Against Northwestern, Mitch Voit does it himself 

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.