Mahler, VanBuskirk and Abraham to Captain 2008 Squad
8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head baseball coach Rich Maloney announced that fifth-year senior Leif Mahler(Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep), senior Derek VanBuskirk(St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) and junior Adam Abraham(Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South) have been named tri-captains for the 2008 season.
"These players were selected by their teammates," said Maloney. "It's quite an honor for these young men to be selected as captains. They now have the responsibility to help our team carry on the great traditions and values of our baseball program. They earned this opportunity because of the respect that they've earned not only as players but as quality young men. For each one of them I think it's a very high honor, but it also comes with great responsibility. These three players will meet with the coaching staff on a regular basis to help us keep the pulse of the team. Their job is to be leaders and to do things the right way to uphold the standards that we have here at Michigan and within the baseball program. I look at my captains as being an extension of the values that we place on this program."
Mahler was a co-captain on the 2007 squad but missed the season due to injury. He was the starting shortstop for the Wolverines from 2004-06, playing in 159 games with 140 career starts. Mahler's career fielding percentage is .947. He earned the Ted Sizemore Award as U-M's top fielder in 2004 and had a career-best 101 putouts while leading the Wolverines in assists with 143 in 2006. Mahler batted a career-best .325 in 2006 as U-M won its first of two consecutive Big Ten Conference championships. His career batting average stands at .308.
VanBuskirk, an outfielder/designated hitter, led the Wolverines with a .384 batting average in 2007 and chipped in with 32 RBI. Of his 56 hits, 16 went for extra bases (11 doubles, two triples, three home runs). He was named to the Big Ten all-tournament team after batting .444. VanBuskirk made 40 starts for the Maize and Blue in 2007, 35 of which came in leftfield, and he had a .971 fielding percentage. His most memorable defensive play of the season came in U-M's win over top-ranked Vanderbilt in an NCAA Regional when his leaping grab at the leftfield fence in the 10th inning preserved the regional title for U-M.
Abraham, a third baseman/pitcher, is the first junior to be named a captain by Maloney at Michigan. Abraham started all 61 games last season for the Wolverines at third base. In 154 chances he committed just five errors (.968 fielding percentage). In addition, he batted .320 with 15 doubles and five home runs en route to earning All-Big Ten third team honors. Abraham moved over to the pitcher's mound for 15 relief appearances throughout the year. Over 33.1 innings of work he boasted a 2.97 ERA, a 5-1 record and two saves.
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
