Weekly Release #9
4/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, April 25 -- vs. Penn State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 -- DH vs. Penn State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 -- vs. Penn State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1 p.m.
Tuesday, April 29 -- vs. Notre Dame (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 7:30 p.m. -- Baseball Bash
Friday, May 2 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 -- DH at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 4:05 p.m.
Sunday, May 4 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 1:05 p.m.
Wolverines Host Penn State
The University of Michigan baseball team (19-16, 7-7 Big Ten) faces a week of final exams before taking another crucial Big Ten test, hosting Penn State (April 25-27) in a four-game conference series. Following the Penn State series the Wolverines head to Grand Rapids, Mich., to meet Notre Dame (Tuesday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.) in the annual "Baseball Bash" game at Fifth Third Ballpark. Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps is officially located in Comstock Park, Mich., and the game is hosted by the Grand Rapids alumni clubs of both schools.
Michigan hosts the Nittany Lions of Penn State (13-19, 8-8 Big Ten) in a series that includes nine-inning single games on Friday (April 25, 3 p.m.) and Sunday (April 27, 1 p.m.). The series includes a pair of seven-inning games in a Saturday (April 26, 1 p.m.) afternoon doubleheader.
The Wolverines, winners in six of the last seven games, vaulted from eighth place in the conference standings to a tie for fifth place with Penn State and Illinois by taking three of four games last weekend (April 18-20) from archrival Michigan State. The Wolverines won non-conference games vs. Hillsdale (9-1, April 15) and Oakland (10-9, April 16) before the series vs. MSU.
Penn State enters the weekend after taking three of four games from Northwestern. PSU hosts Bucknell in a non-conference game on Tuesday (April 22) before coming to Ann Arbor. PSU holds a 29-17 edge in the series vs. Michigan.
Notre Dame (29-8) is ranked 18th in the current USA Today Sports Weekly/ESPN Top 25 College Baseball Coaches Poll. The Fighting Irish play a Big East series with Connecticut (April 26-27) before meeting the Wolverines.
Coaching Matchups
First-year Michigan head coach Rich Maloney, in his eighth season as a head coach, enters the Penn State weekend with an overall coaching mark of 275-160-1 (.631), including seven years at Ball State. His Michigan record is 19-16 (7-7 Big Ten). Maloney, who made his Big Ten debut at Iowa, was 141-60 (.701) in seven years in the Mid-American Conference with a pair of championships. Maloney, who spent six seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization, is making his debut vs. Penn State.
Joe Hindelang, in his 13th season as head coach at Penn State, enters the week with a coaching mark of 322-243-2 with the Nittany Lions. In 25 years as a head coach Hindelang's overall coaching mark is 540-487-3, including head coaching stints at Lafayette and Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. A 1967 graduate of Temple, Hindelang earned three letters in baseball and two at basketball. He was a draft selection of the New York Yankees and played on Temple's 1967 basketball team that reached the NIT quarterfinals. Hindelang's 1996 PSU squad won the Big Ten championship and his 2000 squad reached the NCAA super regionals.
Big Ten Weekend Schedule (April 25-27)
The Penn State at Michigan series is one of the five Big Ten series this weekend. In other conference action Illinois plays at Northwestern, Iowa plays at Michigan State, Minnesota plays at Indiana and Ohio State heads to Purdue.
