Two weeks, seven games and one-tenth of a championship-length season have already transpired.
Jack Whitten
Daily Sports Writer
Baseball
The Wolverines two losses were much more representative of an unfortunate result against a formidable opponent than shocking takedowns of the nation’s No. 1 team. UConn, while certainly an underdog against Michigan, is an accomplished program in its own right, having made NCAA Regionals two years in a row. And the Wolverines’ defeats were a result of a failure to execute — not the exposure of a fatal flaw.
In response, the team’s message is simple.
“Staying the course,” junior right-hander Jeff Criswell said.
The Wolverines went on to win their College World Series rematch with Vanderbilt, 4-3, in large part thanks to Schmidt’s go-ahead blast.
Given that Schmidt hit in the seven spot against the Commodores, the long ball wasn’t necessarily expected. It was indicative of the bottom third of the lineup’s production from the weekend.
As Steven Hajjar boarded the bus for the half hour drive between Salt River Fields and the Phoenix Municipal Stadium, his adrenaline was pumping and his nerves were racing.
Despite Weston’s struggles against Vanderbilt, Bakich remained confident in his young reliever — confident enough to call upon him in another high-leverage situation.
The 2020 season started the way the No. 8 Michigan baseball team (3-1) hoped the 2019 season would end.
Matthew Schmidt put the sweet spot of the barrel on a middle-in, letter-high offering. Seconds later, the ball was rolling around in the grass behind the left-field wall. It was also one of just eight extra-base hits tallied by Michigan over the course of a weekend split between the MLB4 Tournament and a true away game at No. 3 Arizona State. But despite the power outage, the Wolverines came away from the weekend with a 3-1 record. Michigan’s pitchers were as capable as their opponents'.
But now with former outfielder and Big Ten Player of the Year Jordan Brewer playing outfield for the Astros organization instead of the Wolverines, the DH spot is no longer the only one available to Nwogu. Moreover, Michigan now has a player who finds himself in a similar situation to the one Nwogu was in last year.
Despite all the outside expectations, the Michigan baseball team has not changed its approach to their game or what their program is. Falling one game short of a national title impacted their emotions going into the offseason, but it did not alter the Wolverines’ approach.
Last season, only one left-handed pitcher beat No. 1 UCLA.
His name is Tommy Henry, and he did it twice.