I love June. Not just because it truly is the beginning of summer, but because it means the College World Series jumps to the forefront of our collegiate sporting attention. This June could be extra special if Michigan is able to pull off one of the bigger upsets in collegiate baseball and top No. 1 Vanderbilt on their home turf tonight.
Unlike the schools' earlier matchup on the gridiron, Michigan is a heavy underdog in this game. Despite being the best team in the Big Ten the last two seasons, the affords the Wolverines little respect in a southern/warm weather dominated sport. Further complicating matters is the fact Vanderbilt sports the No. 1 national ranking as well as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA baseball tournament. The hill is steep, but not insurmountable.
Michigan proved that be topping Vanderbilt 4-3 in round robin play on Saturday. Michigan topped Memphis 10-7 on Friday and Vanderbilt 4-3 to earn a berth in the Regional championship game. Because the format is double elimination, Michigan's 10-7 loss to Vanderbilt Sunday night gave Michigan its only loss in this bracket. The result is a winner take all game Monday night at 6pm Central time.
All for the right to go to Omaha the Super Regionals.
If they win Michigan goes to Omaha for the first time since 1984. Gonna be a good summer.
Go Blue!