Baseball begins its season today against Western Michigan
Michigan Baseball is in Glendale, AZ this weekend to open the season against Western Michigan. Check out the live stats at MGoBlue.com. Game starts at 3 PM EST. Go Blue!
February 16th, 2024 at 11:04 AM ^
So we are traveling 2000 miles to play Western Michigan. Makes sense.
February 16th, 2024 at 11:20 AM ^
For a non revenue sport to boot
February 16th, 2024 at 11:27 AM ^
Like most northern schools, they always take a trip somewhere warm at the beginning of the season. It's like their spring training. After this trip, they head to Texas and California.
February 16th, 2024 at 11:32 AM ^
That's the issue with teams from cold weather area. Every one of them starts their season on the road to play neutral site in warm weather states. They usually don't host a home game until April.
It's bad for recruiting and another reason why B1G is viewed as a mid-major conference.
February 16th, 2024 at 11:37 AM ^
Michigan has a home game against Oakland University scheduled for March 6. We will; see how that works out. Of course, if it's too cold they can just move the game to April or cancel it--Oakland's less than an hour away so it's no inconvenience to decide the day of the game.
The amazing thing about the schedule this year is a 3-game home series against San Diego on March 15-16-17. I think I can confidently state that the weather in Ann Arbor on March 15-17 will be...less pleasant than the weather that San Diego players are used to.
February 16th, 2024 at 11:34 AM ^
Well...(1) you have to play somebody--teams that don't start on the first day of the season are not serious programs. Even the dregs of the MAC will all be playing today.
(2) You have to go to a place where it's possible to play baseball in February. There are no baseball domed stadiums around here, so Arizona/Florida/Texas/California it is.
February 16th, 2024 at 11:38 AM ^
My husband and I went to the series in Texas a couple of years ago and it was fun. They played Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and K State at Globe Life Field. A good three day getaway.
February 16th, 2024 at 1:49 PM ^
I remember--you provided live, in-game updates that were most appreciated.
February 16th, 2024 at 1:51 PM ^
Wish I could do it again this year -- would love to be in Arizona right about now.
February 16th, 2024 at 1:59 PM ^
Yeah, I live in northern Vermont so same here.
February 16th, 2024 at 11:37 AM ^
It might be a "home and home" double header...
Though, this sounds more like an "away and away" doubleheader.
February 16th, 2024 at 11:27 AM ^
Beat the Broncos!
February 16th, 2024 at 11:51 AM ^
Michigan baseball's problems this year will be exactly the opposite of the softball team's problems. Michigan has a good lineup of hitters but a whole bunch of Freshman pitchers. Michigan will likely be in a lot of high scoring games, just like last season. Hopefully they end up with a few more arms that they can trust than they had last year.
Michigan's key returning player might be Sophomore P/1B Mitch Voit, who was selected as a Freshman All-American last season. Last year, Voit was the closer and started just about every game at third base. This year, Voit will be in the starting rotation and they are taking some pressure off of his arm by moving him to 1B when he's not pitching. It looks like they have him batting third today.
Michigan's best batter will probably be OF Stephen Hrustich, a graduate transfer who was just about the only bright spot in Northwestern's train wreck of a program last year. He hit .325 and had an OPS of .959 last year against about the same level of competition that he will be facing this season.
Michigan is picked slightly above mid-pack in the Big Ten, but it really seems like they could end up much higher or much lower than that, depending on the performance they get out of their Freshman arms. Iowa and Indiana are the favorites in the conference, with Rutgers and Maryland right behind them. Unfortunately for Michigan, they have road series against both Indiana and Iowa on their schedule.
Michigan's big home series this year will be against Ohio State on April 19-20-21, the same weekend I think as the spring football game.
February 16th, 2024 at 2:00 PM ^
Good stuff! What do you think of the new coach?
February 16th, 2024 at 2:18 PM ^
Ask me in May. Last year he was coaching the leftovers of somebody else's team--he didn't really have a chance to recruit a Freshman class or even hit the portal since he was hired at the end of June 2022.
