On Friday, with graduate first baseman Jeter Ybarra on first base, junior second baseman Mitch Voit smashed a homer into right-center, giving Michigan an early lead and its first two runs of the tournament. On Saturday, a powerful shot from Ybarra allowed junior left fielder Jonathan Kim to score from second base, bringing the Wolverines an early run. On Sunday, Voit sent a shot flying to the left side of the field, and a fielding error gave sophomore designated hitter Cade Ladehoff enough time to traverse halfway around the diamond to give Michigan another first-inning lead.
The Wolverines created a strong foundation to begin every game this weekend. Yet by the end, that foundation always crumbled.
The Michigan baseball team (4-3) returned from the College World Series in Arlington, Texas with three straight losses against No. 22 Texas Christain, Kansas State and No. 5 Arkansas. While the Wolverines began every game playing the quality baseball that led them to an undefeated run last weekend, their inconsistencies at every position caught up to them, failing to come back after falling behind in every game.
“They’ve got really good arms,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said of the three teams. “So no matter who you’re facing, good arms make it very difficult to score.”
The Wolverines did face some of the nation’s best arms and teams this weekend. But to compete at this level, Michigan needs to be ready to fight back, even when the deficit seems tough.
The Wolverines had a strong start against their first opponent, the Horned Frogs. Following Voit’s first-inning homer, Michigan found success once again in the bottom of the second inning when Kim singled to give the Wolverines their third run of the afternoon.
Things started going downhill for Michigan in the sixth inning, though. Graduate left-hander Cade Conolly’s relief appearance lasted just three batters, during which a dropped ball by Kim gave TCU an additional two runs to tie the game, 3-3. Just moments later, an additional two runs were given up on a grounder that rolled right past the second baseman.
It was only downhill from there for the Wolverines, with its defense falling apart and an offense incapable of dragging the team back. With strikeout after strikeout from an opponent desperately holding on to their lead, even Michigan’s best batters fell, with zero hits throughout the seventh and eighth inning. Their only additional run came from the Horned Frogs’ mistakes, and the seemingly dejected Wolverines just watched TCU put four more runs on the scoreboard in the final inning, eventually falling 10-4.
It was the same story the following day against the Wildcats. Capturing an early lead was promising for Michigan, as its bats showed their might early in the game. But this time, their fall came earlier. Kansas State took two unearned runs off of the Wolverines’ errors, sending them down 2-1.
Despite only being down by one run, Michigan’s batting momentum hit a wall, with the next four innings filled with nearly successive outs. Even when a comeback seemed just in reach, the Wolverines faltered, and when the Wildcats scored an additional three runs to end the fifth inning, there was no coming back for the Wolverines. From that point on, once again, they achieved zero hits, with the final score being 5-1.
To end the weekend was Michigan’s most daunting opponent: the Razorbacks. After the Wolverines got out to a 1-0 lead, the Razorbacks snatched the momentum for themselves, tallying run after run over the next five innings, bringing the score to 8-1 after five innings.
Instead of completely following the trend of the prior two games, Michigan began to fight back. Back-to-back homers from senior infielder Caruso and graduate outfielder Robert Hamchuk gave the Wolverines some hope with another run tallied in between, and it all came to a head in the ninth inning. Defensive mistakes by the Razorbacks gave the Wolverines two more runs. With runners on second and third base, Michigan had a real shot at victory.
But it was too little too late for the Wolverines, as senior right-hander Will Rogers grounded out to second base, completing their 8-6 loss.
One thing was clear from the weekend — Michigan simply couldn’t bring it back. Whether it be an issue with nerves, stamina or something else, every stumble by the team after quick starts simply couldn’t be recovered.
“We’ve got to use this weekend to learn and get better,” Smith said. “And recognize the things we need to get better on and use that as motivation to get back at it.”
The Wolverines have has shown their skill, they have shown their talent, but if they want to compete consistently at a high level, they need more than just early firepower — they need the resilience to finish what they start.
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