“Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.”

This adage in the sporting world can be applied to numerous championship teams and moments — title-winning interceptions, other-worldly chasedown blocks and clutch pitching performances, to name just a few.

But for the Michigan baseball team to achieve its Big Ten Championship dream, ever-more faint after getting swept by Ohio State, that cliché will have to be flipped.

With their season on the line in Omaha — on the heels of conjuring just 10 total runs against the Buckeyes  — the Wolverines’ hitters will need to raise their game to have any semblance of hope at clinching that automatic NCAA Tournament bid by Sunday afternoon.

And look no further than Michigan’s 2022 Big Ten Tournament Championship run to reinforce that necessity.

“Michigan last year was in a similar position, and clicked and fired on all cylinders at the right time,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said May 13.

While the comparisons are far from identical between this and last season’s squads, they both faced their seasons hanging in the balance with elimination from the Big Ten Tournament.

Yet unlike this year, Michigan began building its momentum at the plate in its final Big Ten regular season series against Rutgers. The Wolverines won the series against the surging Scarlet Knights, scoring nine runs in each of their wins before losing 18-12 in a wild series finale.

They then carried that momentum in the batters’ box from the Atlantic Coast to the banks of the Missouri River.

Finishing the season with a combined 7.00 ERA, Michigan’s pitching staff was not in position to win games solely at the mound. So the gameplan was simple: outscore the opponent.

The Wolverines did just that, scoring at least seven runs in all four of their victories, with 10 runs in three of those games.

However, in their lone loss against Iowa, they mustered just three runs — showing the perils if the lineup could not produce with shaky pitchers behind them.

For this year’s squad to replicate the same celebration dogpile on Memorial Day Sunday, the recipe from a season ago will need to be followed to a tee.

The pitching staff, which maintains a 5.93 combined ERA, is down its second starter for the season in junior right-hander Chase Allen. And Michigan is still searching for multiple other arms deep in its bullpen to get important outs late in games.

“If and when we do damage in the Big Ten Tournament, (other bullpen arms are) going to have to be a big part of that,” Smith said. “Some guys are going to step up and surprise you that maybe haven’t pitched in a month.”

The problem is — none of those arms have proven capable of filling the void.

The search for production from the bullpen carried over into Tuesday’s midweek game against Xavier, which almost served as an audition for many of the Wolverines’ pitchers hoping to get more outings.

But the mass audition turned into a near-catastrophe: a 14-2 blowout loss. Seven of the eight arms that pitched gave up at least one earned run, with promising junior right-hander Ryan Zimmer getting tagged for six earned runs.

Not much went Michigan’s way in the center of the diamond against Ohio State either, as the Wolverines’ staff yielded at least five earned runs to the Buckeyes’ bats in each of the three games in Columbus.

With the instability and limited upside of Michigan’s pitchers to endure an entire tournament run — requiring between four and six games to win it all — the onus falls on the offense to take the burden.

Turning things around at the plate for the Wolverines lineup starts with competitive at-bats. That doesn’t necessarily require getting on base — working pitch counts up, advancing runners, or forcing the opposing defense to make a nice fielding play can also kickstart the offensive play.

Poor strikeouts do not fall under that umbrella. Michigan has been plagued by the strikeout bug at various points all year, striking out 47 more times than its opponents across the season. This phenomenon was magnified on Saturday, as the Wolverines struck out 17 times in the 7-2 loss.

“I was just disappointed with our approach and I think (Saturday), we struck out 17 times, which I can’t remember (the) last time something like that happened,” Smith said May 20. “So it’s unacceptable. It’s not characteristic of this group.”

While 17 strikeouts in a game is extreme, the performance is emblematic of Michigan’s hot-and-cold offense. To get hot again, the Wolverines will have to convert the opportunities that have evaded them with runners on base. They have left an average of 7.71 runners on base per game, correlating with the third-lowest slugging percentage in the Big Ten.

These statistics paint a grim picture of Michigan’s fate in Omaha. But it’s not too late. 

