Baseball: B1G Tourney vs Iowa - Semifinal Series - 10 am EDT - BTN, and Maryland vs Nebraska
Four B1G teams remain in the baseball tourney. The two semifinal series are: Michigan vs Iowa which begins at 10 am EDT with a broadcast on BTN, and Maryland vs Nebraska also on BTN later today.
It’s a double elimination - so, for our Maize & Blue (who already have a tourney loss) - it’s win or go home.
Go Blue!
This is the second straight day where a Michigan freshman pitcher will be making his first career start. Today it's Brandon Mann from Detroit Country Day, who is also a backup quarterback on the football team--he completed a pass against UConn in garbage time last year. Mann has a 7.53 ERA in only 14.1 innings pitched on the season--his main problem has been giving up home runs, but the extra-long fences in Omaha might help turn some of those long hits into outs.
No score after 2 innings. Iowa pitcher Langenberg has been throwing some wicked stuff at us so far, with 5 Ks in the first two innings.
Adequate start by Mann; he's lifted for Grad transfer (from Ohio U) Eamon Horwedel. It's 1-0 Iowa after 4.
Hosting this tournament in Omaha seems like a dumb decision. The stadium is always 99 percent empty unless Iowa or Nebraska are playing. Also, it is hundreds of miles away from 11 of the Big Ten teams.
Two of the final four teams this year are… Nebraska and Iowa..
You bring up a great point, though. Wouldn’t Indy be a better choice? There has to be some decent minor league complex that’s more central to the conference.
Indy is a great idea, they've got a very nice minor league facility just up the street from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Indy doesn't work on Memorial Day weekend because almost all of the hotel rooms are already booked a year in advance by Indy 500 spectators.
Also a good point, I forgot all about the biggest event in American open-wheel racing.
The couple of years that it was hosted in Columbus were fine. It's kind of like the NCAA hockey regionals with a cavernous stadium/arena for an event that is smaller by nature.
Yes!
They used to have it at the regular season champion, but that only worked back when it was a 4- or 6-team tournament, I think. So the alternative is to rotate it around AA/AAA ballparks, which involves teams agreeing to give up their home games on Memorial Day weekend. And it can't be in Indianapolis because of the Indy 500 taking up all of the hotel rooms in the city this weekend.
I think my vote would be to move it back to the regular season champion and make it a 6-team tournament if that doesn't work logistically. I guess even that will be a problem in a couple of years if USC or UCLA wins the regular season title.
Great point about the Indy 500, I forgot about that.
FWIW, Victory Field in Indy, a AAA affiliate has a capacity of 12K. The Omaha park, Schwab Field, is twice as big - but - if 5K fans show up - does it matter?
You could put in a Midwest League ballpark like the Lansing Lugnuts, West Michigan Whitecaps, Fort Wayne Tincaps etc.
Huntington Park in Columbus, home to a AAA club, has a capacity of just over 10K.
It would seem there are a number of parks to choose from - and, moving it around would seem appropriate.
I think they do it in part to give the players the chance to play at the home of the College World Series. I'm sure it is great venue facility-wise and the B1G probably is getting support from Omaha and whoever owns the venue.
I agree it is a dumb decision for fans and a rotation or a more central venue would be better.
I think the B1G has a long term deal to play in Omaha so nothing is going to change.
I'm just glad they moved the hockey playoff to campus sites.
10 consecutive Michigan batters retired. Down 1-0 after 4 1/2 innings, we gotta keep this game close and find a way to eke out a couple runs.
Bottom of 6th, Iowa’s at the plate, still leading 1-0.
Iowa up 2-0 in top of the seventh
Uniform choices are odd - both teams wearing dark jerseys
Yikes!
This is quickly getting out of hand, Iowa now with a 5-0 lead.and still batting in the 7th.
5-0, top of the 9th.
Last opportunity, season on the line...and Ted Burton HBP, so we've got our leadoff man on.
Baseball season over - 14 weeks until football. Enjoy the summer.
Michigan Baseball season comes to an end on a 5-0 shutout loss.
Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!