Season Preview: 2018 Michigan Baseball

» The 2018 campaign marks Michigan's 152nd season, and the baseball program is Michigan's longest-tenured sports program.
» Michigan will look to make its 24th trip to the NCAA Tournament after capping off the 2017 season with 42 wins and its second NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Erik Bakich.
» The Maize and Blue lost 15 total players at the close of last season, including a program-best 11 to the MLB Draft, but added 15 new faces in the offseason.
» Michigan opens its 2018 season on the road, where it will play Army on Friday, Feb. 16, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and will kick off its home slate on Friday, March 16, against Bowling Green.

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Guided by sixth-year head coach Erik Bakich, the 2018 University of Michigan baseball team will look to make its 24th NCAA postseason appearance after compiling a 42-17 record in 2017 and advancing to the NCAA Regional for the second time in three years.

#Team152

• The 2018 baseball campaign marks the program's 152nd season and sixth under head coach Erik Bakich. Through 151 years, Michigan has compiled a 2,884-1,693-39 record, which ranks third-most for wins in college baseball history, and has made 23 NCAA Tournament appearances -- including two under Bakich.
• After losing 15 players at the close of last season, including a program-record 11 MLB Draft picks, Bakich and his staff added 15 student-athletes to the roster this offseason. Made up of 13 freshmen and two junior-college transfers, the Wolverine recruiting class was ranked No. 10 by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, marking the highest ranking ever for a Big Ten recruiting class.
• In addition to 15 newcomers, the Wolverine squad returns 10 pitchers, three catchers, four infielders, and four outfielders. Michigan's 36-player roster includes student-athletes from 10 different states, with the majority coming from Michigan (9) and California (9).
• The 2017 Wolverines ended an impressive year with their first 40-win season since 2008 and the program's first at-large bid to the NCAA postseason since 2007. The Maize and Blue finished the year with a 42-17 record and a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference before advancing to regionals for the second time in three years.

Wolverine Bites

• In addition to 15 newcomers on the field, Michigan's coaching and support staff gained new faces in the offseason. Michigan alumnus and former pitcher Chris Fetter was named the program's pitching coach in the summer of 2017, and former catcher/infielder John DiLaura was named the volunteer assistant coach. Recent graduate, and former St. Louis Cardinals prospect, Michael Brdar also joined the team this winter as a program assistant.
• Michigan will return nearly 40 percent of its offense in juniors Ako Thomas, Jonathan Engelmann, Miles Lewis and Jimmy Kerr, as well as key contributors Brock Keener, Dominic Clementi and Joe Pace. Thomas led the Big Ten with a .354 batting average last season and earned an All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection, while Kerr was named a Big Ten Player of the Week in early May.
• With only four defensive starters returning, the Wolverines will have to fill the remaining four spots in the field including large holes at shortstop and behind the plate. With four catchers and 17 total field players on the roster, competition has been hot for starting roles on defense. As a team, the Wolverines finished the 2017 campaign with just 37 errors and ranked second-best in the country with a .983 fielding percentage.
• After losing six pitchers to the MLB Draft and two others to graduation, the Michigan roster also has many new faces on the pitching staff. Seniors Alec Rennard and Jayce Vancena as well as junior William Tribucher are the only returning pitchers with starting experience, though sophomores Tommy Henry and Karl Kauffmann may see time in that role. In total, the Maize and Blue has 16 pitchers competing for time on the mound.

2018 Schedule

• The Wolverines will face six 2017 NCAA Tournament teams in 2018 for a total of 16 contests against regional competitors. Michigan will also play 22 games at home this season inside the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.
• Michigan will open up the 2018 season with a four-game series against Army in Port St. Lucie, Florida, beginning on Feb. 16. The series marks the third straight year that Michigan will open up its season at Tradition Field, as the Wolverines have played a series at the home of the New York Mets' High-A affiliate every season since 2007.
• After spending the first four weeks on the road and playing 15 contests across Florida, California and Tennessee, the Maize and Blue will face Bowling Green for a three-game series (March 16-18) in its home opener in mid-March.
• The Wolverines will play host to Michigan State (March 24 & 25), Maryland (April 13-15), Penn State (April 20-22) and Illinois (May 11-13) for its Big Ten Conference home schedule this season,; they will travel to Northwestern (April 6-8), Iowa (April 27-29), Rutgers (May 4-6) and Purdue (May 17-19). Michigan will not face Ohio State, Minnesota, Indiana or Nebraska during the 2018 regular season.

Ticket Information

• Individual and group tickets are on sale for all 2018 home games.
• Season-long promotions include Kids Run the Bases, National Anthem Buddies, Kids Zone, Strikeout T-Shirts, K-Cards and FREE Admission with valid M-Card. For individual game promotions, visit the promotions page.
• For group experiences, call (734) 647-1268 or email gobluegroupsales@umich.edu.
• Visit the Michigan Baseball tickets page for more information and to purchase tickets.