There is a chance for the Wolverines to correct it, if they’re able to stack strong plate appearances on top of each other to lead their potential charge at a Big Ten title.

After all, every team enters the Big Ten Tournament with a blank slate.

“It’s everybody’s new season,” Smith said. “Everybody’s 0-0. So it doesn’t really mean what happened the game before the series or even the entire season before because everybody’s rolling into that tournament 0-0.”

That “new season” provides Michigan its final chance to redeem itself, once and for all. And that starts from the top with its biggest hitters — who still have the memories of last year’s magical run fresh in their minds — bringing a contagious energy to the talented underclassmen.

The walls outside the Wolverines’ home locker room at Ray Fisher Stadium feature signage that reads, “You’ll never get hot if you don’t know the cold.”

The 2023 Michigan baseball team has seen nearly every degree imaginable: head-scratching losses, comeback victories, heartbreaking injuries and memorable career performances.

On the precipice of their season ending as early as Wednesday night in the double-elimination bracket, the Wolverines will have to emerge from the depths of their worst week of the season with by far their best — finally putting the puzzle pieces together to extract their winning formula.

And just like last year, that equation will rely on the bats getting hotter than ever before.

The post Joshua Brown: To make Big Ten title run, Michigan has to wake up ‘unacceptable’ hitting appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

In a tight Big Ten conference, the Michigan baseball team needed a big series to claim a prime position heading into the Big Ten Tournament. But when the Wolverines needed to come through most, they couldn’t muster the strength to make the difference.

In its final regular season series, Michigan (26-26 overall, 13-11 Big Ten) was swept by Ohio State (31-25, 9-15), losing by lopsided scores of 7-3, 9-5 and 7-2, respectively. And while blowing its opportunity to move up in the Big Ten standings, one phrase summarized the Wolverines’ weekend: What can go wrong will go wrong.

In Friday’s opener, Michigan was bludgeoned early and often. Usually with junior left-hander Connor O’Halloran on the mound, the Wolverines feel it can beat anybody in the nation. On Friday, however, O’Halloran’s uncharacteristic performance was a large reason why Michigan dropped its series opener to the Buckeyes.

Far from his usual self, O’Halloran only pitched 4.1 innings. And in those innings, he allowed five runs and seven hits. By the time he exited the ballgame, the Wolverines were dug into a 5-1 hole. And due yet another inconsistent offensive performance, the Wolverines could not climb back out of it.

“(We have to) pitch the baseball better and certainly throw strikes,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “It all starts on the mound (and) we just haven’t done a good job of that.”

The lone bright spot of Friday’s game was senior designated hitter Jimmy Obertop. Obertop knocked in all three runs for the Wolverines via two home runs in the second and sixth innings, respectively.

But otherwise, the offensive production was disastrous, as Michigan left nine runners on base. Similar to the Xavier loss earlier in the week, the Wolverines proved unable to produce with runners in scoring position, yet again — even blowing a bases-loaded opportunity in the third inning. Once again, Michigan’s own offensive miscues shot itself in the foot.

“I was disappointed,” Smith said of the Wolverines’ offense. “I was just disappointed with our approach. It’s unacceptable (and) not characteristic of this group. … Our offensive approach has to be way better.”

And unfortunately for Michigan, its difficulties continued on Saturday en route to another dominant performance by Ohio State. This time, however, the offense improved, and the loss instead was attributed more to the pitching. Due to the loss of junior right-hander Chase Allen, the Wolverines once again employed senior right-hander Noah Rennard on the mound, forcing him to play out of his role as a reliever for another weekend.

In the loss, Rennard’s true role showed. Rennard lasted just four innings and, in a lackluster performance, Michigan quickly fell behind, 4-0, after just two innings of play. Although the Wolverines returned with two runs of their own off of a two-run home run from senior second baseman Ted Burton in the top of the third inning, they simply couldn’t keep the momentum rolling. 

