Kornacki: Why These Wolverines are Headed to Omaha

By Steve Kornacki

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Wolverines stormed out of their first base dugout at Jackie Robinson Stadium the instant shortstop Jack Blomgren's throw to first baseman Jimmy Kerr registered the final out of a 4-2 win over No. 1 UCLA.

Gloves were tossed high as everyone made a beeline for closer Benjamin Keizer, who had just stranded a runner at third and the tying run at second, and catcher Joe Donovan. Kerr took down the battery mates and everyone, one by one, vaulted into the celebration.

Starting pitcher Tommy Henry was in the pile that he did the most to create. He went seven innings, allowing two runs and killing two rallies by coming through in the clutch. UCLA (52-11) only lost two games to left-handers this season, and Henry owns both victories.

"That's kind of funny and I didn't think about that," said Henry. "It just speaks to how good that team is. They won 50-something games and had ridiculous numbers. They can hit, pitch and defend."

Henry was superb -- especially for someone coming out of a sick bed.

"Yeah, had a little virus (and) was just trying to hydrate," said Henry. "Coach (Erik Bakich) was lucky enough to let me sleep a little bit. Yeah, it's just, looking at this team, looking at this field, the Super Regional stage, it's something that I know all of us have envisioned playing in the backyard growing up, every time we swing in the batting cage. You envision these moments and we've dreamed about being on this stage. I know the 35 of them (team members) would not skip a beat and would never miss this moment. So, I wasn't going to, either."

Donovan said, "The second he got sick, I started saying, 'Michael Jordan flu game!' (Recalling the NBA superstar scoring 38 points in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals.) Sometimes when you're sick, you don't think about how your body feels. Some people have the best performances of their life when they're sick."

Henry, the left-hander from Portage, Michigan, whom the Arizona Diamondbacks last week made the No. 74 overall pick in the draft, had UCLA's number. In two starts, including March 8 on this same field, that totaled 13 innings, Henry struck out 16 and walked only two with 13 hits and four earned runs for a 2.77 ERA.

When asked what he did best this time, Henry said, "I think it was more of what (pitching) Coach (Chris) Fetter did. He called a really good game and mixed really well. Without him, I know our staff would not be in the place where we're at. He's been instrumental in all our pitching careers and even our lives off the field.

"I can't say enough good words about him. Tonight goes to him, and his ability to mix and get guys off balance. He's the mastermind behind all that."

Henry got No. 3 hitter Chase Strumpf to end the fifth with a called third strike on a full-count pitch, and later sprinted like a track star to take a throw from Kerr to beat Garrett Mitchell to first base for the third out of the seventh to strand the tying run on third.

"I don't know where that came from," Henry said of the speed. "That's just for the other 34 guys on our team. We want to put up as many zeroes (in innings) as we can, and I would do anything for them for making the plays they make."

Keizer took care of the final six outs, and the Wolverines were moving onto Omaha.

OMAHA, HERE WE COME!

Michigan takes down No. 1 UCLA by a 4-2 score & advances to the College World Series for the 8th time in program history. #GoBlue | #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/ySANpuTV62
— Michigan Baseball (@umichbaseball) June 10, 2019

When the dogpile was complete, Karl Kauffmann, the winning pitcher Friday night in the best-of-three series, came off and thrust his fist into the air for joy, shouting, "Booom!"

Blomgren attempted jumping to the top of the pile and failed the first time. But he made it to the top the second time -- showing the same determination he displayed by dislocating the pinky finger on his left (glove) hand in the fifth inning and taping his ring finger to it to stay in the game. Blomgren, whom Bakich called "one of the toughest guys in college baseball," shot both arms into the air, shouting for joy.

The University of Michigan baseball team advanced to Omaha and the College World Series Sunday night (June 9) for the first time since 1984 and had left the NCAA's top-seeded team in the dust. Only one Big Ten team in the 35 years since -- Indiana in 2013 -- has reached the CWS.

Wolverines coach Erik Bakich said, "And so to come in here as a Big Ten team and an upstart team, certainly, maybe was not expected, but the group of kids that we've got on our team, they're fighters, they're believers, they're gritty, they're tough. We're here because of those guys and so proud of what they've done for not only this team and our program, but our school, our fan base and the Big Ten. To say we're excited is an understatement.

"Every team wants to catch lightning in a bottle and play their best baseball at the end of the year, and this team did it. It started in the Big Ten Tournament with a walk-off win against Illinois, and the confidence we got from that, we've just been able to ride that momentum all the way through to this point."

Michigan was one of the last four teams to make the 64-team field as the NCAA selection committee decided upon the final, precious bids. Now, it's one of the last eight teams alive.

Bakich Bakich enjoying the moment with his team

Bakich had made good on his promise to reach Omaha for his East Carolina head coach, Keith LeClair, whose career was cut short by Lou Gehrig's Disease, which took his life in 2006. It was LeClair's goal, but he never quite made it despite having highly-competitive teams. Bakich, in his final phone conversation with LeClair, told him that someday one of his players-turned-head coaches would get to the World Series for him.

