Earlier this week, during the broadcast of Michigan's 10-0 win over Rutgers in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament, a college baseball analyst said that the Wolverines should make the NCAA Tournament if they can make it to Friday (the quarterfinals).
Michigan looked to be in a good spot after the run-rule win over Rutgers, which featured a stellar, one-hit, shutout from pitcher Cade Montgomery.
However, the Wolverines ran into a buzzsaw on Wednesday night, as the Washington Huskies used a strong start to blow past the Wolverines on their way to a 7-1 victory. Michigan actually out-hit the Huskies, 8-7, but two errors didn't help, or the inability to get hits with runners in scoring position.
The Wolverines got two hits each from Noah Miller and Brenden Stressler. Miller scored the only run of the game for Michigan, while David Lally Jr. got the loss.
Michigan will move into the elimination bracket against Ohio State. The Buckeyes lost to Washington on Tuesday, before knocking out Rutgers from the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.
With both Michgan and Ohio State on the NCAA Tournament bubble, this could be an elimination game, not just for the Big Ten Tournament, but the NCAA Tournament as well.
Michigan baseball among last four teams in
According to NCAA Tournament projections from earlier in the week, via D1 Baseball, the Wolverines were among the last four teams in the field with an at-large berth. Michigan did itself a favor with the win over Rutgers. Getting a victory over Ohio State feels like it would clinch a berth for U-M.
A win would send Michigan into the Big Ten Baseball Tournament's quarterfinals. Nebraska, the No. 2 seed during the regular season, would be the opponent. That would be another chance to boost the resume.
Kurt Barr, Michigan's ace pitcher, hasn't been on the mound yet. Thurdsay night might be the perfect opportunity. The Wolverines and Buckeyes will square off at 6 PM CST on the Big Ten Network.
The Wolverines were just swept by Ohio State last weekend. A fourth straight loss would likely mean Tracy Smith's squad would fall short of the NCAA Tournament again.
Michigan hasn't advanced to the NCAA Baseball Tournament since Erik Bakich, the former head coach who led the Wolveriners to the College World Series national title game in 2019, left for Clemson after the 2022 season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google