Notes & Quotes: Michigan 27, Michigan State 6
4/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
N O T E S
• Michigan's 27-6 win over Michigan State on Sunday (April 20) completed a weekend sweep, and U-M remains in first place after four weekends of Big Ten play with three four-game sweeps for a 15-1 record. In other Big Ten action Sunday second place Purdue split a doubleheader at Ohio State losing 8-4 before getting a three-run homer in the ninth inning of the second game for a 7-5 win as Purdue scored six runs in the last two innings and took three of four games at OSU. Illinois won three of four at Minnesota by splitting a twinbill on Sunday winning the second game 9-7 after the host Gophers took the opener 4-3. Penn State beat Indiana 9-7 to complete a four-game sweep. Northwestern took three of four at Iowa by sweeping Sunday's doubleheader 13-6 and 9-6.
• BIG TEN Standings (After 4-20-08): 1. Michigan 15-1 (.938); 2. Purdue 12-4 (.750); 3. Illinois 9-7 (.563); 4. Ohio State 8-7 (.533); 5. Penn State 8-8 & Northwestern 8-8 (.500); 7. Minnesota 6-10 (.375); 8. Iowa 5-11 (.313); 9. Michigan State 4-11 (.267); 10. Indiana 4-12 (.250).
• Michigan went into the record books Sunday (April 20) in a 27-6 win over Michigan State at Ray Fisher Stadium in the Wilpon Baseball Complex to complete the weekend sweep over the Spartans. The Wolverines, trailing 2-0, scored eight runs in the second inning -- the third eight-run inning of the season for the Wolverines -- and then scored in each of the next seven innings. The 27 runs were the most since a 27-5 win at Georgia Tech on March 12, 1995 and 27 runs is the most for U-M since a 36-4 win over Kenyon in 1895.
• Michigan's weekend total of 52 runs [Friday - 8-3, Saturday 10-4 and 7-1 and Sunday 27-6] marks the most for the Wolverines in a conference series since the Big Ten went to four-game series in 1981. The Wolverines had scored 50 runs against Michigan State in 2007 and vs. Northwestern in 1993.
• Michigan's total of 28 hits is the most since U-M had 27 hits in a 24-2 win over Northwestern on May 8, 1993.
• The Michigan win Sunday vs. MSU pushes the current U-M winning streak to 11 games, the best since a 16-game streak last season. Michigan has won 14 of the last 15 games and the Wolverines are 20-2 since losing 11-9 to nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina in March. Michigan has won 11 or more in a row 16 times, with three other 11-game 'only' winning streaks in 1918, 1953 and 1982.
• Senior tri-captain Derek VanBuskirk was 4-for-5 with nine RBI and tied a U-M single game record with three home runs in the Sunday win over MSU. VanBuskirk hit a solo homer to right in the fifth inning, a grand slam over the new "Brick Monster" in left in the sixth inning and a three-run shot to center in the seventh inning. The last Wolverine with three homers in a game was Chad Chapman at Michigan State on April 2, 1994 in the second game of a doubleheader. [Chapman had four homers in the twinbill that day.]
• VanBuskirk's grand slam was the second of his career and the first slam for a Wolverine since teammate Zach Putnam hit one at Iowa last season (May 20, 2007). It was the first slam at home for U-M since Eric Rose (2004-07) hit one vs. Michigan State last season (April 28, 2007). VanBuskirk's first career slam was vs. Central Michigan last season (April 3, 2007).
• VanBuskirk's total of nine RBI fell one shy of the Big Ten single record of 10 shared by former Wolverine Dan Ruff (1988-91). Ruff, one of three players to share the record, had 10 RBI in the second game of a doubleheader at Michigan State on April 25, 1990 and he had 14 RBI in the twinbill that day.
• VanBuskirk hit .391 (9-for-23) in six games last week vs. Eastern Michigan and Michigan State with a double, four homers, nine runs scored and 10 RBI to push his over average to .287 (39-for-136) with seven homers and 28 RBI.
• Junior SS Jason Christian, who had two hits in the first inning of the first game Saturday (April 19) at MSU, was 4-for-5 with a triple, a homer and five RBI in Sunday's 27-6 win over Michigan State. Christian went 14-for-25 (.560) in six games during the week with two doubles, a triple and two homers with 12 RBI out of the leadoff position in the batting order. He drew three walks and was hit by a pitch for a .621 on base percentage for the week. He had a streak of eight consecutive games with at least one run batted in snapped in the second game of Saturday's twinbill. Christian has 11 multi-hit games this season with 35 career multiple-hit games and two four-hit games. For the season Christian is hitting .354 (35-for-99) with 34 runs scored, five homers and 29 RBI.
• Senior 1B Nate Recknagel was 1-for-3 in Sunday's win over MSU, but the hit was a three-run homer giving him five homers in the six games last week and he enters the Big Ten series at Indiana next weekend (April 25-27) with a three-game homer streak. Recknagel has hits in 32 of U-M's 36 games this season and in 131 of the 161 games he has played in his career at U-M.
• Recknagel has 36 career homers as a Wolverine to rank second on Michigan's career homer list trailing career home run leader Casey Close (46, 1983-86). Recknagel, who played at Oakland University as a freshman in 2005, has 41 career collegiate homers.
• Recknagel's team and Big Ten leading total of 16 home runs this season places him in a four-way tie for fourth place on U-M's single season home run list with Casey Close (16, 1985), Barry Larkin (16, 1085) and Chris Sabo (16, 1984). The U-M single season home run record is held by Casey Close (19 homers, 1986). Mike Watters (17 homers, 1985) and Jim Paciorek (17 homers, 1982) are tied for second place.
