Let the good times roll for the Michigan Wolverines as they continue to roll through the college baseball tournament, seemingly unfazed by their first appearance in the College World Series in 35-years.
- Date & Time
- June 20th, 2019 2:00pm
- Location
- TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha, NE
- Media Coverage
- ESPN
- Probable Pitchers
- Karl Kauffman vs Micah Dallas
- Score Prediction
- Michigan 6, Texas Tech 3
Let the good times roll for the Michigan Wolverines as they continue to roll through the college baseball tournament, seemingly unfazed by their first appearance in the College World Series in 35-years. They face the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Friday after already handing them a loss a few days ago.
How long can the Wolverines continue their torrid play? Will Michigan be able to topple the Red Raiders again or will Texas Tech stay alive and gain sweet revenge and hand Michigan their first loss of the College World Series?
Michigan Wolverines vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
College World Series Odds: Check Back Later
With a victory over Cincinnati and pair of wins over Creighton, the Wolverines surprisingly emerged out of the Regionals ahead of reigning national champion Oregon State. From there, the team just kept rolling. They won two of three against the top-ranked team in the nation, UCLA, with their only loss a narrow one in 12-innings.
Now, they’ve beaten both Texas Tech and Florida State and sit in an excellent position in this game with their opponent in a must-win while Michigan needs only to win one of two games. Certainly, a win on Friday would be preferable to clinch a trip to the College World Series finals, but the pressure is on Texas Tech, not Michigan.
The offense carried the team through the Regionals, but since then, the pitching has been fantastic, including in both games so far in the College World Series.
Tommy Henry is the most recent hero tossing a complete game three-hit shutout against FSU while Karl Kauffman had seven strong frames against Texas Tech with Jeff Criswell coming through with a two-inning save.
Given the strength of the starting pitching—and Criswell is a starter at heart, the bullpen hasn’t gotten any work in Omaha which could make Michigan a bit vulnerable if the pen is needed in a prominent role on Wednesday.
As for the Michigan offense, the bats have been doing just enough. With seven runs and 15 hits through the first two games of the College World Series, the Wolverines have done an excellent job, jumping out to a first inning lead and holding it there.
Jordan Nwogu has done well leading things off while Jesse Franklin delivered a first inning homer against FSU as the second batter of the game. Jordan Brewer in the three-hole is another stud.
On paper, the Red Raiders have a statistical edge over the Wolverines though they did fall to them in their head-to-head contest earlier this week.
The Wolverines carved up the Red Raiders’ offense which is a big accomplishment as the team has a cumulative average of .300.
Cameron Warren and Josh Jung are a dynamic one-two punch in the heart of the order. Warren has a .353/.449/.672 slash line with 18 homers while Jung also has a OPS over 1.100 and has more extra base hits while playing a solid third-base, and occasionally shortstop.
Michigan doesn’t have anyone that matches up with Warren or Jung, not even Nwogu or Brewer. They also don’t have the depth as Texas Tech has feven starters with an average over .300. The lineup is deep from the likes of Gabe Holt and Dylan Neuse offering speed from the outfield to a stacked infield of Warren, Jung, Dru Baker, and Brian Kein, the latter of whom went yard in the Red Raiders’ win over FSU to advance on Monday night.
The Red Raiders did lose to Michigan in their first game of the College World Series, but since sent Arkansas and FSU home while winning a pair of must-wins.
On the mound, Texas Tech held Arkansas to four runs and FSU to a single run. Michigan scored five. The Red Raiders’ pitching hasn’t been as good as Michigan in Omaha, but it’s been solid. One area of potential advantage for Texas Tech is the bullpen. The pen’s gotten some work and looked good. Dane Haveman, Taylor Floyd, and John McMillon are good power arms available in relief.
Pitching Probables
Karl Kauffman
Kauffman should be rested after his seven innings on Saturday and ready to take the ball again. He’ll once again have Jeff Criswell to back him up if needed.
The junior right-hander took care of business against Texas Tech already and has a cumulative 11-6 record with a 2.66 ERA and 1.06 WHIP this season in 121.2 innings of work. As for Criswell, he was nearly as effective, albeit in fewer innings.
The sophomore right-hander threw 97.1 innings and has a 2.68 ERA to go with a 1.32 WHIP. He’s allowed a few more base runners and has been a bit wilder, walking 16 more batters despite fewer innings. He’s got the better stuff, however, when harnessed as he’s struck out 103 batters.
No matter who takes the ball, the Wolverines have a very strong pair of options to help eat up the bulk of the innings on Friday.
Micah Dallas
Dallas got the start for the Red Raiders against Michigan the first time around and lines up for the start on Friday after Caleb Killian and Bryce Bonnin started the last two games.
The righty is 7-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 75 innings of work. He’s walked 27 which is a bit high but has 84 strikeouts and a solid .249 opponent batting average.
He, however, struggled against Michigan on Saturday and needs to make some adjustments as he went just three innings, allowing six hits and four runs—three earned.
Look for a short leash on Dallas and a better performance second time around, but will it be enough?
Michigan vs. Texas Tech College World Series Picks
The pitching has led the way for the Wolverines to this point. While the offense has questions and the bullpen may be a bit rusty, the top three arms for Michigan have been enough to get them to this point and should be enough for one more win.
The pressure is on Texas Tech in this one and could have them expanding the zone, trying to do too much.
Look for Michigan to follow the same formula it did when it faced Texas Tech earlier this week, grabbing an early lead and then protecting that lead, occasionally adding on a run or two.
Michigan has found a way all postseason. They have the momentum and the buffer which should allow them to play a looser, more comfortable brand of baseball.
At this point, it’s hard not to take the Wolverines over the Red Raiders in this one.
Michigan vs. Texas Tech College World Series Odds Pick: Michigan
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