Michigan Baseball falls to Iowa at Big Ten tournament, on brink of elimination

The Michigan baseball team dropped its fifth straight game on Tuesday in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament against Iowa.

Michigan baseball has had a lot of success recently in the Big Ten Tournament and after last season’s incredible run, just about anything seemed possible heading into the 2023 version.

Hope was dampened by the fact that Michigan baseball dropped four straight games coming into the tournament, with three coming to Ohio State, which didn’t even qualify for the field.

However, when Michigan baseball grabbed a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Mitch Voit, Wolverines fans had to feel a little optimism.

That lasted until the fifth inning when Iowa plated six runs and ran Big Ten pitcher of the Year Connor O’Halloran from the mound. He was solid through five innings but didn’t have a great start last Friday and wasn’t the ace Michigan baseball needed in an eventual 13-3 loss.

Tito Flores hit a home run in the top of the sixth. However, it wasn’t nearly enough as the Hawkeyes, who are expected to make the NCAA tournament even if they don’t win the Big Ten this week, hammered the Wolverines with their exceptional offense.

Now, Michigan baseball is 26-27 on the season. A four-game Big Ten winning streak late in the year improved their record to 13-8 in league play, but the Wolverines haven’t won a game since under first-year head coach Tracy Smith and they need to end that streak on Friday if they want to keep their 2023 season alive.

Michigan will play at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night and the Wolverines will need to win five games in a row in order to repeat and make it back to the NCAA tournament.

Crazier things have happened, but I wouldn’t bet on it.