for the worse. A combination of injuries and inconsistencies on offense and defense led the Wolverines to losses in four of their last six games. It’s possible they would have had a No. 1 or No. 2 seed if not for the late season sputter. Michigan has an opportunity to make program history in the NCAA Tournament. After being so close to capturing a regular season Big Ten title and losing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Wolverines look to advance past the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in pro- gram history. “(We’re) just really embracing this moment and being excited because there’s no guarantees,” Barnes Arico said. “So just have an appreciation for being able to still be competing, when so many other people are going home at this point, and so many people are disappointed, but really put themselves in a position to con- tinue to play.” and Florida Atlantic. Both games ended in multiple-run bottom- of-the-ninth comebacks. All of the mistakes came to a head in the Wolverines’ latest game — their 13-1 loss against Louisville. The Car- dinals’ bats punished Michigan’s pitchers all game, and they were only held scoreless for one inning. The Wolverines’ pitchers cost them more than just at the plate. Michigan has an average fielding unit that sits sixth in the conference in fielding percent- age, but many of the mistakes they make are connected to the pitching. “If you’re walking a lot of peo- ple, the defense is going to be on their heels because they’re not as actively engaged,” Bakich said. “… So I think that the trust and the reliability of both sides there just needs to sync up and have a great synergy.” The main fielding woes came in Greenville against East Caro- lina. The defense held up for most of the game, but the two- run loss was caused by two big rallies, both of which had their momentum heavily aided by errors. This defensive start is not JOSEPH ZAIN RODGER optimal, but it’s far too early to discount the Wolverines from a deep postseason run. The Wol- verines have the fourth hardest strength of schedule in the Big Ten. Bakich wants the team to face adversity early so they can be prepared for tougher battles. “We’ve been here before. Every year when we sched- ule really tough competition it seems to be a little bit of a back and forth and up and down,” Bakich said. “We’re scheduling teams that are all going to be in the postseason.” It’s still a very young season. Once the home games and Big Ten series finally start, it’s very possible that the team starts to roll if they fix their mistakes. That’s a very big if. If the season ended today, Michigan’s pitching staff would have its worst combined ERA in over 10 years. “It’s one thing to talk about achieving your goals week to week, it’s another thing to do it,” said Bakich. “The bottom line is we just need to play better.” Just like the teams they’ve scheduled to start the year, the Wolverines have postseason dreams of their own. If they want to compete, the pitching staff needs to figure it out. If not, they’re in for a harsh wake-up call. GRACE BEAL/Daily Michigan earns highest NCAA tournament ranking in program history, will face American in first round. JENNA HICKEY/Daily Michigan’s pitching has struggled so far this season.