Michigan
Binghamton
Michigan to Open 2019 Season with Three-Game Set Against Binghamton
2/12/2019 1:40:00 PM | Baseball
» Michigan will open the 2019 season on Friday, Feb. 15, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, at the home of the New York Mets' spring training facility with a three-game series against Binghamton.
» The meeting will mark the first in program history between the Wolverines and Bearcats.
» The Maize and Blue will spend the first four weeks of the 2019 season on the road before hosting Manhattan in its home opener, March 15-17.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Feb. 15Â -- vs. Binghamton (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), 1 p.m.
Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 16Â -- vs. Binghamton (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), 1 p.m.
Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 17Â -- vs. Binghamton (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), 11 a.m.
Live Stats
• Complete Notes (PDF) | 2019 Season Preview
• Listen: Coach Bakich on WTKA
• Follow #Team153: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team will kick off the 2019 season with a three-game series against Binghamton in Port St. Lucie, Florida, from Friday-Sunday (Feb. 15-17). The series will mark the fourth straight year that Michigan will open up its season at Tradition Field, as the Wolverines have played a series at the home of the Mets' High-A affiliate every season since 2007.
• The meeting between Michigan and Binghamton will mark the first in program history, despite more than 220 years of combined baseball between the two programs. In total, Binghamton is 3-5 overall against teams in the Big Ten Conference, with its most recent win occurring at Penn State in 2017. The Bearcats transitioned to Division I in 2002 and have earned four NCAA Tournament berths since that time thanks to four America East Tournament Championships.
• Coming off a 33-21 record in 2018 that included the program's sixth straight Big Ten Tournament appearance, Michigan returns 24 players to this year's squad. Despite losing key players to graduation and the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft, the future looks bright for Michigan's oldest athletic program, which celebrates its 153rd season. A solid group of returning players along with 11 newcomers will look to bring the Wolverines back to the NCAA postseason in 2019.
• Michigan will open its 153rd season with a 2,917-1,714-39 overall record, which ranks third-most for wins in college baseball history. The Wolverines also will look to make their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance and are seeking the program's third national championship.
• The Maize and Blue added 11 players to its roster in the offseason, including 10 freshmen and one junior college transfer. Hailing from nine different states, the Wolverine recruiting class boasts six pitchers, two catchers, two infielders and one outfielder.
• In addition to 11 newcomers on the field, Michigan's coaching and support staff underwent changes in the offseason. Michigan alumnus and former infielder Michael Brdar was promoted from program assistant to volunteer assistant coach, and the Wolverines hired former Toledo assistant coach Ryan Chipka as the team's new program assistant.
• Michigan is the lone program in the Big Ten to earn a ranking in all six preseason polls. The Wolverines topped out at a No. 17 ranking in the D1Baseball poll and are ranked in the top-25 by Perfect Game, Baseball America, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and USA Today. Michigan also earned a top-40 preseason ranking by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
• Following the season-opening series against Binghamton, Michigan will spend three more weekends on the road before its home opener. After spending four weeks on the road and playing 15 contests across Florida, South Carolina and California, the Maize and Blue will host Manhattan for a four-game series (March 15-17) in its first home games at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.
• Michigan lost 10 total players at the close of the 2018 season, including five seniors and two transfers. The Wolverines also had three student-athletes selected in the Major League Baseball Draft to go with two free-agent contracts.
• Despite losing key offensive contributors Jonathan Engelmann and Brock Keener at the close of the season, Michigan returns roughly 77 percent of its offense in seniors Ako Thomas, Miles Lewis, Blake Nelson, and Jimmy Kerr, as well as key juniors Dominic Clementi and Christan Bullock and sophomores Jesse Franklin, Jack Blomgren, and Jordan Nwogu. Clementi led the Wolverines with a .368 batting average and earned an All-Big Ten Conference first team selection, while Franklin and Nwogu captured Big Ten Freshman team honors to go with numerous Freshman All-America accolades.
• With sophomore Ben Dragani out for the season due to injury, Michigan will return two-thirds of its three-man weekend pitching rotation in juniors Tommy Henry and Karl Kauffmann. The Wolverines may look to fill the gap in the starting rotation with sophomore Jeff Criswell, who led the Michigan bullpen last season with 24 appearances. Regardless of who earns a midweek or weekend starting role, the Maize and Blue will look to its many young returners and six freshmen to carry a significant load of innings.
• The Wolverines are set to face six 2018 NCAA Tournament teams in 2019 for a total of 12 contests against regional competitors. Michigan also will play 26 games at home this season inside the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.
• Michigan finished the 2018 regular season with a 32-19 record to earn the 30th 30-win season in program history. It also marked the fifth 30-win season under head coach Erik Bakich.
• The Maize and Blue finished in the top five in the Big Ten Conference in multiple offensive statistical categories for the 2018 season, including batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples and stolen bases.
• In addition to a strong offensive showing, the Wolverine pitching staff was strong and reliable in 2018, posting a 3.46 team earned-run average to finish third in the Big Ten and 23rd in the nation. Michigan also led the conference with a league-low opponent batting average (.229) as well as the fewest hits (404) and home runs (22) allowed.
