University of Minnesota Athletics
2003 Dairy Queen Baseball Classic Boasts Strong Field of Teams
2/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Since its inception the tournament has grown considerably in many ways, and that growth would not have been possible without the support of its sponsors.
The 2003 event will feature its annual on-field clinic for youths ages 7 to 17 and their coaches. The clinic will be conducted by coaches and players participating in the competition. A very popular part of the tournament in the past, it provides an opportunity for today's college stars to give something back to the community.
Though Dairy Queen is the lead sponsor of the tournament, organizations like the Sheraton Hotel Minneapolis Metrodome, Rawling Baseballs, Lee Lines, Easton Sports and many others help make the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic possible each year.
This year's tournament features another strong field featuring two 2002 College World Series participants in Notre Dame and the University of Nebraska, along with Wake Forest who has been ranked as high as No. 7 in some of the preseason polls.
University of Minnesota
The Golden Gophers come off the heels of a 2002 season, which saw them win a second regular season title in three years but also had the disappointment of them missing out on the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota returns 2002 Tri-Big Ten Player of the Year Luke Appert, 2002 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year C.J. Woodrow and Scott Welch who won the 2002 conference batting title.
One of Minnesota's primary strength's heading into the season is an infield that features three seniors. The Golden Gophers are anchored up the middle by Appert who was a First-Team All-Big Ten second baseman and Welch who was First-Team All-Big Ten shortstop. Appert led the team with a .361 batting average last year and was named a Third-Team All-American, while Welch batted .398 in Big Ten play and was second on the team overall at .339. The other senior is first baseman David Roach, who batted .299 with 28 RBI, and was a steady presence at first base last year with only one error in 317 chances. Sophomore David Hrncirik is the only non-senior in the infield and mans the hot corner. In 2002, Hrncirik led all bench players with a .397 batting average and started 22 of the final 23 games at third base.
Minnesota lost two of its top three offensive outfielders in Jason Kennedy and Scott Howard. However, the Golden Gophers return Sam Steidl who batted .312 with 25 RBI and 19 stolen bases. Ben Pattee, who was third on the team in batting average at .332, will make the defensive move from third base to right field this season. Pattee tied for the most RBI last year of any returning player with 43. Steidl and Pattee were also both Third-Team All-Big Ten selections in 2002. Starting for Minnesota in centerfield will be redshirt freshman Tony Leseman. The switch hitting Leseman is a great all-around athlete who hit .333 with wood bats in the fall for the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota returns an abundance of experienced pitching to the staff for the 2003 season, including Woodrow who is the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and finished 2002 with a 6.3 to 1 strikeout ratio. Along with Woodrow, junior starters Craig Molldrem and Jay Gagner will anchor an experienced staff. Molldrem was 5-4 with a 4.67 ERA, a shutout and was second on the team in strikeouts with 56. Gagner, had offseason surgery to fix some of the arm troubles that plagued him last year. However, he was still 4-0 with a 4.58 ERA.
The coaching staff was encouraged by the way sophomore Matt Loberg ended the 2002 season. Loberg was 4-3 pitching primarily out of relief, but did make three starts. He also picked up the win in relief for the Golden Gophers, which clinched the Big Ten regular season title on the final day of the season with an 8-5 win against Ohio State in Columbus. Freshman lefty Brian Bull who hails from high school baseball powerhouse Creighton Prep in Omaha, Neb. will also be a starting rotation candidate.
Minnesota returns virtually all of its relief corp from the 2002 season. Leading the way are Jeff Moen and Tim Theis who tied for the team lead in appearances with 16 last season. Senior Nick McCauley had a 4.61 ERA and led the team with three saves. The Golden Gophers also return Dan Anderson who was 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA and picked up his first collegiate win in the Big Ten Tournament over Northwestern. Redshirt freshman Glen Perkins is a solid lefthanded pitcher who will get opportunities in relief for Minnesota. Reid Mahon and Nate Broehm are also a pair of experienced pitchers for the Golden Gophers. Freshmen lefthanders Andy Peters</ a> and Bill Johnson will compete for spots on Minnesota's pitching staff. Junior walk-on Jonathon Holt will get some appearances in relief for the Golden Gophers this season.
Heading into the 2003 season, Minnesota looks to recapture a Big Ten crown and make a return back to the NCAA Tournament. The hunger from a one-year absence from the NCAA Tournament and a very deep and experienced team should go a long way towards helping the Golden Gophers re-establish themselves as an NCAA team.
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers enter the 2003 season on the heels of back-to-back appearances in the College World Series (in 2001 and 2002). Nebraska head coach Mike Anderson enters his first year at the helm with a team that returns six position starters and 10 pitchers.
