From the moment junior centerfielder Ryan LaMarre broke his thumb back on Feb. 20, the question mark that has plagued the Michigan baseball team’s offense has replaced the preseason All-American’s production in the lineup.

And until recently, it’s a question the team couldn’t seem to resolve. A host of candidates emerged to take the left field spot after freshman Patrick Biondi shifted to center. The potential replacements included redshirt sophomore Garrett Stephens, redshirt freshman Kevin Krantz, freshman Cam Luther and redshirt freshman Tyler Mills.

But due to lack of production or in Krantz’s case, a fractured thumb, no player seized the spot as left field remained an offensive black hole.

“We’re going to keep trying to get somebody in there that can produce, and if somebody produces, they’ll play more, and if they don’t, they won’t,” Michigan coach Rich Maloney said after the March 3 game against Florida Gulf Coast. “We’re waiting for somebody to step up … waiting for somebody to take hold of that job until (LaMarre) gets back. Hopefully somebody will.”

Enter senior utility man Mike Kittle.

The veteran had previously started just six games in his career as a Wolverine, all in 2009. His career average coming into this season was a mediocre .205, with a measly four RBI to his name.

But Maloney gave Kittle a shot against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne on March 27, and the Clarkston native responded with a 2-for-4 performance. Since then, he has started six straight games.

And the senior has done nothing to warrant a demotion out of his left field spot. His average now sits at .341, to go along with 11 RBI (as many as the starting third baseman, sophomore John Lorenz) and just two errors (one fewer than the starting rightfielder, redshirt senior Nick Urban).

“We’re getting some production out of left field,” Maloney said after Sunday’s game at Indiana. “Early in the year, we had none. So now Kittle … (has) stepped it up and that’s really encouraging.”

Kittle has delivered in the clutch, as well. In nearly identical situations, with Michigan holding a tenuous one-run lead late in the game, he delivered a critical RBI single to score an insurance run first against Eastern Michigan last Tuesday and then one more time in Saturday’s game against the Hoosiers.

And yet the soft-spoken senior didn’t have much to say about either hit, commenting only how they were necessary for the team.

“(It's) just (important) to help out the team,” Kittle said after the Eastern game. “I knew we needed the base hit there, so I did what I could.”

The Wolverines knew that they wouldn’t be able to fully replace LaMarre’s production — that’s what makes the junior so valuable and important to their offense.

Maloney recognized that there were big shoes to fill and didn’t expect a player to step in and start mashing the ball. Michigan just needed somebody to come in and produce consistently, holding the fort down until his star's return.

And with LaMarre now expected back in the lineup sometime this week, it’s been Mike Kittle who finally emerged from the bench to do just that.