The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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the lineup — she finished the season with a 19-3 record and a 2.50 ERA — Wagner once again went down, this time with an undiagnosed injury to her throwing arm. Meanwhile, Wagner watched as classmate Driesenga stepped in, earn- ing her own accolades as a 2013 first- team All-Big Ten performer, with a 31-9 record and a 1.89 ERA. Down but not out, Wagner returned home to Orange, Calif., for the sum- mer, giving her a chance to get away from the game for a few months and focus on getting healthy. "She didn't sit around and wallow," Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins said. "Things didn't go her way last year, and she understood, as all play- ers need to, that you need to do the things you need to do to make things go your way. Life is not just going to happen. You have to take control of it, and it is a good lesson for any person, let alone an athlete." Wagner started slow, going to phys- ical therapy and staying away from the mound. Eventually, when her arm started to feel stronger, she started to throw overhand to get the feeling back. Soon, she was pitching a few times a day, increasing her pitch count incrementally every day. Instead of focusing on speed and power, she worked to get the rust out of her mechanics, hoping to polish her form and eliminate movements that may have helped cause the injury. By the end of the summer, just as she was set to move back to Ann Ar- bor, she was feeling like her old self — and ready to get back into the swing of things. "Being injured, it takes a lot of pa- tience," Wagner said. "When I was injured at the beginning of the season, I learned how to be patient. I'm not a very patient person sometimes, so that is a trait I have gained. "By the end of the summer, I was so ready to come back and be with my team. I was ready to come back and work with Jennifer Brundage, our pitching coach, because I consider her the best pitching coach around. Com- ing back, I knew that she would be ready to help me get back to it and work on all the little things I couldn't do by myself. I love this place I couldn't wait to get back." Whatever Wagner did in the offsea- son, it worked. In 10 starts and 15 appearances through March 16, the left-handed Wagner had amassed a perfect 13-0 record and a stellar 0.93 ERA for the 19-6 Wolverines. In 75 innings pitched, Wagner al- lowed opposing offenses just 50 hits and 10 earned runs while striking out 61. "More than anything, she has had a lot of trust," Hutchins said. "That starts with trust in herself. That is the most important person to trust on the field. You're the only person that needs to believe you're good. She trusts the pitch calling and she trusts her team. She doesn't get too ahead of herself. "She has had to hold us in a lot of tight games when the offense is just sputtering. And she doesn't get caught up in that, like a pitcher can, saying: 'Hey, are you going to score any runs?' She can only do her part.