Bakich said, "I told the team this morning, 'The whole time, I've been wanting to go to Omaha for Coach LeClair. But if Coach LeClair was here, he would tell me to stop talking about him and make it about the kids. I felt like he spoke to me and told me that. Now, I'm just thinking about the joy and the celebration and watching them enjoy what we've earned."

There were plenty of heroes.

Left fielder Christan Bullock, whose dropped fly ball Saturday night played into a gut-wrenching, 12-inning loss, had two big hits, walked and scored twice.

Second baseman Ako Thomas' one-out, two-run single in the fifth put Michigan ahead for good. "That was clutch," said Thomas. "It came at the perfect time. I knew the team needed me."

Blomgren singled, drove in the first run, and scored a run after escaping a rundown after seemingly being picked off -- setting the stage for his close friend and double-play partner, Thomas, to get the big hit.

Donovan hit a sacrifice fly after nearly hitting a towering, three-run homer in the top of the ninth that would've put the game away. It was barely foul, but Donovan fought off an 0-2 count to make sure he got home an insurance run.

Blomgren celebrates following the big win

Kerr singled, walked and made the play of the game. He went all-out for third baseman Blake Nelson's wild throw, got up, sprinted toward the ball as it came off the fence, got it and fired a perfect strike to Donovan, who made an equally-perfect tag of Jeremy Ydens in front of the plate.

Keizer pitched two scoreless innings to earn the save -- mowing down the potent Bruins' No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 hitters in order -- and kept smiling after giving up a single and hitting a batter to flirt with disaster with one out in the bottom of the ninth.

Fetter came out to the mound.

"He just told me, 'Trust your stuff,'" said Keizer, "He has faith in me, and I'm going to go out attacking people."

Keizer got pinch-hitter Jake Moberg on a deep fly to center, but both runners tagged to move into scoring position. However, Keizer got Matt McLain to hit that ground ball to Blomgren that ended the game.

Keizer saw to it that Henry's staking his team to a lead resulted in victory. He also struck out three of the four batters he faced to get four outs late in Saturday's game, and is stepping up as the team's most reliable late-inning reliever.

"So much hard work goes into this," said Keizer, "and it's good to see it finally paying off. It's huge, and it's a full team effort, everybody stepping up in big moments. We got it done for each other at the end of the day."

Donovan said, "He's either going to strike them out or get weak contact."

Keizer smiles through it all.

"I'm having the most fun time in life," said Keizer. "Why not smile?"

Donovan said, "Ben used to be a little serious, and seeing him smile like that is contagious. I smile back at him."

And there wasn't anyone wearing maize and blue who wasn't smiling wide as their unlikely ride is now, somehow, beginning to make sense. That's what growing confidence does for a team.

The Wolverines lost their Big Ten Tournament opener, but found a spark in their 5-4 comeback win over Illinois (the conference team with the highest RPI rating) to finish the double-elimination tournament by winning three consecutive games before losing again. Then Michigan won the Corvallis Regional with a 3-1 record and went 2-1 against mighty UCLA.

"We were dead," said Kerr. "We were down to one strike against Illinois (in the second game of the Big Ten Tournament) and J.G. (Jordan Nwogu) hit the laser (two-run double) to win that game.

"Everybody played a part. It took the 27 guys right there, and eight back at home (who couldn't travel due to roster limits) to support and win these games."

It was mentioned that his father, Derek, a member of the 1983 and 1984 Michigan CWS teams, no longer can claim to be on the school's last team that made it to Omaha. And, of course, Jimmy's grandfather, John, was one of the pitching stars of the 1962 team that won the NCAA championship there.

"It's unreal -- three generations going to Omaha," said Kerr.

And the reason these Wolverines are headed there is toughness, pure and simple.

Donovan said, "The thing I go back to is the mental training we do, running the 'Keith LeClair 300s' when all of us literally dragged (pitcher) Angelo Smith across the finish line to make sure he made time. It was one of the best moments of my life, and Coach Bakich and (assistant) Coach (Nick) Schnabel told us, 'That's what it takes to go to Omaha.' It couldn't have been more true than what we did right here.

"Everyone had a part and all of our teammates were yelling and screaming for us the whole game, pulling together."

Michigan Baseball

They gathered in front of the dugout amid the celebration to sing "The Victors" with the four sections of vocal Michigan fans who had cheered them all weekend long.

Then the Wolverines ran back onto the field to pose for a photo, wearing "OMAHA BOUND" hats and grinning, while extending index fingers to indicate they were No. 1 in the Los Angeles Super Regional.

Leaning back while sitting front and center was Henry, forming an "M" with his hands, as the photographer snapped shots.

What a celebration it was for a team nobody seemed to see coming.

However, the word's out now. Michigan -- having taken out the top-ranked and highest-seeded team -- isn't going to catch anyone sleeping. Texas Tech, the No. 8 seed that beat the Wolverines three times in Lubbock in late March, will be its first opponent at TD Ameritrade Park.

So, the challenges won't get easier. But the goal remains the same: Get one last dogpile at Omaha.