Presented as a pitcher who could single-handedly win games during the preseason, sophomore right-hander Dylan Vigue had a tumultuous season. Even though he earned the Michigan baseball team’s second-lowest ERA at 4.25, Vigue was simply too inconsistent on the mound to reach his prophesied potential.
Regardless, Vigue announced his decision to attend Georgia on X just days after entering the transfer portal.
Vigue made good on that preseason hype in the Wolverines’ first game of the season against then-No. 2 Virginia. Vigue held the Cavaliers to just two runs in his 5.1 innings, while earning three strikeouts. With backup from sophomore right-hander Gavin DeVooght, Vigue’s quality start spurned enough defense to allow for Michigan to win in extra innings.
Unfortunately for Vigue, Virginia was his only recorded win of the season. Continuing on, Vigue’s inability to dot balls within the zone held the Wolverines back. Averaging the highest BB/9 and hit-by-pitches pushed Vigue down from Game 1 starter to a reliever halfway through the season.
It wasn’t as though Vigue had no good outings following his first start. He pitched a shutout five-strikeout six innings versus Southern California while he was still a starter. As a reliever, he had his bright spots, but they were simply too few-and-far-between to make a difference in Michigan’s season.
However, in his last game as a Wolverine, Vigue put on a show. Pitching a scoreless five innings against Illinois in the postseason, Vigue had his final moment of quality pitching. His stellar performance came at an essential time as he contributed meaningful mid-game innings after junior right-hander Kurt Barr failed to escape the first inning.
Dotting preseason awards, Vigue again fell short of his early hype. With his departure, the Wolverines don’t necessarily lose a star, but they do lose star potential.
