Michigan to Host Delaware in Non-Conference Series

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After kicking off Big Ten Conference play last weekend with a sweep of Michigan State, the University of Michigan baseball team (13-11) will return to action this weekend for a non-conference series against Delaware (13-9) during the Wolverines' scheduled Big Ten bye-week. The series will feature four games played over three days, and will kick off Friday (March 30) at 4 p.m. at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.

• Friday's game will continue a seven-game homestand for the Wolverines. Following the four-game series against Delaware, Michigan will host a midweek game against Toledo (April 4) before traveling to Northwestern for three games (April 6-8). Prior to a win at Michigan State on Saturday (March 24), the Wolverines had another seven-game homestand during which they won six-straight games at home. In total, Michigan is set to play 24 home games this year.

• Michigan is 8-1 at home after dropping its home opener on March 14 and responding with eight straight wins when playing at Ray Fisher Stadium. Through nine games played at the Wilpon Complex, the Wolverines have posted a .326 batting average with 74 runs scored in addition to a 3.11 earned run average.

• Last time out: The Wolverines picked up their ninth straight victory on Wednesday night (March 28) as they defeated Central Michigan, 8-5. Freshman Jesse Franklin led the Wolverines with a career-high four runs on the day, including the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh. He also totaled a career-high three hits. » Recap

• Michigan is on a nine-game win streak after dropping its home opener to Lawrence Tech (March 14). Since March 15, the Wolverines as a team hit for a .317 batting average and out-scored their opponents 74-35. Michigan has also compiled a .448 slugging percentage and .420 on-base percentage during that period, with 20 doubles and six home runs. From the mound, the Wolverine pitching staff has posted a 2.89 earned-run average with 69 strikeouts.

• Junior Ako Thomas, Michigan's leadoff man, has reached base in all 24 of this season's games after he put together a run of 38 consecutive games in which he reached base safely last year. Thomas leads the Wolverine starters in runs (20), walks (17), doubles (nine) and on-base percentage (.405). He also recorded the two-out, bases-loaded game-winning hit last week (March 21) in a 7-6 walk-off victory over Western Michigan.

• To date, freshman Jordan Nwogu leads Michigan hitters with a .407 batting average, a .593 slugging average and a .500 on-base percentage through 16 games played. Sophomore Christan Bullock leads everyday starters with a .324 batting average and 10 stolen bases. He has also compiled an eight-game hit streak.

• The Delaware Blue Hens will enter the weekend with a 13-9 overall record and a 2-1 record in the Colonial Athletic Association. After winning a three-game series against Towson to kick off conference play, the Blue Hens began the week with a 7-3 win at La Salle. Coming off a 2017 season that featured an NCAA Tournament berth, the Blue Hens are led offensively by junior Kyle Baker, who has a .361 batting average and 14 RBI through 16 games played. On the mound, freshman Billy Sullivan IV leads Delaware with a 3-0 record through five starts and a 1.52 ERA.

• Michigan and Delaware first met in the 1950s, and the teams played every year between 1952 and 1956. Through five meetings, the Blue Hens are 1-3-1 against the Wolverines. The lone tie in the series came in 1955, when the game ended scoreless.

• Junior outfielder Jonathan Engelmann was named the Big Ten Conference Co-Player of the Week on Monday (March 26) after leading the Wolverines to midweek wins over Oakland and Western Michigan, as well as a series sweep of Michigan State to kick off Big Ten action. Engelmann ended the week with a .429 batting average over six games that included nine hits, two homers and 13 RBI. The junior had a career performance on Friday (March 23) in the Big Ten Conference opener, going 4-for-5 with a double, a triple and two home runs to fall a single shy of hitting for the cycle. Engelmann recorded a hit in all but one game, but scored the go-ahead run in his hitless effort -- a come-from-behind victory at MSU on Saturday (March 24). The conference honor marked the first of his career, and he shared the award with Bren Spillane from Illinois.

• After losing 15 players at the end of the 2017 season, including a program-record 11 in the Major League Baseball Draft, the Maize and Blue added 14 players to its roster in the off-season. The roster additions included 12 freshmen and two junior college transfers that hail from seven different states, and the Wolverine recruiting class was ranked No. 10 by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, marking the highest ranking for a Big Ten recruiting class.