# 2021 Michigan Wolverines baseball team

The 2021 Michigan Wolverines baseball team represented the University of Michigan in the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wolverines, led by head coach Erik Bakich in his ninth season, are a member of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Wilpon Baseball Complex in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

## Previous season

The Wolverines finished the 2020 season 8–7 overall, in a season shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Preseason

On November 6, 2020, former Michigan pitching coach Chris Fetter was named pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
On January 29, 2021, Steve Merriman was named pitching coach and Brandon Inge was named volunteer assistant coach for the Wolverines.
Michigan was ranked No. 20 by Baseball America and No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper in the preseason polls, the only Big Ten Conference team named in each poll. Redshirt sophomore Steven Hajjar was named to the Preseason All-America Third Team. On March 4, the Big Ten Coaches voted Michigan as the preseason favorite to win the conference.

## Schedule

2021 Michigan Wolverines baseball game log :
Regular season (27–17) :
March (11–4) :
| # | Date | Opponent | Rank | Stadium Site | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall Record | B1G Record |
| 1 | March 6 | vs. Iowa | | Dell Diamond Round Rock, Texas | 4–2 | Weiss (1–0) | Beutel (0–1) | — | 150 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| 2 | March 7 | vs. Iowa | | Dell Diamond Round Rock, Texas | 3–8 $^{(7)}$ | Nedved (1–0) | Weston (0–1) | — | 150 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| 3 | March 7 | vs. Iowa | | Dell Diamond Round Rock, Texas | 7–0 | Denner (1–0) | Baumann (0–1) | — | 150 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| 4 | March 8 | vs. Iowa | | Dell Diamond Round Rock, Texas | 11–4 | Dragani (1–0) | Lee (0–1) | — | 150 | 3–1 | 3–1 |
| 5 | March 12 | vs. Purdue | | Fluor Field Greenville, South Carolina | 9–1 | Hajjar (1–0) | Johnson (0–1) | — | 225 | 4–1 | 4–1 |
| 6 | March 13 | vs. Purdue | | Fluor Field Greenville, South Carolina | 4–0 $^{(7)}$ | Weston (1–1) | Schapira (0–2) | — | 225 | 5–1 | 5–1 |
| 7 | March 13 | vs. Purdue | | Fluor Field Greenville, South Carolina | 9–2 | Dragani (2–0) | Starnes (0–1) | — | 225 | 6–1 | 6–1 |
| 8 | March 14 | vs. Purdue | | Fluor Field Greenville, South Carolina | 11–6 | Pace (1–0) | Daniel (0–1) | — | 225 | 7–1 | 7–1 |
| 9 | March 19 | Illinois | No. 22 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 4–7 | Lavender (2–0) | Dragani (2–1) | — | 250 | 7–2 | 7–2 |
| 10 | March 20 | Illinois | No. 22 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 8–1 | Weston (2–1) | Gowens (1–1) | — | 250 | 8–2 | 8–2 |
| 11 | March 21 | Michigan State | No. 22 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 8–7 | Smith (1–0) | Beatson (0–1) | — | 250 | 9–2 | 9–2 |
| 12 | March 22 | Michigan State | No. 18 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 0–3 | Powers (1–1) | Beers (0–1) | Iverson (3) | 250 | 9–3 | 9–3 |
| 13 | March 26 | at Penn State | No. 18 | Medlar Field State College, Pennsylvania | 2–3 $^{(10)}$ | Mellott (1–0) | Weiss (1–1) | — | 238 | 9–4 | 9–4 |
| 14 | March 27 | at Penn State | No. 18 | Medlar Field State College, Pennsylvania | 17–4 | Weston (3–1) | Larkin (0–3) | — | 1 | 10–4 | 10–4 |
