The postseason dreams of the Michigan baseball team hang in the balance as the team heads into the final two weekends of conference play. Luckily for the Wolverines as they head into their series this weekend against Purdue, they have the opportunity to control their own destiny.

Michigan enters the weekend one game ahead of Illinois for the sixth and final spot in the Big Ten Tournament with just six games to play. A conference tournament appearance would be the first for the Wolverines since 2010.

“Any time you can control your own destiny, that’s big,” said junior right fielder Michael O’Neill. “Then you can’t really point the finger at anybody. You don’t do your job, then there’s only one person to look at and that’s yourself.”

Michigan (10-8 Big Ten, 25-22 overall) faces the Boilermakers (5-13, 16-28) as it begins its final push to make the Big Ten Tournament. Despite Purdue’s recent struggles, the Wolverines’ task could become more difficult if they have to play without senior center fielder Patrick Biondi.

Biondi’s status for the series remains up in the air after he was hit by a pitch in the back during Wednesday’s victory over Toledo. Michigan coach Erik Bakich believes there’s a 50 percent chance Biondi plays Friday and a better chance that he plays Saturday and Sunday.

“That would be a major blow for us that we would have to overcome,” Bakich said. “But we don’t want to have to do that. We have to do what’s best for (Biondi).”

Based upon the 12-game stretch earlier this season when Biondi was out of the starting lineup with a sprained thumb, the Wolverines’ offense will need his presence. Michigan went 5-7 in the time without Biondi, with the offense mustering just 3.8 runs per game, down from the 5.4 runs it averages when Biondi is in the starting lineup. Regardless of his numbers, the Biondi will also look to return to participate in Senior Day with his three fellow seniors.

Whether Biondi is in the lineup or not, Bakich insists there is little difference in the importance of this series from any other Big Ten series, despite its timing. Per usual, Bakich will rely on his trio of left-handed starters – sophomore Trent Szkutnik, freshman Evan Hill and redshirt junior Logan McAnallen – to set the tone on the mound.

Because of the jumbled standings, nobody knows where the Wolverines will finish the regular season in the standings. With the team just 2.5 games out of first place and one game ahead of seventh in the conference, the final six games come at a critical juncture that will determine whether Michigan will head home after its regular-season finale against Nebraska or whether it will head to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament.

“The standings are jumbled one to seven so these last two weekends are obviously going to be scrutinized a little bit more,” Bakich said. “It doesn’t change our preparation and it doesn’t change our focus to how we’re going to compete every single pitch.”

Bakich emphasizes that no matter how the end of the regular season unfolds, the Wolverines will not have met their goal in the final six conference games. With a strong Cornhusker squad approaching, the pressure to achieve that goal begins this weekend.

“We’ve only talked about one goal all along,” Bakich said. “Our goal for the season is to win the Big Ten conference Tournament Championship. That’s what our intentions are going to be.”