(Editor’s note: The following was first published on d1baseball.com. The original includes capsule previews of every Big Ten team, top prospects and team by team breakdowns. Use code Save23 for a discounted subscription.)
Although the Big Ten could have easily had four teams make the postseason a year ago, only two teams were selected to compete in the 2022 NCAA tournament. Maryland led the way with a dominant season, both within and outside the conference, leading to the Terps hosting a regional for the first time ever. Michigan enjoyed an impressive run through the Big Ten tournament to claim the league’s automatic bid, beating Illinois, Maryland, Iowa and Rutgers, the tournament’s top four seeds. Maryland lost to UConn in the College Park Regional final and Michigan lost to Louisville in the Louisville Regional final.
Rutgers, which went 44-15 and finished among the national leaders in runs scored, ERA and fielding percentage, was curiously left out of the Field of 64. Although not as obvious of a choice, Iowa, which boasted one of the nation’s top pitching staff, was also left out. Only three Big Ten teams had made the NCAA tournament in 2021 after five made it in 2019.
Maryland enters the 2023 season ranked 13th in D1Baseball’s Preseason Top 25 and Terps shortstop Matt Shaw was an easy choice for the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. Three new head coaches were announced over the offseason as Tracy Smith (Michigan), Jim Foster (Northwestern) and Bill Mosiello (Ohio State) were welcomed to the league. It’s a return trip for Smith who served as skipper for Indiana from 2006-14, guiding the Hoosiers to the College World Series in 2013.
RANKINGS: Check out the full preseason top 25 poll
Projected order of finish/projected regional teams
*Teams are listed in order of projected finish. 2022 regional teams in bold.
| 1. | Maryland |
| 2. | Rutgers |
| 3. | Iowa |
| 4. | Illinois |
| 5. | Nebraska |
| 6. | Indiana |
| 7. | Ohio State |
| 8. | Michigan |
| 9. | Purdue |
| 10. | Penn State |
| 11. | Michigan State |
| 12. | Minnesota |
| 13. | Northwestern |
Preseason awards
Player of the Year: Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland
Matt Shaw showed signs of being a star during a freshman season in which he batted .322 with 16 doubles and seven home runs. He then became a bona fide star with his performance as a…
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