University of Minnesota Athletics
2006 Season Outlook
2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Minnesota returns 20 letterwinners from a hungry group of players who are determined to recapture the annual goals of contending for a Big Ten title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Joining the group of returning players is a talented group of newcomers and redshirt players ready to prove themselves.
“We are always disappointed when we come up short of winning the Big Ten title since it is an annual goal within our program,” said Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson. “I think injuries and inconsistency played a big part in how our regular-season went last year. At this level I have always said you need to be injury free to succeed, and you need some bounces go your way. We had a lot of untimely injuries last year, which forced us to plug in some inexperienced players in some important roles throughout the season. We have also had a pretty good run the last seven or eight years where we have had some good breaks at times to help us. Last year, it seemed like we just could not get things to go our way. I do think the positives that we drew out of the season was our performance in the Big Ten Tournament and the fact that some younger players stepped in and gained some valuable experience heading into this season. I think the Big Ten Tournament run gave us some confidence and showed us more of what Minnesota baseball is all about.”
Minnesota returns a good core group of experienced players to this year’s team, including four players who have been named All-Big Ten at some point in the past two seasons. Andy Hunter was named Third-Team All-Big Ten last season, and has garnered all- conference honors (1st team in 2004 & 2nd team in 2003) in all three of his seasons as a Golden Gopher. John Gaub also received Third-Team All-Big Ten honors for Minnesota as a reliever in 2005. Mike Mee received Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2004, while Luke MacLean was named Third-Team All-Big Ten that same season.
Hunter tied for the team lead in home runs and led Minnesota in RBI in 2005. He also led the team in Big Ten batting average last season. Mee tied for the team lead in home runs and joined Hunter as one of five Golden Gophers to be named to the Big Ten All- Tournament team. Joe Maciej joined Hunter and Mee on the team as he burst onto the scene for Minnesota with two home runs, six RBI, seven runs and a .550 average in the Big Ten Tournament.
“I think we have a good core of players returning to the team from last year,” said Anderson. “I am also very excited about the young talent we have coming into our team this year. There are going to be a lot of battles for positions and our new players are going to push the returnees to get better. The newcomers and redshirts that will be battling for spots on the team bring with them a lot of speed and athleticism. That will give us a lot of options heading into this season.”
Despite the loss of Matt Loberg and Josh Krogman, Minnesota returns five of the seven pitchers that made starts in Big Ten play. The Golden Gophers will rely heavily on the junior trio of Cole DeVries, Josh Oslin and Gaub. Gaub enters the season with a 1.99 ERA in 38 career appearances with a 4-2 career record and nine saves. He has also averaged 14.50 strikeouts per nine innings in his career.
DeVries made a start in all eight Big Ten series and was 3-3 with a 4.27 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 46.1 innings in conference play. Oslin, who was a 28th round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins out of high school, had 25 strikeouts in 34 innings of work and was third on the team with nine starts in 2005.
“When we recruited those three pitchers we knew that this would be the year that they would need to step up and give us strong seasons,” said Anderson. “This is a big year for all three of them, because of the expectations within the program on them and secondly because it is the first year they are eligible to be drafted. The quality of our starting pitching will probably be tied to all three of our junior pitchers. If they do not deliver then it leaves a hole for us and we will need a younger, less-experienced player to pick up the slack. It is usually easier to be successful when your experienced players are the ones who step and deliver quality seasons, and all three of those juniors are capable of doing so this year.”
Heading into the 2006 season, the Golden Gophers have some retooling to do on the left side of their infield. Minnesota will have to replace David Hrncirik and Matt Fornasiere at third base and shortstop respectively. Minnesota does return Andy Hunter who started 60 games at first base for the Golden Gophers in 2005. Mee and redshirt freshman Gary Jost could also see time at first base as well if Hunter slides behind the plate for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers also return Jeremy Chlan who made 42 starts at second base last year, while MacLean split time starting in the outfield and at second base.
Hunter enters the season with a career .371 average in Big Ten play, a .345 overall average and is 10th on Minnesota’s career RBI list with 157. MacLean brings a career .316 batting average into his senior season. Last year, he finished sixth in the Big Ten with a .442 on- base percentage in conference play. Chlan played in 48 games for the Golden Gophers as a freshman and had a .957 fielding percentage playing primarily second base.
Mee enters 2006 with the sixth-best RBI total by a Golden Gopher in the first two years with the program at 95. He has batted .301 in his first two seasons with the Golden Gophers with 99 runs. Jost, who is the son of former Golden Gopher Gary Jost, redshirted his freshman season after being named All-State in 2003 and 2004 with Tartan High School.