| 15 | March 27 | at Penn State | No. 18 | Medlar Field State College, Pennsylvania | 8–6 $^{(10)}$ | Weiss (2–1) | Miller (0–1) | — | 351 | 11–4 | 11–4 |
April (8–5) :
| # | Date | Opponent | Rank | Stadium Site | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall Record | B1G Record |
| 16 | April 3 | Northwestern | No. 25 | Shipley Field College Park, Maryland | 5–2 | Pace (2–0) | Boeckle (1–2) | Weiss (1) | 100 | 12–4 | 12–4 |
| 17 | April 4 | Northwestern | No. 25 | Shipley Field College Park, Maryland | 1–4 | Lavelle (4–0) | Dragani (2–2) | Lawrence (3) | 100 | 12–5 | 12–5 |
| 18 | April 4 | at Maryland | No. 25 | Shipley Field College Park, Maryland | 6–5 | Weiss (3–1) | Falco (1–1) | — | 150 | 13–5 | 13–5 |
| 19 | April 5 | at Maryland | No. 25 | Shipley Field College Park, Maryland | 7–17 | Blohm (2–0) | Paige (0–1) | Bello (3) | 100 | 13–6 | 13–6 |
| 20 | April 9 | Ohio State | No. 25 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 4–7 | Gahm (1–0) | Pace (2–1) | Brock (7) | 250 | 13–7 | 13–7 |
| 21 | April 10 | Ohio State | No. 25 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 7–0 | Weston (4–1) | Lonsway (1–4) | — | 250 | 14–7 | 14–7 |
| 22 | April 11 | Ohio State | No. 25 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 16–7 | Denner (2–0) | Neely (1–1) | — | 250 | 15–7 | 15–7 |
| 23 | April 16 | at Minnesota | No. 25 | Siebert Field Minneapolis, Minnesota | 21–5 | Hajjar (2–0) | Fredrickson (0–2) | — | 100 | 16–7 | 16–7 |
| 24 | April 17 | at Minnesota | No. 25 | Siebert Field Minneapolis, Minnesota | 4–0 | Weiss (4–1) | Duffy (0–4) | — | 96 | 17–7 | 17–7 |
| 25 | April 18 | at Minnesota | No. 25 | Siebert Field Minneapolis, Minnesota | 9–5 | Denner (3–0) | Culliver (0–2) | Weiss (2) | 87 | 18–7 | 18–7 |
| 26 | April 23 | Rutgers | No. 23 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 6–4 | Pace (3–1) | Muller (1–2) | Weiss (3) | 250 | 19–7 | 19–7 |
| 27 | April 24 | Rutgers | No. 23 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 2–4 | Wereski (5–2) | Weston (4–2) | McLain (2) | 250 | 19–8 | 19–8 |
| 28 | April 25 | Rutgers | No. 23 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 2–3 | Teller (2–2) | Denner (3–1) | Sinibaldi (1) | 250 | 19–9 | 19–9 |
| — | April 30 | at Northwestern | | Rocky Miller Park Evanston, Illinois | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols |
May (8–8) :
| # | Date | Opponent | Rank | Stadium Site | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall Record | B1G Record |
| — | May 1 | at Northwestern | | Rocky Miller Park Evanston, Illinois | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols |
| 29 | May 1 | Illinois | | Rocky Miller Park Evanston, Illinois | 4–5 $^{(7)}$ | Kirschsieper (3–3) | Weiss (4–2) | — | 80 | 19–10 | 19–10 |
| 30 | May 1 | Illinois | | Rocky Miller Park Evanston, Illinois | 18–8 | Beers (1–1) | Lavender (5–1) | — | 80 | 20–10 | 20–10 |
| 31 | May 2 | Illinois | | Rocky Miller Park Evanston, Illinois | 7–13 | O'Hara (3–0) | Denner (3–2) | — | 45 | 20–11 | 20–11 |
| 32 | May 2 | Illinois | | Rocky Miller Park Evanston, Illinois | 19–4 | Dragani (3–2) | Lader (0–1) | — | 45 | 21–11 | 21–11 |
| 33 | May 7 | at Michigan State | | Drayton McLane Baseball Stadium East Lansing, Michigan | 5–1 | Hajjar (3–0) | Eria (3–5) | Weiss (4) | 300 | 22–11 | 22–11 |
| 34 | May 8 | at Michigan State | | Drayton McLane Baseball Stadium East Lansing, Michigan | 3–1 | Weston (5–2) | Bennett (0–1) | — | 300 | 23–11 | 23–11 |
