Michigan Baseball Wins Big Game at Nebraska
The Michigan Men's Baseball team won a huge game at Nebraska, 7-5. Michigan was down 5-2 in the top of the sixth but a one run sixth inning and four run seventh inning propelled Michigan to the win. Michigan remains tied for fifth win Illinois, who also won today, beating Minnesota 6-2. Michigan State also crushed Penn State 16-1, yet remain in seventh place. The top six teams qualify for the Big Ten Tournament and this is the final weekend of regular season play. Below are the current standings:
Team Record
Indiana 15-7
Ohio State 15-7
Minnesota 12-7
Nebraska 14-8
Illinois 13-9
Michigan 13-9
Michigan State 11-8
Northwestern 9-15
Iowa 8-14
Purdue 6-16
Penn State 3-19
Here is the gametracker link for the game:
http://www.mgoblue.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mbasebl.html?event=1224449…;
Go Blue!
Great game, and great comeback! Who holds the tiebreaker between Illinois and Michigan considering the two haven't played each other this year?
Someone on Twitter said Illinois does, based on each team's record against common opponents.
The same statement appears on the Illinois website, but it appears not to be true, at least based on the 2012 tiebreaker rules. According to this tiebreaker release from last year (I don't see one from this year), the second tiebreaker would be record against the top 6.
http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/041812aae.html
If Michigan State finishes ahead of Michigan & Illinois, that would put 7 teams in the top 6, with Michigan and Illinois tied for 6th. Right now, Michigan is 5-5 against those teams and Illinois is 5-8, which would mean that Michigan would win the tiebreaker.
If Michigan State finishes 7th, then Michigan is 2-5 against the rest of the top 6 and Illinois is 4-6, so Illinois would win the tiebreaker.
So the answer appears to me to be that if Michigan & Illinois tie for 6th, Michigan wins the tiebreaker. If they tie for 5th (or better), Illinois wins the tiebreaker. Of course, this contradicts what Illinois is claiming here:
http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/051413aad.html
But I think they are wrong (unless the Big Ten changed the tiebreaker before this season).
Yes, of course it won't matter nearly as much if we lose a tiebreaker for 5th instead of the tiebreaker for 6th. Also, WolverineBlue seems to be correct that Michigan's magic number is actually 1, no matter what Illinois does. If Michigan goes 1-1 the rest of the way, ending up at 14-10,there are 3 possibilities:
(1) Illinois wins 2, resulting in Minnesota ending up at 12-9 (behind Michigan)
(2) Illinois & Minnesota split, resulting in Illinois ending up at 14-10 with Michigan winning a tiebreaker for 6th if Michigan State happens to sweep Penn State.
(3) Minnesota wins 2, resulting in Illinois ending up at 13-11 (behind Michigan)
So no matter what happens, 1 win puts Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament...assuming they still use the same tiebreaker that they did last year.
The tiebreaker would be each team's winning percentage against the top six teams in the big ten. That can't yet be determined because both Michigan and Illinois are playing top six teams.
The only way that a tiebreaker comes into play is if Michigan and Illinois match records over the next two games. And the only way a tiebreaker matters is if they are tied for sixth, meaning Sparty takes fifth. So the opponents of interest are Indiana, Ohio State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and MSU.
By my count, Michigan is 5-5 against these teams and Illinois 5-8, so ...
tiebreaker -> Wolverines!
It is also worth noting that if Michigan splits the next two games with Nebraska and Illinois sweeps Minnesota, Michigan passes Minnesota!
So it would appear that one more win against Nebraska and they are in, regardless.
Would be a huge turnaround if Michigan can make the B1G Tournament. I'd even go as far to say Bakich should be up for coach of the year if they make it.
Took a 22-34 team and has them at 28-24. Being competitive and beating top teams in the conference. On the road for that matter.
Michigan Baseball has the proud history of football and hockey. A shame they don't have more of an on campus following with students. College baseball is the #2 sport in the south it seems. LSU consistently leads the nation in attendance and has an amazing stadium (went to "The Box" for a game).
We actually have more baseball National Championships than we do basketball National Championships.
Had Michigan won the basketball NC this year, we would be the only school with multiple National Championships in each of the big 4 major sports of football, basketball, baseball, and hockey.
were the only school at all with one NCAA championship in each of those four? Unless you count pre-NCAA (for non-football) in which case Minnesota has at least 3 of each anyays.
Also the only school in the entire NCAA with the a Heisman, Basketball player of the year, Hobey Baker and Golden Spikes Award winners.
All the "Heismans" of their respective sports.
That cancelled MSU-Minny series is looking huge right now. We will have to sweep to guarantee our spot. Winning 2 of 3 might not do it since Penn St is completely wretched and I expect MSU to sweep them.
Michigan needs to win another, but then Illinois needs to lose. I don't see Sparty losing.
Wisconsin doesn't have a baseball team? Weird.
The team folded in 1991 when the athletic department was $2,000,00.00 in debt and wasn't meeting Title IX regulations.
Do you know if they have plans to reinstate the baseball program? It seems like Wisconsin's athletic department has been doing well recently.