“We have a lot of options in the infield heading into the season,” said Anderson. “We have a lot of experience returning on the right side with Andy (Hunter), Luke (MacLean) and Jeremy (Chlan), along with the possibility of Mike (Mee) playing first at times as well. We also feel confident that Bryan (Jost) can step in and play first base when needed as well. All three of our options at first base give us potent bats in our lineup, and Hunter and Mee have a lot of experience at first base in the field. Chlan showed us what he could do in the field last year at second base, and he has made huge strides in his hitting after what we saw of him in fall camp. MacLean gives us an experienced player with a lot of speed who can play in the outfield or second when needed.”
Minnesota will look to Dan Lyons to replace Fornasiere at shortstop. Lyons was a NJCAA First-Team All-American for Iowa Central in 2005. Lyons batted .435 with 88 runs, 13 home runs, 27 stolen bases, 48 RBI and had a .538 on-base percentage for Iowa Central. Nate Hanson will give the Golden Gophers depth in the infield, and could possibly challenge for a starting job. Hanson, who played shortstop in high school, was named All- State at Eden Prairie High School where he led his team to a state championship in 2004.
The Golden Gophers will look to Maciej to fill the hole at third base left by Hrncirik. Maciej batted .432 with three home runs, 11 RBI and 11 runs in limited at-bats as a redshirt freshman in 2005. He seized his opportunity in the Big Ten Tournament when Fornasiere was injured for the first three games, as he took over as one of Minnesota’s top performers throughout tournament. Maciej also provided one of the most memorable moments of 2005 for the Golden Gophers when he hit a walkoff homer in the first championship game against Ohio State to force an elimination game between the two teams the next day.
Sophomore Tom Steidl will also provide the Golden Gophers with a utility player who will be available to play all the infield or outfield spots for Minnesota. Steidl, who is the younger brother of former Golden Gopher Sam Steidl, will enter his third year with the program.
“We have big shoes to fill on the left side of the infield with the departures of David (Hrncirik) and Matt (Fornasiere). However, I feel very good about the players we have at those positions heading into the season. Dan (Lyons) is a very talented player who can make things happen in so many different aspects of the game. He has already given us a lot to get excited about by the way he blended in with the team right away in fall camp. Joe (Maciej) showed us he was capable of handling pressure in a big spot with the way he played in last year’s Big Ten Tournament. We have confidence that he can step right in at third base and give us a good defensive presence as well as being an offensive threat. Nate (Hanson) is an extremely talented freshman who will push for a starting job. He will get opportunities to fill in at second, shortstop and third base and will give us a strong utility player if he does not win starting a spot.”
Despite the departure of the left side of the infield from last year’s team, the Golden Gophers feel confident that with a blend of newcomers and veterans they have a lot of good options.
“I was pleasantly surprised with how well our infield played in the fall,” said Anderson. “We executed well and really did not miss a beat defensively, despite having newcomers to the Division I level. If that transfers into the regular season we will have a strong infield this season.”
Minnesota will also look to fill a void left by Jake Elder, who made 134 starts at catcher over the last three years. Elder, who was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2005 Major League Draft after graduating from Minnesota, was the Golden Gophers hottest hitter down the stretch last season batting .443 in May with 18 RBI.
Kevin Carlson is the Golden Gophers most experienced returning catcher. Carlson played in 50 games last year, batting .312 with two home runs, eight doubles and 18 RBI. He started eight games behind the plate and was one of the Golden Gophers primary starters at designated hitter against left-handed pitchers.
Minnesota will also give John Arlt, Chris Herbert and Jeff DeSmidt chances at catcher. Arlt was converted back to catcher last year, and played in 25 games for the Golden Gophers. He batted .250 with six RBI and six runs in 2005. DeSmidt played in 22 games and batted .250 in 44 at-bats. He also made three starts at catcher in 2005. Herbert was redshirted, but was a two-time All-State selection at White Bear Lake High School.
The Golden Gophers could also call on Hunter to play catcher as well. Despite the fact that Hunter has played first base the last two seasons, he did make 10 starts at the catcher position in his freshman season in 2003 and played the position throughout high school.
“The catcher position is wide open going into the season,” said Anderson. “Kevin (Carlson) has the most experience, but he will have a lot of competition for the job in John (Arlt), Chris (Herbert) and Jeff (DeSmidt). John has worked on catching a lot since he moved back behind the plate last year. We got Jeff some time behind the plate last year in midweek games and he continues to get better, while Chris is a very talented athlete who just needs the experience to improve at the college level. There might also be some times where Andy (Hunter) goes behind the plate. He played catcher in his freshman season and has a good arm. We would feel comfortable sticking him back there as well.”