Similar to Friday’s contest, Michigan’s offense couldn’t capitalize after holding the Buckeyes to scoreless innings. And eventually, the Wolverines paid for it in the form of home runs by center fielder Trey Lipsey and right fielder Mitchell Okuley to extend Ohio State’s lead to 6-2 in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively. A triple from Lipsey later in the sixth inning only put the game further out of reach for Michigan and, despite a small rally in the ninth inning, the Wolverines came up short once again.

Michigan came into this series controlling its own destiny. Leave Columbus with a sweep, and its prospects would have looked much better heading into postseason play starting next Tuesday.

But because the Wolverines failed to do what they hoped due to their own vices, they’re on the wrong side of a tough conference bracket.

The post Michigan’s inconsistencies lead to series loss against Ohio State appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

A lack of pitching depth has plagued the Michigan baseball team all season. 

Without junior left-hander Connor O’Halloran — the Wolverines’ undisputed ace — on the mound, Michigan often struggles to keep conference games competitive. The Wolverines have been outscored 42-9 on Sundays during a recent abysmal month-long run. On Tuesday, that staff leanness was prominent again — on full display as the Xavier offense inundated the Wolverines with 14 runs. 

And with junior right-hander Chase Allen — Michigan’s Saturday starter — now likely done for the year due to an injury, that pervasive problem will only be exacerbated. 

“We’re probably going to be without the services of Chase the rest of the way,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said May 12. “… Highly unlikely he’ll be pitching for us the rest of the year.”

Allen’s abrupt end to the season means his 2023 campaign concludes with 10 games started — his first in the Wolverines’ second contest of the year and last in a midweek matchup with Kent State on May 3. That unusual midweek start followed three consecutive suboptimal outings against Rutgers, Michigan State and Oklahoma State — all starts in which he gave up five or more runs in three or less innings. That three-game stretch ballooned his ERA above 7.00, the second-highest in the Big Ten. 

But while Allen has had his share of struggles — as every Michigan pitcher has, save O’Halloran — he has also enjoyed superior stretches and consumed a high share of innings, as one of only four Wolverines with over 50 innings thrown.  

His best performance was an eight inning, three-earned-run-allowed triumph over Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 26. He then started four consecutive games resulting in a Wolverines’ victory over a stretch in late March and early April. And Allen isn’t unacquainted with those types of successes, compiling a 7-2 record a season ago in 2022. 

“What I love about Chase … when I came out to get the ball he wanted to punch me in the face,” Smith said after Allen twirled 105 pitches en route to an eventual win over Penn State on March 25. “… I love the competitive nature. As badly as I know he wanted the baseball, we felt that he had done his job and did it very well today.”

Allen’s absence means expanded roles for other arms. Senior right-hander Noah Rennard — the past Friday closer — has assumed Allen’s position as the Saturday starter; junior right-hander Ahmad Harajli slides into the spot vacated by Rennard; senior left-hander Jacob Denner has seen more innings in series finales, resulting in his first two wins of the season and a Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award. 

But even with those pitchers thriving in newfound roles, the Wolverines will sorely miss Allen’s ‘competitive nature’ and experience — especially at the present moment. 

With one Big Ten series left, Michigan will look to sweep Ohio State to preserve its remote chance at a regular season conference title, which the Wolverines are somehow still mathematically in the running for. Then Michigan will attempt to rattle off a run in the Big Ten Tournament for a hope at the NCAA Tournament automatic bid — a daunting task with a thin pitching staff. 

To achieve either of those lofty goals, the Wolverines will now have to do it without one of their most seasoned pitchers.

The post With Chase Allen likely done for the season, Michigan pitching thins further appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

Looming in a week for the Michigan baseball team: the Big Ten Tournament — the Wolverines’ lone hope to make their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

And the postseason is the ultimate endurance test.

To win it all, Michigan would need to play between four and six games within less than a week span in Omaha, providing little rest for its pitching staff.

While none of the top-end pitchers were highlighted in Tuesday’s loss against Xavier, many of the Wolverines’ utility relievers — some of which are likely to feature in critical junctures throughout the tournament run — pitched in short stints.

