Iowa Baseball Weekend Preview: Michigan

WEEKEND SERIES: VS MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (4-2) (12-17)

Welcome to week three of the Big Ten conference season. The Hawkeyes enter the week with a 4-2 record, which is good for third place in the standings, while they are coming off of a series win over Minnesota in Iowa City. The Gophers took game one on Friday 16-9, but just like the opening week of Big Ten play, Iowa fought back to take the weekend. They defeated Minnesota 14-6 on Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday to make it back-to-back series wins. Iowa is now 10-2 against the Gophers over the last four seasons.

The Michigan Wolverines come into this weekend with a disappointing 12-17 overall record, but they are off to a 4-2 start in Big Ten play. They have played a tough schedule that includes an 0-6 mark against ranked teams, but midweek losses to Loyola-Marymount and Eastern Michigan haven’t helped. In Big Ten play, the Wolverines are going in the right direction, taking two of three game Penn State and Maryland. They picked up a win over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday in midweek action.

Michigan Last 10 Games (6-4)

March 17 vs San Diego: W 3-2 March 19 at Eastern Michigan: L 14-4 March 22-24 at Penn State: L 4-3, W 9-6, W 11-6 March 26 vs Michigan State: L 16-6 March 29-31 vs Maryland: L 11-9, W 12-1, W 9-4 April 2 vs Eastern Michigan: W 18-6

IOWA HAWKEYES *PROJECTED* STARTING ROTATION

RHP Brody Brecht (Friday) – After five straight weeks with one earned run or less to start the season, Brody Brecht has struggled the last two outings. Against Purdue and Minnesota, Brecht has allowed 13 runs, ten earned on 12 hits, as well as eight strikeouts and seven free bases. Opponents are batting .377 on balls in play, which is well above the .236 level they hit last season. Opposing hitters have also jumped from 0.48 hits per inning to 0.80 hits per inning.

HP Cade Obermueller (Saturday) – Coming into the season, the growth and improvement of Cade Obermueller seemed to be the lone question mark on the starting staff. Through seven starts, Cade has been the most consistent arm for the Hawkeyes, posting a 3.00 ERA over 33.0 innings. He is still working on limiting free bases, but opponents are batting just .225 on balls in play. Last time out against Minnesota, he allowed three runs, two earned on two hits over 5.0 innings, including three strikeouts to three walks.

RHP Marcus Morgan (Sunday) – Over the last two weeks, there have been good signs from Marcus Morgan, but the final results still haven’t been great. He retired the first six hitters against Purdue before allowing three runs over 4.2 innings. Then, against Minnesota, Marcus allowed one run over 4.0 innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth and ultimately allowed four runs. He appears to be trending in the right direction, but getting a consistently good outing is the next step.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES *PROJECTED* STARTING ROTATION

RHP Dylan Vigue (Friday) – A highly-touted freshman, Dylan Vigue has started seven games for the Wolverines this season. He has posted a 7.16 ERA over 27.2 innings, including 25 strikeouts and 36 free bases given up. On top of the troubling free base numbers, opponents are batting .287 and averaging 1.12 hits per inning. Last time out against Maryland, Vigue allowed five runs on ten hits over 3.0 innings. He has allowed 3+ runs in six of his seven starts, so the Hawkeyes need to take advantage of that. Vigue throws a fastball (90-94), slider (low 80’s) and a changeup (mid 80’s).

LHP Jacob Denner (Saturday) – A veteran on the Michigan pitching staff, Denner has appeared in 76 games over the course of his career. This season, he has a 5.40 ERA over ten appearances, including four starts. Denner has racked up 27 strikeouts to 13 walks over 33.1 innings, but opponents are batting .280 against him and averaging 1.11 hits per inning. Last time out against Maryland, Denner allowed one run on three hits, with six strikeouts to two walks over 7.2 innings. That earned him the start this week.

RHP Mitch Voit (Sunday) – One of, if not, the best two-way player in the Big Ten, Mitch Voit will get the start on Sunday for the Wolverines. He has started seven games this season, posting a 6.09 ERA over 44.1 innings, including 29 strikeouts to just eight walks. Opponents have really torched him in the power department, as 23 of his 50 hits allowed have gone for extra bases, including 11 home runs. Last time out against Maryland, Voit allowed four runs on seven hits for 7.0 innings. He uses a fastball in the mid 90’s, as well as a breaking ball and a slider. Over his last five starts, Voit has pitched 35.1 innings (7.0 per start).

