With first encounter in rear, Michigan approaching Michigan State series focused on Big Ten goals

When the Michigan baseball team takes the field against Michigan State Friday afternoon, it will be exactly nine weeks since the teams last faced off at the MLB Desert Invitational.

Nine weeks ago, the Spartans delivered the Wolverines their first loss of the Tracy Smith era, 15-8. But as these two rivals enter this weekend’s battle — nearly 1,650 miles from their first encounter — the stakes are much higher.

Despite the final tally in that February matchup, Michigan actually held a 5-1 advantage heading into the third inning. Junior right-hander Chase Allen got off to a strong start, giving up just one earned run in 3.2 innings pitched.

From there, though, it went haywire.

Sophomore right-hander Avery Goldensoph, who has not pitched since, got tagged for five runs in just one inning. Sophomore right-hander Jake Keaser and freshman right-hander Brandon Mann allowed six more earned runs to seal their squad’s fate.

In just the second game of the Wolverines’ season, Michigan coach Tracy Smith was sifting through his staff to see what he had in the stable. Heading into this weekend series, now approaching the final stretch of the regular season, none of these pitchers figure to play much of a role. Yet Michigan’s pitching depth problem still remains, reinforcing the need for quality starts in each game.

“Compete in the zone and change speeds, and it’s got to be the guys executing in the situations we need to execute,” Smith said April 19. “You got to get ahead of hitters, you can’t leave it over the plate because we played them earlier. We know they’re a really good hitting team, but we can neutralize that.”

Although Smith is confident his pitchers can negate the Spartans’ hitting, it will be a tall task. Currently sitting at 23-11 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten, Michigan State has six hitters in their lineup batting at least .300. First baseman Brock Vradenburg is the anchor, batting .418 with a 1.230 OPS.

Like the Spartans, when Michigan steps up to the plate, its winning formula will also likely rely on capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the opposing pitching staff — which holds a combined ERA of 5.26. Left-hander Joseph Dzierwa pitched 4.2 scoreless relief innings against the Wolverines in February; however, his ERA has risen to 4.40 as he became Michigan State’s Friday starter.

While the rest of the weekend starters have been up in the air, the Spartans’ relievers are among the best in the conference, with right-handers Andrew Carson and Wyatt Rush respectively sitting at ERAs of 3.26 and 3.12.

As such, Michigan will likely need to pounce early on Michigan State’s starting pitchers to mitigate the impact of Carson and Rush in relief. And to avoid a repeat of the Wolverines’ bullpen implosion, lengthy starts from junior left-hander Connor O’Halloran on Friday and Allen on Saturday will be critical in setting the tone for how Smith curates his relievers.

Heading into a matchup like this weekend’s, with significant Big Ten standings implications, it can be easy for teams to get caught up in the emotions.

But the Michigan locker room remains focused on keeping this series scoped in a broader context of its Big Ten aspirations.

“Our goal is to extend our season and extend the season by getting in the Big Ten Tournament,” Smith said. “So I don’t care if it’s Michigan State or ‘whatever state’ coming in, these games are important. …We’re still in the hunt (to) win the Big Ten regular season. So let’s focus on Friday night. That’s our thing is like, ‘take it one game at a time.’ ”

Amid the dense history of the rivalry — that has already been added to earlier this season — the Wolverines enter this series focused on moving up the Big Ten ladder in the thick of a tight race.

And if Michigan’s hitters are able to chase the Spartans’ starters early and often, the Wolverines can continue to climb toward their goals.