OMAHA, Neb. — 60 feet away, freshman right-hander Tate Carey faced the might of No. 2 seed UCLA’s bats. Despite having a spot in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals guaranteed, the Bruins showed up with their everyday lineup in hopes of slugging their way to a second victory in pool play. It’s highly unlikely that Carey anticipated such a responsibility placed upon him at the start of the season, and yet by the end, he was entrusted with this final starting spot.
Tasked with stopping this offensive powerhouse, Carey’s six innings displayed the culmination of a season’s worth of growth and planted the seeds of what is to come. Despite No.7 seed Michigan’s eventual fall, Carey’s performance in his six innings showed that the game did matter. made the game matter.
“A lot to be disappointed and sad about,” Wolverines coach Tracy Smith said. “But a lot to be happy about with that type of personality, that type of kid coming back and being able to work with him in the future.”
In his pitch arsenal, Carey’s fastball jumps out. Having dominated with it all season, he did so again in his first inning, striking out two batters — including the Bruins’ superstar shortstop Roch Cholowsky. But ultimately, UCLA came prepared for the matchup.
“We were pretty much just sitting fastballs,” Bruins center fielder Aidan Espinoza said of their preparation for facing Carey. “We’re trying to just lay off of all off speed and just execute hitting the fastball.”
UCLA reaped the benefits of such an approach, with Carey giving up a double and a pair of walks, while the Bruins were able to get a contact necessary for two singles that put the team up 3-0, all while tallying no outs. Two months ago, such a deficit would have been Carey’s sign to check out. Back when he was a relief pitcher, Carey couldn’t even last through an inning in games against Purdue and Penn State. One mistake acted as a snowball effect and his performance’s rapid degradation would lead to an early exit.
But what was once an insurmountable challenge for Carey has now become a manageable hurdle. While the Bruins may have taken the lead, Carey didn’t give up his control over the game. Recomposing himself, he countered their attacks with poise, personally throwing a runner out at third base, and following with the two outs that closed the inning. Carey’s performance on the bump yielded just one more run and he notched four strikeouts while allowing only one walk.
“The progression of him, the confidence, the growth to just keep executing pitches and keep your team in there, even though they scored three, and give yourself a chance to come back,” Smith said. “… He left the game with a lead because of that maturity.”
Carey closed out his day at the Big Ten Tournament with 97 pitches, his highest pitch count in any game this season. When he began his time as a starter, he began faltering at the 70-80 pitch mark. Resultantly, pitching a strong nearly 100 pitches against such a potent offense on the largest stage he’s ever seen is a performance not only indicative of his prowess, but his growth as a player. And he left the game as a winning pitcher, saving his 9-0 record as Michigan’s winningest pitcher.
“Exciting if you’re a Michigan baseball fan,” graduate shortstop Benny Casillas said of Barr and Carey. “Those guys had really good years as freshmen, both stepped up.”
After not even having a consistent pitching rotation last year, pitching was at the forefront of Smith’s mind. Of the 12 freshman additions to the Wolverines’ roster, nine of them were pitchers. And while several have all shown tremendous growth this season, Carey comes out on top. His rise is a testament to the development capabilities of this Michigan staff and the ability to capitalize on a fastball that won’t quit.
