Michigan
Pepperdine
Michigan to Wrap Spring Break Trip at No. 24 Pepperdine
3/5/2020 7:38:00 PM | Baseball
» No. 16 Michigan will finish its spring-break trip to California with a three-game series against No. 24 Pepperdine.
» The series, originally scheduled to be three games in three days, will now feature a Saturday doubleheader, starting at 10 a.m. PST.
» Michigan is ranked No. 10 by Baseball America and No. 16 by D1 Baseball.
THIS WEEK
Friday, March 6 -- at No. 24 Pepperdine (Malibu, Calif.), 2 p.m. PST
TV: Stadium.com | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, March 7 -- at No. 24 Pepperdine (Malibu, Calif.), 10 a.m. PST
TV: Stadium.com | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, March 7 -- at No. 24 Pepperdine (Malibu, Calif.), 1 p.m. PST
TV: Stadium.com | Live Stats | Live Video
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
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The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan baseball team will finish its 11-day road trip to the Golden State with a three-game series against No. 24 Pepperdine on Friday and Saturday (March 6-7) at Eddy D. Field Stadium in Malibu, California.
Friday's (March 6) series opener will begin at 2 p.m. PST, while Saturday (March 7) will feature a twin bill against the Waves starting at 10 a.m. PST. All three games will be streamed live on Stadium.com.
• U-M and Pepperdine were originally scheduled for a three-game series Friday through Sunday, but the schedule was altered to accommodate Michigan's travel on Sunday.
• The Wolverines have split their week so far, falling, 5-4, to Stanford on Tuesday (March 3) and bouncing back to win, 5-0, at Cal on Wednesday (March 4).
• Sophomore Riley Bertram was a tough out for the Wolverines against Cal, going 2-for-4 with three runs batted in. The second baseman's two-run double in the first inning gave Michigan a lead it would never relinquish.
• The Michigan quintet of sophomores Walker Cleveland and Keaton Carattini, freshman Jacob Denner and redshirt seniors Joe Pace and Benjamin Keizer combined to shut out Cal on Wednesday (March 4). It marked the second time this season the Wolverines have shut out a Pac-12 opponent; they also shut down Arizona State by a 5-0 score earlier this season.
• Junior catcher Joe Donovan became the fifth Michigan player to homer in 2020, launching his first of the season beyond the left-center field wall against Cal. He joins Matthew Schmidt, Danny Zimmerman, Jordan Nwogu and Ted Burton as Wolverines with round-trippers this season.
• Freshman Tito Flores collected his first career hit with a ninth-inning single against Cal.
• Michigan and Pepperdine have played five games in the all-time series, with the Waves leading, 4-1. The Wolverines and Waves have not faced each other for more than 20 years, last playing a three-game series that Pepperdine swept in 1999. The Waves also won a single game in 1997.
• The only other time the Wolverines and Waves matched up was in the 1989 West Regional. Michigan pulled out a 4-3 victory.
• Redshirt senior Benjamin Keizer finished off Cal to hold the Wolverines' 5-0 shutout victory Wednesday (March 4). Keizer has seen action in a team-high eight games so far this spring after setting the school record for appearances (34) in 2019.
• With Keizer's first save, five different pitchers have earned a save this season. Freshmen Cameron Weston and Jacob Denner, sophomore Jack White, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Paige and Keizer have all picked up a save this season.
• During the Wolverines' non-conference schedule this season, U-M already has faced five teams that played in the 2019 NCAA postseason: Vanderbilt, Arizona State, Connecticut, Stanford and Cal.
• U-M is scheduled to face 10 teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2019. Additionally, the Maize and Blue will play 25 games at the Wilpon Complex in 2020, starting next weekend (March 13-15) with a four-game series against Canisius.
Scouting the Opposition
• Pepperdine baseball's 10-2 start is the best since 2001, when the team started 12-2, and has the Waves ranked in the Top 25 in the both the D1Baseball (24) and Collegiate Baseball Magazine (24) polls.
• The Waves completed their swing through Florida on Tuesday (March 3), falling, 6-5, to Florida Gulf Coast. The Waves had a 4-1 lead after four innings before the Eagles came back to win the game. Pepperdine swept Florida International in a three-game set, scoring 30 runs in the series.
• Outfielder Reese Alexiades leads the Waves with a .385 batting average and six doubles. Other big bats include Aharon Modlin (.365/.424/.500), Billy Cook (.360/.467/.740), Justin Lutes (.348/.467/.674) and Wyatt Young (.346/.433/.346).
• Pepperdine will toss a trio of right-handers against the Wolverines this weekend, going with Wil Jensen, Cooper Chandler and Trevor Kniskern in the series. Chandler boasts the best numbers of the trio, holding a 1.00 ERA, 20 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched, and a perfect 3-0 record.
