With a Tuesday victory over Toledo, Michigan Baseball has now won seven games in a row ahead of a tough series against Iowa. Here’s what to expect on the diamond this weekend:
Michigan is as hot as its been all season, putting together a seven-game winning streak over the last two weeks. The pitching and batting lineup both deserve plenty of credit, as Michigan isn’t just winning its games — it’s doing so in convincing fashion.
The most recent of Michigan’s wins came on Tuesday, when the Wolverines took a short trip south to face the Toledo Rockets at Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens.
Michigan got up to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning, as some careless defense from Toledo allowed Benjamin Casillas and Mitch Voit to cross the plate. The score would hold there until the fifth inning, with Michigan pitcher Cade Connelly shutting down the Toledo offense.
In the top of the fifth, Voit and Brayden Jeffries both had RBI base hits to push the lead to 4-0. Jeter Ybarra clubbed a three-run homer as well to make it a 7-0 game. All of a sudden, this one looked just about finished.
Connelly shined in six innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out eight. Michigan finished the game off in the seventh with three additional runs, securing a mercy-rule victory by a 10-0 final score.
Including the win on Tuesday, the Wolverines have allowed just one run in their last four games. The offense has been doing its part as well, scoring at least 10 runs in five of the last seven contests.
Michigan will now have its work cut out for it in a home series against Iowa, who enters the weekend in second place in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are also hot, with 10 wins in their last 12 games.
Iowa has a handful of standout hitters, but the best this year has been Reese Moore. He enters the weekend with a 1.207 OPS and the team lead in home runs with nine. He also has an incredible slugging percentage of .707 to go along with a .362 batting average. Gable Mitchell and Caleb Wolf also boast batting averages better than .360.
On the mound, Iowa is just as scary. Cade Obermuller has been the Hawkeyes’ best starter this year, leading them with 53.2 innings pitched and a 2.18 ERA across nine starts. He’s also been a big strikeout artist this year, as he’s striking out 12.9 hitters per nine innings. Iowa’s second-most used starter is Aaron Savary with 47 innings pitched. He’s been slightly more hittable this year, registering a 4.02 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.
All three games will take place at Ray Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor and can be streamed on BTN+. Here’s the full schedule for the weekend: