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Despite averaging 6.5 runs per game during the opening weekend in Arlington, Texas, the Michigan Wolverines came back to Ann Arbor with a 2-2 record. They easily could have been 3-1, but gave up a lead late to Texas Tech in the first game, eventually losing 7-6.
But now they head to Miami, Florida in search of better results against Seton Hall and Florida International. This is the beginning of a long stretch of games for the Wolverines, as they will play eight games in nine days. With plenty of baseball to be played, the opportunity to get on track is there for the taking.
Michigan vs. Seton Hall
Michigan plays just one game against the 0-3 Seton Hall Pirates. Seton Hall comes off a tough starting weekend against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Though the bats remained relatively quiet for Seton Hall last weekend, second baseman Zach Sylvester was able to remain consistent at the plate, going 4-for-7 with a double, a walk and a hit by pitch.
Seton Hall’s pitching struggled mightily in all three games, giving up a total of 40 runs in the series. For a team that lost seven straight to end the 2021 season, that was not the way the Pirates wanted to begin their 2022 season.
The Wolverines and Pirates square off at 1 p.m. Friday.
Michigan vs. FIU
Michigan will then play the Florida International Panthers for two games to close out the weekend. FIU comes into the weekend undefeated at 5-0. Four of its five victories have come against first-year Division I program, St. Thomas (MN), with the other coming on the road Tuesday against Bethune Cookman.
Several FIU bats have started off the season with a bang, most notably junior outfielder Alec Sanchez, who is hitting .524 through 21 at-bats including three doubles, two triples and two home runs. It’s still early, but the Panthers also have two other players hitting above .400.
Though competition has been scarce in their opening five games, over half of the Panther pitching staff still boasts an ERA of 0.00. They have only surrendered 12 runs over their first five games, a measly 2.4 per game.
In order to be successful this weekend, Michigan needs to continue its offensive momentum it gained last weekend. The back end of the bullpen will also have to clean up some miscues from last weekend in order to meet this team’s expectations.