NORTHRIDGE – CSUN Baseball continues its 13-game homestand this weekend when the Matadors host No. 17 Michigan in a three-game series. The opener is set for Friday at 2:00 p.m. while Saturday and Sunday’s games begin at 1:00 p.m. Audio broadcasts will be available via GoMatadors.com/Radio with Ross Porter on the call. A video broadcast is also available for Sunday’s series finale on the CSUN Sports Network presented by Dignity Health via BigWest.TV. With rain in the forecast this weekend, stay tuned to GoMatadors.com for any series adjustments.

Probable Pitching Match-Ups
Michigan at CSUN
LHP Tommy Henry (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Walker Armstrong (0-0, 6.23 ERA)
RHP Karl Kauffmann (2-0, 0.56 ERA) vs. LHP Wesley Moore (1-0, 1.98 ERA)
RHP Jeff Criswell (1-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. LHP Isaiah Nunez (2-0, 3.29 ERA)

The Matadors had their three-game win streak snapped on Tuesday to the third-ranked UCLA Bruins. CSUN rallied from two runs down to take a 3-2 lead, highlighted by RBI hits from junior Sean Skelly and freshman Andrew Lucas. The Bruins though fought back with a single tally in the seventh to even the game before taking the lead in the eighth following a CSUN error. The Matadors had two runners on base with two outs in the ninth but sophomore Brandon Bohning popped out end the game.

The Matador offense paces the Big West Conference in hits (90), home runs (13), total bases (146) and walks (48). CSUN is also ranked second in runs (60), doubles (15), RBI (55), extra bases (29), on-base percentage (.386) and slugging percentage (.456). Nationally, the Matadors are ninth in all of Division I baseball in home runs and 21st in hits.

Bohning has enjoyed a hot start to the 2019 season as he leads the Big West in hits (16) and shares the conference lead in runs scored with teammate, junior Robert Bullard (10). Bohning’s 16 hits also rank ninth nationally while he is second in the Big West in home runs (3) and fourth in RBI (9). Junior Angelo Bortolin has drawn a conference-best 10 walks.

CSUN sends senior right hander Walker Armstrong in the opener against the Wolverines, followed by a pair of left handers in sophomore Wesley Moore and senior Isaiah Nunez. In two starts, Armstrong (0-0) has worked a combined 8.2 innings, picking up three strikeouts. The reigning Big West Pitcher of the Week, Moore is coming off a two-hit shutout against Gonzaga where he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Moore (1-0) has allowed just three hits this season and posted a 1.98 ERA with 11 strikeouts. Nunez is 2-0 on the season and tossed two quality starts while registering a 3.29 ERA and 12 strikeouts.

The Matadors have only faced Michigan twice in team history with both games taking place at a neutral site in 1999. CSUN took the first meeting 7-4 before falling in the second game 3-1. In team history, the Matadors have hosted Big Ten Teams in Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern and Purdue. The Matadors last hosted a Big Ten team in 2017 as CSUN took three of four games from Purdue. CSUN went 0-4 against the Big Ten last season, falling to Illinois and Ohio State three times.

A Closer Look at Michigan
Three national polls have Michigan ranked in the Top 20 including D1Baseball, which has the Wolverines at No. 17. Michigan is 6-0 on the season, sweeping Binghamton (Feb. 15-17) and The Citadel (Feb. 22-24) in the first two weekends of the season. In 2018, the Wolverines went 33-21 and 15-8 in the Big Ten Conference. The Big 10 preseason poll placed Michigan second in the conference while Baseball America picked the team win the league. Head coach Erik Bakich is in his seventh season at the helm.

Junior Jordan Brewer is batting .429 with a home run, six stolen bases, five runs and five RBI. Junior Christan Bullock (.389), sophomore Jordan Nwogu (.375) and senior Blake Nelson (.333) are also hitting above the .300 mark. Two-thirds of the weekend rotation has posted an ERA below 1.00, led by junior Tommy Henry who is 2-0 with an 0.00 ERA and 22 strikeouts. Junior Karl Kauffmann has also posted a stellar ERA of 0.56 with 19 strikeouts while sophomore Jeff Criswell has a 2.89 ERA and 11 strikeouts. As a staff, the Wolverines are fourth in the nation in ERA at 1.17 with hitters managing a .159 average.