Benedict predicts strong finish for Blue

Michigan baseball - national champions.

In an era when the College World Series has been dominated by southern schools, that statement might have a funny ring to it. But the Wolverines have won two national championships in the history of the baseball program, and Moby Benedict was there for both of them.

Benedict

Benedict was a freshman shortstop on the 1953 championship team and an assistant coach under Don Lund on the 1962 championship squad.

In 1963, Benedict took over the head coaching reigns and remained the top man at Michigan until 1979. His teams compiled a 367-251-5 record over that time. Benedict (No. 1) and Bill Freehan (No. 11) are the only Wolverines to have their numbers retired.

By Benedict's own count, 25 Wolverines who played under him later played in the major leagues. One of those is current Michigan head coach Geoff Zahn.

"He pitched a doubleheader for me once against Northwestern," Benedict said about Zahn. "He threw a beautiful game in the first game, and he only threw about 60 pitches. I said, 'Do you think you could go a little bit in the second game?' because I was little short on pitching, and that was the first day of the weekend.

"He said he felt okay, so I told him to go as long he could, and he ended up pitching a complete game. So he pitched two games and won both."

Other Wolverines coached by Benedict who made it to the show include Dave Campbell, Steve Howe, Rick Leach, Leon Roberts and Lary Sorensen.

"They have all been good, but the one that sticks out is Ricky Leach," Benedict said. "He was just a great, great competitor. He was the kind of guy that his presence on the ball club made the other guys come up to his level.

"Whenever things were going bad, he'd get after them. He'd go in the dugout and get at them, and I'd just kind of move off to the side."

Leach and Howe were Wolverines during Benedict's last appearance in the College World Series in 1978. Michigan opened the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Baylor, but was eliminated after losses to Southern California (11-3) and North Carolina (7-6). Michigan last appeared in the series in 1984.

Benedict says northern schools are at a disadvantage because, even though teams like Michigan take trips south during the spring, their first game is usually their opponent's 10th or 15th game.

"Its not a level playing field, particularly at this time of year," Benedict said. "The thing most people don't realize is that (southern teams) never come indoors, they stay outdoors all year. We go over and practice in the field house, and that's like taking a bath with your shoes on - you never get your feet clean. Our kids struggle to start with, but we'd like to play (southern teams) here in May. We'd be competitive with them."

Benedict said Zahn has done a good job with the current group of Wolverines. While he isn't sure if they will hold off Ohio State to finish first in the Big Ten, he likes the way the Wolverines play.

"Its difficult for me to evaluate because I don't know what Ohio State has," Benedict said. "But they are playing hard. They are a little short on pitching because they've had a couple injuries, a couple of sore arms. You win this game with pitching and defense, not with a baseball bat."

Before continuing its run for a Big Ten title at Indiana this weekend, Michigan will play two non-conference foes during the week. Today at 3 p.m., the Wolverines face Bowling Green at home, and tomorrow they will travel to Western Michigan to take on the Broncos. Bowling Green is the only team to shut out Michigan this season, recording a 5-0 whitewash April 1.

MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Moby Benedict, who participated in Michigan's only two victories in the College World Series, said that pitchers like Marlon Wright will need to improve their performance if the Wolverines want to compete with Ohio State for Big Ten supremacy.

04-15-97