Big Ten Standings (through 4/20/03)
1. Minnesota 12-2 .857 2. Ohio State 9-6 .600 3. Indiana 9-7 .563 4. Purdue 8-7 .533 5. MICHIGAN 7-7 .500 Penn State 8-8 .500 Illinois 8-8 .500 8. Northwestern 6-8 .429 9. Michigan State 4-10 .286 10. Iowa 3-12 .200
Tentative Wolverine Pitching Rotation
The tentative starting four pitchers for the Wolverines in the series vs. Penn State this weekend include sophomore RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian HS), sophomore LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College), junior RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS) and sophomore RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS), however, the order is not set at this time. Tentative Wolverine starters (alphabetical order):
Bobby Garza (RHP, 4-1, 5.28 ERA) is scheduled to make his ninth start of the season and 11th career start for the Wolverines. He has made 25 career appearances for the Wolverines, including pitching his first career shutout and second complete game in beating Michigan State 12-0 in the third game of the series (April 19). He allowed six hits and fanned four vs. MSU. He recorded his first career save Wednesday (April 16) vs. Oakland, recording two bases-loaded strikeouts in ninth inning. He suffered his first loss of the year in his start in the series opener vs. Illinois (April 11), working 5.2 innings. He allowed seven hits and just one earned run with five strikeouts in the eventual 5-3 loss. He pitched 0.2 innings out of the bullpen with two strikeouts vs. Minnesota #2 (April 6). He pitched a career-best seven innings in his first career complete game to beat Iowa (March 30) by a 9-5 count, allowing seven hits. He went 4.1 innings vs. Central Michigan (March 23), allowing seven hits and four runs in a no-decision. He went 7.1 innings at Winthrop (March 16) to earn his second win of the season, allowing five hits and five runs and striking out five in the 8-5 win. He collected 'M's first win of the season as he worked then career-best 6.2 innings vs. Rider (Feb. 23), allowing three hits and one run. He worked 2.1 innings at Oklahoma #3 (March 9), allowing four runs in a no-decision. He owns a 7-3 career record with wins over MSU, Iowa, Winthrop, Rider, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Detroit Mercy and losses to Illinois, UC-Riverside and WMU. He went three innings in the final game of spring trip in his second start and third appearance of the trip vs. Bethune-Cookman #2 (March 1), leaving with a 4-3 lead. He shares the team lead in wins (4) and strikeouts (37) and is third in innings (46).
Michael Penn (RHP, 1-6, 5.92 ERA) is scheduled to make his ninth career start as a Wolverine and 11th appearance. Penn pitched 3.1 innings in losing the series opener at MSU, allowing nine hits and eight runs, five earned. He worked 6.2 innings in the second game of the Illinois series (April 12) and took the loss, 8-7. He allowed eight runs, six earned and had five strikeouts. He retired nine straight before giving up three hits in the seventh inning. He threw the opener of the two-game series vs. Minnesota (April 6), pitching 6.1 innings and taking the loss, allowing nine hits and nine runs. Penn pitched Michigan's first complete game and shutout of the year in his start at Iowa, winning 4-0 (March 30). Penn fanned a team-high eight and did not allow a walk. Penn lost to Western Michigan (March 22) in the Butler Classic. He pitched 7.1 innings and allowed three runs (just one earned) and left the game trailing 3-2 in an eventual 6-2 loss. He fanned five while allowing five hits. He took the loss vs. Northern Illinois in the Winthrop Tournament (March 14), allowing six hits in 5.2 innings, but only three of the seven runs he allowed were earned. He suffered his first loss at Oklahoma (March 8), allowing seven hits and five runs while striking out a then Wolverine season-high six. He worked four innings in his first U-M start at Stetson (Feb. 26), leaving with a 3-2 lead. Penn notched his first career save as Wolverine at Bethune-Cookman (March 1), retiring both batters he faced (one strikeout) to close out the 7-5 win. Touted as one of the top newcomers in the Big Ten in 2003 by Baseball America, he was 1-1 at Ball State in 2002 with 16 appearances. He shares the team lead in strikeouts (37) and is second in innings pitched (48.2).