• For the season Recknagel leads the Wolverines in hitting at .392 (51-for-130), runs (37), hits (51), home runs (16), RBI (47), slugging (.823) and on base percentage (.471). Recknagel has 149 career RBI as a Wolverine and is tied for eighth on the career RBI list with Bryan Besco (149 RBI, 1995-99).
• Junior P/DH Zach Putnam, who pitched the win at home on Friday (April 18) and had both game-winning RBI in the doubleheader at MSU on Saturday (April 19), was 1-for-2 Sunday with a walk, a hit by pitch and a single and three runs scored. Putnam's third-inning single extended his career best hitting streak to 13 games. Putnam is hitting .338 (47-for-139) with eight doubles, seven homers and 39 RBI while sporting a 4-0 pitching mark with a 2.47 ERA, a .205 opponent batting average and a team-leading total of 53 strikeouts in 43.2 innings.
• Senior/junior RHP Michael Powers entered Sunday's win over Michigan State in the second inning with the bases loaded and one out with MSU leading 2-0. Powers worked 3.2 innings allowing four hits and one run to record the win. Powers is 4-3 on the season with a 3.28 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. Powers has 11 career wins and six career saves.
Powers leads the team with 15 pitching appearances in 2008 and he ranks 14th on U-M's career appearance list at 58.
• Fifth-year senior 2B Leif Mahler, who had seven hits in the Illinois series last weekend (Apr. 11-13), was 4-for-5 with four RBI and his first career home run in Ray Fisher Stadium. Mahler hit .533 (8-for-15) in the weekend series vs. MSU to push his overall season average to .299 (40-for-134) with a team-leading total of 12 doubles. The four-hit game Sunday was the third of his career and he now has 47 career multi-hit games.
• Senior/junior OF Kenny Fellows, who made the first two starts of his career in the doubleheader at MSU on Saturday, made his first career start at home and was 3-for-5 and scored four times. Fellows hit .417 (5-for-12) in the weekend series scoring eight runs.
• Sophomore 2B/OF Nick Urban was 2-for-3 Sunday vs. Michigan State with his run-scoring single in the sixth inning marking his first career hits as a Wolverine.
• Sophomore LHP Eric Katzman worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout, but will remember Sunday's win over MSU as he had a chance to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning and collected his first career hit and scored a run.
• Former Wolverines baseball players on hand Sunday to get a view of the Wilpon Baseball Complex included Bill Mogk (1951-53), captain of the 1953 national championship team, Brian Berryman (1996-98), Fred Erdmann (1980-83), Rodney Goble (1992-95), Ken Hayward (1982-85), Mike Schmidt (2003-06), Dan Sygar (1980-83) and Scott Weaver (1993-95). Weaver (6-for-7 with a walk) and Goble (4-for-8 with a homer and six RBI) played in the 27-5 win at Georgia Tech in 1995.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Rich Maloney
On the week ... "Anytime you sweep an opponent is special. To go 6-0 this week is important for our goals. We started it off with a great come-from behind win over Eastern and finished with two 20-run games. That's a good week."
On the win today ... "This team is a potent hitting team. When we are hitting on all cylinders this team is very special. They have been showing signs of coming together the last couple of weeks. Today was an awesome display of what we are capable of."
On Michael Powers ... "That was a huge moment in the game. He has done a great job in those situations for us over the past two years. That was a big moment, with the bases loaded and one out punching out the first batter he faced and the next to bounce back to him was extremely important. We could have easily been down four of five runs at that point. That was an impressive performance."
On Nate Recknagel ... "He is truly one of the better hitters in all of college baseball. I have been saying it for awhile. We are extremely excited to have this year. I am really happy for Nate. He is so unassuming and continues to impress me day-in and day-out. He is putting together a very special senior season."
On Derek VanBuskirk today ... "He works so hard and plays with so much passion and energy, he deserves a day like today. I told him after the game, this is one of those day's that you will never forget. To hit one out in all different directions shows how powerful he is. A special day for him today."
U-M Senior LF Derek VanBuskirk
On his performance ... "It was a good way to start the second half of the season. After I hit the first one a got into a grove at the plate. I tweaked my swing a bit and something just clicked."
U-M Fifth-year Senior IF Leif Mahler
On his home run ... "It was exciting. There was a slight breeze blowing out to right and I was able to get one up in the air and it carried out."
On playing second base, shortstop and third base this weekend ... "I have never played third base before, even in little league so it was a surprise to get the call, but it was a lot of fun. I had a couple of balls hit my way and made the play."
On the weekend sweep ... "This was a big weekend for us. We had a lot of momentum heading into the series with Michigan State and to take a four does nothing but help that momentum in the right direction. We just need to stay focused on our goal and that is to win the Big Ten title."
U-M Junior SS Jason Christian
On his game ... I am seeing the ball really well. The guys were on me a bit going into my final two at bats because I needed a double for the cycle. I hit for the cycle last year, but I didn't know about, so it was kind of different today. I didn't get it, but it was still a great day. To get the sweep in the fashion we did here is always great.
On Derek VanBuskirk's three-homer performance ... "He was talking earlier today how he hadn't been seeing the ball well as of late. With three jacks today I think he has something turned around. That is was awesome to see."
U-M Senior/junior CF Kenny Fellows
On the weekend ... "It is always special to play against Michigan State and win all four is something I will always remember. I have to keep myself prepared whenever I get the opportunity. My job is to get on base and do whatever I can to score when I get there. This weekend I did my job."
U-M Sophomore LHP Eric Katzman
On his first career hit ... "I felt confident the whole time I was up there. I had nothing to lose so I was going out there looking for a hit. He left one over the outside corner and I put it into left field."
