The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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12 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2021 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Sitting Down With Sitting Down With Volunteer Baseball Coach Brandon Inge Former Detroit Tigers All-Star catcher Brandon Inge spent 13 seasons in Ma- jor League Baseball, 12 of them with the Tigers, and played alongside some elite talent. He played a number of po- sitions, won an American League pen- nant and became one of the team's most versatile players. Inge is now working with head coach Erik Bakich's Michigan baseball team as a volunteer assistant. He sat down with The Wolverine for this ex- clusive Q&A: The Wolverine: You've been retired from baseball for a while now. What were you doing before Erik Bakich called, and how did he get you on board? Brandon Inge: "I was pretty con- tent watching my kids play baseball. They're starting to get to the point where they're college recruitment age. "But a while ago, Erik and I were do- ing a lot of the work for the Chad- Tough Foundation [a charitable orga- nization formed to support research for pediatric brain cancer, which claimed former U-M head football coach Lloyd Carr's grandson Chad] — Chad was my wife's God son. "We've been family friends with the Carrs a long, long time. That's where Erik and I first met. We just got to have a small friendship at that point. "Out of the blue, he called and left a message saying, 'Hey, I've got a question for you — you want to be on the coaching staff?' It was a very intriguing offer, but knowing we had two kids in school right now and my wife would have to do the running around, I asked her. Sure enough, she was good with it. "It's the level of baseball I like coach- ing. I feel like I had a lot to offer him." The Wolverine: You've got two teen sons now, Tyler and Chase, who both play, and you live in Bloomington Hills, about an hour from campus. How time-consuming is your Michigan commitment, and how much will you still be involved with your own kids? Getting To Know Women's Golf Sophomore Hailey Borja Women's golf sophomore Hailey Borja began her Michigan career with a bang last season. She was one of just two Wolverines to start all seven regular-season events (then-sophomore Ashley Lau was the other). Borja landed on the second-team All-Big Ten squad at year's end, becoming the first freshman female golfer in school history to earn all-conference honors. The Lake Forest, Calif., native and her fellow Wolverines are set to resume action Feb. 26-28 against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. Here are a few other interest- ing facts you may not have known about Borja: Nickname: "I have a few of them. My teammates call me either by my last name, H.B. or Hails. Most of them call me H.B., though." Favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor: "I love Baba Dari [Mediterranean Grill]." Best meal she can cook by herself: "Mac 'n cheese." Hobbies: "I like to read and draw." Favorite TV show: "'Friends.'" Favorite movie: "That's a hard one. I'd have to go with 'Avengers.'" Dream vacation: "I've always wanted to go to Europe, and specifically to Paris." Favorite place she's been to: "San Francisco." Favorite professional athlete: "I have two. The first one is Lorena Ochoa, who is a female golfer. [Former NBA guard] Michael Jordan is the other one." Role model: "My mom." Why she chose Michigan: "It was definitely an environment change for me, since I'm from California. I loved the staff here and the team they had put to- gether. The high standard of academics was a big factor for me as well." What she hopes to do after golf: "I'd love to golf professionally right after col- lege. After that, I'd like to manage a sports team someday. Sport management is actually what I'm majoring in here at Michigan." Her overall experience at Michigan: "I've loved it here. It has been such an incredible experience, especially with how much I've been able to travel. It's hard right now with COVID though. Something I love about the school is how they take small problems and turn them into something worthwhile for all of us. I've had an amazing time here." — Austin Fox Last year, Borja became the first freshman female golfer in school history to earn all- conference honors. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY