Michigan came back in this one.  The game started out as a pitcher's duel.  Shaw for Illinois came out impressively.  Over his first 6 2/3 innings, Shaw only gave up 1 run on 4 hits, 4 BB, and 7 Ks.  After that he gave up 2 hits, 2 BB, and 3 runs without recording a single out.  After intentionally walking Recknagel, you would have thought the Illinois coaching staff would have removed him from the game.  At that point Shaw had already thrown 122 pitches.  He then went and walked Putnam on 6 pitches.  Again, why was he not pulled?  Against Abraham the floodgates opened for Michigan.  Abraham hit a 2 RBI single to give Michigan a lead they would never relinquish.  For the first two to three innings I couldn't get my head around the fact Shaw got the start.  He had only mixed success against Michigan early in the season giving up 4 runs in 4 innings.  Recknagel and VanBuskirk were the only Michigan starters not to register a hit against him.  Kudos to Coach Hartleb for making the right call in starter.  Even the picks at relief pitcher made sense despite the radio announcers' lack of understanding.  Sterk and Reeser both had great success against Michigan during the season.  Even Stankiewicz, who had done meh against Michigan had been one of the hotter relievers down the stretch.

For Michigan, Putnam went 7 innings on the mound to secure the win.  He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, 3 walks and 9 strikeouts.  Powers came in to start the 8th inning, going 2 innings allowing 1 hit with 3 strike outs to earn the save.   The ultimate turning point in the game came from a resilient Putnam to finish off Illinois in the 5th inning.  Down 3-0 in the count, Putnam battled back with 3 straight fouled off pitches to force the count full.  Each of the fouled attempts was accompanied by both base runners going on the pitch.  The fourth time was a charm for Putnam as he struck out Bonadonna and McMurray was caught stealing at third.  Michigan's offense woke up the next inning to score their first run and begin the comeback.

Offensively, the hero has to be Adam Abraham.  The 2 out single to give Michigan the lead and extend the inning was the beginning of the end for Illinois.  Abraham finished the night going 1/3 with 1 run, 2 RBIs, and a walk. 

A couple notes that caught my eye during the game:

• The grass at the Fish plays ground balls slowly.  Normally you see that with a team that bunts often or a team that faces a team that hits a lot of hard grounders.  I'm not sure why Michigan keeps it that way.  Although we bunt a bit, we seem to hit several ground balls through the infield.
• I heard several moans and groans about the home plate umpire's strike zone not only in our game, but in the game before ours as well.  The radio guys were very adamant about how odd the strike zone was.
• The radio guys are fairly decent.  The one who sounds like he might be high during the broadcast doesn't know the difference between a pitcher and a DH though.  He said if VanBuskirk would have touched a foul ball and dropped it, it would be fair and count as a hit.  For those of you who aren't baseball savvy, that is very wrong.  He also went on a rant about Bonadonna not having a homerun all season not 2 seconds after his partner just talked about Bonadonna's homerun last night.  I'll discount their not knowing players names as they didn't call too many games this season.  They did do their homework on stats though.  Most of my notes during the game were flubs by the guy who I still think was stoned. 
  

So now we will face Purdue.  I started researching them some today.  I have no idea who they start against us.  Looking through last season's head to head comparison, the only pitcher I've seen with great success as a starter was Sedlmeyer, who hasn't started a game in weeks.  Their closer Linblom though also had some good numbers.  I'll try to get something out during the day tomorrow.  No promises as its a half day at the office.

Disclaimer:  I haven't really scouted Purdue at all, much less Penn State, as Michigan couldn't face either team in their first game. 

Bischoff should be the starter today for Purdue.  I assume Macy for the Nittany Lions.  Macy has been fairly hot down the stretch, but doesn't generally go past 6 innings.  His last three starts are W@Minnesota (6 innings 0 runs), W vs Iowa (5 innings, 1 run), and L vs MSU (5.1 innings, 4 runs)  He didn't earn a starting job until after the Illinois series (6 starts now).  He never had an appearance against Purdue as he was the midweek starter right after the Purdue series (his first start of the season).

Bischoff was roughed up by PSU in his start.  He went 4 innnings, 6 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), on 4 walks and 5 Ks.  Nakata had 2 BBs and a single, Blackburn had 2 singles and a home run against him.  Other than that there were quite a few errors by Purdue, but Bischoff worked out of most of the trouble.

I almost like to say Penn State could win this one.  Bischoff has been near untouchable as of late though. 

Purdue 4 Penn State 3 (extra innings?)

This one is a little bit longer and should catch you up on our season and our players, as well as the game tomorrow.   No players to watch for as I could just list Michigan's whole team.  Not know what starter is pitching for either team doesn't help my cause either.

Starters

Fetters vs Putnam

The biggest unknown for Michigan fans coming into this game is will Coach Maloney be starting the first or second best pitcher in the Big Ten?  The second biggest question, despite Putnam winning the award, is who is the best starting pitcher on the team?  Michigan is home to the top two starters in the league this year.  Chris Fetter leads the team with an overall ERA of 2.49, while carrying a record of 9-1.  Zach Putnam, voted Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, holds an overall ERA of 2.64 with a record of 7-0.   Both of these pitchers could easily start in the Michigan tournament opener, and here is each of their cases. 

Chris Fetters has been the ace of the Michigan team all season.  He leads all team starters in ERA, wins (9), starts (12), complete games (4, all 7 innings), shut outs (1), innings (79.2), and opponent batting average (.208).  He boasts a 65 to 21 strikeouts to walks ratio, second best on the team.  Fetter’s one loss this season came in a complete game where he gave up one earned run on a walk off single.  The other benefit of starting Fetter is his tendency to induce more groundballs.  With the high-powered offense of Illinois, it will be important to keep the ball in the ballpark.

Putnam, however, is more of a fly ball pitcher.  This is also a positive against Illinois, especially toward the top of their lineup.  Centerfielder Kyle Hudson and second basemen Joe Bonadonna account for 46 of the Illini 98 steals on the year.  Coach Dan Hartleb often employs the hit and run with these two on base to help generate more offense.  By throwing a pitcher with a higher fly ball to groundball ratio, the hit and run will be a higher risk play for the Illini coaching staff.  Along with the fly balls, Putnam also has his fair share of strikeouts.  Putnam leads the team with 9.05 strikeouts per nine innings.  His .215 opponent batting average is almost as good as Fetter’s.

Coming down the stretch, both pitchers have pitched fairly well.  Putnam has gained a victory in his last five starts, including a nine inning complete game against Ohio State.  Fetter comes in off a shaky start against Northwestern receiving a no decision. 

I think the nod in this game goes to Putnam.  Illinois is a team that will hit for more average than power.  Both Fetter and Putnam can go just as deep into games.  There has been some rumbling from some fans that maybe Putnam hasn’t fully healed from his strep throat infection a week ago, but his outing against Northwestern does not signal any concern.  As an added bonus, if Fetter becomes the second starter in the tournament and Michigan wins against Illinois, he would be a better fit going against Purdue as a groundball pitcher. 

Haig vs Martin/Shaw

Going to the hill for the Illini will probably be Phil Haig.  Haig made an appearance out of the bullpen against Michigan giving up 2 hits and one run over 3 innings while recording 5 strikeouts.  That performance led to a position in the starting rotation the following weekend.  After a few rough starts, Haig settled into his rotation spot nicely.  Over his last three starts he has been the Illini’s best pitcher after Manson.  In his last three games he has posted a 2-0 record including a complete game shut out (7 innings) versus Purdue. 

If Haig doesn’t start, it could be a close call between Aaron Martin and Scott Shaw.  Neither did particularly well against Michigan.  Shaw lasted 3 innings giving up 7 runs on 7 hits.  Martin lasted slightly longer, going 4.2 innings allowing 7 hits and 7 runs, 5 of which were earned.  Both starters have struggled down the stretch as well.  Martin has not registered a win since April 7th, a span of 6 starts.  Shaw has not had nearly as many starts recently due to rain, but that is most likely a good thing for Illinois as he holds an 8.15 ERA and .340 opponent batting average. 

Relief Work

The Good:
Michigan will have a fully rested bullpen to open the tournament.  Mike Powers is the lead man out of the pen for the Wolverines and will be the first called upon if ever there is trouble.  In 23 appearances this year, Powers is 6-4 with 4 saves.  He boasts a 2.94 ERA, .280 opponent batting average, and a 50 to 17 strikeout to walk ratio in 52 innings of work.  Against Illinois this year, Powers worked 6 innings allowing 8 hits and two runs while registering 5 strikeouts.  Other pitchers with success against Illinois this year include Matt Miller and Travis Smith.  Smith actually was a starter at the time of the Illinois series.  He had his best start of the season lasting 7 innings while only giving up 3 runs, 2 of which were earned.   

The Bad:
Despite being two of Michigan’s top relievers throughout the season, both Ben Jenzen and Tyler Burgoon both had rough outings versus Illinois this season.  The two combined for 6.1 innings, 7 hits, and 4 runs allowed.  I wouldn’t expect either of these two to enter the game unless Michigan has a comfortable lead.

The Ugly:
Mike Wilson will not see playing time in this game unless absolutely necessary.  Along with holding a team high 8.73 ERA and being tied for the most losses on the team with 4, Wilson had an abysmal outing against the Illini this season.  His start lasted all of .2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks.  He will only make an appearance if it is a lefty-on-lefty match up.

Illinois’s Bullpen

As I mentioned in my Illinois vs OSU preview, the two main guys out of the bullpen for Illinois are Sterk and Reeser. 

If he gets in trouble early, watch for relief pitcher Mike Sterk to enter the game.  Sterk closed out many of Manson’s starts this season already.  Sterk owns a 4.05 ERA, which is the best on the team with at least one full inning pitched.  He also has three saves on the season.  Sterk is not the primary closer, however, as that job has been delegated to Ben Reeser.  Reeser has 5 saves on the season and has the next best ERA on the team after Sterk with 4.24.

