The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
82 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2021 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE N early a year after the COVID-19 pandemic prematurely ended their 2020 seasons, four Michigan spring sports teams are ready to re- sume competition. In addition, three fall sports squads are set to begin their delayed 2020-21 campaigns. BASEBALL While head coach Erik Bakich must replace the hitting production of outfielder Jordan Nwogu, infielder Jack Blomgren and catcher Joe Dono- van, he has a proven pitching staff to work with this season, including preseason second-team All- American (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, D1Base- ball.com, Baseball America) Steven Hajjar, a redshirt sophomore who posted a 2.70 ERA in last year's abridged season … The Wolverines were ranked No. 18 nationally by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and No. 20 by Baseball America coming into the campaign … The Big Ten schedule had not been released as of Feb. 16. OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Spring Previews Redshirt sophomore Steven Hajjar posted a 3-0 record with a 2.70 earned run average in four starts for the Wolverines during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Notebook Following the end of the school's two- week shutdown, here's a look at Michi- gan sports in progress. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 11-1 OVERALL, 6-1 BIG TEN Junior for ward Naz Hillmon was named to the Wooden Award Late Sea- son Top 20 Watch List Feb. 1, an honor given annually to college basketball's best player … She was also selected as one of 10 candidates for the Katrina McClain Award Feb. 4, presented to the game's best power forward … On Feb. 9, Hillmon landed on the Naismith Trophy Women's Midseason Team … U-M notched a 62-49 win at Purdue Feb. 11 in its first game back following the school's two-week shutdown. CROSS COUNTRY The Big Ten announced Jan. 28 it would allow U-M to compete in one non-conference race following the school's two-week pause, which revived hopes that both the men's and women's teams could earn NCAA postseason berths … Michigan took advantage of the ruling by agreeing to participate in the Last Chance Invitational at Florida State March 5. MEN'S GOLF U-M will compete in the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate at South Alabama Feb. 14-16, marking the program's first tournament action in 11 months. WOMEN'S GOLF U - M w i l l p l ay a t Fl o r i d a S t a t e Feb. 26-28 in what will be its first action since the school's two-week pause. MEN'S GYMNASTICS 1-0 OVERALL, 0-0 BIG TEN Michigan saw three of its events post- poned during its two-week pause and announced Feb. 11 it had rescheduled all three of them, beginning with a trip to Champaign, Ill., Feb. 21 to take on Il- linois and Nebraska. WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS 2-0 OVERALL, 1-0 BIG TEN U-M had meets against Ohio State and Illinois postponed as a result of the school's two-week shutdown, and will return to action Feb. 15 in Ann Arbor against Nebraska. ICE HOCKEY 11-7 OVERALL, 9-7 BIG TEN Freshman for ward Kent Johnson, freshman defenseman Owen Power and sophomore defenseman Cam York were all selected as nominees for the Hobey Baker Award Feb. 1, which is given every year to the NCAA's best hockey player … Junior Strauss Mann was one of 33 ath- letes named to the Mike Richter Award watch list Feb. 2, which is presented each season to the game's top goalie … U-M took down No. 7 Wisconsin 5-1 Feb. 13 in its first game following the shutdown, but fell 3-2 to the Badgers the next day. MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING 2-1 OVERALL, 2-1 BIG TEN The lone contest Michigan saw post- poned during its two-week pause was a Feb. 6 showdown against No. 17 Ohio State in Ann Arbor, with no makeup date having been announced. WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING 4-0 OVERALL, 4-0 BIG TEN A Feb. 6 home matchup against No. 14 Ohio State was the only contest Michi- gan had postponed during its two- week break … No makeup date has been scheduled. MEN'S TENNIS 0-1 OVERALL, 0-0 BIG TEN The lone matchup the Wolverines saw