Leading the way offensively for Nebraska is Jeff Liese who was a 2002 First-Team All-American that batted .371 with 12 home runs, 51 RBI and 25 stolen bases. The Cornhuskers also return junior catcher John Grose who led the team in batting average in 2002 at .384. Grose had four home runs and 38 RBI on the season. Matt Hopper, who was a First-Team All-American in 2001, also returns for the Cornhuskers. Hopper batted .309 with nine home runs and 49 RBI in 2002.
The pitching staff is led by junior lefthander Aaron Marsden, who earned 2002 First-Team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore. Marsden went 8-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 2002. Nebraska also returns Jamie Rodrigue who went 7-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 2002. The Cornhuskers also have a pair of Honorable Mention Freshman All-Americans returning to the staff in Brian Duensing and Paul Shirek.
Nebraska has won an astounding 97 games over the past two seasons. The Cornhuskers enter the 2003 season as a program that has continued to establish itself as a national power. With the a good mix of experience and talent returning to the squad, Nebraska has a chance to be in the mix again when it comes time for the College World Series.
Notre Dame
When Paul Maineri inherited an emerging national baseball power in the fall of 1994, his infectious spirit and love for the game could not hold him back. He dared to dream big about the goals of the Notre Dame program and set out to prove to the college baseball world that a northern school could compete regularly on a national scale.
Nearly a decade later, as the Irish embark on the ninth season of the Manieri era, the Notre Dame baseball program truly has made a name for itself. A regular contender for the Big East Conference title and an NCAA tournament participant three times in Manieri's first six seasons, the Irish took things to another level in 2001 (earning the program's first No. 1 national ranking en route to the a 49-win season) before continuing the climb in 2002, when the postseason celebrations included winning a Super-Regional series at top-ranked Florida State that sent Notre Dame to the College World Series for the first time since 1957.
On offense Notre Dame is led by second baseman Steve Sollman who batted .362 last year with 47 RBI on the season. Rightfielder Kris Billmaier also returns after batting .313 and knocking in 41 RBI last season. At shortstop Notre Dame brings Third-Team Baseball America Preseason All-American into the fold. Macri, who was a 17th round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins in 2001, will be in his first season as the Fighting Irish's full-time shortstop.
Notre Dame returns a pair of nine game winners from last year in Grant Johnson and J.P. Gagne. Gagne who returns to his homestate of Minnesota for the Dairy Queen Classic, went 9-4 with a team-leading six saves in 2002. Johnson was 9-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 86 strikeouts as a freshman in 2002. Peter Ogilivie also was 7-5 with a 4.65 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 2002.
With Manieri holding the bar that sets the standards for the program, don't expect the Irish to stop fighting for more high-level success in 2003. The Irish return the bulk of their pitching staff that finished 13th in the nation for team ERA (3.57), while four of the nine starters return for the clutch-hitting offense.
Wake Forest
Entering the spring, it would appear that all the pieces of the puzzle are in place for Wake Forest to make a run for its fourth ACC Championship in six years, an unprecedented sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a trip to the College World Series in Omaha.
If the ingredients for a championship baseball team are experience, starting pitching, defense up the middle, team speed, the ability to get on base and hit home runs, then Wake Forest has that mixture in place.
The Demon Deacons are a team that has been together for a while now. In fact all nine starters and 11 pitchers return from a team that finished 47-13-1 last season and ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.
Wake Forest returns two All-Americans in center fielder Adam Bourassa and right fielder Ryan Johnson. In 2002, Bourassa had one of the best seasons in Wake Forest history batting .412 with two homers, 41 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Bourassa, who is from Apple Valley, Minn, started all 61 games as the team's leadoff hitter and became just the third player in school history to reach the 100 hit plateau. Johnson, who was Second-Team All-American, became an everyday player and unveiled his power with 13 home runs and 77 RBI.
Third baseman Jamie D'Antona is a Third-Team Baseball American Preseason All-American. D'Antona batted .336, had 20 home runs and 83 RBI last season and has a chance to become the school's all-time leader in home runs and RBI this season as a junior.
Any discussion about Wake Forest pitching begins with First-Team Baseball America Preseason All-American Kyle Sleeth. Sleeth had the best season of any Deacon pitcher in history as a sophomore. He posted a 14-0 record with a 2.97 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 113 innings. He won his final 10 starts before shining for Team USA this past summer. Wake Forest also returns Tim Morley who was 6-3 with a 4.41 ERA and had 71 strikeouts on the season.
Wake Forest's baseball resume has grown extensively over the past five years, but there is one puzzle that has yet to solved: a trip to Omaha for the College World Series. The Demon Deacons believe this year, in 2003 all the pieces are in place. The International Dairy Queen Corporation begins its first year as the title sponsor of the University's annual spring baseball tournament held at the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome. The tournament, which was established in 1985, has developed into one of the most competitive collegiate tournaments in the nation. In fact, in the 2003 Baseball America college preview, the magazine ranked the Dairy Queen Classic and the Kia Baseball Classic (Fulllerton, Calif.) as the top two collegiate baseball tournaments in the country. The tournament consistently draws the top teams in the nation to the Twin Cities and provides them with the opportunity to display their talents in a major league facility. Throughout its history the tournament has received outstanding support from the Twin Cities community through sponsorship. Companies like General Mills, Pillsbury, and Oscar Meyer have played a big part in the growth and success of the event.
