Michigan Earns No. 23 Ranking in Perfect Game Preseason Poll
1/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 13, 2016
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The University of Michigan baseball program is ranked No. 23 in Perfect Game's NCAA Division I Preseason Poll, it was announced Wednesday (Jan. 13). The team, led by fourth-year head coach Erik Bakich, had previously been ranked No. 23 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll in late December.
After finishing the 2015 season with a 39-25 overall record, a Big Ten Tournament title and an appearance in the Louisville Regional championship game, Michigan is the lone Big Ten Conference team to appear in the poll, though it was noted that conference foe Maryland also received consideration.
The ACC led the way in the poll with seven selections (Louisville, Virginia, Miami, NC State, Florida State, North Carolina, Notre Dame), while the SEC was close behind with six teams selected (Florida, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Louisiana State, Missouri, Mississippi State).
Before getting into conference play, the Wolverines will face three ranked teams on the preseason list. The Maize and Blue will first battle No. 8-ranked California in a single-game matchup in Berkeley, California (Feb. 29), before heading to No. 7-ranked Oklahoma State for a three-day, three-game series beginning on March 18. Finally, Michigan will head to Evanston, Illinois, to face No. 24-ranked Notre Dame for a single midweek contest on April 5.
The 2016 season will get underway on Feb. 19 when the Wolverines head to Port St. Lucie for a four-game series against Canisius before embarking on a nine-day, eight-game California road trip to face six different opponents.
Michigan opens its home schedule against UIC on Friday, March 25, and will end the three game series with a single game on Sunday, March 27. U-M will begin Big Ten action with a three-game road series against Northwestern, April 1-3.
2016 PERFECT GAME PRESEASON POLL
1. Florida (52-18)
2. Louisville (47-18)
3. Texas A&M (50-14)
4. Vanderbilt (51-21)
5. Louisiana State (54-12)
6. Oregon State (39-19-1)
7. Oklahoma State (38-20)
8. California (36-21)
9. Virginia (44-24)
10. Louisiana (42-23)
11. Miami (50-17)
12. Oregon (38-25)
13. N.C. State (36-23)
14. UCLA (45-16)
15. Missouri (30-28)
16. Houston (43-20)
17. Mississippi State (24-30)
18. Texas Christian (51-15)
19. Oklahoma (34-27)
20. Florida State (44-21)
21. Coastal Carolina (39-20)
22. North Carolina (34-24)
23. Michigan (39-25)
24. Notre Dame (37-23)
25. Texas Tech (31-24)
2015 final record in parenthesis
Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn
