OMAHA, Neb. — The University of Michigan baseball team (46-20) will take on No. 8-ranked Texas Tech (44-18) on Saturday (June 15) at 1 p.m. CDT in the first game of the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Arkansas and Florida State will play in the day’s second game, with the losers and winners of Saturday’s games facing each other on Monday (June 17) at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
The Wolverines advanced to Omaha after they defeated No. 1-ranked UCLA, 4-2, in the winner-take-all game of the Los Angeles Super Regional on Sunday (June 9).
• Michigan returns to the College World Series for the eighth time in program history and first since 1984. Winners of two national championships (1953, 1962), U-M also advanced to Omaha in 1978 (fifth place), 1980 (fifth), 1981 (seventh), 1983 (third) and 1984 (seventh).
• The super regional berth marked Michigan’s second in program history (modern format) and first since 2007. Prior to the three-game set at UCLA, Michigan was 0-2 all-time in super regional games. The Wolverines are now 2-3 all-time.
• Michigan owns an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 66-49 (.574), which includes a 52-34 (.605) mark during regional play, and a 2-3 mark (.400) during super regional action. The Wolverines have advanced to the College World Series seven times previously, most recently in 1984, and won national titles in 1953 and 1962.
• The Wolverines faced the Red Raiders earlier this season in a three-game series in Lubbock, Texas, prior to the start of conference play. Texas Tech swept Michigan during the weekend series and out-scored the Wolverine offense by 19 runs (29-10).
• Michigan is 10-4 in neutral-site games this year, including a 3-2 record when playing at TD Ameritrade Park during the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Wolverine offense is hitting at a combined .300 clip in neutral games, while the pitching staff boasts a 3.69 earned-run average.
• The No. 1 -ranked Bruins evened the NCAA Super Regional series on Saturday (June 8), when UCLA upended Michigan, 5-4, in a 12-inning affair, but Michigan won the winner-take-all contest on Sunday (June 9) with a 4-2 victory to advance to the College World Series.
• Michigan defeated UCLA, 3-2, in the weekend opener on Friday evening (June 7) behind a combined pitching effort from junior Karl Kauffmann and sophomore Jeff Criswell. Sophomore outfielder Jesse Franklin gave Michigan the lead with a two-RBI single in the third inning, and sophomore designated hitter Jordan Nwogu drove in the eventual game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
• Prior to the Super Regional, Michigan was one of just nine teams with a win over UCLA this season (March 8). After winning the Super Regional over the No. 1-ranked Bruins, Michigan is the only team this season to defeat UCLA more than once, having defeated the Bruins once during the regular season and twice in the Super Regional. Additionally, the Bruins lost just two games all year to a left-handed starter, and both losses came at the hands of junior Tommy Henry.
• With two appearances at UCLA in the NCAA Super Regional, redshirt junior Benjamin Keizer pitched in his 33rd game this season and set Michigan’s single-season record for appearances previously held John Arvai (31, 1995). Keizer has a 4-1 record with two saves, including one in U-M’s win at No. 1-ranked UCLA to advance to the College Wolrd Series.
• Between a trip to Kentucky in the last week of the regular season (May 14) and Michigan’s NCAA postseason travels to Corvallis, Oregon, and Los Angeles, California, the Wolverines spent 25 of 28 days on the road and were home in Ann Arbor for just three nights.
• The Maize and Blue won the Corvallis Regional with a victory over Creighton in the winner-take-all game (June 2). Michigan stormed back from an early deficit to take the game by a 17-6 score.
• Michigan started the NCAA Tournament with a 6-0 victory of Creighton on May 31 and defeated Cincinnati, 10-4, on June 1 to remain in the winner’s bracket. The Wolverines then lost to Creighton, 11-7, on June 2, but responded June 3 with a resounding 17-6 win over Creighton in the winner-take-all game to clinch a trip to the NCAA Super Regional.
• Senior infielder Jimmy Kerr was named the Corvallis Regional Most Outstanding Player following the Wolverines’ victory on June 2. The lefty hitter went 5-for-16 over the weekend with four home runs for a 1.063 slugging percentage and a .313 batting average. He also led Michigan with seven runs scored.
• Along with Kerr, junior outfielder Christan Bullock and junior right-handed pitcher Karl Kauffmann were also named to the Corvallis Regional All-Tournament Team. Bullock hit .357 over the four games, while Kauffmann earned a win in the weekend opener with 8.2 scoreless innings pitched.
• Michigan’s starting weekend rotation of Kauffmann, sophomore Jeff Criswell and junior Tommy Henry shined during the Corvallis Regional. Through the first three games, the trio combined to allow just six walks and six earned runs through 23.2 innings for a 2.28 earned-run average. They also struck out 23 batters.
• The Michigan offense posted a .315 team batting average and scored 41 runs through four games during the Corvallis Regional last weekend. Wolverine hitters knocked 20 hits for extra bases — including eight home runs — for a .575 team slugging percentage and out-scored its opponents by 19 runs.
• Freshman Riley Bertram stepped-in at shortstop during the Corvallis Regional due to an injury and contributed seven hits in 15 at-bats after hitting 3-for-12 in the regular season. On June 2 vs. Cincinnati, and in his first career start, he was 4-for-4 with a double, hit-by-pitch and a run scored. He followed up with two doubles and three RBI on June 2, then scored a career-high two runs on June 3 in the regional title game.
• Jordan Nwogu hit his third leadoff home run of the year on June 1 vs. Cincinnati in the second game of the Corvallis Regional. The sophomore designated hitter has 12 homers on the season and leads the Wolverines with a .456 on-base percentage.
• A shutout win over Creighton on May 31 was the ninth in Michigan NCAA Tournament history, with the last coming on May 22, 1987, against Rider. It also marked the 12th time that Michigan has opened an NCAA Tournament with a victory.
• The Wolverines are making their third NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Erik Bakich and 24th overall. The at-large selection is Michigan’s second since 2017, though the Wolverines advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 by way of winning the Big Ten Tournament, which serves as an automatic qualifier.
• Michigan has four players with at least 10 home runs all of them with 12: Jordan Brewer, Jordan Nwogu, Jesse Franklin, Jimmy Kerr, marking the first time since the 1985 season that four Wolverines have reached double figures. That year’s team was 55-10 and advanced to the Starkville Regional final behind the long ball prowess of Mike Watters (17), Casey Close (16), Barry Larkin (16) and Ken Hayward (13).
2019 MLB Draft
• Moments after winning their June 3 game to advance to the program’s second-ever NCAA Super Regional, Michigan had two players selected in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft. Juniors Tommy Henry (74th pick, Arizona Diamondbacks) and Karl Kauffmann (77th pick, Colorado Rockies) were selected in the Competitive Balance B Round, just moments apart and immediately following the team’s championship photo.
• Junior outfielder Jordan Brewer (106th pick, Houston Astros) was taken in the third round on June 4 prior to the team’s departure from Corvallis down to Los Angeles for the Super Regional.
» On June 5, junior Jack Weisenburger (614th pick, Oakland A’s) went in the 20th round while the team was training at UCLA. Following a weight lifting session at a local gym, senior Jimmy Kerr (982nd pick, Detroit Tigers) was drafted in the 33rd round while on the team bus.
» 2020 season tickets are now on sale for $80 for reserved seats and $40 for general admission tickets. For more information, please visit the Athletic Ticket Office.
Release by Michigan Athletics Communications