Neither pitched in game one, they will be ready in game two.  Expect to see at least one enter this game.  Sterk had one good outing against Michigan shutting out the Wolverines over 2 innings while allowing one hit and one walk.  Reeser had one appearance lasting one inning allowing only one hit.  Outside of those two, Michigan also faced quite a few other relievers during the regular season series.  Wes Braun had the best success out against Michigan.  Braun pitched 2.1 inning, allowing 2 hits back-to-back including a Putnam homerun.  Those were the only runs he allowed while walking only 2 and striking out one. 

Offensive Threats-Illinois:

Illinois’s line up can create plenty of buzz.  The Illini lead the league in hitting this year (including the tournament) with a .338 team batting average.  Everything starts with the leadoff man, centerfielder Kyle Hudson.  Hudson, a unanimous 1st team All Big Ten, is currently batting .402 with a .504 on base percentage, both good for third in the Big Ten.  He also holds the record for steals in a season by an Illini with 40 in 49 attempts.  Batting second for the Illini is Joe Bonadonna.  Bonadonna is batting .372 currently and is also a steal threat.  He has swiped 26 bases in 32 attempts.  Bonadonna has had a bit better success hitting against Putnam (2/3 2 2Bs, R, RBI) than he has Fetter (0/2 SAC FLY, RBI).  Expect several pickoff attempts when either of these two men is on base.  As mentioned in the starting pitching section, both of these players are utilized in hit and runs when the situation presents itself.  Batting third in the Illini lineup is 2nd Team All Big Ten shortstop Brandon Wikoff.  Wikoff leads the team with 60 RBIs on the season.  Wikoff has had slightly better success against Fetter compared to Putnam, registering two singles in three plate appearances.  Behind Wikoff is normally catcher Aaron Johnson, right fielder Daniel Webb, and first basemen Ryan Hastings.  All three are big power bats with at least five home runs apiece.  Webb is equally dangerous as a contact hitter with a .386 batting average.  Webb also had a better game against Fetter going 2/3 with two singles.  Against Putnam, Webb went 0/3 with a RBI.  Rounding out the lineup for the Illini is DH Dominic Altobelli, third basemen John Schlichter, and left fielder Casey McMurray.  Schlicter is the only batter in the starting lineup who has a batting average under .320 for the year.

Offensive Threats-Michigan: 

Michigan is nationally ranked for a reason, and its not just because they play a cream puff schedule.  The offense from Michigan is explosive.  The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in runs scored this season with 434 total runs.  This was 37 more runs than the next closest team.  The lineup features an All Big Ten player at first, second, third, shortstop, and center field, and conferences don’t give you all-conference honors for your defense.  On top of the starting lineup for the Wolverines is shortstop Jason Christian.  Christian ranks fourth on the team in on base percentage (.440) and batting average (.325).  Following Christian is second basemen Leif Mahler.  Mahler started the season as the number nine hitter, but following his .400 batting average, 6 runs, and 4 RBIs against Illinois mid season, he earned a spot in the number two hole.  Following Mahler is Big Ten Player of the Year Nate Recknagel.  Recknagel lead the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.787), home runs (23), and total bases (155).  His .381 batting average, 68 RBIs, and 54 runs lead the Michigan team.  Recknagel is still in the hunting for at least 2 national player of the year awards.  Protecting Recknagel in the lineup is All Big Ten first teamer at designated hitter Zach Putnam (.320 batting average, 46 RBIs), All Big Ten third teamer at third base Adam Abraham (.340 batting average, 50 RBIs), and left fielder Derek VanBuskirk (51 runs scored).  Rounding out the batting order are centerfielder Kevin Cislo (40 runs scored, 17 stolen bases), catcher Chris Berset, and right fielder Ryan LaMarre.  In some games, Recknagel will play catcher and Mike Dufek will enter the game at first base to create more offense.  Dufek on the season holds a .320 average with 25 RBIs.  The first pinch hitter used in most games is outfielder Kenny Fellows.  Fellows is batting .324 in only 34 at bats. 

Predictions

This game could be much closer than what most people would think.  Illinois can score runs in bunches very easily.  They have struggled down the stretch though and in Wednesday’s game versus Ohio State they did not hit very well.  Regardless of who pitches for Michigan, the first few innings should go smoothly for the Wolverines.  Once the starter begins to tire, they will give up 2-3 runs.  On offense, don’t expect Haig to last past the 7th inning.  Michigan’s lineup is too powerful to keep down for too long.

