It’s uncommon for true freshmen to make an immediate impact on a collegiate baseball roster, and the Michigan baseball team was no outlier. Starting off the season with majority upperclassmen in the starting lineup, the Wolverines looked to their experience to carry them to wins.
But as is Michigan coach Tracy Smith’s coaching style, players get the playing time they deserve. For freshman right-hander Tate Carey, that time has been earned on the mound following others’ lackluster performances, and the Wolverines are better for it.
With predicted starter sophomore right-hander Gavin DeVooght being out of the rotation due to injury only a month into the season, Michigan had some holes to fill. On top of the untimely injury, the Wolverines had a tremendous lack of consistency on the mound — especially from starting pitchers.
“We need our starters to be more efficient with their pitch count and get us deeper into the game,” Smith said March 29. “One of our top arms (DeVooght) has been out now for two or three weeks, and that’s been a little bit of the mantra — everybody has to step up to cover that gap.”
Though junior right-hander Kurt Barr made his way out of his slump, sophomore right-hander Vigue has yet to pitch well in a large stretch of games. His last start against Oregon saw him implode on the mound, giving up six runs and seven walks in 4.2 innings.
Clearly, a change had to be made.
So, Smith turned to Carey. Getting his first start in a low-stakes midweek game against Akron, Carey delivered a memorable showing. He allowed no hits through the run-ruled seven innings, getting four strikeouts while walking only one batter.
Recognizing Carey’s prowess, Smith tested him out as a Sunday starter in the weekend series against Mount St. Mary’s. Though again not the most daunting of opponents, Carey executed to a tee. Pounding the strike zone, Carey earned himself seven strikeouts and no runs through his five innings. But best of all, he didn’t give up a single free base, one of Michigan’s biggest problems.
“We’re gonna need somebody to take and seize those roles,” Smith said after Game 3 against the Mountaineers. “The message has been consistent, just do that right there. No matter what uniform you’re playing against, be aggressive in the zone and results will take care of themselves.”
After his commanding weekend presence, Carey had earned himself a conference-series weekend start. This time, he would be facing elite competition in the form of now-frontrunners of the Big Ten, Iowa.
Against the Hawkeyes, Carey didn’t perform as well as he had in his previous starts, though it was still enough to keep the Wolverines in the game. In his performance, Carey gave up two hits, two runs and walked two batters. The strikes were still there as he continued to command the zone, with a total of eight strikeouts through 4.2 innings.
Hitting the ball hasn’t been a problem for the Wolverines, but the lack of assertive pitching has. Pairing Carey with junior right-hander David Lally Jr. and Barr, Michigan finally has the three reliable starting pitchers that can complement their power-hitting tendencies.