But seven of Michigan’s eight pitchers utilized in the blowout defeat allowed at least one earned run, with one lone exception: surging junior right-hander Ahmad Harajli throwing a scoreless ninth inning after the game was already done and dusted.

“Tough day all the way around,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “And if we’re going to do this thing, once we get into the tournament … of the guys that threw today, somebody’s got to step up.”

As Smith alluded to, no one truly stepped up Tuesday for the Wolverines on the mound. And much of that resulted from the inability to close out innings.

The Musketeers batted 9-17 with two outs, scoring 10 of their jarring 14 runs through those at-bats. Six of those came in the seventh inning, where junior right-hander Ryan Zimmer and freshman right-hander Brandon Mann could not get out of the inning before letting Xavier balloon the final tally.

Yet Zimmer, whose ERA skyrocketed from 5.40 to 10.45 after allowing six earned runs, was tabbed by Smith multiple weeks ago as one of those guys that could “step up” and play that envisioned role in the Big Ten Tournament. But his performance, along with the rest of Tuesday’s arms, caused a pause in evaluating how to curate the arms against Ohio State next weekend and the subsequent Big Ten Tournament.

“(Today) certainly was not a level that gives us much of a chance to win, but that has to obviously get better moving forward,” Smith said.

The level will likely have to improve, and then some, as the batting lineups Michigan is due to face in Omaha are much stronger and deeper than the Musketeers’ midweek squad.

However, the Wolverines can temporarily sideline some of these deficiencies, still jostling for seeding that can put them anywhere in the eight-team double-elimination bracket. They remain confident in their starters and top relievers, though, planning to throw out their top pitchers over the weekend in their final Big Ten series against Ohio State.

And that plan starts with ace junior left-hander Connor O’Halloran leading off from the middle of the diamond on Thursday night against the Buckeyes.

“Get a quality start from Connor,” Smith said. “… Our focus will be on Thursday night, but taking that thing one game at a time because we still mathematically have a chance to win the outright title, regular season, which would be awesome.”

Taking everything “one game at a time” has been at the core of Michigan’s season, which has been “all-hands-on-deck” from the first pitch of the season.

But for that approach to come full circle for a Big Ten Tournament Championship, its backend pitching will likely have to show through the grueling week in Omaha.

Unlike Tuesday’s midweek debacle against Xavier.

The post Michigan’s poor pitching against Xavier reveals bad sign approaching postseason appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

No matter how an offense performs, throwing strikes and controlling the mound is what wins games. And on Tuesday, the Michigan baseball team found itself on the wrong end of that statement, translating to an inconsistent outing across the board.

In the Wolverines’ final home game of the season, Michigan (26-23 overall) was dominated by Xavier (32-20), 14-2, despite a promising start.

Similar to its series against Northwestern, the Wolverines’ offense started hot in the bottom of the first inning. Courtesy of a fly ball into left field from sophomore designated hitter Joe Longo, graduate shortstop Cody Jefferis scored quickly, giving Michigan a 1-0 lead. But that was the only time it led all game long.

Like so many midweek games before, freshman right-hander Kurt Barr took the mound to defend the lead. This time, however, Barr didn’t start off hot. After walking two batters in the second inning, Barr was pulled from the game, and the Musketeers capitalized on his ineffectiveness, scoring a run of its own to tie the game at one.

A strong third inning for Xavier continued its resurgence. Left fielder Andrew Walker doubled to open the inning, ending graduate left-hander Walker Cleveland’s day. As a result, two singles from Xavier batters added two runs to the board, and suddenly it held a two-run advantage over Michigan. After Barr’s early exit, the Wolverines’ pitching struggles showed — and cost it dearly.

“We struggled on the mound, no question,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “That has to be better. It’s just not what we’re looking for. … Tough day all around.”

The Wolverines’ offense showed the same signs of such inconsistency. After loading the bases with no outs, senior left fielder Tito Flores reduced the deficit to one with a sacrifice fly into right field. However, senior right fielder Joey Velazquez was caught stealing at third, reducing the threat for the Musketeers. A subsequent groundout by graduate first baseman Jack Van Remortel put final touches on a third inning that left much to be desired for Michigan.

