Season Preview: 2019 Michigan Baseball
2/6/2019 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
» The 2019 campaign marks the 153rd season for Michigan baseball, the University's longest-tenured sports program.
» The Wolverines will look to make their 24th trip to the NCAA Tournament after capping off the 2018 season with 30-plus wins and their sixth straight Big Ten Conference Tournament appearance under head coach Erik Bakich.
» Michigan will open its 2019 season on the road with a three-game series against Binghamton (Feb. 15-17) in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and will kick off its home slate with a four-game series against Manhattan (March 15-17).
• Flex packs are now on sale for Michigan's 2019 home schedule. Individual and group tickets will go on sale Friday (Feb. 8).
Led seventh-year head coach Erik Bakich and a group of 24 returners, the 2019 University of Michigan baseball team will look to make its 24th NCAA postseason appearance in program history after compiling a 33-21 record in 2018 and advancing to the program's sixth straight Big Ten Conference Tournament.
#Team153
• Coming off a 33-21 season 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 this year. A solid group of returning players along with 11 newcomers will look to bring the Wolverines back to the NCAA postseason in 2019.
• Through 152 years of baseball, Michigan has captured two College World Series titles, made seven College World Series appearances and earned 23 selections to the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, Michigan has had 179 players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft and boasts a 2,917-1,714-39 overall record, ranking third-most for wins in college baseball history.
• After losing 10 players at the close of last season, including three to the MLB Draft and two others to free agent contracts, Bakich and his staff added 11 student-athletes to the roster this off-season. Made up of 10 freshmen and one junior-college transfer, the Wolverine recruiting class boasts six pitchers, two catchers, two infielders and one outfielder.
• 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 (No. 19), Baseball America (No. 20), the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (No. 23) and USA Today (No. 25). Michigan also earned a top-40 preseason ranking by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (No. 39).
Wolverine Bites
• Along with 11 newcomers, Michigan returns 10 pitchers and eight defensive starters to the 2019 squad, including starting pitchers Tommy Henry and Karl Kauffmann as well as senior infielders Ako Thomas and Blake Nelson. Michigan's 35-man roster includes student-athletes from 12 different states, with the majority coming from Michigan (8), Wisconsin (6), and California (6).
• 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 Jimmy Kerr, Miles Lewis, Nelson and Thomas, 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 Henry and 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.
• In addition to 11 newcomers on the field, Michigan's coaching and support staff underwent changes in the off-season. 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.
2019 Schedule
• The Wolverines will face six 2018 NCAA Tournament teams in 2019 for a total of 12 contests against last season's NCAA regional competitors. Michigan is scheduled to play 26 games at home this season inside the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.
• Michigan will open the 2019 season with a three-game series against Binghamton in Port St. Lucie, Florida, beginning on Feb. 15. The series marks the fourth straight year that Michigan will open 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.
• After spending the first four weeks on the road and playing 14 contests across Florida, South Carolina and California, the Maize and Blue will host Manhattan for a four-game series (March 15-17) in its home opener in mid-March.
• The Wolverines will play host to Michigan State (March 30), Minnesota (April 5-7), Northwestern (April 19-21), Rutgers (April 26-28) and Indiana (May 10-12) for its Big Ten Conference home schedule this season. U-M will travel to Ohio State (April 12-14), Maryland (May 3-5) and Indiana (May 16-18). Michigan will not face Illinois, Iowa, Penn State or Purdue during the 2019 regular season.
Ticket Information
• Season tickets and flex packs are now on sale for Michigan's 2019 home schedule. Individual and group tickets will go on sale Friday (Feb. 8).
• 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.
