M baseball sweeps Maryland, extends lead in Big Ten
Michigan baseball's offense posted 3 straight double-digit totals to complete a sweep of Maryland this weekend.
Friday was a 10-7 win, with Michigan getting out to a 10-1 lead in the 7th and then trying to coast the rest of the way without going to any of their top-tier relievers. That plan went out the door, obviously, and Michigan had to bring in closer Willie Weiss in the 8th to put the game away. Leadoff hitter Jordan Nwogu contributed 3 RBIs with a home run and a sacrifice fly. Karl Kauffmann gave up 1 earned run in 7 innings, striking out 8.
The middle game of the series on Saturday was a 10-4 Michigan win, a classic full-team effort Junior College transfer Jordan Brewer, a candidate for Big Ten MVP, was the star of this game. He got on base 4 times in 5 trips to the plate, stealing 3 bases and scoring 3 runs. Tommy Henry picked up the win, going 6.1 innings, leaving the game with an 8-2 lead.
Today's game was a true blowout. Michigan scored 7 runs in the 6th inning on the way to a 13-1 win. Nwogu was 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, a home run, and a HBP. #3 starter Jeff Criswell went 5 innings before being pulled to get some of the less-used pitchers in the bullpen some work.
Michigan's magic number is now 4 with 6 games to go. They can clinch the conference championship this weekend with a sweep of Indiana, or with any combination of 4 wins in their series against Indiana and at Nebraska:
1. Michigan (14-3)
2. Indiana (12-6)
3t. Minnesota (11-7)
3t. Iowa (11-7)
5. Nebraska (12-8)
6. Illinois (10-8)
Michigan hosts Indiana this weekend for a potential championship-clinching series. The games are Friday at 8:30 (ESPNU), Saturday at 2:00 (no TV), and Sunday at 2:00 (BTN). If you're in town, it will be a good series.
GoBlue!
Sorry for the laziness, but who does IU face in their final series?
Alton posted this a few days ago in the "Great day for Michigan Athletics" thread:
Remaining games:
Michigan: 3 at Md, 3 vs Ind, 3 at Neb
Indiana: 3 at Ill, 3 at Mich, 3 vs RU
Nebraska: 3 at NW, bye, 3 vs Mich
...so, @ Michigan and home vs Rutger is their remaining schedule.
Ouuccch
It took at least 30 seconds to find out it is:
- 1 game against Kentucky
- a 3 game series against us in A2
- 1 game against Louisville
- a 3 game home series against Rutgets (since you’ll ask #1 7th out of 13 teams in the B1G with a losing conference and losing overall record - go figure
since you’ll ask #2 - Wisconsin is the lone B1G without a baseball team
since you’ll ask #3 - I don’t know if a salve will clear it up - Web MD said to check with your doctor)
I'm assuming this is a reply to a comment above about Indiana's remaining schedule? It is unclear since you did not click reply and made a standalone comment.
Correct - sorry about the confusion
Clearly my assumption that the good lord endowed us all with a brain is challenged by incidents such as this. If you really think that this was unclear-I don't know what to say. Here, if anyone wishes to know more information-LOOK IT UP!!! This happens all too often...is head shaking.
Hail to the Victors! Beat IU!
Not to nit pick, but we don't need to sweep Indiana this weekend to clinch, simply winning the series will clinch it for us.
I don't think that's true, actually. If Michigan takes 2 of 3 from Indiana, then gets swept by Nebraska, they end up 16-7.
If Iowa sweeps Michigan State and Maryland, they end up 17-7, a half game ahead of Michigan (who had a game against MSU rained out earlier this season). So 3 wins will clinch, but 2 will still leave Michigan in danger of being passed by Minnesota or Iowa.
It’s good to be a Michigan Wolverine!!
Indiana series will be big for getting an NCAA birth also.
A general guide, I think... Michigan has 9 regular-season games left: 3 with Indiana, 3 with Nebraska, and non-conference games against Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Kentucky. Then a double-elimination conference tournament, so at least 2 more games there. It takes a minimum of 4 wins to win the Big Ten Tournament, and obviously 2 losses and you're out.
So...with some guesswork:
* 5 more wins & I think they make the NCAA as a 3-seed. That's 39 wins, generally enough for a Big Ten team to make it.
* 9 more wins & a 2-seed is likely.
* 12 more wins (8-1 regular season plus 4-0 Big Ten Tournament) and Michigan will be 46-12, which is getting into top-16 regional host territory.
It would be nice for Michigan to host a regional, but personally I would be almost as happy with a 2-seed in any regional they might want to send them to other than UCLA, Stanford, Vanderbilt or Louisville. I'm assuming Michigan doesn't get sent to Mississippi State or Arkansas, and that those regionals get Sun Belt or Big 12 teams as the 2-seeds.
That regional they hosted in 2008 was so much fun even though the outcome wasn't what we wanted.
The boys brought the bats to campus this year. Brewer and Nwogu have been crushing it.
Baseball America just moved Michigan back into the top 25. Indiana, which had been in the top 25 was dropped out. This weekend's series against Indiana is setting up to be one of the biggest baseball weekends in recent history.