Omaha Dream: Franklin Excelling at Place that Inspired Him to Attend U-M
6/19/2019 11:54:00 AM | Baseball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
OMAHA, Neb. -- Wolverine center fielder Jesse Franklin is having a great College World Series.
Franklin drilled a go-ahead solo home run and also singled in Monday's (June 17) 2-0 win over Florida State. And the Big Ten Conference's walks leader got two of his 49 for the season in Saturday's 5-3 (June 15) win over Texas Tech, scoring both times.
He's loving the whole experience with his teammates and was perhaps the first University of Michigan player to choose the school because he dreamed of Omaha.
Last year, when Franklin was a freshman, I asked why he chose the Wolverines over Pac-12 suitors and his hometown Seattle Mariners, who drafted him in the 37th round. He was still offered a seven-figure signing bonus, according to Michigan coach Erik Bakich, noting that Franklin could've gone in the first two rounds had he not made it clear he was going to college.
"I always wanted to go to college, and that's why going professional wasn't that great of a temptation to me," said Franklin, who aspires to become a lawyer. "I wanted to play in college and really wanted to go to Omaha and experience that.
"I just think that if I'm with God and I'm supposed to make it in pro ball, then it's going to happen (later). So, I just want to experience as much as I can here."
Now, he's starring at TD Ameritrade Park in the CWS.
"It's definitely a dream come true," said Franklin. "It's still hard to believe that we're here and that [we're winning]. But, after we won at UCLA, the first thing that (pitching ace) Karl (Kauffmann) said when he came running up to me was, 'You always said you wanted to go to Omaha! We're going to Omaha!'"
Franklin said other teammates also talked of the dream of Omaha, but I don't recall another Wolverine sharing that inner desire publicly.
He was willing to talk about Omaha when it seemed a million miles away from Ann Arbor, and now he is part of a team capturing the imaginations of fans because they've gone from long shots to strong contenders for the NCAA championship while playing with passion and as a true team.
"Michigan's been everything I hoped it would be," said Franklin. "Actually, way, way more -- especially coming here with the team -- and all the friends I've made. And seeing the other kids' parents and how welcoming they are, seeing the community Michigan has with all the friends that came to see us in L.A. (for a Super Regional win at UCLA) and in Corvallis (for a Regional win), and now seeing them all come out here."
Michigan (48-20) finished the regular season by losing five of the last seven games once a 13-game winning streak was broken. Franklin was asked in the postgame press conference after beating the Seminoles about what the team -- which is 7-2 in the NCAA's double-elimination tournaments -- found to become the story of the tournament.
"We just figured out that we were pressing and worried about just trying to win or trying not to lose," said Franklin," and now we're just playing loose and having fun at TD AmeriPlayground."
Everyone laughed, and I asked Franklin about that following a team batting practice and weight-lifting session leading up to Friday's game against Florida State or Texas Tech.
"I don't know who said it, but somebody called it that last year at the Big Ten Tournament," said Franklin. "I thought it was funny to call it that. Even though it's a play on words, you do try to have a lot of fun and keep it loose, like Coach (Bakich) says over and over again."
Franklin leads the team with 13 homers and 58 runs scored in addition to walks, and he is third with 50 RBI while sporting a .255 batting average and .385 on-base percentage.
"The whole team is really good about being selective," said Franklin, "and taking walks when they're given to us. Walks are such a nice thing to get during games because it takes a lot of pitches and the pitch count goes up, and it frustrates all their players defensively. It gives us a good opportunity to score, and getting on base is the name of the game."
He's saved countless hits in center, made just one error, and is second on the team with four outfield assists despite the fact that his arm isn't yet 100 percent.
"It's nice being back in the outfield," said Franklin. "Over the course of the year I've worked hard on getting reads and in B.P."
He played mostly first base last year while still recovering from a torn labrum suffered at Seattle Prep, and Bakich is glad to have his highly instinctive outfielder back roaming center field, which is especially vast in Omaha.