Xavier’s fourth and fifth innings continued to exploit the Wolverines inconsistencies. A two-out double from Walker scored another run for the Musketeers, extending their lead back to two and erasing Michigan’s prior efforts. Xavier then added to its lead with a single from right fielder Alex Helmin, making matters even worse for the Wolverines — now a three run deficit. Michigan’s failure to execute continued to set it back, and in the middle innings, it proved costly.

Its inconsistencies continued to run rampant the longer the game went on. With runners in scoring position in the sixth inning and only one out, senior designated hitter Jimmy Obertop struck out in a pinch-hit opportunity before Jefferis popped out to retire the side. Once again, the Wolverines failed to bring their runners home, and the scoreboard reflected those failures.

“If you got guys on base and you’re not scoring, that’s typically not going to be good. You can do everything right. You can hit a baseball hard, but hit it at somebody,” Smith said. “We left 10 guys on base. Obviously that didn’t bode well for us today.

Back-to-back home runs by the Musketeers contributed to a nine-run seventh inning that served as the cherry on top to Michigan’s disastrous outing, bringing its deficit to 12 runs after a pair of two RBI hits by pinch hitter Teddy Deters and Walker and a three-run bomb by second baseman Jared Cushing — his second of the inning. 

“We put it over the middle of the plate (and) they hit it out of the park,” Smith said of the high-scoring inning.

And when the smoke cleared, it was evident that the Wolverines have a ways to go before postseason play commences. If they want to last in the postseason, outings like Tuesday’s need to be nonexistent — and fast.

The post All-around inconsistencies lead to blowout loss for Michigan against Xavier appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

All season long, Ted Burton has been like a match ready to be ignited. 

The senior second baseman is always a candidate for a blasted home run or a superstar defensive play in the field. While he has had inconsistencies throughout the season, his performance this past weekend against Northwestern proved that he is becoming even more important to the Michigan baseball team as it nears postseason play.

Going just 6-for-14 at the plate doesn’t seem like a star performance from one of the Wolverines’ better players, but a deeper dive shows that Burton had an immense impact on the game. Three of those hits were home runs and two were doubles, huge power hits that brought momentum to the team and energized the dugout. 

“I just try to get on base and I know more times than not (Burton is) going to drive me in,” graduate shortstop Cody Jefferis said. “It’s great to hit in front of him for sure.” 

Burton has become synonymous with big hits and RBI, as he significantly leads the team in both home runs and RBI. 

Burton’s first homer of the series came on Friday, pushing a four-run lead to five. While not ultimately essential to the outcome of the game, it heated up his bat enough to get him going for the rest of the series. 

From that point forward, Burton was lights out, making dazzling plays in the field and essential hits throughout the end of the series.

His biggest play of the weekend came at the end of Saturday’s game to clinch the series win. With one out, one man threatening on first and just a three-run lead, Burton took matters into his own hands to close out the Wildcats’ rally attempt. 

With a line drive smashed and on target for the gap in right field, Burton sprung up and stretched all the way out to secure the catch, before landing and quickly flipping the ball to first for the force out on the tagging runner. 

“I give all the credit in the world to his parents,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “Way back to conception, because that’s genetics. That’s why they produced a 6-foot-3 second baseman. All planning on their part, all credit due to them.”

Burton’s dazzling play showcased the ceiling he brings the Wolverines to, because when he is playing at his best, big plays like Saturday’s can be the difference between wins and losses. 

And even after clinching the series win, Burton wasn’t done just yet.

With home runs in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, he took on the challenge and exceeded it on Sunday. Blasting his third home run in three games in the bottom of the fourth inning, not only had he kept his streak going — but he was also in the chase against Jefferis for the cycle. 

“Ted came up to me and he was like, ‘Hey, it’s me or you for the cycle,’ ” Jefferis said. “… Having a guy like Ted behind me makes my job a lot easier.”

While Jefferis was ultimately the one to complete the cycle with a late-game triple, Burton’s single, double and home run were important catalysts to the 15-5 victory to close a series sweep for Michigan on Sunday. 