Drew Taylor (LHP, 4-1, 4.89 ERA) would be making his ninth start and 11th appearance with Wolverines. He pitched his second straight complete game in beating MSU 2-1 in the second game of the series (April 19), allowing eight hits but no walks while fanning three. He pitched Michigan's first nine-inning complete game in beating Illinois 4-3 on Sunday (April 13). He allowed Illinois 11 hits but just three runs while striking out six and walking none. He pitched 0.2 innings vs. Minnesota #2 (April 6) in his second bullpen outing at Michigan. In his previous start he went 1.2 innings at Iowa (March 29) and suffered his first loss. Iowa scored seven runs, just four earned, in the second inning and won 9-6. Taylor struck out the side in the first inning at Iowa. He went 6.2 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs (two earned) in a win over Butler (March 21). Taylor pitched 6.1 innings in a no-decision vs. Birmingham-Southern (March 15) in a game U-M won 10-6 as he allowed seven hits and four runs before leaving the game with a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning. He worked 4.1 innings in the opener at Oklahoma (March 7), allowing six runs on seven hits and recording two strikeouts in an eventual 16-12 win. Taylor earned his first win with 8.1 innings of work against Bethune-Cookman (March 1), allowing five runs on six hits. He fanned five and did not walk a batter in the win. He made his Michigan debut with a no-decision against Georgia Tech (Feb. 23). He has the two longest outings of the season 8.1 vs. Bethune-Cookman and nine innings vs. Illinois and leads the team in innings pitched (49.2). He shares the team lead in wins (4). Taylor had one start and closed out a win in a non-save situation vs. Auburn as a freshman at Georgia Tech, and he gained experience pitching against Clemson, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida State.
Phil Tognetti (RHP, 4-2, 4.41 ERA) is scheduled to make his sixth start of the season and seventh career start in the Penn State series in his 20th appearance as a Wolverine. Tognetti earned his second win of the week, pitching his first complete game in the series finale at MSU (April 20). He allowed seven hits and did not walk a batter at MSU and did not allow an earned run until two outs in the ninth inning. He earned his third win of the season with five innings pitched in a win over Hillsdale (April 16), allowing four hits and an unearned run. He lasted less than three innings in his start vs. Illinois (April 12) as he allowed six runs (three earned) in 2.2 innings. He worked four innings of a no-decision in his start vs. Minnesota #2 (April 6) as he left with a 6-4 lead in the fifth inning in a game won by the Gophers in extra innings. He earned his second win in a week as he pitched a career-best 6.2 innings in his first Big Ten start to beat Iowa (March 31). He allowed nine hits and two runs while striking out seven and allowing no walks vs. the Hawkeyes. He earned his first career win with a then career-best 5.1 innings of one-hit shutout relief vs. Central Michigan on Tuesday (March 25). He took the loss in the season opener at Armstrong Atlantic (Feb. 21). He shares the team lead in wins (4) and has lowest ERA of starters (4.41).
"Double Duty" for Tognetti and Garza
Junior RHP Bobby Garza and sophomore RHP Phil Tognetti performed "double duty" during Michigan's six-game workload last week.
Garza came up with a pair of career firsts as he notched his first save with two ninth-inning strikeouts with the bases loaded to close out a 10-9 win over Oakland (April 16) and then he pitched his first career shutout in blanking archrival Michigan State on a six-hit effort. Garza had six strikeouts in 7.2 innings in his two appearances and grabbed a share of the team strikeout lead (37) with Michael Penn.
Tognetti made two starts and came up with a pair of wins, including his first career complete game. In 14 innings during the week -- five in the win over Hillsdale (Apr. 15) and nine in the win at MSU (April 20) -- he had seven strikeouts and allowed just one earned run. Tognetti started slowly this season, allowing five runs in 0.2 innings in the season opener vs. Armstrong Atlantic (Feb. 21) in Savannah, Ga. He has dropped his ERA from 67.50 by allowing just 12 earned runs in the last 34 innings and now his ERA leads the starters at 4.41.
Another "Double" for U-M Pitching Staff
Sophomore LHP Drew Taylor started the trend with his second consecutive complete-game start in his 2-1 win over Michigan State (April 19) and Bobby Garza and Phil Tognetti followed suit with complete games to close out the series with three straight complete games to double the team total from three to six.
It marked the first time the Wolverines had thrown three consecutive Big Ten shutouts since the Purdue series to close out the 2002 season when Bobby Korecky, Rich Hill, current junior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) and Jeff Trzos ended the season with four complete games. Hill set a Big Ten record with eight complete games in the first eight-week conference season.
Koman Eyes U-M Doubles Mark, Sokol Joins List
Senior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) enters the Penn State series looking to grab sole possession of Michigan's career doubles record after collecting two in the series finale at Michigan State (April 20) to tie Mike Cervenak (1996-99) at the top of the list with 67. Fifth-year senior 1B Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) collected two doubles during the action last week and jumped into a tie for 10tth place on the list with 41 doubles.
