With the Big Ten Tournament beginning Wednesday as IU takes on Michigan,the IDS caught up with the Michigan Daily's Ben Fidelman to discuss Michigan baseball.
IDS: What’s Michigan’s NCAA chances? Is there a possibility of an at-large bid at all or do they need to win the Tournament to get in?
At this point, Michigan has to win the Big Ten Tournament to make NCAAs. The Wolverines head to Minneapolis with the lowest RPI of the eight Big Ten teams that made the conference tournament, ranked 80th nationally, and have stalled out a little as of late. After making an impressive run through the middle of the season, at one point winning five series in a row, Michigan has won just six of its last 12 games. Recent record or trend is a major component of the selection process for the NCAA Tournament.
IDS: When Michigan visited IU earlier this season Jacob Cronenworth and Carmen Benedetti both looked great on the mound at the plate. Have they been like that all season and how weird is it to watch two guys succeed that much in both aspects?
It’s been really strange to watch, especially considering Benedetti wasn’t expected to pitch at all at the college level. One day last fall coach Bakich was playing catch with him, and Benedetti was really zipping it. He hopped in for a bullpen and threw in the mid 90s, and has been a high-leverage guy for much of this season. The fact that he plays both sides of the ball at such an elite level is truly remarkable.
Cronenworth has been another force on both sides of the ball, though hasn’t had much consistency in his situation on the mound this season. That Friday night game in Bloomington was Cronenworth's first start of his college career. Through the next few months he would start six games, but has since moved back to his original role as the team’s closer.
IDS: It seems like after Brett Adcock and Ryan Nutoff Michigan doesn’t really have a definite. Do they have the depth on the mound to make a run at a tournament title?
Two of the team’s weekend starters from last season, Evan Hill and Keith Lehmann, have been out of the lineup for extended periods this season with injuries. Both have worked their ways back to game-strength, and will be leaned on in times this week to provide some of that depth.
IDS: What’s Michigan’s biggest strength as a team? Biggest weakness?
Until the last weekend of the regular season the Wolverines has the best offense in the conference, and finished the regular season with a .299 batting average. That being said, hitting is a clear strength for the team. Whenever the bottom of the lineup is able to get on base, the top seems to pick it up and knock in some runs. The team aims to work what it calls quality at-bats, and drive the ball as hard as it can.
Weakness would be its ability to play small-ball. In 2015, Michigan has stolen about half as many bases as it did last season and the sacrifice bunt doesn’t seem come into play as much. Though Bakich loves to run squeeze plays, that’s about the most consistent form of bunting or stealing that you’ll see from this team. The team is significantly disadvantaged in pitcher-duals.
IDS: Who is one player who has been playing really well recently? A player who has been struggling?
Freshman infielder Jake Bivens has been killing the ball lately. His average is up to .351, which is good for sixth in the conference, and has climbed to hit second in the batting order behind Cronenworth. Bakich has said multiple times this season that all they’ve ever asked from Bivens is to simply get on base—which he’s doing quite well.
One player that has had a tough go this season has been junior third baseman Travis Maezes. He was ranked as one of the top draft prospects in the conference coming into the season, but has suffered multiple injuries that have kept him off the field. He missed time last weekend due to a knee injury, but I would find it hard to believe that he won’t be in the lineup this week.
IDS: Prediction? How far do you think Michigan makes it in the tournament?
You know it’s a deep tournament when teams like Indiana, Ohio State and Nebraska are the bottom seeds. I think Michigan loses round one, beats the loser of Iowa/Ohio State and is knocked out in the third round on Friday.
I have IU going home on Saturday.
