OT: Michigan Baseball

After a rough start to the year they are doing great now. Granted the schedule favored them immensely this year (at least the majority of the conference slate thus far, things get interesting the final two weekends with Illinois this weekend and then @ Purdue next weekend).

https://247sports.com/college/michigan/Article/Big-Ten-title-NCAA-Tournament-attainable-but-Michigan-baseball-has-work-to-do-118091402?utm_source=247Sports%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=180509_072141_Michigan%20Wolverines&utm_content=Image&liveconnect=AE-2C-B5-60-E6-B8-DB-92-BA-57-69-39-11-34-90-CE180509_072141MichiganWolverines

Well, it appears that Michigan Baseball has hit the wall, or rather decent competition. However they basically gave Saturday's game away themselves. Well it isn't over yet officially. It was suspended in the bottom of the 8th with Michigan down 3 runs. They are already locked into the B1G TEN tournament so there's that. I don't' see them going much further though. Their RPI is under 50 though as of right now but add 4 losses and only a win or two (if any) and things will not look very favorably.

The past couple years it seems like both baseball and softball have tanked late in the season after doing well for most of it. Hope that isn't a pattern.

Softball I can't comment on, baseball however I can tell you that they just weren't that good. They are decent and very well coached so yes they can beat the teams that they should. Problem is that they can't beat the teams that are as good or better than them. The B1G schedule was very kind to them this year. I am in no way trying to take away from their 21-game win streak but they seriously played no one during it. That being said Michigan plays Iowa at 9am central today. Iowa took 2 of 3 games against Michigan this year.

flabluefan1 wrote:

The past couple years it seems like both baseball and softball have tanked late in the season after doing well for most of it.  Hope that isn't a pattern.

The softball team has been great for years. They over achieved this year by winning the B1G regular season. A very young team. Set up for future success.

How do you walk a guy and then he immediately ends up on 3rd base?

Michigan beat Iowa on Wednesday, but it took extra innings.  They then lost to Purdue in the Bottom of the 9th.  I'm also baffled why they didn't have the middle infielders in double-play depth.  I understand having the corner infielders in but geesh.

Agree Bo If you're going to load the bases to set up the double play then you don't have your infielders playing up on the grass. If they had been at normal depth that grounder turns into the double play UM needed. That said horrible error to leave 3d base open. Not sure whose fault that was.

If you look at the softball tourney, it's a rematch of the SEC tourney with a couple west coast teams thrown in. Suspect baseball will end up pretty much the same. Hard to compete with the warm weather schools.

flabluefan1 wrote:

Agree Bo  If you're going to load the bases to set up the double play then you don't have your infielders playing up on the grass.  If they had been at normal depth that grounder turns into the double play UM needed.  That said horrible error to leave 3d base open.  Not sure whose fault that was.  

If you look at the softball tourney,  it's a rematch of the SEC tourney with a couple west coast teams thrown in.   Suspect baseball will end up pretty much the same.  Hard to compete with the warm weather schools.

Yea I'm not too up on the National landscape of quality teams but the warm weather schools are typically the best for obvious reasons. Michigan lost 15 players from last years team and had 11 of those players drafted. This years team is completely different from last year's team. As long as we don't lose too many people Michigan should be good next year, providing they learn from their numerous mistakes. IMHO baseball doesn't deserve to make the tourney but they are a bubble team.

Softball I know absolutely nothing about so I'll say nothing.