Wolverines Head to Long Beach State for Three-Game Spring Break Series

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team (4-3) will travel west to begin a five-game California swing with a three-game series against Long Beach State. The series opens Friday (Feb. 28) at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field, with first pitch at 6 p.m. PST on ESPN+. U-M will face the Dirtbags again at 6 p.m. PST on Saturday (March 1) before Sunday's (March 2) finale at 1 p.m. PST.

Notes

• U-M opened the season by winning the Puerto Rico Challenge, highlighted by victories over No. 2 Virginia and Stetson, and a 19-0 shutout of Villanova. Last weekend, the Wolverines dropped all three games at the College Baseball Series. Michigan led No. 22 TCU 3-1 after five innings before surrendering nine runs in the final four innings to fall 10-4. Against Kansas State, the Wolverines scored in the first inning but managed no further runs, ultimately giving up five. In the finale against No. 5 Arkansas, U-M trailed 8-1 after five innings and scored five runs in the final four frames, including two in the ninth, but the comeback fell short.

• Through seven games, U-M ranks among conference and national leaders in several categories. The Wolverines are top 50 in six NCAA statistical categories and top five in the Big Ten in 11 categories. Offensively, U-M's 77 hits rank second in the Big Ten and 38th nationally, while its 10 home runs are fourth in the conference and 33rd in the nation. On the mound, U-M's 3.00 ERA stands 39th nationally.

• Jonathan Kim opened the season 13-for-31 (.419), hitting safely in the first six games. He has five runs, five RBIs, four doubles, and two stolen bases while playing all three outfield positions—four games in left, two in center, and one in right. Kim ranks 15th in the Big Ten in batting average and is tied for 27th nationally among players with at least 30 at-bats.

• Preseason All-American Mitch Voit boasts a .370/.438/.852 slash line. Seven of his 10 hits have gone for extra bases (four doubles, three home runs). Voit leads the team with eight runs and nine RBIs. His 23 total bases are tied for seventh in the Big Ten and rank 39th nationally.

• Graduate transfer Jeter Ybarra is off to a solid start, slashing .310/.394/.448. He has nine hits, including two doubles and a triple, and recorded a four-hit, three-RBI, three-run game against Villanova. Ybarra has five runs and five RBIs on the season.

• Cade Ladehoff broke out with a two-hit, four-run performance in his first start against Villanova, which included a home run. He added another homer against Stetson and tallied three hits over the weekend in Arlington. Ladehoff is the fifth-toughest player to strike out in the Big Ten, fanning just twice in 24 at-bats.

• Dylan Vigue started on consecutive Fridays and impressed against No. 2 Virginia, allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts over 5.1 innings. In his second start, he went 5.1 innings, striking out three and allowing three runs (one earned) despite issuing seven walks.

• Junior Kurt Barr, a third team All-Big Ten honoree last season, has picked up where he left off. He tossed five shutout innings with a career-high eight strikeouts against Rice, then followed with three scoreless innings and four strikeouts in his next outing. Barr ranks ninth in the Big Ten in strikeouts per nine innings and is among six conference pitchers with a 0.00 ERA.

• Ohio State transfer Gavin DeVooght impressed in his Michigan debut, pitching 7.1 innings over two appearances. He allowed just four hits and two walks, striking out nine while posting a 0.82 WHIP. Despite a tough outing against No. 5 Arkansas, where he allowed three earned runs over 2.1 innings with three strikeouts, DeVooght holds a 2.79 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through 9.2 innings with 12 strikeouts.

• Long Beach State opened the season with a 19-6 win over Northwestern but dropped the series after losses of 6-2 and 4-3. The Dirtbags fell to LMU in midweek action before going 3-1 at the Tony Gwynn Legacy, earning wins over California Baptist, Pepperdine, and Seattle U while falling to Utah. U-M leads the all-time series 4-3 after sweeping Long Beach State in Ann Arbor last year. The Wolverines are 1-3 in games played at Long Beach, with the Dirtbags winning a 2015 series and a 2019 midweek contest.