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`M' baseball looks to sustain win streak in home opener

Although three isn't always a lucky number in the game of baseball, maybe the third time will be a charm for Michigan's boys of summer.

Well ...all right. So it isn't summer yet. Indeed, the weather is the reason the Wolverines' home opener has been postponed twice. Michigan (4-0 Big Ten, 5-13 overall) and coach Geoff Zahn will, weather permitting, try again today against Oakland University at Ray Fisher Stadium, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.

After a 1-13 start, Zahn's squad has started to awaken from its long winter nap. The team swept a four-game series at Purdue last weekend -- the Wolverines' first conference sweep in three years -- thanks to the clutch hitting of shortstop Kelly Dransfeldt and some strong pitching.

Zahn said that even though Dransfeldt has played a key role in the squad's current winning streak, there is certainly room for improvement.

"We need Kelly to hit better," Zahn said. "He's not swinging the bat really well, but he's still hitting the ball. He can do better, but he should be encouraged by what he did over the weekend."

Dransfeldt is currently second on the team in batting with a .328 average.

The former major league pitcher and first-year coach said he was not surprised by the about-face executed by his hurlers against the Boilermakers. With the team's earned-run average edging ever-closer to double digits, the staff held Purdue to a mere nine runs over the course of the four-game series.

"The pitching did well (against Purdue)," Zahn said. "It was going to mature, and it's going to continue to improve."

The highlight of the weekend's outings for the staff was a one-hitter tossed by freshman righthander J.J. Putz. Putz (1-2, 5.28 ERA) pitched a complete-game shutout, walking one while striking out 11. In his first Big Ten start, he carried a no-hitter late into the sixth inning. He also got tremendous run support from his teammates, as the Wolverines pounded out 14 hits in the 12-0 victory.

Putz, last year's Michigan "Mr. Baseball" at Trenton High School, was rewarded for his efforts by being named the co-winner of the Mizuno National Player-of-the-Week award.

"You'd always like a one-hitter," Zahn said of the newcomer's performance.

Zahn said neither he nor Putz were discouraged by some shaky early season outings during the prolonged spring-break road trip.

"He certainly has that potential," Zahn said. "He is just a freshman."

Zahn said he is looking at today's game as an opportunity to tinker with the lineup somewhat, with a view to taking a look at different pitching combinations.

"Obviously, we're not going to go with our top starters (against Oakland)," Zahn said. "This is a staff game -- we're going to manipulate the pitching ... we'll see a number of different pitchers."

Among other trends the Wolverines are looking to continue today is getting significant contributions from newcomers to the squad. Freshman outfielder Jason Alcaraz is leading the team with a .359 average, starting all 18 games. Alcaraz clubbed his first collegiate home run in the 12-0 drubbing of the Boilermakers, and is second on the team with 10 runs batted in.

Freshman outfielder/designated hitter Bobby Scales also boosted his average this weekend with a three-hit game and is closing in on .300.

After bottoming out early, the Wolverines now find themselves tied for first place in the Big Ten with Illinois. Their next conference test comes when the squad travels to Bloomington over the weekend for four games against the second-place Hoosiers.