| 35 | May 9 | at Michigan State | | Drayton McLane Baseball Stadium East Lansing, Michigan | 2–10 | Benschoter (2–4) | Denner (3–3) | — | 300 | 23–12 | 23–12 |
| 36 | May 14 | No. 21 Indiana | | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 10–3 | Hajjar (4–0) | Sommer (5–3) | — | 250 | 24–12 | 24–12 |
| 37 | May 15 | No. 21 Indiana | | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 8–13 | Brown (5–2) | Weston (5–3) | — | 250 | 24–13 | 24–13 |
| 38 | May 16 | No. 21 Indiana | | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 6–1 | Denner (4–3) | Bierman (5–3) | Proctor (1) | 250 | 25–13 | 25–13 |
| 39 | May 21 | Maryland | No. 24 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 8–11 $^{(11)}$ | Ramsey (4–1) | Proctor (0–1) | — | 250 | 25–14 | 25–14 |
| 40 | May 22 | Maryland | No. 24 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 14–3 | Weston (6–3) | Savacool (7–2) | — | 250 | 26–14 | 26–14 |
| 41 | May 23 | Maryland | No. 24 | Ray Fisher Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan | 3–7 | Burke (4–3) | Denner (4–4) | — | 250 | 26–15 | 26–15 |
| 42 | May 28 | at No, 20 Nebraska | | Hawks Field Lincoln, Nebraska | 0–1 | Povich (6–1) | Hajjar (4–1) | Schwellenbach (8) | 5,434 | 26–16 | 26–16 |
| 43 | May 29 | at No. 20 Nebraska | | Hawks Field Lincoln, Nebraska | 2–0 | Weston (7–3) | Hroch (5–2) | Weiss (5) | 7,650 | 27–16 | 27–16 |
| 44 | May 29 | at No. 20 Nebraska | | Hawks Field Lincoln, Nebraska | 3–5 | Perry (2–0) | Dragani (3–3) | Schwellenbach (9) | 7,650 | 27–17 | 27–17 |
Postseason (0–2) :
South Bend Regional (0–2) :
| # | Date | Opponent | Rank | Stadium Site | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall Record | Regional Record |
| 45 | June 4 | vs. UConn | | Frank Eck Stadium South Bend, Indiana | 1–6 | Peterson (8–1) | Hajjar (4–2) | — | 1,825 | 27–18 | 0–1 |
| 46 | June 5 | vs. Central Michigan | | Frank Eck Stadium South Bend, Indiana | 2–8 | Patty (9–2) | Weston (7–4) | — | 1,825 | 27–19 | 0–2 |
Win  Loss  PostponementBold: Wolverines team memberReference: Rankings from D1Baseball.com.(#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. :

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final |
| Coaches' | RV | RV* | | RV | 24 | 19 | 23 | 23т | 24 | 23 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | |
| Baseball America | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | — | — | — | 23 | — | — | | | |
| Collegiate Baseball^ | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 26 | RV | | | |
| NCBWA† | 34 | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 28 | RV | RV | 26 | RV | RV | | | |
| D1Baseball | — | — | — | — | 22 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | | | |
^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

## Awards and honors

All-Big Ten :
| Player | Selection |
| Ted Burton | First Team |
| Steven Hajjar | First Team |
| Griffin Mazur | Second Team |
| Benjamin Sems | Second Team |
| Tito Flores | Second Team |
| Cameron Weston | Second Team |
| Jimmy Obertop | Third Team |
| Willie Weiss | Third Team |

## Major League Baseball Draft

The following Wolverines were selected in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft:
List of Drafted Players :
| Name | 2021 Class | Pos. | Team | Overall |
| Steven Hajjar | RS Sophomore | RHP | Minnesota Twins | 61st |
| Benjamin Sems | Fifth year | SS | Colorado Rockies | 440th |
| Blake Beers | Senior | RHP | Oakland Athletics | 578th |