Burton’s huge weekend was full of big hits and important plays. Even more importantly, though, his performance shows that he is heating up with just one conference series left before the Big Ten Tournament — exactly when the Wolverines need him most. 

As a senior and veteran leader who has been in big spots throughout his career, Burton’s play is paramount to Michigan’s success. A series sweep puts the Wolverines in place for a tournament berth, but Burton’s performance in the sweep could put them in place for another magical run.

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Before Sunday, it had been 16 years. Sixteen years since a member of the Michigan baseball team hit for the cycle.

On Sunday, graduate shortstop Cody Jefferis reset the clock on that metric with a four-hit performance against Northwestern. And to make things even sweeter, he did it on Senior Day.

Jefferis, a mainstay all season long for the Wolverines, transferred to Michigan for his final collegiate season from San Diego. From drawing countless crucial walks to making crucial plays on defense, Jefferis’ value and consistency cannot be understated. Holding the leadoff spot all season long is a testament to the experience and stability he brings to a roster that entered the season with many question marks.

“Mr. Steady,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said of Jefferis. “He’s not the biggest dude on the planet. He’s not the biggest player but he plays with a big heart and he’s just super steady. You feel so good when balls are hit to (shortstop) because it’s going to be an out.”

In Sunday’s series finale, that steadiness came from his bat. And it came at a time when it was very much needed for the Wolverines.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Michigan was struggling. Its offensive production was lackluster, leaving much to be desired. After an RBI from senior third baseman Brandon Lawrence, though, the Wolverines knotted the game at three, but still needed a big play to change the trajectory of the game.

When Jefferis walked up to the plate, he did exactly that, going above and beyond what Michigan needed.

With two outs, Jefferis untied the game with one crack of the bat, hitting a three-run home run to give the Wolverines a 6-3 lead, his first home run of the season. Suddenly, Michigan was back in control, just like it was on Friday and Saturday. After difficulties to start the game, “Mr. Steady” was the one who re-established the status quo for the Wolverines.

“(It was) awesome,” Jefferis said. “Glad it finally came. But it was great to do it on Senior Day (with) everybody here.”

But that wasn’t Jefferis’ only game-defining play of the day. After Michigan allowed a two-run seventh inning, the Wildcats remained in striking distance. Once again, the Wolverines needed someone to step up and add some run support. And once again, Jefferis took it upon himself to do the honors.

With the bases loaded, Jefferis hit a triple, scoring all three of his teammates. In the process, he secured the first cycle of his collegiate career. Michigan’s lead ballooned up to seven runs, and it was in prime position to secure a much-needed series sweep after a lackluster weekend against Minnesota.

“I was just going up (to the plate) trying to score runs,” Jefferis said. “(I wanted to) keep (the momentum) going. It was awesome.”

For a player who consistently makes big plays, Jefferis went above and beyond on Sunday in his best performance in the maize and blue. Smith may have called Jefferis Mr. Steady, but his performance at the plate was anything but routine.

The post Cody Jefferis’ career day powers Michigan to series sweep over Northwestern appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

With a chance at an important conference series sweep on Sunday, the Michigan baseball team fell behind early. But a flurry of hard hit balls and two big innings from its senior leaders allowed it to crawl back and earn the decisive victory.

The Wolverines (26-22 overall, 13-8 Big Ten) prevailed on senior day behind the power of their bats to sweep Northwestern (8-38, 3-18) by a score of 15-5.

Coming off of a Big Ten Pitcher of the Week performance against Minnesota, senior left-hander Jacob Denner looked to stay hot on the mound. But, stymied early by the Wildcats’ offense, Michigan entered an early hole, giving up two runs quickly in the first inning.

With Denner unable to replicate his dominance from a week ago in the early innings, the Wolverines needed their bats to keep them in the game — and they delivered. In the bottom of the third inning the bats unleashed, as back-to-back doubles from graduate shortstop Cody Jefferis and senior second baseman Ted Burton drove in two RBI to bring Michigan within one run. 

