University of Minnesota Athletics
BB: Minnesota Baseball Signs Four During Early Signing Period
11/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Hanson, is a 6-0, 175 pound infielder from Eden Prairie, Minn. He helped lead Eden Prairie High School to a Class 3A State Championship in 2004. Hanson also led the Eden Prairie Legion Team to the 2004 Legion World Series last summer. In his sophomore season, he was All-Conference and Second-Team All-Metro. Hanson was also named All-State, All-Metro and All- Conference in his junior season for Eden Prairie High School. In his junior season, Hanson batted .478, with 27 runs, five home runs and 27 RBI. He also showed incredible plate discipline, only striking out twice in 85 plate appearances. Hanson was also a two-time team MVP
Lukanen is a 5-10, 175 pound lefthanded pitcher from Apple Valley, Minn. He is a three-pitch strike thrower from Eastview High School. Lukanen had a big summer the Apple Valley Legion team going 12-0 in 2004. In his junior season, Lukanen was 5-4 with a 3.60 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 48 innings for Eastview High School.
Lyons is a 5-10, 170 pound infielder from Rochester, Minn. He comes to Minnesota as a sophomore from Iowa Central Community College where he was teammates with current Golden Gopher Kyle Baran. Last season Lyons led Iowa Central in runs at 53, was second in batting average at .382, was second in hits (55), tied for second in home runs with six and led the team in stolen bases with 14. This past summer he led the Northwoods League in stolen bases with 32 in 51 games. Lyons also led the Rochester Honkers of the Northwood's League in runs with 32 this past summer He was also an integral member of the Rochester A's Legion team that won the Legion World Series that summer in 2003.
Oakes is a 6-3, 200 pound righthanded pitcher from Jordan, Minn. He was a three-sport athlete at Jordan. Oakes also led the Jordan summer legion team to its first Minnesota state baseball tournament in 2004. He was 8-3 with a 1.62 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched in his junior season. Oakes was also 8-0 with a 0.93 ERA, and struck out 95 batters in 75 innings this past summer in Legion ball. He was 4-0 with a 0.37 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 38 innings in the Legion playoffs. Oakes was an All-Conference basketball and baseball player in his sophomore and junior seasons. Oakes was also the MVP of the team in his junior season. He is also the son of current Minnesota pitching coach Todd Oakes.
"Obviously we tried to look for people who are good matches for our program based in terms of our philosophy and the institution as a whole," said Minnesota Head Baseball Coach John Anderson. "I think all four of these young men are great matches for our program. We feel all four players will fill some anticipated needs in our program. We bring a talented junior college shortstop and a talented high school shortstop who will both make an impact in our program. Historically we have signed a lot of shortstops out of high school, and those players have panned out well for us whether it has been at shortstop or at another position."
"We also bring in one lefthanded pitcher and one righthanded pitcher. Our goal was to sign two pitchers this fall and we feel they both answer immediate needs. We are excited to bring in two more quality pitchers to the program. Both young men are great matches here. They wanted to join our program and should succeed both athletically and academically.
As a whole we are very pleased with the class. It is a small class, but we have had two straight large classes. By design we wanted to recruit quality this year and not quantity. We feel we have done a good job of that."
Recruit Pos. B-T Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Nate Hanson SS R-R 6-0 175 Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS) Chuck Lukanen LHP L-L 5-10 175 Apple Valley, Minn. (Eastview HS) Dan Lyons SS R-R 5-10 170 Rochester, Minn. (Rochester Century/Iowa Central CC) Tyler Oakes RHP R-R 6-3 200 Jordan, Minn. (Jordan HS)
Nate Hanson (on Coming to Minnesota) - "To sign a scholarship to play for a Division I institution was great. It was what I have always dreamed about since I started playing baseball as a kid. I am happy all my hard work paid off. I moved from California to Minnesota in fourth grade, and heard how great the University of Minnesota was. That kind of put it in my head that it was place I would like to play someday. I really liked the coaches and players when I visited, and that made it even easier to choose to play for the Golden Gopher baseball program."
Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson on Nate Hanson - "Nate was an outstanding hitter in high school. He was also a good high-school infielder who will only need repetition to become a very good all-around player for our program. His bat is his best tool coming out of high school. We think he will be a very effective Division I hitter, who at some point will hit in the middle of our lineup."
Dan Lyons (on Coming to Minnesota) - "I am real excited to be part of the Minnesota baseball program. The opportunity to play for the Golden Gopher baseball program is one that every Minnesota kid who plays baseball dreams about, and I am happy to have it come true. Last year the coaches asked me to take a visit to the school, and when I came up to the campus I fell in love with the school and the program."
Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson on Dan Lyons - "We think Dan can make an immediate impact for our program. He is an all-around player who is strong in every phase of the game. He is an action player that steals bases and runs very well. He can use his speed to make game- changing plays on both offense and defense. Whenever we watched him play he would always find a way to beat the other team, whether it was with the bat, on the basepaths or in the field. He is a very competitive player who has great instincts for the game. He will be an exciting player in a Gopher uniform, because he can impact that game in so many ways."
Chuck Lukanen (on Coming to Minnesota) - "Playing in high school in Minnesota there are a lot of players that talk about wanting to be part of the Golden Gopher program. I am very happy to be a part of it. I really like the coaching staff, and am looking forward to working with Pitching Coach Todd Oakes. When I visited you could see that there was a close bond between all the players, and the coaching staff. That fact, along with Minnesota being a quality academic institution was a big draw to me coming to play for the Golden Gopher baseball program."
Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson on Chuck Lukanen - "Chuck is a good lefthanded pitcher who possesses three pitches. He has great mound presence and is very competitive. Chuck is a very polished pitcher for his age. He has a good feel for how to set hitters up and get them out. We think he can be a factor on our team as a freshman and make an immediate impact. He really wanted to be a Golden Gopher and turned down some other pretty good offers from other schools to come here. I like how much he wants to be here, because those players seem to get the most out of their careers."
Tyler Oakes (on Coming to Minnesota) - "I am glad for the opportunity to play for the Golden Gophers next year. I am looking forward to being part of the rich tradition the Minnesota baseball program."
Minnesota Head Coach on Tyler Oakes - "We see Tyler as a guy who will get better and better every year he is with our program. He is a player with a lot of upside. Tyler is a physically gifted three-sport athlete who improved a lot over the summer. He is a three-pitch guy, with great command. As he gets more experience he will be a factor in our program."
