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With the regular season winding down, the Michigan baseball team has redefined its designated hitter position to produce some of its most explosive results yet. While its lineup has long prided itself on a small-ball approach<\/a> to hitting, power-packed at-bats from the Wolverines\u2019 designated hitters have spurred on some of their\u2019 most cinematic comebacks of conference play.\u00a0<\/p>\n Six different players have slotted into the designated hitter position over the course of the season, but redshirt sophomore Cooper Mullens and junior Cade Ladehoff lead in starts with 10 and 16, respectively. After debuting as a starter against Northwestern<\/a> April 17, junior Joonsung Park has played six of the last eight as designated hitter.<\/p>\n Whoever occupied the spot, Michigan didn\u2019t visibly benefit from its designated hitters for a bulk of the early season, particularly in close games that demanded production. In the eleventh inning against<\/a> California State Northridge March 3, Ladehoff was retired like the Wolverines hitters before him and couldn\u2019t extend the inning or a lead. The poor timing followed Ladehoff to Game 2 against Pepperdine<\/a> March 6, where he struck out with the score tied in the eighth inning. When Michigan trailed Rutgers<\/a> by one run March 27, junior designated hitter Brenden Stressler<\/a> also became the final strikeout in the final inning.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe were just getting zero production out of (the designated hitter spot),\u201d Wolverines coach Tracy Smith said April 25. \u201cThen, we inserted Cooper, because these guys have earned it. Even back to Joon, they put the work in, just like everybody else. They weren\u2019t getting at-bats early. And I\u2019m sitting around going, \u2018You know what? We\u2019re not getting the production. This guy deserves an opportunity.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n