“I like a hot Teddy,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “When he’s hot, he’s fun to watch. That’s what your older guys are supposed to do, is lead by example and through their play. He’s doing an excellent job of that.”

But the best was still to come for the Wolverines.

The next inning, senior third baseman Brandon Lawrence ignited a two-out onslaught with an RBI single, followed by home runs from Jefferis and Burton — Jefferis’ first homer of the season and Burton’s third in just this series. Michigan entered the bottom of the fourth down by one, but exited up by four.

After the early blows, the Wolverines used the crucial bottom of the fourth inning to retake all momentum, only needing to close out the rest of the game — and series. 

Continuing that momentum, Denner’s pitching began to smooth, allowing just two more runs in the top of the seventh before handing off to senior right-hander John Torroella with a three run Michigan lead. 

“Even with the hits, (Denner) didn’t give up much solid contact,” Smith said. “Following up his unbelievable performance from last week is what we’re gonna need him to do.”

While not equal to his career best performance last weekend, Denner still kept the Wolverines in position to hold their lead.

While the lead was safe at the time of Denner’s exit, it needed insurance. And that is where Jefferis re-enters the equation.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, the senior roped a triple down the right field line. The hit scored all three runners, bolstering a six-run inning to close out a cycle performance at the plate for Jefferis. 

“That really spread it open there,” Smith said. “Not only did it give him the cycle, but we were just saying, ‘Gosh, we need one more run just to kind of get away,’ … so the triple was big.”

He delivered the knockout shot. By piling on six runs in the seventh inning, Michigan had replicated and gone beyond what it did in its dominant fourth inning. The game was no longer in reach for Northwestern and the Wolverines achieved their lead on the backs of their seniors. 

Earning the series sweep against the Wildcats is essential to Michigan’s hopes of another Big Ten Tournament run. And the final victory on Sunday shows that the Wolverines’ bats are heating up at just the right time.

The post Michigan wins final game against Northwestern behind explosive performances at the plate appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

Third baseman and right-hander Mitch Voit’s two-way capabilities have authored a myriad of memorable moments — and jam-packed statlines — throughout his freshman campaign.

He earned a save the same afternoon he smoked a ball off the right-field foul pole for a solo home run against Western Michigan; he retired all 11 Oakland batters he faced on March 8; Voit earned his first collegiate win while simultaneously driving in two runs in a 3-2 triumph over UAB. 

But no moment fully encapsulates Voit’s vast potential clearer than Saturday afternoon. Deadlocked in a 2-2 tie through seven innings with a reeling Northwestern squad — the Michigan baseball team desperately needing a jolt — Voit registered the last seven outs on the mound, earning a win courteous only of his own charging of a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to put the Wolverines permanently in front to clinch the series. 

“Big time play,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said of the double-faceted heroics. “From a big time player.” 

In the top of the seventh — after a two-out single from Wildcat left fielder Kevin Ferrer tied the game at a pair of runs each and a subsequent walk — Smith rose from the Wolverines’ third base-line dugout and made his slow walk out to the mound, signaling the end of senior right-hander Noah Rennard’s outing. 

The unique chain of events when Voit takes the mound ensued: a glove change, a junior infielder Dylan Stanton substitution and a brief jog to the rubber from Voit’s usual perch at third base. But for Michigan, the lengthy theatrics accompanying the change were worthwhile; Voit eradicated Northwestern’s go-ahead threat by forcing a groundout — then promptly shuttered the Wildcat offense in order in the eighth. 

But Voit wasn’t satisfied with simply dominating one aspect of the contest. 

On the offensive side, it appeared no Wolverine would break the 2-2 stalemate any time soon — Michigan was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, hadn’t scored since the third inning and had compiled 12 strikeouts — so Voit had to do it himself. With runners on the corners and two outs, Voit sent a 1-0 pitch carrying in the air to deep left center, a ball that floated for far too long to stay in the ballpark.

“Rounding first I’m going, ‘come on, come on, come on’,” Voit said. 

“And then it finally went out.” 

