In the top of the second inning, as grad-transfer center fielder Joe Stewart singled and advanced to second base on a bad throw, it appeared that the Michigan baseball team was primed to take the lead. Instead, the Wolverines struck out twice to end the inning, allowing Iowa to expand on its lead and defeat Michigan on Sunday afternoon.
The Wolverines cannot seem to get out of their own way.
In every loss this season, one of three things has occurred: Either Michigan couldn’t score runs, the bullpen struggled heavily or the defense gave up numerous errors. Sunday’s 10-3 loss to the Hawkeyes in the series finale was plagued by strikeouts and stranded base runners.
Iowa has a solid pitching staff, as each of its starters has less than a 3.00 ERA. On Sunday, sophomore right-hander Ty Langenberg had 11 strikeouts and gave up no runs in 5.2 innings. While Michigan coach Erik Bakich claimed they were overmatched, self-inflicted issues were what put the Wolverines in a hole once again.
“It’s not the opponent, it’s ourselves,” Bakich said. “We just need to get out of our own way. We expect that we’re not going to get every call from the umpires, but when we’re also battling ourselves mentally and overthinking some things or pressing too much, that’s where you’re in your own head. When you are hanging on too tight or trying too hard, the game gets even harder.”
Michigan has proven that it can score this season. The team averaged over six runs a game in its 14 wins. At the same time, there is a large discrepancy in consistency between wins and losses that is making it difficult for the Wolverines to find momentum.
“We had 16 strikeouts today and we really didn’t have anything going much offensively (over the weekend),” Bakich said. “We still have a good offense. A good offense that had a terrible weekend offensively. We just need to get back to training this week on Tuesday and correct our mistakes.
We certainly cannot have repeat performances of this weekend in the future if we want to be a good team.”
Michigan struck out more on Sunday than any other game this season. In addition, it left nine runners on base, hurting its chances at getting back in the game until it was too late in the final inning.
With six conference games out of the way, it’s hard to judge where the Wolverines stand. As Bakich said, consistency is Michigan’s biggest weakness, and if it isn’t figured out soon, the losses might just pile up going forward.