The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/122487
In his first nine starts, Hill posted a 6‑1 record while compiling an impressive 1.89 ERA, which ranked fifth among Big Ten pitchers through April 15 (Indiana's Scott Effross was No. 1 with a 1.17 ERA). Among the top 10 Big Ten pitchers in ERA, Hill ranked third in innings pitched (57). He had also notched 32 strikeouts thus far. "I'm definitely surprised by it," Hill said of his success. "Coach talks about coming in with confidence and presenting yourself with authority. He is building me up in my own mind — you need to always believe you're going to have success, because that's the only way to be successful. "The strike zone is the biggest difference, for sure. It has narrowed down, and you have to keep the ball low. Any mistake is going to get hit far. You have to be very consistent and just focus." Bakich isn't quite as surprised by Hill's dominance. He saw the way Hill developed during fall ball, and knew he could be a key component of the Wolverines' pitching staff. "Evan Hill has been there for us all along," Bakich said. "But as a freshman, it's not easy to do. It's not easy for a freshman to lock down a weekend role in the rotation, but he has a high level of leadership, naturally. And he has really blossomed, starting this fall. He's very talented." More recently, redshirt junior lefthanded pitcher Logan McAnallen and sophomore Trent Szkutnik have stepped up to lock in Michigan's weekend rotation. In his first 12 appearances (six starts), McAnallen compiled a 3.50 ERA and a 2-2 record. Szkutnik had appeared in 10 games (seven starts), with a 3.59 ERA and a 3-4 record. "Our pitching philosophy is quick tempo and forced contact," Bakich said. "When we do that, we play pretty well. Those are two of the things we preach the most, and McAnallen and Szkutnik do a very good job of that. "We have gotten into trouble from a pitching perspective when we have issued free passes, but we have cleaned that up and done a nice job in the last couple of weeks." The two pitchers have come on strong as of late. In a sweep of Michigan State April 5-7, both notched wins. Szkutnik allowed eight hits and struck out three batters in seven innings of work in a 6-3 win. McAnallen went 51⁄3 innings in his start versus the Spartans, giving up five hits and striking out three in a 6-2 victory. "Guys have proved themselves and pushed the point that they want to be the guy," Hill said. "They're working to be more consistent, and lately we have been putting up a lot more zeroes and throwing more strikes. "It's the process we go through every day. We are throwing minibullpens every day to get consistent strikes and keeping the ball low in the zone. We work on counts and winning those counts." The Wolverines have also found effective closers in Cronenworth and senior Kyle Clark, a right-hander. Cronenworth tallied a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings pitched through April 15, allowing just 14 hits while striking out