To start the season, the Michigan baseball team repeated one phrase over and over again: “We finally have depth.”
That depth came both on the mound and in the field. New transfers included projected starters sophomore right-hander Gavin DeVooght and junior right-hander David Lally Jr. alongside desperately needed relief arms like junior right-hander Max Debiec. Three graduates came into the program as well, taking up the shortstop, first base and starting catcher positions. With this experience, the Wolverines were finally in a position to make a tournament run.
But that didn’t pan out, as the offense disappeared when Michigan needed it most.
As the season commenced, pitching was by far the weakest point of the Wolverines game, despite the promises that the newfound depth had remedied the pitching woes of the past. Except for junior right-hander David Lally Jr. however, the weekend starters could not command the zone, giving up free bases that ultimately led to a plethora of losses.
“The disconcerting thing for me was the amount of free bases from everybody that we put in,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said March 5 after a 22-5 loss to UCLA. “If you just track the early points in our 11 games up to this point this season, it’s been pretty, if we don’t throw strikes, we don’t win.”
But luckily for the Wolverines, their hitting was top tier. Graduate shortstop Benny Casillas and junior second baseman Mitch Voit were raking early, and their success became contagious, spreading throughout the outfield by the end of March.
Even better though, Michigan’s pitchers began to blossom. Barr had cut down significantly on free bases and even as sophomore right-hander Dylan Vigue faded out of the starting rotation, freshman right-hander Tate Carey stepped in to take his spot. This trio of Lally, Barr and Carey alongside relievers senior right-hander Will Rogers, Debiec and Vigue made for an intimidating lineup.
Still, the bats, arms and gloves never seemed to fire at the same time.
Despite five pivotal defensive miscues in the Wolverines’ series against Iowa, their hitting was unable to overcome the deficiencies. Ending all games within three runs, and the first two within one run, Michigan’s offense just couldn’t get over the hump. Sustainable game wins are typically ascribed to the mound, but you can’t take home a win without first crossing home plate.
With two series sweeps against Michigan State and Ohio State that demonstrated dominance on both sides of the ball, the Wolverines were in good shape to not only make the Big Ten Tournament, but also have a case to get an at-large bid and make the NCAA tournament. Combining for a 14 and 39 run differential against the Spartans and the Buckeyes, respectively, Michigan was at its peak. Being 14-10 in the Big Ten gave them a chance to break into a top-four spot, all but guaranteeing a deep postseason run.
All that stood in the Wolverines’ way were lower-ranked Nebraska and Indiana.
To give Michigan credit, it pitched very well against the Cornhuskers. Giving up fewer walks than strikeouts while holding Nebraska to nine runs on the weekend, the Wolverines’ six pitchers executed to a tee. Unfortunately for Michigan, the same could not be said for its offense.
Striking out 21 times, the Wolverines just couldn’t find the ball. They also drew just seven walks, speaking to their too-aggressive approaches at the plate. Nebraska wasn’t bad at pitching per se, it was simply average. Michigan made a middle-of-the-lane regular season pitching squad look like an NCAA Tournament front runner. If this wasn’t resolved soon, the Wolverines would find their breadth of talent squandered quickly.
“Everybody struggled,” Smith said post series. “… Statistically I bet our batting average with runners on base or just over the weekend in general had to be well under .200.”
Mistakes happen. One series doesn’t determine a team’s prowess, but after dropping to Nebraska, Michigan would have to sweep Indiana to even have enough of a chance at an at-large bid and a more favorable Big Ten Tournament seed. And in doing so, the Wolverines would have to return to its typical offense-heavy program.
And yet again, Michigan couldn’t stay on top of the ball.
In the Wolverines’ series against the Hoosiers, pitching was a part of the problem. Giving up 16 runs in their first two contests — stemming from two lackluster starts from Barr and Lally — the Michigan dug itself into deep holes, leading to a series loss. While hot bats may be contagious, slumps proved to spread even quicker. Now the No. 8 seed in the revamped Big Ten Tournament, the Wolverines had zero room for error. A loss to either the Fighting Illini or UCLA would be season-ending due to the top-four-seed priority system.
In the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan took on Illinois, a team it had beaten before. If there was any time for the Wolverines to regain its hitting mojo, it would be now.
Unfortunately, Barr set the tone for the day, giving up three earned runs without recording an out pitched alongside Lally who gave up two runs in 2.2 innings. Michigan would need its bats to once again bail out the pitching.
Yet, just like the last two series, the bats couldn’t get over the hump. Down two going into the fourth inning, Smith decided to optimize his lineup for offense, bringing in redshirt freshman catcher Noah Miller, leading to a three-run game-tying home run in the eighth inning. After giving up a home run in the top of the 10th inning, the Wolverines had one inning to figure it out. But instead of cooling off and trying to work the counts in their favor, the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-hole hitters each looked to be the hero — a task it couldn’t live up to.
When the pitchers were firing, the bats stayed silent. When the bats were on fire, defensive mistakes spoiled victories. When unreliable hitters got hot, regular starters became cold. Firing on all cylinders was all but nonexistent post playing Ohio State.
With that final flyout, the Wolverines season ended like it had started. After dropping two winnable series, Michigan falling in pool play doesn’t come as a shock. But it’s still disappointing, because the Wolverines had their moments — they just got too cold at the wrong time.