Since its inception the tournament has grown considerably in many ways, and that growth would not have been possible without the support of its sponsors.
The 2003 event will feature its annual on-field clinic for youths ages 7 to 17 and their coaches. The clinic will be conducted by coaches and players participating in the competition. A very popular part of the tournament in the past, it provides an opportunity for today's college stars to give something back to the community.
Though Dairy Queen is the lead sponsor of the tournament, organizations like the Sheraton Hotel Minneapolis Metrodome, Rawling Baseballs, Lee Lines, Easton Sports and many others help make the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic possible each year.
This year's tournament features another strong field featuring two 2002 College World Series participants in Notre Dame and the University of Nebraska, along with Wake Forest who has been ranked as high as No. 7 in some of the preseason polls.
University of Minnesota
The Golden Gophers come off the heels of a 2002 season, which saw them win a second regular season title in three years but also had the disappointment of them missing out on the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota returns 2002 Tri-Big Ten Player of the Year Luke Appert, 2002 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year C.J. Woodrow and Scott Welch who won the 2002 conference batting title.
One of Minnesota's primary strength's heading into the season is an infield that features three seniors. The Golden Gophers are anchored up the middle by Appert who was a First-Team All-Big Ten second baseman and Welch who was First-Team All-Big Ten shortstop. Appert led the team with a .361 batting average last year and was named a Third-Team All-American, while Welch batted .398 in Big Ten play and was second on the team overall at .339. The other senior is first baseman David Roach, who batted .299 with 28 RBI, and was a steady presence at first base last year with only one error in 317 chances. Sophomore David Hrncirik is the only non-senior in the infield and mans the hot corner. In 2002, Hrncirik led all bench players with a .397 batting average and started 22 of the final 23 games at third base.
Minnesota lost two of its top three offensive outfielders in Jason Kennedy and Scott Howard. However, the Golden Gophers return Sam Steidl who batted .312 with 25 RBI and 19 stolen bases. Ben Pattee, who was third on the team in batting average at .332, will make the defensive move from third base to right field this season. Pattee tied for the most RBI last year of any returning player with 43. Steidl and Pattee were also both Third-Team All-Big Ten selections in 2002. Starting for Minnesota in centerfield will be redshirt freshman Tony Leseman. The switch hitting Leseman is a great all-around athlete who hit .333 with wood bats in the fall for the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota returns an abundance of experienced pitching to the staff for the 2003 season, including Woodrow who is the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and finished 2002 with a 6.3 to 1 strikeout ratio. Along with Woodrow, junior starters Craig Molldrem and Jay Gagner will anchor an experienced staff. Molldrem was 5-4 with a 4.67 ERA, a shutout and was second on the team in strikeouts with 56. Gagner, had offseason surgery to fix some of the arm troubles that plagued him last year. However, he was still 4-0 with a 4.58 ERA.
The coaching staff was encouraged by the way sophomore Matt Loberg ended the 2002 season. Loberg was 4-3 pitching primarily out of relief, but did make three starts. He also picked up the win in relief for the Golden Gophers, which clinched the Big Ten regular season title on the final day of the season with an 8-5 win against Ohio State in Columbus. Freshman lefty Brian Bull who hails from high school baseball powerhouse Creighton Prep in Omaha, Neb. will also be a starting rotation candidate.
Minnesota returns virtually all of its relief corp from the 2002 season. Leading the way are Jeff Moen and Tim Theis who tied for the team lead in appearances with 16 last season. Senior Nick McCauley had a 4.61 ERA and led the team with three saves. The Golden Gophers also return Dan Anderson who was 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA and picked up his first collegiate win in the Big Ten Tournament over Northwestern. Redshirt freshman Glen Perkins is a solid lefthanded pitcher who will get opportunities in relief for Minnesota. Reid Mahon and Nate Broehm are also a pair of experienced pitchers for the Golden Gophers. Freshmen lefthanders Andy Peters</ a> and Bill Johnson will compete for spots on Minnesota's pitching staff. Junior walk-on Jonathon Holt will get some appearances in relief for the Golden Gophers this season.
Heading into the 2003 season, Minnesota looks to recapture a Big Ten crown and make a return back to the NCAA Tournament. The hunger from a one-year absence from the NCAA Tournament and a very deep and experienced team should go a long way towards helping the Golden Gophers re-establish themselves as an NCAA team.