WOLVERINES PLAYERS TO WATCH

1. OF Mitch Voit – An outfielder and a starting pitcher, Mitch Voit is the do it all player for the Wolverines. At the plate, he leads in several categories, including average (.336), hits (40), doubles (13), RBI’s (24) and total bases (70). Voit has also hit five home runs and has racked up 13 multi-hit games. His strikeout rate is at 21.5%, while his walk rate is just 8.1%, but when he hits the ball, it goes for hits, as he has a .402 average on balls put in play.

2. OF/C Stephen Hrustich – A transfer from Northwestern, Hrustich was a Third Team All-Big Ten selection for the Wildcats last season. This year, he has been plug and play for Michigan, Hrustich is batting .287, with six doubles, nine home runs, 22 RBI’s and 26 runs scored. He has drawn a team-high 31 walks/hbp to give him a .455 on-base percentage. Hrustich has eight hits in eight career games against Iowa.

3. 2B Mack Timbrook – A transfer from Kent State, Timbrook was a Second Team All-MAC selection last season for the Golden Flashes, including 19 extra base hits. This season, he is batting .270, with a .378 on-base percentage, including eight doubles, two home runs and 17 RBI’s. While the AVG, OBP and SLG numbers are a bit down from his time at KSU, Timbrook is an impact bat.

4. 3B Cole Caruso – A transfer from USC Upstate, Caruso was an All-Big South Honorable Mention pick last season as a sophomore. He batted over .300, including 74 hits and 15 doubles, but he is still trying to find his footing in the Big Ten. Caruso is batting .245, with a .328 on-base percentage, including seven doubles and 23 RBI’s. The good news for Michigan is that Cole has racked up 10 hits over the last four games, so he is hot as of late.

5. DH Collin Priest – A true freshman from Mount Dora, FL, Collin Priest has only started 13 of 25 games, but has been productive in his opportunities. Priest is batting .300, with a .507 on-base percentage, including four doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI’s in just 50 total at-bats. He has a hit in six of the his last seven games.

6. RHP Kurt Barr – The top arm in the Wolverines bullpen, Kurt Barr has appeared in 11 games with three starts. He has posted a 3.68 ERA over 36.2 innings, including 28 strikeouts to 17 walks and 25 hits. The Michigan pitching staff has allowed opponents to rack up hits this year, but Barr is holding opposing hitters to 0.68 hits per inning and a .192 batting average.

MIDWEEK: VS ST THOMAS (9-11)

This will be the second time these two teams have met this season, with the Hawkeyes winning 9-3 at Duane Banks Field back on March 5th. Since then, St Thomas has a 4-4 record, but have won four of their last five, including a three-game sweep of Northern Coloraddo. The Tommies have not played since March 23, with their last six games getting canceled or postponed. They are set to face Omaha for a three-game series this weekend.

TOMMIES PLAYERS TO WATCH

1. OF Brigs Richartz – The leader in the St Thomas lineup, Richartz leads the Tommies with 31 hits, including seven doubles, two triples and a team-high 17 RBI’s. He is batting .383, with a team-leading .452 on-base percentage and has racked up 11 multi-hit games this season.

2. 2B Matthew Maulik – The true freshman from St Michael, MN has made a big impact in his first year with the Tommie. He is batting .384, with a .451 on-base percentage, including three doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI’s. Maulik has nine multi-hit games this season.

FINAL THOUGHT

Set the over/under for the week at 3.5 wins. Sitting at 101 in the RPI right now, the Hawkeyes really need to start stacking wins. There are opportunities ahead with Ohio State (6), Rutgers (43) and Nebraska (13) in the coming weeks. However, they have to pick up a series win over Michigan this week. The Wolverines have been pretty underwhelming so far this season, but you can’t ignore their 4-2 start in conference play. Sweeps are always welcome, but two out of three is a must, while St Thomas is also a must win on Wednesday.