Michigan Set to Open 2020 Campaign with MLB4 Tournament

» No. 13-ranked Michigan will plays in the MLB4 Collegiate Tournament against No. 2 Vanderbilt, Cal Poly, and UConn.
» The Wolverines also will take on No. 9 Arizona State on Saturday (Feb. 15).
» Michigan was picked to win the Big Ten Conference, and is the only Big Ten team ranked in every national poll.
» Juniors Jeff Criswell, Jesse Franklin and Jordan Nwogu were selected as Players to Watch in the conference.

THIS WEEK
Friday, Feb. 14 -- vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt - at MLB4 Collegiate Tournament (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 5 p.m. MST
TV: MLB Network | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, Feb. 15 -- vs. Cal Poly - at MLB4 Collegiate Tournament (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 1 p.m. MST
TV: MLB.com | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, Feb. 15 -- at No. 9 Arizona State (Phoenix, Ariz.), 6 p.m. MST
TV: Facebook Live | Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, Feb. 16 -- vs. UConn - at MLB4 Collegiate Tournament (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 10 a.m. MST
TV: MLB.com | Live Stats | Live Video - to come

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
• Read: 2020 Season Preview Q&A | Jeff Criswell: Selfless Star
• Listen: Coach Bakich on WTKA

• Follow #Team154: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team will kick off the 2020 season as part of the MLB4 Collegiate Tournament, from Friday-Sunday (Feb. 14-16) in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition to games against Vanderbilt, Cal Poly and UConn, the Wolverines will travel to Phoenix to take on No. 9-ranked Arizona State on Saturday (Feb. 15).

With the season kicking off in a few days, the Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday (Feb. 12) that Michigan is the league favorite for the 2020 season. The Wolverines, who are the only Big Ten team to appear in every national preseason top-25 ranking, were picked to finish first ahead of Ohio State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana and Illinois in the poll, which lists the top six vote-getters.

• The Big Ten also selected the junior trio of Jeff Criswell, Jesse Franklin and Jordan Nwogu represent Michigan on the conference's Players to Watch list. Nwogu also was a selection before the 2019 season.

• Michigan is 24-20-1 all-time against Vanderbilt. Thirty-seven of the program's meetings with the Commodores came in the 26-year span between 1905-1931. The Wolverines are 3-5 against Vanderbilt since 2006.

• U-M has far less experience against Saturday's first opponent, having an 0-2 all-time record against Cal Poly. The Mustangs won the first meeting between the two, 5-1, in 2016 and won by an 8-1 final in 2018. The two teams will play more times this season than they've played in program history thanks to a three-game set in San Luis Obispo from Feb. 28-March 1.

• The Wolverines also are set to take on perennial power Arizona State on Saturday (Feb. 15) as the second game of a doubleheader. Michigan is 13-31 all-time against the Sun Devils, with this weekend's showdown being the first time that U-M and ASU have played one another since the 2008 season.

• Michigan's weekend will wrap up against Connecticut, which kicks off a run of four straight games against the Huskies. Though playing one another just three times in program history (U-M leads the series, 2-1), Michigan and UConn play a neutral-site series in Port St. Lucie, Florida, at Tradition Field next weekend (Feb. 21-23).

• The Maize and Blue opens its 154th season with a 2,967-1,736-39 overall record, which ranks third-most for wins in college baseball history. The Wolverines are also looking to make their 25th NCAA Tournament appearance and are seeking the program's third national championship.

• U-M added 10 players to its roster in the offseason, including eight freshmen and two junior college transfers. Hailing from seven different states, the Wolverine recruiting class boasts three pitchers, one catcher, five infielders and one outfielder.

• In addition to 10 newcomers on the field, Michigan's coaching and support staff underwent changes in the offseason as well. Oregon State alumnus and College World Series veteran Max Gordon joined the program as the volunteer assistant coach. Gordon was previously the hitting coordinator at Driveline and will continue to work with Driveline during his tenure at Michigan. Former volunteer assistant and U-M alumnus Michael Brdar was hired as a hitting coordinator in the San Francisco Giants organization, while former assistant director of operations Ryan Chipka took a similar position in the New York Yankees organization.

• Michigan is the lone program in the Big Ten to earn a ranking in all six preseason polls. The Wolverines topped out at a No. 8 ranking in the Baseball America poll, and are ranked in the top-25 by Perfect Game, D1Baseball, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), and USA Today. Michigan also earned a top-40 preseason ranking by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

• Following the season-opening trip to Arizona, Michigan will spend three more weekends on the road before its home opener. After spending four weeks on the road and playing 15 contests across Arizona, Florida and California, the Maize and Blue will host Canisius for a four-game series (March 13-15) in its first home games at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium, in mid-March.

• Michigan lost nine total players at the close of the 2019 season, including five seniors. The Wolverines also had five student-athletes selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

• With the departure of 2019 draftees Tommy Henry and Karl Kauffmann, the Wolverines will look to junior Jeff Criswell, who posted a 7-1 record and three saves in 17 starts and 21 total appearances, to lead the rotation. Regardless of who earns a midweek or weekend starting role, the Maize and Blue will look to its many young returners and key pieces returning from injury to carry the pitching load.

• U-M is scheduled to face 10 teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2019, including five in its first three weeks of play. Additionally, the Maize and Blue will play 25 games at the Wilpon Complex in 2020.

• The University of Michigan baseball program ended the 2019 campaign with its sixth straight 30-win season and first 50-win campaign under head coach Erik Bakich, and its seventh consecutive postseason appearance in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The season culminated in an appearance in the College World Series finals in Omaha, with the Wolverines falling to Vanderbilt in three games.

• The Wolverines (16-7 Big Ten) finished just a half-game out of first place in the Big Ten standings last season. Indiana (17-7 Big Ten), which defeated Michigan twice during a three-game set in the second-to-last weekend of the regular season, took home the regular-season conference title, while Nebraska, which eliminated Michigan from the Big Ten Tournament on May 25, lost in the Big Ten Championship game.

• Michigan's offense led Big Ten opponents in 2019 in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, walks, doubles, stolen bases, and sacrifice flies.

• The U-M pitching staff also was a force to be reckoned with in 2019, as it led Big Ten opponents in earned-run average, strikeouts, wins, and was second in batting-average against.