Heading into the 2006 season, Minnesota’s strongest area of depth is the outfield. The Golden Gophers return all of their outfielders who saw significant playing time last year. Minnesota will also add several young players in the mix who will be given the shot to claim starting positions heading into the season.
Minnesota’s most experienced outfielder heading into the season is senior Tony Leseman. Leseman enters the season having played in 178 games as a Golden Gopher. Last year, he batted .287 with 34 runs, three home runs and 27 RBI. Leseman gives the Golden Gophers a quick athletic outfielder who can play both center field or left field.
The Golden Gophers also have MacLean and Mee who can play in the outfield, along with splitting time at other positions. Last season, Mee played in the outfield for the first time since high school and responded by making a smooth adjustment to the new spot defensively. Mee started 47 games in right field and 11 games in leftfield. MacLean also made 35 starts in left field and could see time there again this season.
Minnesota also got contributions in the outfield from Taylor VanderAarde and Sean Kommerstad in 2005. VanderAarde took advantage of his first opportunity to play last year by finishing second on the team in stolen bases with 12, and also tallied 19 runs for the Golden Gophers. Kommerstad made 14 starts in right field and gained confidence this past offseason through working on his hitting approach with the Golden Gopher coaching staff.
Aaron Larson also returns for Minnesota after batting .263 with six runs and four RBI in 21 games as a redshirt freshman last year.
Joining the fray for Minnesota are three outfielders who sat out the 2005 season in Kyle Baran, Jost and Matt Nohelty. Baran came to Minnesota from Iowa Central Community College, where he was teammates with Lyons in 2004. He was named to the NJCAA All- Region team after batting .344 with six home runs, a team-high 45 RBI and 28 runs. Nohelty joined the team as a walk-on and redshirted the 2005 season. He gained valuable experience in the Northwoods League this past summer, as he tied for second in the league with 81 hits, and batted .318 with 35 runs, 33 RBI, eight doubles and 14 stolen bases.
Minnesota also added walk-on outfielder Tijl Vanderwege, who played for Bellevue University in 2004 and Sauk Rapids Junior College in 2003. He was named the Pioneer Press Metro Player of the Year in 2002 as a high school senior at Como Park.
“There will be a lot of competition for starting spots in the outfield this season,” said Anderson. “We bring back all three starters (Leseman, MacLean, Mee) from last year in the outfield, but we also have three players in Kyle (Baran), Matt (Nohelty) and Bryan (Jost) who will all have a chance to push for a chance at a starting spot. Taylor (VanderAarde), Sean (Kommerstad) and Aaron (Larson) are also experienced players in our program who will get opportunities for us as well. We will be forced to make some tough decisions in the outfield, but having this many talented players in our outfield gives us a lot of depth which is a good situation for to have.”
For the second straight season, Minnesota will have to put together a pitching staff without its ace from the previous season. The Golden Gophers lose Matt Loberg, who led the team in innings pitched (95.0), starts (14), complete games (3) and wins (8). However, Minnesota does return 10 pitchers from last year’s staff.
The Golden Gophers’ most experienced pitcher heading into the season is DeVries. DeVries was second on the team last year in strikeouts (57), second in innings pitched (77.2) and tied for the team lead with three complete games (3). Last season, he pitched primarily as Minnesota’s second starter in Big Ten play.
Minnesota also returns senior lefthander Brian Bull. Bull, who had primarily been a reliever throughout his career with the Golden Gopher, took over as a starter in Big Ten play in the third conference series of the year at Penn State. He responded in a big way going 4-2 with a 3.79 ERA in Big Ten play. Bull, who pitched a career-high 55.0 innings and walked just seven batters, can provide the Golden Gophers versatility as either a starter or reliever depending upon the Minnesota’s needs.
The Golden Gophers also bring back three other pitchers that made starts in Big Ten play for them in Oslin, Dustin Brabender and Marcus McKenzie. Oslin was second on the team with nine starts in 2005. The coaching staff enters the 2006 season very optimistic about Oslin, after having its first offseason where they were able to adjust some of his mechanics to help him improve.
Brabender tied for third on the team in Big Ten starts with five as a true freshman. He gave the Golden Gophers the most starts by a true freshman since 2002 and pitched the most innings (35.2) by a true freshman since 2003. McKenzie, who transferred last year from New Orleans, went 3-2 with a 5.70 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. McKenzie made six starts on the season for the Golden Gophers, including an important start in a win against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament.