Michigan 12  Illinois 5

Michigan hitters vs. Illinois pitchers this season (stats at top are whole season):

•  
  •  
    • SS Jason Christian (.325 BA, 52 R, 43 RBI, .440 OB%, 13/14 SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 1/4 HR, R, RBI, GDP
        • Martin – 2/2 2B, 2R, RBI, 2BB
        • Haig – 0/1 K
        • Shaw – 1/3 2R, 2 RBI
        • Stankiewicz – 1/3 R
        • Chmielewski – 1/1 3B, R, 2RBI
        • Braun – 0/1
        • Barrett – 1/2 R, K
        • Sterk – 0/1
        • Reeser – 0/1
    • 2B Leif Mahler (.309 BA, 49 R, 37 RBI, .388 OB%, 5/5 SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 1/3 HR, R, 2RBI
        • Martin – 2/2 2B, 2R, RBI, SacB
        • Haig – 0/2 K
        • Shaw – 2/2 2B, R, RBI
        • Stankiewicz – 1/2 2B
        • Chmielewski – 0/0 R, BB
        • Braun – 0/1
        • Barrett – 0/1 R, BB
        • Sterk – 0/1
        • Reeser – 0/1K
    • 1B/C Nate Recknagel (.381BA, 54R, 23HR, 68RBI, .787SLUG, .471OB%, 4/5SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 2/3 HR, 2R, RBI, HBP, K
        • Martin – 0/2 BB
        • Haig – 0/1
        • Shaw – 0/1 HBP
        • Stankiewicz – 0/2 BB, 2 GDP
        • Chmielewski – 1/1 RBI
        • Barrett – 1/3 RBI
        • Braun – 0/1
        • Sterk – 1/1 2B
    • DH/P Zach Putnam (.320 BA, 43 R, 46 RBI, .404 OB %, 3/3 SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 1/4 HR, RBI
        • Martin – 1/3
        • Haig – 1/1
        • Shaw – 0/1 R, BB, K
        • Stankiewicz – 1/3 HR, 2R, 2RBI, K
        • Chmielewski – 1/1 2B, R, RBI
        • Braun – 1/2 HR, R, 2RBI
        • Barrett – 1/3 RBI
        • Sterk – 0/1
    • 3B Adam Abraham (.344 BA, 39 R, 48 RBI, .408 OB%, 1/3 SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 0/2 SF, RBI
        • Martin – 0/3 GDP
        • Haig – 0/2
        • Shaw – 1/2 2B, 2RBI
        • Stankiewicz – 1/3  HR, R, 2RBI
        • Chmielewski – 0/1
        • Braun – 0/1 BB
        • Barrett – 0/3 RBI
        • Sterk – 0/0 BB
    • LF Derek VanBuskirk (.293 BA, 51 R, 41 RBI, .381 OB%, 11/12 SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 1/3 R
        • Martin – 0/2 R, BB
        • Haig – 0/2 R 2K (reached on K/WP)
        • Shaw – 0/2 K
        • Stankiewicz – 1/3 HR, R, RBI
        • Chmielewski – 0/1
        • Barrett – 1/1 2B, R, 2BB
        • Braun – 0/1
        • Sterk – 0/1
    • CF Kevin Cislo (.359 BA, 40 R, 26 RBI, .474 OB%, 17/25 SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 1/3 R, BB
        • Martin – 1/2
        • Haig – 0/0 HBP, CS 2-4
        • Shaw – 1/1 2B, R, RBI, SB
        • Stankiewicz – 2/2 R, BB
        • Chmielewski – 0/1 K
        • Braun – 0/1
        • Barrett – 2/3 R
    • C Chris Berset (.250 BA, 21 R, 17 RBI, .342 OB%, 1/3 SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 1/2 R HBP
        • Martin – 0/1 BB, SacB, K
        • Haig – 0/2 RBI K (RBI on E5)
        • Shaw – 1/2 R
        • Stankiewicz – 1/3 2B, R, RBI
        • Chmielewski – 0/0 BB
        • Barrett – 1/2 HR, R, RBI
        • Sterk – 0/1 K
        • Reeser – 0/0 SacB
    • RF Ryan LaMarre (.287 BA, 21 R, 21 RBI, .351 OB%, 8/12 SB)
      •  
        • Martin – 1/2 R, RBI
        • Stankiewicz – R as Pinch Runner
        • Chmielewski – 1/1
        • Barrett – 1/2 2RBI
    • 1B/C Mike Dufek (.315 BA, 20 R, 24 RBI, .355 OB%, 8/12 SB)
      •  
        • Braun – 1/1 R
    • PH/RF Alan Oaks (.260 BA, 18 R, 19 RBI, .329 OB%, 2/2 SB)
      •  
        • Manson – 0/3 K
        • Martin – 0/2 BB, K
        • Haig – 1/1 BB
        • Shaw – 1/2 2B, R, K
        • Stankiewicz – 1/3
        • Barrett – 0/1 K
        • Braun – 0/1 K
        • Reeser – 1/1

Again, the awesome work of FormerlyAnonymous jumps to the frontpage with an OUTSTANDING recap of the OSU Illinois Big Ten Tournament game. We get either Illinois or Indiana. FWIW, Illinois' pitcher threw one hell of a game. Michigan's up tomorrow! - MnB Dave

ILLINOIS TAKES FIRST GAME OF BASEBALL TOURNAMENT FROM OSU

Abbreviated Recap:

Illinois wins Game 1 by a score 3-2. OSU heads to the losers bracket where they will play the loser of the afternoon game. If Penn State wins the late game over Indiana, Michigan will face Illinois tomorrow night at 7pm. If Indiana wins, we face Indiana in the same time slot.

