The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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sive driven so far this young season," Hutchins said. "But we have a long way to go, and we're going to face some great pitching. The average will be a little more indicative of how good we really are as we move through the season. Hutchins lauded Romero for her "lights-out" start to her freshman campaign, but she also pointed out how others have also stepped up so far. Batting averages are up nearly across the board. Jaclyn Crummey was batting .463 in 41 at-bats (after getting zero at-bats in 2012); Blanchard was batting .415 in 123 at-bats (she hit .355 in 31 at-bats in 2012); Lane was batting .388 in 129 at-bats (she hit .269 in 182 at-bats in 2012); Nicole Sappingfield was batting .356 in 135 at-bats (she hit .317 in 183 at-bats in 2012); and Amy Knapp was batting .345 in 110 at-bats (she hit .245 in 147 at-bats in 2012). Another freshman, outfielder Sierra Lawrence, has also made an impact, batting .364 with 34 runs and 26 RBI. "You can go through the order," Hutchins said. "All the kids have picked up their pace, and they have really worked hard at it." Pitching Gets Big Boost With Return Of Haylie Wagner As the old saying goes, two is better than one. And that's certainly true for the Michigan mound. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Haylie Wagner, the 2012 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year, missed several weeks to start the 2013 season, due to an undisclosed injury. Her absence opened the door for fellow sophomore Sara Driesenga to shoulder the responsibility of being the Wolverines' ace pitcher. In 35 appearances thus far, Driesenga had a 21-5 record, a 1.69 ERA and 152 strikeouts, proving herself as a reliable hurler. Wagner returned to the mound for one inning of relief against Illinois State March 9 and has been transitioning back into being featured heavily in the rotation. In 17 appearances so far, Wagner had posted a 13-1 record, a 1.52 ERA and 71 strikeouts. "We have flexibility, and we're more than a one-pitcher show," Hutchins said. "The fact that we got through the preseason as well as we did was a great credit to Sara. But now if Sara has an off day, we can bring in Haley, and vice versa. The Purdue weekend, they took turns." The two have split time since the Wolverines entered Big Ten play. Through nine conference games, Wagner had tallied nine appearances and Driesenga had eight appearances (seven starts for Wagner and five starts for Driesenga). "Haylie is continuing to get better. I don't think she has hit her peak yet. She will peak later this season, and having her back has helped us tremendously. We would not be 12-0 at this point in the Big Ten season without Haley back." For Wagner, the transition has taken a little getting used to. She said