You know what? Ask me in May 2025. Smith deserves a couple of years to recruit and develop his own team. I'm not entirely discouraged, and Smith has a track record of being a great recruiter.
February 16th, 2024 at 7:22 PM ^
You called it. 14-13.
February 16th, 2024 at 11:52 AM ^
After watching Michigan beat Florida State at the CWS I am just sad that M did not pony up for the baseball coach. Makes ZERO sense and a failure...I am almost sure who to blame.
February 16th, 2024 at 12:27 PM ^
It always makes me laugh when people complain about this when like ten people follow baseball. And it isn't because we're not good, it's because the Big Ten isn't a baseball conference (thanks, snow and cold temps). There's no way a great coach is going to forego a warmer climate and a conference that is perennially great in order to stay in a place where it isn't comfortable to play outside until late April, if that. Just last year, the Big Ten Coach of the year, the coach from Maryland, went to Alabama.
February 16th, 2024 at 12:48 PM ^
If you ask the same people who blamed Warde for not retaining Bakich are the ones who don't go to the baseball game. Michigan averaged about 1.2K fans per homestand compared to the SEC/ACC/Big 12 programs that bring in 3-10K per homestand.
February 16th, 2024 at 1:14 PM ^
It makes no sense to pay a guy $1 mil/year, and who wants more money to invest in infrastructure, when fans only pay attention to baseball when we make it to the NCAA finals.
February 16th, 2024 at 5:01 PM ^
That may all be well and good, Wendy, but since when did anyone say you could bring evidence and logic to this board?
/fire Warde because I'm lazy, want to sound edgy, and #Tribalism
February 16th, 2024 at 1:58 PM ^
And it's not like Bakich went to go coach at Middle Tennessee State or some nowhere program. Clemson is elite. And they fill the stands. And you can get blue-chippers to come play there no problem. It's everything Michigan baseball isn't. Because, in baseball, the B1G is a mid-major. Maybe the new additions change that. It'll always be a challenge to recruit the best players to come to A2 though.
February 16th, 2024 at 3:02 PM ^
I don't know how good he is but we have Craig Counsell's kid this year. Minnesota has the other Counsell kid. Their baseball IQ's have to be pretty high (one would hope).
February 19th, 2024 at 11:41 AM ^
I stand better informed and appreciate the correction. I will try to put my feelings aside from being at the CWS and my longing to preserve what was instead of what is not likely.
Apologies to Warde on this one.
February 17th, 2024 at 5:46 AM ^
He was never staying in AA and the success of that team was 3 pro level arms and Chris Fetter. I think this team will win about a quarter of its games and the trajectory is not looking good
February 16th, 2024 at 12:59 PM ^
Oh, wow, man, is it baseball season already?
February 16th, 2024 at 2:03 PM ^
Yeah, the Bronco head is high as fuck.
February 16th, 2024 at 3:00 PM ^
Michigan's game 1 starting lineup will include 6 players who were playing elsewhere last season--5 transfers from other D-I schools plus 1 true Freshman.
Stephen Hrustich-LF, Gr. (Stone Mountain, GA / Northwestern)
Mack Timbrook-2B, Gr. (Kent, OH / Kent State)
Mitch Voit-1B, So. (Whitefish Bay, WI)
Jonathan Kim-CF, So. (Brookfield, WI)
Will Rogers-C, Jr. (Shoreview, MN / Arizona State)
Dylan Stanton-DH, Jr. (Richland, MI)
Cole Caruso-3B, Jr. (Scottsdale, AZ / USC Upstate)
Kyle Dernedde-SS, Gr. (Tualatin, OR / Oregon State)
Greg Pace Jr.-RF, So. (Southfield, MI)
Dylan Vigue-P, Fr. (Leominster, MA)
February 16th, 2024 at 7:21 PM ^
Tough game, Western Michigan takes it 14-13 in 11 innings.
February 17th, 2024 at 4:08 PM ^
Pitching getting clubbed again today.