Michigan
Minnesota
Weather Alters Weekend Conference Series Against Minnesota
4/11/2024 12:36:00 PM | Baseball
SCHEDULE UPDATE (4/12/24): Due to inclement weather and a high wind advisory in Ann Arbor, Friday's (April 12) series opener against Minnesota (originally scheduled for 8 p.m.) has been postponed and will be played as part of a Saturday (April 13) doubleheader starting at noon. Both games will be streamed live on B1G+.
Promotions
April 13
• Student Org Day -- All student organizations are invited to attend and check in at the marketing table. The organization with the largest percentage of members will receive a donation to their organization!
• Sunglasses Giveaway -- Students Only, and while Supplies Last
April 14
• Festival at the Fields -- Michigan Baseball is partnering with Michigan Softball to provide a fun experience for kids and families on the shared field, including inflatables, arts and crafts, poster making, etc. Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
• Wolverine Kids Club Day -- All Wolverine Kids Club members are invited to attend this game. Kids club members can earn bonus points at this game.
• Postgame Kids Run The Bases - Kids 5th grade and under are invited to circle the bases at Ray Fisher Stadium following the conclusion of the game. Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team (15-18, 6-3 Big Ten) hosts Minnesota (13-14, 2-4 Big Ten) in a weekend conference series starting Friday (April 12) at 8 p.m. (April 12) on Big Ten Network. The series will continue on Saturday (April 13) at 2 p.m. before the series finale on Sunday (April 14) at 1 p.m., with the final two games to be streamed live on B1G+.
Notes
• The Wolverines sit third in the conference after series wins against Penn State, Maryland and most recently Iowa. Nebraska sits atop the standings with a 5-1 conference record while Illinois is in second at 7-2.
• Michigan has dropped all three of its Big Ten series openers by a combined four runs before rebounding to take the final two games of each. In the series' final two games, U-M is outscoring its opponents 55-26.
• Mitch Voit got a day off on Wednesday (April 10) against Wisconsin Milwaukee, ending his 40 consecutive starts streak but did pinch hit. In that at-bat, he hit a two-run homer to left-center in bottom of the eighth to put the Wolverines ahead 2-1. Voit leads the team at the plate in batting average (.326) and RBI (30), as well as on the mound in innings pitched (50.2) and strikeouts (34). He also has a Big Ten-leading 16 doubles, which is good for fifth nationally and trails the leaders by three (19).
• Kurt Barr has had a breakout season thus far, leading the team with a 3.51 earned-run average and ranking eighth in the conference among qualified pitchers. He is 3-2 on the season with 12 appearances and three starts. Over his last three appearances, Barr has pitched 9.2 innings and has allowed just two runs while striking out eight. He earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors on March 18 after a strong start against Toledo and a relief appearance in San Diego saw him combine to allow just one run across 11 innings.
• In conference play, Jacob Denner holds a 1.35 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 20 innings with a 2-1 record. On the season, he ties for the team lead with 12 appearances and is second with 33 strikeouts. In his fifth season, Denner is moving up the U-M career lists. He ranks fourth all-time with 78 appearances, eighth with 232 career strikeouts and 13th in innings pitched at 243.2. Denner recorded his first save of the season, and seventh of his career, on Wednesday against UW Milwaukee.
• On the season, Michigan has turned 37 double plays and is tied for the NCAA lead with Georgetown and Purdue. The Wolverines have turned a double play in 23 of their 34 games this season with Kyle Dernedde and Mack Timbrook leading the team with 25. Last season, U-M had a total of 39 double plays.
• Among U-M's 19 freshmen, Collin Priest has made the biggest impact, appearing in 30 games with 18 starts, including the last 10 game. He holds a team-leading .479 on-base percentage and is third on the team with five home runs. In conference games, Priest has three home runs which is tied for second in the Big Ten, and is one of only two freshmen with three.
• Dylan Stanton leads the team in conference games with a .378 average. In the Wolverines' nine Big Ten games this season, he has collected four doubles and 18 total bases. On the season, Stanton is perfect in the field with 140 chances, 132 putouts and eight assists having played first base and outfield.
• The Michigan infield of Stanton, Dernedde, Timbrook and Cole Caruso, has provided solid defense in posting a .976 fielding percentage, good for fourth in the conference.
• Over the last 10 games, the U-M foursome has seen their bats begin to heat up. Timbrook paces the Wolverines with a .469 batting average and 15 hits and Caruso is second with a .417 average with five doubles, while Dernedde has a .390 on-base percentage.
• Dylan Vigue and Will Rogers join Barr, Denner and Voit with strong pitching appearances. Vigue is coming off a career-best five innings of work against Iowa (April 5) that saw him allow one earned run and six baserunners. Rogers earned the save in game one of Saturday's (April 6) doubleheader against Iowa and started the second game of the doubleheader. On the season, Rogers has a 5.87 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 23 innings.
• Thirty-five of the 38 players on the roster have seen game action this season, with 22 players recording a plate appearance and 18 seeing time on the mound. Five players have done both this season, with Voit leading the way with eight starts on the bump and 133 plate appearances.
• Minnesota is 11th in the Big Ten standings with a 2-4 record and is 13-14 overall. The Golden Gophers opened conference play going 1-2 against Iowa. Last weekend, Minnesota lost it first two games at Illinois before taking the finale. Michigan is 96-103 in the all-time series against Minnesota, but is 48-47 at home. Last season, Minnesota won the series, but Denner tossed a complete-game win in the series finale.
