Michigan BB head to L'Ville for NCAAs
First round against Oregon. Louisville's the 12 seed. The other team in the quadrant is SEMO. If we get out, could face Texas A&M, who's the 5 seed. The draw sees doable.
Go Blue!
Team is in a great position - no pressure as they have already exceeded expectations. Just have fun and ball out.
Absolutely. I would not want to face Michigan to open the tournament.
Looks like the bid we stole was Rutgers’
Rutger is out. One of the first four out. The B1G was fucked by a RPI formula that favors southern schools.
Yep, their body of work sure looks like Rutgers should have been in the field. We had their number when it counted, though, winning 2 of 3 in the final series of the regular season and beating them in the Championship 🏆 game.
I'm guessing Michigan was one of several bid-stealers who earned their way in this weekend.
Weren't the announcers saying that Rutgers was probably in?
Although Rutgers won an impressive 44 games this season, their team's ERA really tanked which started at Michigan to end the regular season. They didn't do much better in the B1G tourney as well.
Just my guess on what committee might have been thinking.
Michigan earned the bid and deserves to be in the tourney because they also had solid pitching when it mattered the most.
Rutgers appears to have played a really weak schedule out of conference.
Losing to Michigan at the end of the regular season and then in the Championship likely cemented their "First Four Out" standing.
That was my initial reaction, but then I looked at their out of conference schedule: Lafayette, Princeton, etc. Their best out of conference opponent was probably Coastal Carolina or Hawaii. Michigan, on the other hand, plays SEC schools, ACC schools, etc. OTOH, their performance in the B1G probably earned them a bid regardless. After all, if the B1G was so bad, how is Maryland ranked in the top 10 and hosting a regional.
I’m depressed about this; shows you how little they think of the B1G. We’re barely better than the MAC in their eyes.
Its going to be difficult to get in the tournament going forward unless we win the B1G.
In baseball, B1G is generally viewed as a mid-major conference because they don't get the elite recruits that the west coast and southern schools get in recruiting. The biggest challenge for northern schools is kids don't play year-round which hurts recruiting and they have to travel in the first month and a half or so of the season so that's not appealing as well.
Rutger, after winning 44 games and having their season end at the hands of Michigan:
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire in the D&R Canal. I saw C-Beams glitter at the Tenafly Gates. All these moments will be lost in time like tears in rain..."
You sound like Gary Williams circa 2006 complaining about MVC teams and the RPI.
The RPI formula is no secret. Rutgers was the one playing a bunch of Ivy and Patriot league schools. That provides no support in the algorithm and they knew it.
This blog parrots Brian’s belief that northern schools get fucked in baseball but I don’t believe that at all. Northern schools can compete - Michigan made the final in 2019 and Rutgers missing is their own doing, not a conspiracy.
Northern schools can compete - Michigan made the final in 2019 and Rutgers missing is their own doing, not a conspiracy.
While I don't disagree that Rutgers had a crappy schedule, despite their shiny record, and that northern schools "can compete," the reality is that a cold-weather school has not won the national championship in baseball since ohio state in 1966 (the 60's were an oddly strong decade for the Big Ten, with Minny winning in 60 and 64 and Michigan winning in 62).
Going back to 1999, these are the cold-weather (or at least not in traditional warm-weather climes) national seeds (top 8):
- 2001 Nebraska (debatable, but it can get pretty cold in Lincoln in the winter)
- 2005 Nebraska, Oregon State
- 2006 Nebraska
- 2012 Oregon
- 2013 Oregon, Oregon State
- 2014 Oregon State, Indiana
- 2015 Illinois
- 2017 Oregon State
- 2018 Oregon State
So sure, the Big Ten and other northern teams are capable of competing, but I think the built-in disadvantages are real. Call it a regional culture thing or whatever, but the fact is that Michigan's 2019 run was exceptional - in that it was an exception. We're a long way off from parity in baseball - and softball, for that matter.
So does this mean we are now Rutger's rival?
We are everyone's rival. I wouldn't want it any other way.
Per BTN analysis, the selection committee said (hinted?) that Rutger was the third team out. So technically, no. But you could make the argument.
Looking at Rutger's Rutgerses Rutgers's Rutgers' schedule before the game this weekend, even their conference schedule was weak weak weak. Sweeps against bottom-feeders 9 Indiana, 10 Nebraska, 11 Ohio State, and 13 Minnesota account for 12 of their 17 conference wins. When they played teams with a pulse, they didn't do well (1-2 v 1 MD, 1-2 v 3 Iowa, 1-2 v 5 U-M). They didn't play 4 Illinois, else they'd probably have another two losses.
The team doesn't control the schedule they play (once it's already set), but they have only themselves to blame.
It looks like about as good a draw as we could possibly hope for, given that nearly all the regional sites announced yesterday are located in the south.
Bottom line, though, is that in order to host a northern location for a regional, someone in the north has to have a good enough season record.
Agree about the draw but odds of advancing are low.
So we're the odds of winning the BTT a week ago.
Further than Stanford should be the mantra.
Never tell me the odds!
We play Friday at 7 on ESPN+. Louisville/SEMO is at 2.
First round schedule with times and TV - https://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2022-05-30/2022-ncaa-baseball-bracket-mens-college-world-series-schedule-bracket-omaha
Someone splain to me.
Yesterdays game was on BTN. This Friday SECN & ACCN are showing regional games all day. Not BTN. I get they are both ESPN owned and BTN not. This ESPN+ thing is bullshit.
ESPN has the rights to the entire tournament.
It could be because BTN is affiliated with Fox. The B1G baseball tourney is a conference event and ESPN does not have the rights to the conference tourney games.