OSU started #3 starter DeLucia, who along with Wolosiansky, have been their hottest pitchers down the stretch. DeLucia gave up 2 runs, 1 earned, in 4 innings. Wolosiansky entered the game in the 5th inning. He went 3 innings, allowing 1 HR to Bonadonna in the 7th. While the choice for DeLucia was great, the choice to use Wolosiansky was questionable. While the Buckeyes did not want to risk entering the loser's bracket, Wolosiansky has been OSU's hottest starter down the stretch. His appearance today was on short rest as well. It remains to be seen how this many appearances will affect his performance down the tournament.

For Illinois, Manson pitched brilliantly. He threw a complete game four hitter, allowing two runs in the second, both unearned. More impressive was his 0 walks and 4 strike outs.

Stars of the game:
Illinois:
Manson: CG, 0ER, 4H, 0BB, 4K
Bonadonna: 1/4 HR, BB
Wikoff: 2/4 R, RBI

OSU:
Burkhart: 1/2 2RBI, SAC
Hurley: 1/3 R
Wolosiansky: 3INN, 5H, 1R, 1BB, 1K

I'll probably have one of these for the late game too, I'm not too concerned about the non-michigan games.  I'm working up a big thing for Michigan later tonight though.  I've spent the last 3 days going through every at-bat Michigan has had against every pitcher on every team minus Penn State (as it was statistically impossible for us to play them).  The one thing I realize is we hardly ever ground out to third base.

Ok, so my prediction of Hale was off.  I really liked the decision to start DeLucia though.  No clue who goes tomorrow.  It's either Shuck or Hale.  I'd imagine Shuck, but it may depend on who OSU draws in the matchup.

Abbreviated Recap:

Illinois wins Game 1 by a score 3-2. OSU heads to the losers bracket where they will play the loser of the afternoon game. If Penn State wins the late game over Indiana, Michigan will face Illinois tomorrow night at 7pm. If Indiana wins, we face Indiana in the same time slot.

OSU started #3 starter DeLucia, who along with Wolosiansky, have been their hottest pitchers down the stretch. DeLucia gave up 2 runs, 1 earned, in 4 innings. Wolosiansky entered the game in the 5th inning. He went 3 innings, allowing 1 HR to Bonadonna in the 7th. While the choice for DeLucia was great, the choice to use Wolosiansky was questionable. While the Buckeyes did not want to risk entering the loser's bracket, Wolosiansky has been OSU's hottest starter down the stretch. His appearance today was on short rest as well. It remains to be seen how this many appearances will affect his performance down the tournament.

For Illinois, Manson pitched brilliantly. He threw a complete game four hitter, allowing two runs in the second, both unearned. More impressive was his 0 walks and 4 strike outs.

Stars of the game:
Illinois:
Manson: CG, 0ER, 4H, 0BB, 4K
Bonadonna: 1/4 HR, BB
Wikoff: 2/4 R, RBI

OSU:
Burkhart: 1/2 2RBI, SAC
Hurley: 1/3 R
Wolosiansky: 3INN, 5H, 1R, 1BB, 1K

Bumped from the Fanposts is this excellent preview of the upcoming baseball game between PSU and Indiana. Also, I'm lazy today and there is no football news to speak of. Enjoy.

-BSD

Thought I'd post this here as well with the game coming up on Wednesday.  So if there are any PSU baseball fans out there, this game won't be televised, but should be a good one. 

Game is Wednesday @ 330pm, at Michigan's Ray Fisher Stadium at the Wilpon Sports Complex.  If you're in the area tickets are $7.  After Medlar Field, the Fish might be the second best field in the Big Ten.

Preview:

In the second game of the day, we have Penn State versus Indiana.  Penn State swept the four game season series in mid April, but since then Indiana has been one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten.  The Hoosiers are winners 12 of their last 16 conference games, including two from 1st place Michigan, three from 2nd place Purdue, and a sweep on the road of Michigan State.

Offense has not been a problem this year for Indiana.  The leader on offense this year is probably Big Ten player of the year candidate Josh Phegley.  Phegley is the regular season Big Ten batting champion with a .436 average.  He also holds the regular season crown 71 RBIs.  Phegley ranks in the top 3 in slugging percentage (.733), on base percentage (.514), runs scored (63), hits (88), doubles (17), and home runs (13).  Indiana as a team finished second in the Big Ten overall with a .337 batting average.

On the other side of the spectrum is Penn State.  Penn State finished second to last in the Big Ten in team batting average, posting a .291 overall.  Leading the way for Penn State are the three, four, and five hitters in the line up DH Joe Blackburn (.341 batting average, 41 RBI), C Rob Yodice (.291 batting average, 49 RBI), and CF Brian Ernst (.356 batting average).  Blackburn, Ernst, and LF Ryan Boonie are the only hitters in the starting lineup currently batting over three hundred.

This is good news for the Hoosier pitching staff that has come out red hot in the second half of the season.  Opening the tournament for Indiana is Matt Bashore.  Bashore (7-3) currently holds the third highest ERA at 3.16 and the lead in strikeouts with 86 (25 looking).  His last loss came at the hands of the Nittany Lions just over one month ago.  Bashore pitched 5.1 innings allowing 6 runs, 3 earned, on 7 hits, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts in the loss.  Since that game, Bashore has pitched four straight complete-game victories.

