The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/111015
the multi-talented O���Neill can hit for both power and average after posting a .329 average in 2012, to go along with 52 hits and 30 RBI. O���Neill will bat second after outfield counterpart Patrick Biondi, who led the Wolverines in stolen bases in 2012 with 32. ���It���ll be nice to have Patrick in front of me because it should open up a lot of holes in the infield for the ball to get through,��� O���Neill said. ���I���ll be able to see a lot more fastballs from the opposing pitcher. ���My speed translates well when I���m on the base paths. I can do the same for the three and four hitters that come after me. We���re going to run aggressively and score as many runs as we can to take the pressure off the young guys.��� Though an offensive resurgence is counted upon this season in Ann Arbor, the defense and how it performs under pressure is of critical impor- tance. The Wolverines gave up 329 runs in 2012; only Indiana allowed more. U-M���s fielding percentage sat at .965, good for ninth in the conference. Providing a steadying presence behind the plate is junior Cole Martin. He will be relied upon to command a defense that will debut an infield filled with freshmen. It���s expected that his calming influence will ease the transition for the freshman starters ��� first baseman Jack Sexton, second baseman Jacob Cronenworth and third baseman Travis Maezes, a true talent who can hit, throw and field his position. O���Neill, who wields a cannon-like arm, should slow down opposing base runners, and Biondi has good range in the outfield (he had 151 putouts a year ago). Combined, they present a tandem that is as fierce in the outfield as it is at the plate. Perhaps the biggest question mark surrounding Team 147 will be on the ��� Three Players To Watch Senior outfielder Patrick Biondi: The captain, chosen as the best defensive outfielder and best base runner in the Big Ten by College Baseball Insider, led Michigan in hits (67), average (.303) and stolen bases (32) in 2012. Only Eric Rose (2004���07), with 90 stolen bases, has swiped more in his career than Biondi, who has 88 entering 2013. Freshman pitcher Evan Hill: Named the Big Ten���s top newcomer by Baseball America, the freshman lefty enjoyed a stellar high school career, going 11-1 with a 0.76 ERA as a sophomore in 2010, before finishing with an 8-3 mark in his senior year in 2012. In his junior year, Hill posted an eye-popping 52:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Junior pitcher Alex Lakatos: Lakatos began his career in Ann Arbor as pri��� marily an offensive threat, but it didn���t work out at the plate for him, so former coach Rich Maloney decided to move him to the pitcher���s mound. The change paid dividends ��� he finished 2012 with a 3.35 ERA in 19 games, fanning 36 and stymying opponents by holding them to a .262 batting average.