Hope this makes some sense.
Congrats to UM. I don't understand the baseball selection process much but Rutgers not getting a bid seems extremely strange. College baseball and softball are somewhat regional sports so I get how the northern teams might not as good as others but Grand Canyon getting a bid, for example, despite being behind Rutgers in RPI feels weird.
Anyway, good for the Wolverines and hopefully they can put up a fight in Louisville.
not really an expert, but other than Grand Canyon, I don't think there are any real head scratchers who Rutgers deserved a place over. NC St should be in over Grand Canyon, and UTSA should probably be in over Texas Tech or UCLA or Arizona - but Rutgers and WVU, both teams on the bubble, don't have an obviously stronger case than any of the bubble teams who are in. Except for Grand Canyon.
Rutgers was assumed in by the B10 commentators yesterday. LOL. They and NC St were screwed by bid stealers like M!
Decent draw, decent shot. Have to pitch well and keep hitting. BIG for Directors Cup, but I don't see M holding off stanford
Eugene Duck is for dinner. There will be no tinfoil take-home as The Wolverines will be devouring every last scrap.
Some deference should be shown to the northern schools who are forced to spend the first 3 weeks of the season down south, and then play in brutal March conditions. At least let our bubble teams in, that frankly no one would complain about getting a bid (like Rutgers this year).
At some point, the Big Ten should consider affiliating with a low single-A division and play when the weather actually cooperates in the north. It would be both good for baseball, and good for generating interest in our schools baseball programs.
I agree that the summer baseball should be considered. The only hesitation I have comes from recent trip to the CWS. It would be nice to see games at the fish over the summer and it would give fresh programming for BTN in the summer. It is rare these days for B1G schools to advance from a regional or even host one.
Michigan played Louisville three times in March. Lost 5-3, won 16-7, lost 13-1. Bottom line for this iteration of Michigan baseball: when they get pitching, they can beat anyone. Problem is, getting pitching consistently has been a problem all season. They miss former pitching coach, now Tiger pitching coach, Chris Fetter.
Fetter has worked wonders with a Tigers pitching staff that has a number of AAA arms. Wish he could spin some magic with their bats.
Good Luck to the team, have fun and anything beyond that is gravy!
For Detroit area fans who plan on attending, take I-75 into Northern KY then pickup I-71 south which ends in downtown Louisville. It's a little over a 5 hr drive. A2 folks, US-23 to I-75, merges south of Toledo. Central and Western MI: I-69 to the Indy beltway then pick up I-65 south which goes through the heart of Louisville.
Go Blue!
And, if you're doing the I-75 thing, you can also consider cutting west on US-24 at the southwest corner of Toledo to get to get to Fort Wayne and I-469/I-69 south towards Indy. It's limited access highway all the way, has much less traffic then I-75 (as does I-69/I-65), and you spend fewer miles in Ohio. I have cause to go to L-ville from time to time, and there isn't much time difference between all three routes (except when Cincy traffic is jammed up), and US-24->I-69 is the prettiest.
The 21c is a nice hotel with a good restaurant and bar.
Considering that 2 days ago we werent even in the Tournament and where we are now? We could, not have gotten a better draw really...This Regional is winable against a Foe weve already faced 3 times and won once on their home field..I dont think it could have worked out much better for Michigan and we dont have to travel across country like usual...we should get a decent crowd in Lville and whatever points we earn in the Directors cup.. this baseball might be the difference btw first and 2nd place with Stanford..just get to the reg final and u r considred tied for 17th a top 20 finish...we are neck and neck with Stanford
Not a long drive for many of the Michigan faithful. Hopefully we will have enough fans there to give the guys an extra emotional lift.
Go Blue!
Rutgers getting left out is ridiculous. 1 at large from a P5 is amazing. Wonder if the big ten considering doing their own baseball thing a few years ago played a role in that decision.
B1G is a mid major in the baseball world.
I live in Lexington, I think I will head to the game in Louisville on Friday. It's an hour away.
Edit: I did go ahead and get General Admission tickets.
I feel bad for Rutgers. They had a historically good season for them. They were undefeated in the Big Ten tourney until they lost the title game to Michigan feels like they got really screwed.
agreed. they'd at least have felt better when we'd beaten them in a second game yesterday
And if it doesn't, a good reason to hit the bourbon trail!
Rutgers got what they deserved. You can’t play in a below average baseball conference and have the OOC schedule they do and get in. The Big 10’s highest ranked team got the 15 seed. Most "mid-major" conferences in the south and significantly better in baseball than the Big 10. Rutgers best wins OOC are maybe VCU and Hofstra?
I can’t give you a single at large team that Rutgers deserved to be placed over. Grand Canyon? Beat Arizona, Arizona St, Oregon State and swept Texas Tech. Gonzaga swept Oklahoma State, beat San Diego and beat Oregon St. Dallas Baptist beat Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Maryland x2, TCU x2, La Tech and San Diego. Southern Miss beat La Tech, Alabama, Ole Miss and Louisiana. They don’t belong in over a single at large team from the ACC, SEC, Big 12, Pac 12 or the Sun Belt either. Play in a crappy conference, you better schedule and beat some good teams OOC.
I feel for Rutgers (I mean, they play NE schools because they're in the NE) but mostly agree with you. One exception - NC St deserves in over Grand Canyon. Like, by a lot. I'm not a baseball expert but I think NC St not being in is a snub and GCU being in is a head scratcher. Rutgers has an argument against the Texas Tech's, UCLA's, and Arizona's - but it's a weak one. All of the last four out have an argument over Grand Canyon, and NC St has an argument over like the last 8 In.