The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Andrew Stueber Is Ready Now By Brandon Brown One of the most important things an of- fensive line can achieve is continuity, which is exactly what U-M's five guys up front can have if junior Andrew Stueber is in the start- ing lineup at right tackle. Jon Runyan Jr., Ben Bredeson, Cesar Ruiz and Michael Onwenu make up the starting line from left tackle to right guard, respec- tively, with the battle at right tackle waging on between Stueber and redshirt freshman Jalen Mayfield. Stueber has two starts at right tackle and also heads into the fall more than 20 pounds heavier than his young teammate. The 6-7, 323-pound Stueber made his first start last year against Ohio State and also opened the bowl game versus Florida. That means his game experience came in arguably U-M's two biggest games last year, as well as in hostile and unfamiliar environments. Mayfield has a lot of upside and is probably the more athletic of the two, but Stueber provides stability and famil- iarity, especially with Onwenu, who lines up next to him, and Ruiz, who makes calls and is familiar with what he can do. He's also bigger, stronger and a year wiser, which also provides value along the line. Michigan offensive line coach Ed Warinner is going to put the best five on the field, and when Aug. 31 rolls around Stueber will be one of them. Jalen Mayfield Is The Future — And The Now By Chris Balas Andrew Stueber was thrown into the fire last year in starting two games, including the finale at Ohio State. That's a tall task for anyone let alone a redshirt freshman (at the time), and he struggled occasionally with the Buckeyes' pass rushers. He wasn't great in the Peach Bowl either, having some trouble with the Gators' speed. He'll improve under offensive line coach Ed Warinner — everyone does — and senior captain Ben Bredeson said at the end of last year Stueber held up about as well as could be expected under the cir- cumstances. The 6-5, 296-pound redshirt freshman Jalen Mayfield has more upside here, though, and it's not as though he's that far behind in terms of experience. On the looks test alone, Mayfield is better suited for the right tackle position. Though he and Stueber split reps this spring and Stueber got the nod to start the spring scrim- mage April 13, Mayfield moved better and is simply the better athlete. That's going to be critical in new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' "Speed in Space" offense, and Mayfield has all the right tools. Make no mistake — Stueber has a bright future; it just seems he might be better suited for guard at this point. Un- til Bredeson and senior Michael Onwenu graduate, there simply isn't room for him on the field there right now. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHO WILL START THE SEASON AT RIGHT TACKLE? MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Softball freshman outfielder Lexie Blair: She was awarded with Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week honors April 1 after racking up a .583 batting average in U-M's four straight victories over Central Michigan and Rutgers (one over the former and three over the latter) March 26-30. Blair also compiled a .688 on-base per- centage and a .917 slugging percentage in the four triumphs, while recording four RBI and eight runs scored in the Rutgers series alone. In fact, her four runs in the March 29 win over the Scarlet Knights were the most times any Wol- verine had crossed the plate in a single contest since 2017. Ice hockey sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes: He earned first-team AHCA/CCM All-America honors April 12 at the Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y., becoming the 95th All-American in Michigan hockey history. Hughes racked up a team-high 33 points this past season, accumulating five goals and 28 assists in the 32 contests he participated in. In fact, his 33 points were the sixth most in the country among defensemen, while his 28 assists were the third most among blue-liners. Hughes an- nounced in March he'd be departing U-M early to next play professionally with the Vancouver Canucks. Baseball senior infielder Jimmy Kerr: He helped pound Michigan State March 30 in a 16-2 annihilation, in which he went a perfect 5 for 5 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles and a single. On top of that, Kerr also drove in five runs and crossed the plate five times, in what was the first five- hit performance of his collegiate career. The victory was also the capper on a two-game sweep of the Spartans in what wound up be- ing a weather-shortened series. Women's lacrosse senior goalie Mira Shane: On April 25, she was one of 25 players from around the country nomi- nated for the Tewaaraton Award, which annu- ally recognizes the top male and female col- legiate lacrosse players in the country. Shane's 12 wins this season (as of May 2) set a program record, shattering the previous mark of seven. The Princeton, N.J., native also set the school record for saves in a single game, when she racked up 18 in a win over Dartmouth Feb. 17. The list will be trimmed to five finalists May 9, and the winner will be revealed May 30 in Washington, D.C. Women's basketball senior center Hallie Thome: She was tabbed to the WBCA All-Region 4 Team March 21 for a second consecutive season, joining Katelynn Flaherty (2014-18) as the only Wolverines who have earned multiple all-region accolades. Thome became just the third-ever member of Michi- gan's 2,000-point club this year, finishing her U-M career with 2,081 total points. She was also named to the All-Big Ten first-team squad by the coaches and the second-team unit by the media after averaging 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest this sea- son, both of which were second on the team. — Austin Fox STUEBER MAYFIELD