In its 2014 campaign, the Michigan baseball team finished 30-29-1. But 11 of its 29 losses were by just one run, with many of them coming early in the season. Compounding the issue was the fact that much of the team’s success rested on the shoulders of underclassmen, who were unfamiliar with playing at the collegiate level.
Encouragingly, had it won all of those one-run games, the team’s final record would have been 48-18-1 — on pace with reigning conference champion Indiana. Even if it had won around half of them, the team would have rested at a solid 36-29-1.
The team has trended upward in each of its three seasons under coach Erik Bakich, and some believe this is the year that the growth will show the most on the field. But one of the earliest conference rankings of the year, from b1gbaseball.com, projects the Wolverines to finish fifth in the Big Ten — one spot lower than their fourth-place finish last season.
“I honestly don’t care if we’re first or fifth (in the preseason poll),” Bakich said. “I told the guys that rankings are something we can’t control, so we’re not going to pay attention to it when we’re not receiving votes, just like we’re not going to pay attention to it when we’re in the top 25 later this season.”
Last year, those one-run losses were billed as learning experiences, but now it’s time to see what actually stuck. With much of the leadership weight up for grabs, the underclassmen will be called on to step up as a whole.
The experience and leadership will be key, as the Wolverines will also have to contend with a much different landscape than in recent years. This is prompted by the addition of two solid programs in Maryland and Rutgers, along with increased parity among traditional conference powerhouses, like Indiana, that are projected to finish somewhere other than at the top of the standings.
Michigan doesn’t have much time to figure out what its winning formula will be this year. The team’s first three weekends of conference play feature matchups against the projected first, second and fourth-place teams: Maryland, Nebraska and Indiana, respectively.
Another major challenge the team is facing is the amount of time it’s able to spend working as a group. NCAA regulations have kept players and coaches from doing much training together since mid-December, meaning a good chunk of the winter has seen players doing more self-policed individual workouts. On Jan. 23, the allowed time expands to 20 hours of organized team training per week, with coaches being able to work on more group-based concepts and traditional practice.
“(The amount of time for team practices before opening day) is much shorter than Major League Baseball’s spring training, so the onus is on individual players to have a training regimen over holiday break,” Bakich said. “Our guys are self-motivated, and really strive to improve. They’ll be able to come back and hit their stride very quickly.”
Working on both individual and team skills is especially important for players like sophomores Jackson Lamb and Hector Gutierrez, who will specialize in one position rather than play multiple, as they did during their freshman seasons.
Lamb started in the outfield for the Wolverines 29 times in 2014, but he will exclusively be a pitcher in 2015, according to Bakich. Coming out of high school, Lamb was clocked in the upper 90s from the mound, but he wasn’t able to pitch often last season due to a back injury. He figures to be a key component of the Wolverines’ bullpen this year.
In a similar situation, Gutierrez was listed as both a pitcher and infielder last season, but he will only play in the field this year. This change is much more cosmetic, as he only pitched in two games while playing more frequently in the infield.
Whether it’s because of the team’s winter workout habits or simply having another year of experience under some of the young players’ belts, the coaching staff is looking for the on-field product to come together rapidly for the Wolverines this month. Opening day is quickly approaching, and with the team being put to the test right away on the road for seven straight weeks to open the season, it will have to hit the ground running.