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers enter the 2003 season on the heels of back-to-back appearances in the College World Series (in 2001 and 2002). Nebraska head coach Mike Anderson enters his first year at the helm with a team that returns six position starters and 10 pitchers.
Leading the way offensively for Nebraska is Jeff Liese who was a 2002 First-Team All-American that batted .371 with 12 home runs, 51 RBI and 25 stolen bases. The Cornhuskers also return junior catcher John Grose who led the team in batting average in 2002 at .384. Grose had four home runs and 38 RBI on the season. Matt Hopper, who was a First-Team All-American in 2001, also returns for the Cornhuskers. Hopper batted .309 with nine home runs and 49 RBI in 2002.
The pitching staff is led by junior lefthander Aaron Marsden, who earned 2002 First-Team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore. Marsden went 8-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 2002. Nebraska also returns Jamie Rodrigue who went 7-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 2002. The Cornhuskers also have a pair of Honorable Mention Freshman All-Americans returning to the staff in Brian Duensing and Paul Shirek.
Nebraska has won an astounding 97 games over the past two seasons. The Cornhuskers enter the 2003 season as a program that has continued to establish itself as a national power. With the a good mix of experience and talent returning to the squad, Nebraska has a chance to be in the mix again when it comes time for the College World Series.
Notre Dame
When Paul Maineri inherited an emerging national baseball power in the fall of 1994, his infectious spirit and love for the game could not hold him back. He dared to dream big about the goals of the Notre Dame program and set out to prove to the college baseball world that a northern school could compete regularly on a national scale.
Nearly a decade later, as the Irish embark on the ninth season of the Manieri era, the Notre Dame baseball program truly has made a name for itself. A regular contender for the Big East Conference title and an NCAA tournament participant three times in Manieri's first six seasons, the Irish took things to another level in 2001 (earning the program's first No. 1 national ranking en route to the a 49-win season) before continuing the climb in 2002, when the postseason celebrations included winning a Super-Regional series at top-ranked Florida State that sent Notre Dame to the College World Series for the first time since 1957.
On offense Notre Dame is led by second baseman Steve Sollman who batted .362 last year with 47 RBI on the season. Rightfielder Kris Billmaier also returns after batting .313 and knocking in 41 RBI last season. At shortstop Notre Dame brings Third-Team Baseball America Preseason All-American into the fold. Macri, who was a 17th round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins in 2001, will be in his first season as the Fighting Irish's full-time shortstop.
Notre Dame returns a pair of nine game winners from last year in Grant Johnson and J.P. Gagne. Gagne who returns to his homestate of Minnesota for the Dairy Queen Classic, went 9-4 with a team-leading six saves in 2002. Johnson was 9-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 86 strikeouts as a freshman in 2002. Peter Ogilivie also was 7-5 with a 4.65 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 2002.
With Manieri holding the bar that sets the standards for the program, don't expect the Irish to stop fighting for more high-level success in 2003. The Irish return the bulk of their pitching staff that finished 13th in the nation for team ERA (3.57), while four of the nine starters return for the clutch-hitting offense.
Wake Forest
Entering the spring, it would appear that all the pieces of the puzzle are in place for Wake Forest to make a run for its fourth ACC Championship in six years, an unprecedented sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a trip to the College World Series in Omaha.
If the ingredients for a championship baseball team are experience, starting pitching, defense up the middle, team speed, the ability to get on base and hit home runs, then Wake Forest has that mixture in place.
The Demon Deacons are a team that has been together for a while now. In fact all nine starters and 11 pitchers return from a team that finished 47-13-1 last season and ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.
Wake Forest returns two All-Americans in center fielder Adam Bourassa and right fielder Ryan Johnson. In 2002, Bourassa had one of the best seasons in Wake Forest history batting .412 with two homers, 41 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Bourassa, who is from Apple Valley, Minn, started all 61 games as the team's leadoff hitter and became just the third player in school history to reach the 100 hit plateau. Johnson, who was Second-Team All-American, became an everyday player and unveiled his power with 13 home runs and 77 RBI.
Third baseman Jamie D'Antona is a Third-Team Baseball American Preseason All-American. D'Antona batted .336, had 20 home runs and 83 RBI last season and has a chance to become the school's all-time leader in home runs and RBI this season as a junior.
Any discussion about Wake Forest pitching begins with First-Team Baseball America Preseason All-American Kyle Sleeth. Sleeth had the best season of any Deacon pitcher in history as a sophomore. He posted a 14-0 record with a 2.97 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 113 innings. He won his final 10 starts before shining for Team USA this past summer. Wake Forest also returns Tim Morley who was 6-3 with a 4.41 ERA and had 71 strikeouts on the season.
Wake Forest's baseball resume has grown extensively over the past five years, but there is one puzzle that has yet to solved: a trip to Omaha for the College World Series. The Demon Deacons believe this year, in 2003 all the pieces are in place.
