clock menu more-arrow no yes

Filed under:

Sports Recap: To The Drawing Board

By Nick Bodanyi
/ new
Jim Harbaugh, Michelle Obama, and Ciara
Jim Harbaugh, Michelle Obama, and Ciara
Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images
Football: Scouting, Meeting & Greeting

Jim Harbaugh's satellite camps have reeled in four commits in a week, headlined by Captain America himself, Chris Evans. Something tells me this will be a dominant football team in 2016.

In some less heralded football news, Denard Robinson hosted a football camp for little kids:

Meanwhile, the football team took some time last week to team-build in a unique way:

This isn't the first time Harbaugh has used other sports to build football skills - or even evaluate football skills. Harbaugh reportedly took Zach Gentry bowling, adding he liked how the pins bounced off the ball. Plus, volleyball is a great team sport.

Softball: Now, Do It Again

4-1. Down early from Haylie Wagner's struggles, and unable to come back against Florida's Lauren Haeger, the Wolverines lost a national championship game and enter the off-season with a bitter aftertaste. The lights were bright, but the championship round was painful, with missed opportunities and a lost chance at creating a legacy. Then again, for teams that play in the bright lights, losses are an inevitable part of the package. And this was the most-watched WCWS ever, so the lights were never brighter.

Two very tough losses to Florida mean the players enter the off-season on the wrong foot, but the off-season will give them a chance to rebuild and attack next year with similar focus. Carol Hutchins will be looking for players like Tera Blanco and Amanda Vargas to step up, and incoming freshman Alex Sobczak will compete with Lauren Connell and Morgan Swift for the starting catcher position. Sobczak had a 1.896 OPS in her junior year of high school.

The team loses Haylie Wagner, Lauren Sweet, Sara Driesenga, and Becca Garfinkel, but 2016 has the opportunity to accomplish what 2015 almost got.

Baseball: Déjà Vu All Over Again

After a win over Bradley and a loss to Louisville, Michigan baseball threw down the gauntlet with another win over Bradley and then a loss to Louisville. The second time around, the win came a little tougher, and the loss was a lot more embarrassing.

The experience was invaluable, though, for a squad that can't really be called young anymore. The pitching staff returns 536 of 557 innings pitched, but there will be three seniors in the starting rotation next year. And though Jackson Glines (.349/.440/.492) is gone, there's a chance for more offense if young guys like Jake Bivens (.319/.435/.352) and Carmen Benedetti (team-leading .352 average, 1.84 ERA) take steps forward. That would produce a similar third-year surge to what Erik Bakich saw at his first coaching stop, in Maryland.

Also:

Miscellaneous: Looking Ahead To Fall

The NHL Scouting Combine happened this week, and Zach Werenski was a part of it. Much like the NFL Combine, this serves as a prelude to the draft, which takes place at the end of this month. As the Toronto Sun discusses, it's a turning point for guys like Werenski.

Men's soccer released their 2015 schedule:

The schedule is meaty, which is not good news for head coach Chaka Daley. In his three years in Ann Arbor, Michigan has won fewer games every single year.

That's it for this week. Enjoy the MGoBlue Awards tonight, and Go Blue.