Going up against Bashore for Penn State will be Mike Wanamaker.  Wanamaker is fourth in the Big Ten in ERA with a 3.69 mark and holds a 5-5 record overall.  Wanamaker’s low winning percentage has been more a case of bad luck than it has poor pitching.  Wanamaker has lost two games this season when giving up only one earned run.  He also ran into a hot Miami (FL) team, ranked #5 at the time, early in the season.  He has really only pitched poorly in two games this season, including his most recent outing at Minnesota.  Wanamaker has already faced Indiana once this season, pitching a complete game (7 innings), giving up 1 run on 7 hits.  Wanamaker is also one of the few pitchers to dominate Phegley this season holding him hitless with two strikeouts.  Behind Wanamaker, the Nittany Lions feature two quality relievers in Paul Hawkins (3-3) and Dan O’Neil (0-1, 11 S).  Both relievers have 25 appearances each; nearly double the next closest reliever on the Nittany Lion roster.  O’Neil is up for all conference honors this season as he has tied the Penn State record for saves in a season.  His 0.71 ERA leads all Big Ten Pitchers with at least 5 innings of work.

Penn State coming in as the higher seed may actually be the underdog in this game.  Indiana has the definite edge in the offensive department, and appears to have a slight advantage in the starting pitching.  Penn State does have the upper hand in the relief-pitching department.

My prediction is a low scoring affair, which benefits Penn State, but not enough.  Indiana 4, Penn State 2.

Players to Watch: 

Penn State:
Brian Ernst CF – 2/3, R vs Bashore
Dan O’Neil RP –  11 Saves, 0.71ERA, .174 OBA in 25 appearances this season
Wes Borden 3B - .296 BA, 42 R, 17 RBI, .407 OB%, 13 SB this season 

Indiana:
Josh Phegley C - 0/3, 2K vs Wanamaker
Jerrud Sabourin 1B – 3/3, 2B, R vs Wanamaker
Andrew Means CF - .365 BA, 65 R, 29 RBI, .421 OB%, 30 SB this season

Bumped from the FanPosts. Yours truly has no more than a passing interest in baseball, or anything besides football and basketball really, so any help in covering other sports is always appreciated. Be the change you wish to see in the blog.

-Sean

Big 10 Baseball Tournament
Ohio State vs Illinois
12:05 5/21
@Michigan's Ray Fisher Stadium in the Wilpon Complex

Background:
OSU is the 5 seed in the tournament.   In order to qualify for the NCAA tournament, they have to win the Big10 Tourney.  Their first opponent is Illinois who the Buckeyes took 2 of 3 from during the regular season.

Preview:

This match up brings us the epitome of offense versus pitching.  Ohio State, like last year, has the best overall depth at pitching in the tournament.  It will be interesting to see how they set up their rotation.  Jake Hale appears to be their Game 1 starter for the tournament.  The top two pitchers outside of Hale down the stretch, J.B. Shuck and Dean Wolosiansky both started on Saturday, meaning Wednesday would be short rest of both.  Hale has struggled down the stretch, including a game against current foe Illinois two weeks ago.  Against Illinois, he went 5.2 innings giving up 7 runs, 3 earned on 9 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strike outs.  Over the whole season, Hale owns a 5-3 record over 70 innings pitched, and a 4.50 ERA.  Ohio State’s bullpen is also strong.  They have two long relievers available in Armstrong and Edgin.  Both have seen several starts over the season, primarily on weeknights.  Best is one of the top relievers this year with 8 saves.  He has been very consistent over the last few appearances, allowing just one run in his last 9.2 innings pitched. 

The Buckeye offense has struggled at time this year.  Ohio State ranked 5th in the Big Ten this year in runs scored.  First basemen Justin Miller has lead the attack for most of the season.  His .405 batting average leads the team, as well as his 61 RBIs.  J.B. Shuck has been a force to reckon with not just on the mound this season but also on offense.  Shuck is currently batting .371 and has 22 stolen bases.  Buckeye coach Bob Todd has kept Shuck out of the lineup on days when he has pitched during the season, which may happen in the tournament as well. 

Illinois on the other hand is all about the offense.  The Illini hold the top league batting season batting average at .338 as a team.  Leadoff hitter and centerfielder Kyle Hudson leads the team with a .411 batting average and .511 on base percentage.  Hudson is also second in the Big Ten with 39 steals in 48 attempts.  Shortstop Brandon Wikoff (.381 BA) is the primary RBI producer on the team with 59 on the season.   Daniel Webb (.387 BA) hitting in the fifth position in the line up and playing right field is second on the team with 45 RBIs. 

