The Michigan baseball team enters the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis as the No. 6 seed in what will be its first postseason appearance since 2010. Despite their seeding, the Wolverines insist that they have as much of an ability to win the championship as the next team.

“Seedings don’t really matter,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “Regular season records don’t matter. It’s just going to be about who’s playing their best. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win a championship and I’m sure every other team would say the same.”

Helping the Wolverines’ confidence is their first round matchup against the No.3 seed Nebraska (15-9 Big Ten, 25-28 overall). Last weekend, Michigan (14-10, 29-25) took two of three from the Cornhuskers in the final series of the regular season, including a 19-9 route on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverine offense was effective all weekend against the Nebraska pitching staff, as it garnered 45 hits in the series. Michigan will likely maintain a lineup similar to the one it used against the Cornhuskers last weekend, including redshirt junior designated hitter John DiLaura, a new addition to the lineup.

“DiLaura provided a great spark,” Bakich said. “We felt like DiLaura would be able to hold the zone very well and be able to maybe draw a walk or two or at least string together some quality at-bats.”

DiLaura did just that, reaching base eight times in the series. Bakich hopes that DiLaura will continue to provide a spark at the bottom of the lineup so that the Wolverine offense can continue to roll.

Bakich will send sophomore right-hander James Bourque to the mound in the opener in order to maintain his team’s midweek routine. Bourque has started many of the team’s Wednesday games this season and will keep the rotation rested. Following Bourque, Bakich plans to start his left-handed trio of sophomore Trent Szkutnik, freshman Evan Hill and redshirt junior Logan McAnallen depending upon how long the Wolverines remain in the double-elimination tournament.

With a victory on Wednesday, Michigan will play top-seeded Indiana on Thursday. The Hoosiers swept the Wolverines during regular-season play. With a loss against Nebraska, Michigan will play the loser of the game between No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Illinois. The Wolverines have a 3-5 record against the other teams in the tournament. However, Michigan didn’t play either No. 2 Ohio State or No. 5 Illinois during the regular season portion of the schedule, adding to the unknown in the tournament.

One advantage the Wolverines have heading into the tournament is the experience of having played two games this season in Major League Baseball stadiums at Citi Field in New York and at Wrigley Field in Chicago. With the tournament being held at the Minnesota Twins’ Target Field, the team hopes that its prior experiences of playing in Major League stadiums will help it maintain focus on the task at hand.

“There won’t be as much people looking around and taking in the field,” said senior second baseman Patrick Biondi. “It will just be more business-like, getting ready to play the game.”

All season long, Bakich has emphasized that winning the Big Ten Tournament Championship has been the only goal for his squad. In a season that has been filled with marked improvement for the program in even earning a bid to the tournament, Bakich believes a championship would be fitting for the seniors that have helped the program on its way back.

“I would never say that if we don’t win the tournament championship, this season is a loss,” Bakich said. “But I do firmly believe that when you wear a Michigan baseball uniform, you expect to be a champion.”