No. 13 Johns Hopkins' five-game winning streak has coincided with a recent surge in play by Michael Pellegrino.
During the Blue Jays' run, the senior long-stick midfielder has recorded 19 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers. And he has contributed two goals and two assists.
Pellegrino, one of several emotional sparkplugs for Johns Hopkins (9-6), credited his performances to a slight tweaking in his demeanor.
"I've taken a little bit of a new approach -– and the other defensemen as well –- that I'm going to go into games calm, cool and collected," he said Tuesday. "We're going to get our assignments, we're not going to get caught up in anything. We're just going to play lacrosse, play it well, and play together."
That attitude appears to be paying off. One of Pellegrino's best outings occurred in the team's 13-6 victory over No. 15 Ohio State in Saturday's Big Ten tournament final when he posted five ground balls and six caused turnovers.
Pellegrino has already exceeded last year's numbers of 27 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers and two assists with 47 ground balls, 23 caused turnovers and three assists. Those statistics are somewhat surprising considering Pellegrino has been battling a spate of injuries this season. His most serious ailment was an ankle injury suffered in a 16-15 overtime loss to Princeton on Feb. 28.
But Pellegrino dismissed any talk that the ailment slowed him down.
"Everybody gets banged up. So it's no excuse," he said. "There are so many guys out there that play injured every day. So it's really not much of an excuse. My play's got to be better regardless. My ankle injury was holding me back from cutting side-to-side, but I should've made up for it somewhere else."
Coach Dave Pietramala said Wednesday there were times when Pellegrino was so hobbled that he could practice only one day a week. But Pellegrino never asked for days off, and Pietramala said the coaches had to keep Pellegrino on the sideline.
"He's been very banged up all season long and continues to be, but I think he's gotten a little bit healthier," Pietramala said. "I think he as a senior captain is starting to play with a greater sense of urgency and understands that the hourglass is running out. I think his ground ball play has been indicative of our whole team. I think our whole team has been better off the ground, and that has been a focal point for us on both the offensive and defensive ends. So for us to be successful, it is important that Michael plays well. I think he's been solid, and the reason for that is he's getting a bit healthier."