Illinois explosive lineup has carried them much farther than their pitching has this season.  During conference play this season, the Illini ranked 8th out of 10 Big Ten team in earned run average (6.46).  Kevin Manson heads the rotation up and is expected to start in Game 1.  He is 7-2 on the year in 10 starts.  In 65.2 innings, Manson has accumulated a 6.17 ERA and a .319 opponent batting average.  If he gets in trouble early, watch for relief pitcher Mike Sterk to enter the game.  Sterk closed out many of Manson’s starts this season already.  Sterk owns a 4.05 ERA, which is the best on the team with at least one full inning pitched.  He also has three saves on the season.  Sterk is not the primary closer, however, as that job has been delegated to Ben Reeser.  Reeser has 5 saves on the season and has the next best ERA on the team after Sterk with 4.24.  Both relief pitchers have an appearance against Ohio State this season.  Sterk went three innings allowing two runs to close out a Manson victory.  Reeser was less fortunate lasting .2 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned on 3 hits and 2 walks. 

Ohio State may have the depth in the pitching department, but Illinois’s Manson has been better down the stretch.  My prediction is Illinois’s offense will be too much for Hale to handle.  Illinois jumps out to an early lead and holds off a late Buckeye comeback.  Illinois 8, Ohio State 5.

Players to Watch:

Ohio State:
Zach Hurley RF– 3/3, 2B, 1 R against Manson this season
Eric Best RP– 2 appearances for 3 innings, 3 hits, 2 BB, 1 K vs. Illinois this season
Justin Miller 1B- .467 BA, 3 R, 9 RBI vs. Illinois this season in 3 games 

Illinois:
Kevin Manson SP - 6 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 1 K, 0 BB vs. OSUKyle Hudson CF – 2/3 and 2 runs vs. Hale
Craig Lutes OF- .500 BA, 3 runs, and 1 RBI against OSU this season

Had to bump this to the Front Page. I love me some baseball and Uber Commenter FormerlyAnonymous put together this awesome, awesome preview of the first two games of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. You can get game times and ticket information of the Main MGoBlue website or by clicking here. Again, a massive hat tip to FormerlyAnonymous for his outstanding preview. Looking forward to more! - MnB Dave

As Dave pointed out (and thank you for giving the Baseball some side space), Michigan is hosting the Big10 tourney this week at the Fish.  For those of you who haven't seen the renovations yet, its worth the $7 for tickets.  Michigan is currently a top 20 team in the country and vying for a Regional Hosting opportunity in the NCAA tournament.  This goes a long way with recruiting and national exposure in general.  We are a flagship program of northern college baseball.  Ticket information can be found here. 

As for Wednesday's games, neither feature the Wolverines, but the outcomes of both will affect who we play.  The lowest seed to win takes on Michigan at 7pm on Thursday.  So since hardly any of you have background on those teams, I've gone and created some updates for you. 

In my eyes, we get Indiana.  They split with us during the regular season.  I'll probably post up a breakdown of how I expect that game to go in the next day or two, plus some alternate scenarios and those match ups.

Preview Game 1: 

This match up brings us the epitome of offense versus pitching.  Ohio State, like last year, has the best overall depth at pitching in the tournament.  It will be interesting to see how they set up their rotation.  Jake Hale appears to be their Game 1 starter for the tournament.  The top two pitchers outside of Hale down the stretch, J.B. Shuck and Dean Wolosiansky both started on Saturday, meaning Wednesday would be short rest of both.  Hale has struggled down the stretch, including a game against current foe Illinois two weeks ago.  Against Illinois, he went 5.2 innings giving up 7 runs, 3 earned on 9 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strike outs.  Over the whole season, Hale owns a 5-3 record over 70 innings pitched, and a 4.50 ERA.  Ohio State’s bullpen is also strong.  They have two long relievers available in Armstrong and Edgin.  Both have seen several starts over the season, primarily on weeknights.  Best is one of the top relievers this year with 8 saves.  He has been very consistent over the last few appearances, allowing just one run in his last 9.2 innings pitched. 

The Buckeye offense has struggled at time this year.  Ohio State ranked 5th in the Big Ten this year in runs scored.  First basemen Justin Miller has lead the attack for most of the season.  His .405 batting average leads the team, as well as his 61 RBIs.  J.B. Shuck has been a force to reckon with not just on the mound this season but also on offense.  Shuck is currently batting .371 and has 22 stolen bases.  Buckeye coach Bob Todd has kept Shuck out of the lineup on days when he has pitched during the season, which may happen in the tournament as well. 

Illinois on the other hand is all about the offense.  The Illini hold the top league batting season batting average at .338 as a team.  Lead off hitter and centerfielder Kyle Hudson leads the team with a .411 batting average and .511 on base percentage.  Hudson is also second in the Big Ten with 39 steals in 48 attempts.  Shortstop Brandon Wikoff (.381 BA) is the primary RBI producer on the team with 59 on the season.   Daniel Webb (.387 BA) hitting in the fifth position in the line up and playing right field is second on the team with 45 RBIs. 

Illinois explosive lineup has carried them much farther than their pitching has this season.  During conference play this season, the Illini ranked 8th out of 10 Big Ten team in earned run average (6.46).  Kevin Manson heads the rotation up and is expected to start in Game 1.  He is 7-2 on the year in 10 starts.  In 65.2 innings, Manson has accumulated a 6.17 ERA and a .319 opponent batting average.  If he gets in trouble early, watch for relief pitcher Mike Sterk to enter the game.  Sterk closed out many of Manson’s starts this season already.  Sterk owns a 4.05 ERA, which is the best on the team with at least one full inning pitched.  He also has three saves on the season.  Sterk is not the primary closer, however, as that job has been delegated to Ben Reeser.  Reeser has 5 saves on the season and has the next best ERA on the team after Sterk with 4.24.  Both relief pitchers have an appearance against Ohio State this season.  Sterk went three innings allowing two runs to close out a Manson victory.  Reeser was less fortunate lasting .2 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned on 3 hits and 2 walks.   