"He played first base out of necessity because he couldn't throw," said Bakich. "But now that his shoulder is healthy, his labrum is healthy, he covers a lot of ground. And he can throw now. He's probably not quite to 100 percent of where he was in high school. He had an absolute cannon for an arm. But his arm is still accurate and usable.
"But on defense, it's the jumps and the reads that he's gotten. He's the second center fielder that I've personally coached that, when the ball is hit, is able to turn his head, run to a spot, turn around, and catch the ball. That's really hard to do. Most outfielders have to run looking at the ball the entire way, which slows them down. But he's able to cover a lot of ground just by having great instincts and getting great reads and jumps."
The other outfielder Bakich has had like that is Antoan Richardson, who went to Vanderbilt and played briefly for the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees.
Franklin's homer off FSU ace CJ Van Eyk had an exit speed of 110 mph and landed in the last row of the seating section behind the bullpen in right field. It also was the 100th hit in the CWS at TD Ameritrade since it opened in 2011.
"I looked up at the scoreboard and they said it was the 100th," said Franklin, "and my parents told me that after the game, too. I'm just really happy I could contribute to the win. I liked seeing everyone so happy and the smiles."
Franklin tapped batting helmets held high with on-deck batter Jimmy Kerr, and then left fielder Christan Bullock was among several teammates playfully messing up Franklin's long hair on his way back to the dugout.
"Christan loves pushing me right when I get to home plate," Franklin said with a smile.
Franklin has scored three of Michigan's seven runs in the CWS, and that's a credit not only to his power but ability to get deep into counts and draw walks.
"He's delivered some big hits," said Bakich. "Last [game] he had the big blow in the first inning and absolutely torched that ball. It had been a month and half since he's hit a home run, but he's hit some balls extremely hard and really well in the Nebraska series and Big Ten Tournament that were right into the wind and didn't go out. He's had some tough luck.
"But he's stayed in the two hole (in the batting order) because he'll draw walks, he'll move runners up, he'll find a way to have a productive team plate appearance. He's just great in the two hole because he's a power threat and yet is an on-base guy who runs the bases hard. He's fast and agile. So, much like Jordan Nwogu and (Jordan) Brewer, he's that dual threat, speed-power combination."
Franklin also came up big in two other NCAA games. He scored four runs on four hits with three RBI in the Corvallis Regional championship game victory over Creighton and had two hits and two RBI in the 3-2 win at UCLA in the Super Regional opener.
Parents have followed their Wolverine sons throughout the postseason run. Franklin's parents, Jesse and Catherine, attended Monday's game and plan to return for Friday's game.
He was named for his father, and his full name is Jesse Owen Franklin V. Dad is a lawyer and Mom was, too, before focusing on raising him and his sister. She's now an aerobics instructor and directs school plays.
Franklin said he's about to apply for a political science major.
"I'm interested in all the current news," said Franklin, "and my parents are passionate about world news and politics. I enjoy talking to them about those things -- especially my mom and my mom's whole side of the family.
"And I want to use political science probably to go to law school. I want to do something with criminal justice. My parents told me stories of earlier in their careers when they were representing different people, and it was really cool to hear. They were all so interesting."
His father was a two-year member of the University of Washington crew team.
Michigan parents, including Catherine Franklin (holding flag, third from right), have followed the Wolverines to Omaha
Parents and players hang out in the lobby of the downtown hotel and go out to dinner together. They meet their sons after games to congratulate them and share the wave.
"We're so appreciative of all the support," said Franklin. "All the people on social media and friends back in Michigan, and all the people watching and cheering us on. It's the greatest feeling to hear and see that spirit, and we're so thankful for our parents for coming on the ride with us, taking time off work.
"We have a lot to be thankful for."
What's the current vibe of his team?
"It's so effortless because of the way we're meshing with each other," said Franklin. "It's really organic and easy, and the way we support each other, and the goals that we have as a team, and the way the coaches interact with us is really fluid, and it just seems like it's meant to be. It's just real easy being on this team.
"It's the crazy mix of different individuals on this team. Everyone knows their roles, and it's taken us a while to figure it out this season. But now there's a comfort we have."
