OMAHA, Neb. — Mitch Voit has a knack for the big moments.
As one of the most experienced members on the Michigan baseball team team, the junior second baseman has demonstrated his propensity for performing under the bright lights in Omaha throughout the years. In his freshman season, Voit led the Wolverines with a 4-for-4 day at the plate as well as a stellar start on the mound in their win over then-No. 2 seed Indiana. Last year, Voit notched a walk-off walk against Iowa in Michigan’s opening game of the Big Ten Tournament.
And as fate would have it, Voit blasted a triple and a home run in the Wolverines’ victory over Illinois in last season’s Big Ten Tournament — the same line that he registered against the Fighting Illini again in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament pool play. The only difference is, while Michigan built off of Voit’s energy in last year’s win, it couldn’t do the same in this year’s loss.
“He had two hits and got our offense going,” Wolverines coach Tracy Smith said. “I would take a roster full of Mitch Voits on and off the field.”
In Michigan’s de-facto elimination game, striking first was imperative to gaining momentum. With this goal, Voit blasted a 3-2 pitch in the first inning all the way to the warning track. Although Illini center fielder Collin Jennings made a spectacular grab while running into the wall, the charge that Voit infused with the baseball showed his ability to grind out plate appearances and drive the ball in an attempt to spark the offense.
Despite Illinois right-hander Tyler Schmitt making quick work of the rest of Michigan’s lineup, even going through the order three times with little trouble, Voit adjusted quickly to Schmitt’s pitch mix in his second at-bat. On the first pitch he saw, he lined a ball to the deepest part of the outfield. As it caromed around, Voit rounded second and slid into third for a leadoff triple in the fourth inning. The very next batter, graduate first baseman Jeter Ybarra, sent him home with a sacrifice groundout.
“I’ve been around the game a long time and I’ve coached a lot of players with some really, really good ones,” Smith said. “And I would put him in the top ten category, if not higher than that.”
Smith’s praise speaks to both Voit’s raw hitting tools, but also his ability to generate instant offense — something that has been apparent in all three years worth of his clutch moments in Omaha.
After a flyout to left field in the fifth inning, Voit wasn’t to be denied again. Just like his fourth-inning triple, Voit jumped on the first pitch he saw — and he didn’t miss it. Extending his hands on a hanging breaking ball on the outside corner, Voit powered a ball to the opposite field. His home run came in direct response to a surge of runs from the Illini in the previous inning and, again, catalyzed the Michigan offense which homered later in the inning to tie the game.
Finally, as if fate had painted it, Voit approached the plate in the bottom of the ninth with runners in scoring position and the chance to be the hero in a walk-off winner.
Hartleb and Illinois had been burned by Voit before. And even though he wasn’t intentionally walked, the Illini’s pitcher nibbled around the corners knowing Voit’s power wasn’t something to mess with. Illinois wasn’t going to be fooled again.
“If you pitch around guys, you better be in the right position to do that,” Illini coach Dan Hartleb said.
Thankfully for Illinois, it had a base open and was free to walk Voit which marked the end of the day for him as Ybarra grounded into a double play to end the inning.
“He’s going to be one of the better players that ever competed in a Michigan uniform,” Smith said.
With the loss to Illinois on Tuesday, Thursday’s matchup against UCLA simply won’t have the stakes that Voit has cut his teeth on so far in his career. But, in his last elimination game, he showed that his big-game flair hasn’t left. And even with an anti-climactic walk to end his ball game, Voit’s gravity at the plate speaks for itself.