The three-run blast gave the Wolverines the lead and ultimately the win — after Voit closed out the ninth inning in three batters, earning himself a victory on the mound and putting a bow on an unprecedented performance that clinched the series for Michigan. 

“The opportunity presented itself,” Voit said. “Just perfect timing. I’m happy it happened.”

Voit has created plenty of memorable moments in his inaugural season donning Maize and Blue. But none as remarkable as on Saturday — where Voit’s heroics solitarily decided the outcome. 

The post Against Northwestern, Mitch Voit does it himself  appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

There’s never an ideal time for the injury bug to strike a locker room.

But the home stretch of the regular season — jockeying for position in the conference — is one of the least-opportune times for any team to go down one of its best statistical hitters and number two starting pitcher.

With freshman center fielder Jonathan Kim day-to-day after colliding with the wall against Minnesota and junior right-hander Chase Allen likely out for the season, the Michigan baseball team, yet again, required a sift through its roster to find production in its critical series against Northwestern.

And in a season where depth is a point of concern, the Wolverines pitching combination of senior right-hander Noah Rennard and freshman right-hander Mitch Voit stepped up on Saturday to fill Allen’s shoes. While the pitchers kept their squad in the game, hitting also floundered against the Wildcats’ pitchers with runners in scoring position.

As Rennard and Voit led the way from the center of the diamond, Voit then took matters into his own hands at the plate with a game-winning three-run home run that propelled Michigan (25-22 overall, 12-8 Big Ten) to a crucial 5-2 victory over Northwestern (8-37, 3-17), putting itself squarely into the Big Ten Tournament picture.

“Earlier in the game, it was going rough,” Voit said. “But just kept wanting the opportunity to do better and (the) opportunity presented itself and it was just perfect timing.”

Voit was only presented with that opportunity to give his squad the lead thanks to the strong combined outings of himself and Rennard, who started the game.

Leading the way early, Rennard recorded 1-2-3 innings in three of his first four innings, totaling six strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

“Another quality start,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “ … For us to get through the weekend, we need the quality start but (Rennard’s) been doing it pretty much all year in whatever role you ask him to do. And he accepted the challenge and delivered again for his team.”

Rennard’s competitiveness from the mound gave the Wolverine hitters a chance to take advantage. Despite being 0-8 with runners in scoring position before Voit’s at-bat in the eighth, Michigan tacked on two runs early off two big swings.

A first inning solo home run by senior second baseman Ted Burton put the Wolverines up early, 1-0, and an RBI triple by senior right fielder Joey Velazquez quickly regained the lead for Michigan in the third inning after the Wildcats tied the game in the second inning with a sacrifice fly by left fielder Kevin Ferrer.

Beyond these two initial bursts, the bats could not fully break through the Northwestern defense, led by left-hander Sam Garewal, who struck out 10 Wolverines in 5.1 innings pitched.

The inability to build out the lead momentarily set Michigan back, as Rennard relinquished the lead in the top of the seventh off an RBI single by Ferrer to knot the game at two runs apiece.

But after Voit stepped onto the mound in relief of Rennard, he cleaned up Rennard’s seventh-inning jam, throwing a shutout in the eighth inning.

And with runners on first and second, but two outs, Voit supported his own cause. Breaking his team’s failure to hit with runners in scoring position, in a resounding fashion, he put the game out of the Wildcats’ reach with the go-ahead home run.

“We put him up on the mound, he got very important outs,” Smith said. “But then to stay dialed in, it takes that one at-bat after the two not-so-good at-bats, and delivers the knockout punch.”

Voit then backed up the “knockout punch” with a scoreless ninth, punctuated by an acrobatic line drive catch by Burton that turned into a game-ending double play.

Taking that next-man-up approach is never easy, especially when attempting to replace Allen’s remarkable production throughout his Michigan career. But Rennard and Voit — the anchors in the middle of the diamond, with Voit also leading from the batter’s box — filled the void on Saturday, and then some.

And because of their efforts, the Wolverines can continue to dream of more Omaha magic.

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