U-M Career Doubles Leaders
| RANK, PLAYER (YEARS) | GAMES | DOUBLES | |
| 1. | Brock Koman (2000-present) | 192 | 67 |
| | Mike Cervenak (1996-99) | 214 | 67 |
| 3. | Bryan Besco (1995-99) | 207 | 55 |
| 4. | Jason Alcaraz (1996-99) | 213 | 54 |
| 5. | Phil Price (1987-90) | 222 | 53 |
| 6. | Casey Close (1983-86) | 229 | 49 |
| 7. | Ken Hayward (1982-85) | 234 | 49 |
| 8. | Jim Paciorek (1979-82) | 197 | 47 |
| 9. | Derek Besco (1995-98) | 154 | 42 |
| 10. | Mike Sokol (2000-present) | 160 | 41 |
| | Bobby Scales (1996-99) | 190 | 41 |
Koman Seeks More Movement on U-M Charts
Senior Brock Koman enters the Penn State series looking to make more moves on Michigan's career offensive charts, including the doubles and homers charts above and below this note. Koman enters the Penn State series three hits behind Jim Paciorek (254, 1983-86) for fourth on the U-M career hit list and he ranks fifth on the career RBI chart, needing 16 to catch Paciorek (183, 1983-86) for fourth.
Koman, who holds the Michigan career mark for being hit by pitches (42), needs 20 total bases to tie Paciorek (425, 1983-86) for fourth place. In the MSU series Koman became fourth Wolverine with 700 career at-bats and the fifth Wolverine to collect 400 career total bases. Koman is eight games shy of becoming the 10th Wolverine to play in 200 games.
U-M Career Hit Leaders
| RANK, PLAYER (YEARS) | GAMES | HITS | |
| 1. | Mike Cervenak (1996-99) | 214 | 293 |
| 2. | Jason Alcaraz (1996-99) | 213 | 272 |
| 3. | Ken Hayward (1982-85) | 234 | 267 |
| 4. | Jim Paciorek (1979-82) | 197 | 254 |
| 5. | Brock Koman (2000-present) | 192 | 251 |
U-M Career RBI Leaders
| RANK, PLAYER (YEARS) | GAMES | RBIS | |
| 1. | Ken Hayward (1982-85) | 234 | 207 |
| 2. | Mike Cervenak (1996-99) | 214 | 187 |
| 3. | Casey Close (1983-86) | 229 | 185 |
| 4. | Jim Paciorek (1979-82) | 197 | 183 |
| 5. | Brock Koman (2000-present) | 192 | 167 |
U-M Career At-Bat Leaders
| RANK, PLAYER (YEARS) | GAMES | HITS | |
| 1. | Mike Cervenak (1996-99) | 214 | 831 |
| 2. | Jason Alcaraz (1996-99) | 213 | 788 |
| 3. | Ken Hayward (1982-85) | 234 | 710 |
| 4. | Brock Koman (2000-present) | 192 | 707 |
| 5. | Scott Tousa (1998-2001) | 204 | 698 |
43 for 43: Fox by the Numbers
Junior catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS), who wears jersey No. 43, heads into uncharted waters with a month to go in the Big Ten season as he has driven in a career-best 43 runs and heads into the Penn State series leading the conference in overall action.
Fox had an interesting stat week as in six games he collected a total of two singles, two doubles, two triples and two very long home runs, including one that bounced on the street outside Oldsmobile Park in Lansing, Mich. Fox leads the Wolverines in homers (10), RBI (43), total bases (92) and slugging percentage (.708). For his career Fox has reached the 100 plateau in career RBI with 103 in 103 games and he has joined teammate Brock Koman in Michigan's career top 11 in homers with 23.
