Michigan
Long Beach State
Wolverines to Welcome Long Beach State for First-Ever Visit to Ann Arbor
4/24/2024 2:17:00 PM | Baseball
Promotions
April 26
• Study Break with Michigan Baseball -- Come take a break from your studies to spend a night with Michigan Baseball! We will have treats for students and therapy dogs on the concourse to help you through your final push of the semester!
• Faculty and Staff Night -- Two free general admission tickets for U-M faculty and staff.
April 27
• Dad Day -- Put on your best "Dad outfit," put on some good ol' classic rock, and join us at the ballpark for this Dad-themed game!
April 28
• Dollar Day -- $1 general admission tickets
• Superhero Day -- Arrive early to get your very own Michigan Superhero Cape (while supplies last).
• Postgame Kids Run The Bases (Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield) -- Kids 5th grade and under are invited to circle the bases at Ray Fisher Stadium following the conclusion of the game.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team (20-21) takes a break from conference play to host Long Beach State (20-17-1) in a three-game weekend series at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium starting on Friday (April 26) at 6 p.m. The series will continue Saturday (April 27) at 2 p.m. and wraps up Sunday (April 28) at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on B1G+.
Notes
• The Wolverines are fourth in the Big Ten standings with a 10-5 record. U-M has won all five of its conference series, most recently taking the Friday (April 19) and Sunday (April 21) games against Ohio State. Against the Buckeyes, Jacob Denner and Kurt Barr combined for a shutout on Friday before falling in the Saturday (April 20) contest.
• Denner was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Monday (April 22) for the second time this season. He pitched nine total innings with 10 strikeouts across three appearances, allowing two runs and six baserunners. Denner picked up wins against Toledo last Tuesday (April 16) and Ohio State (April 21) and earned the save on Friday (April 19) against the Buckeyes. In conference play, he is 4-1 and ranks second with a 1.71 earned-run average with 28 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. On the season, he leads the team with 16 appearances and 45 strikeouts.
• In his fifth season, Denner is moving up the career leaderboards and ranks in the top 10 in appearances, innings pitched and strikeouts. With his three appearances over the last week, Denner has 82 for his carer which ranks fourth all-time. He also entered the top 10 in innings pitched (254.1) and trails No. 9 Brandon Sinnery by 5.2 innings (260) and is 18 innings away from entering the top five. Denner's 244 strikeouts broke a seventh-place tie with Jim Brauer and trails Tommy Henry by seven for sixth all-time.
• Barr has had a breakout season thus far, leading the team with a 2.72 ERA and ranking third in the conference among qualified pitchers. He is 5-2 with 14 appearances and five starts, pitching a complete game against Minnesota and allowing one run. Over his last five appearances, Barr has pitched 25 innings and has allowed three runs -- including just one over his last 15.1 innings -- while striking out 17. He earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors on March 18.
• Mack Timbrook is slashing .455/.524/.600 through 16 games of conference play so far. His .455 average ranks second in the conference among players with at least 20 at-bats. He had a strong week at the plate with six hits, three RBIs, and one run. Against Toledo, he pinch-hit in the eighth and singled to plate the go-ahead run. This season, he has set a new career-high with five RBIs doing so in a midweek game against EMU. On the season, he is now leading the team hitting .328, and has raised his average by 120 points since the start of Big Ten play (19 games).
• Mitch Voit is leading U-M at the plate and on the mound, with his 50 hits, 18 doubles and 35 RBI. His 18 doubles lead the conference and rank sixth nationally. He has seven home runs on the season, which is second on the team. On the mound this season, Voit (5-3, 5.49 ERA) leads in innings pitched (62.1) with a complete game and 41 strikeouts. On days he pitches, Voit is batting .333 with a .632 slugging percentage, nine doubles and two home runs.
• Will Rogers joins Voit as another two-way player this season and has 23 starts at catcher and 10 appearances on the mound. Against OSU, Rogers hit .400 with a homer and three runs. This season, Rogers has a .336 on-base percentage with four home runs, and set a career high of five innings against Ohio State in his second-ever start.
• Cole Caruso has found his stride over the past month. In Michigan's series against Maryland (Msrch 29-31), he 9-for-13, setting new career highs for hits (four), extra-base hits (three) and doubles (three). Since then, Caruso is batting .377 with 35 total bases and 16 RBI, all second on the team. He leads the team with 15 runs over that stretch and scored three last weekend against Ohio State. He has three home runs on the season, two of them two grand slams -- one vs Oakland and Minnesota -- and a three-run shot against OSU.
• Thirty-five of the 38 players on U-M's roster have seen game action this season with 23 players recording a plate appearance and 18 seeing time on the mound. Six players have done both this season, with Voit leading the way with 10 starts and 168 plate appearances. Kyle Dernedde is the only player to start every game and joins by Voit and Stephen Hrustich in appearing in every contest this season.
• The Wolverines lead the nation with 45 double plays. Against Ohio State, they turned one in each game and have done so in 29 of their 41 games this season. Kyle Dernedde and Timbrook are one of the best double-play combos in the nation turning 31 total. U-M has already surpassed its season total if its past four seasons and 10 of the past 23. U-M is on pace for 61 double plays with an average of 1.10 per game, which would rank fourth since 2000.
• Long Beach State is 20-17-1 on the season and is on a three-game losing streak, having dropped the final two games in a series to UC Riverside and a midweek contest to California Baptist. This will be the Dirtbags' first trip to Ann Arbor. U-M is 1-3 all-time against Long Beach State, with a loss in 2019 and a win in a three-game series in 2015.