Ohio State may have the depth in the pitching department, but Illinois’s Manson has been better down the stretch.  My prediction is Illinois’s offense will be too much for Hale to handle.  Illinois jumps out to an early lead and holds off a late Buckeye comeback.  Illinois 8, Ohio State 5.

Players to Watch: 

Ohio State:
Zach Hurley RF– 3/3, 2B, 1 R against Manson this season
Eric Best RP– 2 appearances for 3 innings, 3 hits, 2 BB, 1 K vs. Illinois this season
Justin Miller 1B- .467 BA, 3 R, 9 RBI vs. Illinois this season in 3 games 

Illinois:
Kevin Manson SP - 6 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 1 K, 0 BB vs. OSUKyle Hudson CF – 2/3 and 2 runs vs. Hale
Craig Lutes OF- .500 BA, 3 runs, and 1 RBI against OSU this season

Preview Game 2:

In the second game of the day, we have Penn State versus Indiana.  Penn State swept the four game season series in mid April, but since then Indiana has been one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten.  The Hoosiers are winners 12 of their last 16 conference games, including two from 1st place Michigan, three from 2nd place Purdue, and a sweep on the road of Michigan State.

Offense has not been a problem this year for Indiana.  The leader on offense this year is probably Big Ten player of the year candidate Josh Phegley.  Phegley is the regular season Big Ten batting champion with a .436 average.  He also holds the regular season crown 71 RBIs.  Phegley ranks in the top 3 in slugging percentage (.733), on base percentage (.514), runs scored (63), hits (88), doubles (17), and home runs (13).  Indiana as a team finished second in the Big Ten overall with a .337 batting average.

On the other side of the spectrum is Penn State.  Penn State finished second to last in the Big Ten in team batting average, posting a .291 overall.  Leading the way for Penn State are the three, four, and five hitters in the line up DH Joe Blackburn (.341 batting average, 41 RBI), C Rob Yodice (.291 batting average, 49 RBI), and CF Brian Ernst (.356 batting average).  Blackburn, Ernst, and LF Ryan Boonie are the only hitters in the starting lineup currently batting over three hundred.

This is good news for the Hoosier pitching staff that has come out red hot in the second half of the season.  Opening the tournament for Indiana is Matt Bashore.  Bashore (7-3) currently holds the third highest ERA at 3.16 and the lead in strikeouts with 86 (25 looking).  His last loss came at the hands of the Nittany Lions just over one month ago.  Bashore pitched 5.1 innings allowing 6 runs, 3 earned, on 7 hits, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts in the loss.  Since that game, Bashore has pitched four straight complete-game victories.

Going up against Bashore for Penn State will be Mike Wanamaker.  Wanamaker is fourth in the Big Ten in ERA with a 3.69 mark and holds a 5-5 record overall.  Wanamaker’s low winning percentage has been more a case of bad luck than it has poor pitching.  Wanamaker has lost two games this season when giving up only one earned run.  He also ran into a hot Miami (FL) team, ranked #5 at the time, early in the season.  He has really only pitched poorly in two games this season, including his most recent outing at Minnesota.  Wanamaker has already faced Indiana once this season, pitching a complete game (7 innings), giving up 1 run on 7 hits.  Wanamaker is also one of the few pitchers to dominate Phegley this season holding him hitless with two strikeouts.  Behind Wanamaker, the Nittany Lions feature two quality relievers in Paul Hawkins (3-3) and Dan O’Neil (0-1, 11 S).  Both relievers have 25 appearances each; nearly double the next closest reliever on the Nittany Lion roster.  O’Neil is up for all conference honors this season as he has tied the Penn State record for saves in a season.  His 0.71 ERA leads all Big Ten Pitchers with at least 5 innings of work.

Penn State coming in as the higher seed may actually be the underdog in this game.  Indiana has the definite edge in the offensive department, and appears to have a slight advantage in the starting pitching.  Penn State does have the upper hand in the relief-pitching department.

My prediction is a low scoring affair, which benefits Penn State, but not enough.  Indiana 4, Penn State 2.

Players to Watch: 

Penn State:
Brian Ernst CF – 2/3, R vs Bashore
Dan O’Neil RP –  11 Saves, 0.71ERA, .174 OBA in 25 appearances this season
Wes Borden 3B - .296 BA, 42 R, 17 RBI, .407 OB%, 13 SB this season 

Indiana:
Josh Phegley C - 0/3, 2K vs Wanamaker
Jerrud Sabourin 1B – 3/3, 2B, R vs Wanamaker
Andrew Means CF - .365 BA, 65 R, 29 RBI, .421 OB%, 30 SB this season