U-M Career Home Run Leaders
| RANK, PLAYER (YEARS) | GAMES | HRs | |
| 1. | Casey Close (1983-86) | 229 | 46 |
| 2. | Phil Price (1987-90) | 229 | 33 |
| | Ken Hayward (1982-85) | 234 | 33 |
| 4. | Jim Paciorek (1979-82) | 197 | 32 |
| 5. | Bryan Besco (1995-99) | 207 | 30 |
| | Mike Cervenak (1996-99) | 214 | 30 |
| | Chris Sabo (1981-83) | 171 | 30 |
| 8. | Brock Koman (2000-present) | 192 | 27 |
| 9. | Barry Larkin (1983-85) | 168 | 26 |
| 10. | David Parrish (1998-2000) | 138 | 25 |
| 11. | Jake Fox (2001-present) | 130 | 23 |
Sokol Top Big Ten Hitters, U-M Leads Homer Race
Fifth-year senior 1B Mike Sokol remains on top of the Big Ten batting list in conference-only action, hitting .478 (22-for-46), and in overall action the Wolverines as a team head into the Penn State series leading the league in home runs (37) and double plays (39).
Senior 3B Brock Koman continues to lead or share the lead in the Big Ten in several overall categories, including hits (56), doubles (16), at-bats (140) and HBPs (12). And he is second in RBI (35), runs scored (35), total bases (90) and total plate appearances (162).
The Wolverines have three of the top four RBI leaders in the league with junior catcher Jake Fox on top with 43, followed by Koman (39) in second place and senior OF Jordan Cantalamessa (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) is fourth with 37. Fox leads or shares the Big Ten lead in homers (10) and total bases (92) as well as RBI (43).
Senior OF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) leads the Big Ten in runs scored (38) and plate appearances (168) and is third in walks (23).
Wolverine Lineup Note Offers Subtle Changes
The Wolverines feature three players with starts in all 35 games -- seniors Brock Koman, Jordan Cantalamessa and Gino Lollio. Koman has been the most steady player in the lineup with 33 of his starts at 3B and 34 of his starts batting third in the lineup, while Lollio has been the leadoff batter 31 times while making 29 of his starts in centerfield. Cantalamessa, after starting the first 16 games in the second spot in the order, has been used in four slots.
After 35 games in 2003 the most versatile Wolverines are fifth-year senior Mike Sokol (LF, DH and 1B), junior Brandon Roberts (RF, LF and DH), sophomore Nick Rudden (SS, 2B and DH) and freshman A.J. Scheidt (DH, 2B, and 3B) with starts at three different positions. Eight players have starts at two positions.
Roberts, hitting fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, and Sokol, hitting second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, have each had starts five in different positions in the lineup. Sophomore Rudden (first, second, eighth and ninth) joined sophomore OF Chris Burhans (fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth) and 2B/OF Jordan Cantalamessa (second, fifth, sixth and ninth) as the third player to have starts in four different lineup positions.
The Wolverines have had eight different starters listed in both the eighth and ninth slots and seven players have served as DH.
The players with the most starts at each position thus far in 2003 include (2003 starts at position/total career starts at any position): 1B -- Nate Wright (25/107), Mike Sokol (9/131) and Jeff Kunkel (1/8); 2B -- Jordan Cantalamessa (27/160), A.J. Scheidt (4/7) and Nick Rudden (4/45); SS -- Jeremy Goldschmeding (20/20) and Nick Rudden (15/45); 3B -- Brock Koman (33/192), A.J. Scheidt (1/7) and Nate Wright (1/107); LF -- Brandon Roberts (11/101); Jordan Cantalamessa (8/160), Mike Schmidt (7/8), Mike Sokol (7/131) and Matt Butler (2/45); CF -- Gino Lollio (29/136) and Matt Butler (6/45); RF -- Brandon Roberts (14/101), Chris Burhans (14/20), Gino Lollio (6/136) and Mike Schmidt (1/8); C -- Jake Fox (27/116), Jeff Kunkel (7/8) and Jason Wuerfel (1/19); DH -- Mike Sokol (18/131), Jake Fox (6/116), Nick Rudden (3/45), Brandon Roberts (3/101), A.J. Scheidt (2/7), Brock Koman (2/192) and Jason Wuerfel (1/19). Goldschmeding, Schmidt and Scheidt are the three true freshmen listed.
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
