Michigan coach Tracy Smith has called on just three players to be his constant starters throughout the season: sophomore utility player Mitch Voit, graduate shortstop Kyle Dernedde and junior third baseman Cole Caruso. But Tuesday against Michigan State, that number dropped to two as Caruso was left off the starting lineup, leaving a gap at third base. To fill the void, Smith looked to freshman infielder Joonsung Park.
Park entered his freshman season after winning IMG Academy’s Top Hitter and Gold Glove awards, known for his explosive presence at the plate and quiet durability in the infield. Park may be inexperienced at the collegiate baseball level, but Smith has made it clear that youthfulness throughout the lineup is not a primary concern. Instead, Smith chooses the Wolverines’ lineup based on what his players show in practice.
“My coaching philosophy and style has always been that we don’t make rosters or lineups based on what we think, instead they have to show us something,” Smith said Feb. 13. “Guys are going to have opportunities and we’re going to give them to them. I say it all the time to them, ‘We don’t make the lineups you guys do.’ ”
Until Tuesday afternoon’s matchup, Park had not started a game for Michigan and only played one game on March 22 against Penn State. Park entered the game in the top of the sixth inning as a pinch hitter for graduate second-baseman Mack Timbrook as the Wolverines attempted to infuse some life at the plate. But Park didn’t greatly improve or harm their game. He was hit by a pitch and advanced to first base, creating a bases-loaded situation that Michigan was primed to take advantage of.
Park wasn’t the only batter to have a slow night against the Nittany Lions. The Wolverines recorded just two hits and only managed to score runs when Penn State walked runners home — one of which was Park.
“Coming off of a tough loss on Friday, not a lot of stuff went our way,” Smith said March 24. “Offensively (it) was still outside of our approach and we have a lot of improvements to do there.”
Despite a relatively ordinary showing on Friday, Smith must have seen something else he liked from Park over the weekend as that led to him in the starting lineup as the seven hitter and third baseman on Tuesday.
And Park’s collegiate batting abilities were put to the test right away. In his first at-bat of the game, Park answered the call, doubling to right field and earning his first collegiate RBI to give Michigan its first run of the afternoon. As Park raced to second base, he was spurred on by his teammates’ exclamations from the dugout.
But Park didn’t stop there. As Dernedde followed behind him, Park remained aggressive as a base runner, leaving ample space between himself and second base. When Dernedde fouled out to right field Park saw his opportunity and tagged to take third base, eager to return home in the inning. Not long after, freshman outfielder AJ Garcia gave him his opportunity. Garcia bunted right and caught the Spartans’ defense off guard, which Park took advantage of and scored another run for the Wolverines.
The Michigan dugout erupted. As Park crossed home plate, his teammates burst onto the diamond, ecstatic to congratulate the freshman. Surrounded by a cacophony of cheers and helmet slaps, Park walked down the stairs of the dugout grinning from ear to ear. But the biggest show of support came at the back of the dugout. Before Park could sit down he was scooped up into a bear hug by none other than the teammate he replaced in the lineup, Caruso. Caruso lifted Park’s feet off the ground in the massive show of support.
“The upperclassmen and grad transfers have taken the younger players under our wings,” Caruso said Feb. 13. “And we’ve tried to show them how you should go about your business because I remember being a freshman and not knowing what to expect every day. We’ve been good role models to them I believe.”
In his first start, Park made his presence known at the plate for Michigan and has shown that he can have a positive impact on the team, even if the results of the games don’t go the Wolverines’ way. But what was more important than Park recording his first collegiate hit was the support he received when he did. With his team’s encouragement, Park looks to continue to build his confidence and be a reliable batter for Michigan.