Chris Berset may not be consumed by numbers, but his statistical output is difficult to ignore.

But beyond his team-best .402 batting average and his current 16-game hit streak, Berset remains the stabilizing force of the Michigan baseball team, doing whatever it takes from whatever spot in the line-up the senior catcher happens to be hitting in.

Not that he's paying any of that much attention.

"I didn't put down any goals as far as numbers," Berset said Thursday. "I just wanted consistent (at-bats) the whole time, and the numbers will work themselves out."

Getting to this point, though, has proven to be a career-long process. Berset arrived at Michigan from Virginia as an under-sized catcher whose 175-pound frame wasn't going to withstand the rigors of a Big Ten season.

Over time, he added nearly 20 pounds of muscle while working on establishing a consistent swing at the plate. Berset never struggled much with recognizing pitches, but spent countless hours in the batting cage with Michigan coach Rich Maloney, working on driving pitches up the middle while using his learning to turn on pitches when it worked in Berset's favor.

As strong as his numbers have been this spring, Berset's confidence was just as established his junior year, when a broken thumb knocked him out of the lineup. This season, though, he has seen everything come together, helping pick up the slack when the Wolverines lost junior outfielder Ryan LaMarre for 18 games.

Maloney bumped Berset up to the No. 3 spot only to see him continue to produce in the way he has all season. During his current hit streak, Berset has produced multiple hits 10 times, a mark he's reached 18 times with the Wolverines just halfway through the season.

"You couldn't ask a guy to do more than what that boy has done," Maloney said Thursday. "He's raised the level of his game when we had to have it."

Berset has proven his consistency regardless where Maloney puts him, just enjoying being in the lineup each day. While the clean-up spot sometime requires a certain knack for timely productivity, Berset doesn't see his role as pressure-packed.

"You just can't get out of (doing) what you do best," he said. "If I just stay on my game plan, there's no pressure. You may face more curveballs and change-ups, but if you keep the same approach, there's no more pressure."

Berset, who could be in the running for the Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top collegiate catcher by the time the season's done, has also proven his worth defensively. He has provided the Wolverines with the stalwart Maloney needs him to be behind the plate, picking off runners, throwing out would-be base stealers while managing Michigan's pitchers.

Maloney compares Berset's senior accomplishments to those of former Michigan catcher Jeff Kunkel, who was a finalist for the national honor during his senior year when he hit .384 and helped lead the Wolverines to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999.

Michigan (20-11, 4-2 Big Ten) is in a three-way tie for first place heading into this weekend's three-game series at Illinois (15-13, 3-3). The Wolverines have captured back-to-back series wins against Indiana and Purdue, but have a long way between themselves and the end of the road.

With LaMarre healthy and Michigan's pitching becoming more consistent, Berset believes the Wolverines could remain in contention for a league title and beyond.

"It's nice to have the numbers at where they are, but winning those championships are the most fun I've had," he said. "We're in contention, but my freshman and sophomore year, we were leading the pack by now and that's the most fun - playing for a championship and winning it.

"So if we can win this championship, it would probably be the most fun I've had."

Jeff Arnold covers sports for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by e-mail at jeffarnold@annarbor.com.