The University of Michigan's baseball team received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament today. The Wolverines had a forty win season, 41-17 to be exact, including victories over then top ten programs North Carolina and Georgia. That's usually more than good enough for any school to make the field of sixty-four.
However, Michigan's conference record was only 17-12. A fourth place regular season Big Ten finish combined with a rather early ouster from the conference tournament left coach Rich Maloney's team at the whim of the selection committee.
The strength of their non-conference record plus their late season surge probably got Michigan in. Of course, the conference leading forty-one wins didn't hurt, either. Illinois, the regular season Big Ten champs, got the slight from the selection committee, instead. Ohio State earned an automatic berth by capturing the conference tournament in Champaign.
Now, it's off to Atlanta, where the Wolverines will be in a regional with host Georgia Tech, South Carolina and Furman. The Gamecocks are Michigan's first opponent. If the Wolverines can play like they did very early in the season (when the victories over UNC and UGA occurred) or late in regular season play (where Michigan jumped from last to fourth), Michigan can win this regional.
Don't misinterpret that statement, though. Michigan is not the favorite by any means. Nor should they be. The Wolverines, however, are a very good team. They have a talented pitching staff and more than enough offense to compete. In many ways, this season has been a disappointment in my mind for Michigan.
They didn't fair well in conference play. They got bounced from the Big Ten tournament far too soon, as well. The NCAA tournament is their third chance to live up to the pre-season expectations. We will see if three is indeed a charm.
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