Minnesota also brings back a big part of its bullpen that had a 2.68 ERA in 90.2 innings of Big Ten play in Gaub and senior Andy Peters. Peters was 5-1 with a 3.47 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 36.1 innings for the Golden Gophers in 2005. He was even better in Big Ten play where he was 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 20 innings of work. Peters also played a big part in Minnesota’s success in the Big Ten Tournament, as he became only the fifth pitcher to win two games in the tournament. He joined Denny Neagle, who accomplished the feat in 1988, as one of two Minnesota pitchers to claim two wins in the Big Ten Tournament.
Gaub, who tied Minnesota’s record for saves in a Big Ten season with seven, developed a changeup to give him a three-pitcher arsenal and will get a chance to be a starter this season for the Golden Gophers. Last year he had 65 strikeouts in 39.0 innings and limited opponents to a .176 batting average.
Minnesota also returns Gary Perinar, Reid Mahon and Bill Johnson from last year’s team. Perinar went 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 20.0 innings pitched as true freshman. He will get a chance to either challenge for a starting spot or pitch out of the bullpen after limiting opponents to just a .167 batting average last year.
Mahon returns for his senior season after making four appearances for the Golden Gophers last year as a junior. Minnesota, who has a history of getting good years out of its senior pitchers, will look to Mahon to contribute leadership and will give him a chance to win a spot on the pitching staff. Johnson was 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in just four appearances for the Golden Gophers. He will provide Minnesota with lefthanded depth in the bullpen.
“It is my experience that to have a good season you must get good seasons out of your experienced pitchers,” said Anderson. “I think our group of seniors and juniors are primed to have strong seasons for us this year. We also like some of the younger arms we have on our team. Gary (Perinar) and Dustin (Brabender) got a lot of experience as true freshman last year and that should help them out going into this season.”
Minnesota welcomes three new pitchers to the program in Kyle Carr, Chuck Lukanen and Tyler Oakes. Carr, who was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 31st round of the Major League Draft out of high school in 2005, is a very talented athlete out of Linton, N.D. who has a chance to contribute to the pitching staff right away. Carr is a 6-5 lefthanded pitcher who has the foundation to become an excellent three-pitch pitcher for the Golden Gophers.
Lukanen is an All-State pitcher out of Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn. who was named to the All-State team last year. He is very polished for a freshman and does a good job of setting hitters up. Oakes, who is the son of Minnesota Pitching Coach Todd Oakes, is a talented athlete who was named the Minnesota Class 2A Player of the Year in 2005. Oakes has been complimented by the coaching staff for having a great mound presence, and could have a chance to contribute right away to the program based on a strong fall campaign.
“The three pitchers that we are bringing into the program are all very advanced for their age and have a strong mound presence about them,” said Anderson. “All three of them looked good in the fall and will get a chance to contribute right away. There will be a lot of competition for spots in our pitching staff this season.”
Minnesota continues its annual tradition of playing some of the best teams in the nation as it opens up at 2005 NCAA Super Regional participant Florida State in a three-game series on Feb. 24-26. The Golden Gophers will then host the 22nd annual Dairy Queen Classic on Mar. 3-5. Minnesota will open with 2005 NCAA Regional participant Arizona on Mar. 3, followed by the Golden Gophers facing 2005 NCAA Regional participant Notre Dame on Mar. 4 and finishing up the Dairy Queen Classic against 2005 College World Series participant Nebraska on Mar. 5.
The Golden Gophers will then host a four-team tournament at the Metrodome on Mar. 10 -12 that includes Vermont, Illinois State and Ball State. Minnesota will face Vermont on Mar. 10, Ball State on Mar. 11 and Illinois State on Mar. 12.
Following the tournament, the Golden Gophers will play eight straight games on the road. Minnesota starts a five-game road trip to Louisiana against New Orleans on Mar. 14 and then against 2005 NCAA Regional participant Southern on Mar. 15. The Golden Gophers will close out the Louisiana trip with a three-game series against 2005 NCAA Regional participant Louisiana-Lafayette on Mar. 17-19. Minnesota will finish its eight-game road trip at Missouri State on Mar. 24-26.
“We always like to put together a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare ourselves for Big Ten play,” said Anderson. “I think we have done so again this year. We have three very challenging three-game series against strong non-conference opponents and host Dairy Queen Classic, which has a very strong field this year. We also host another tournament the following week against a solid group of opponents. We feel that this schedule will help us find our strengths and weaknesses early in the season and will prepare us to compete at a high level in Big Ten play.”
For the first time in school history the Golden Gophers will play their entire conference schedule in the Metrodome. Minnesota opens Big Ten play at the Metrodome with back- to-back home series against Penn State (Mar. 31-Apr. 2) and Michigan (Apr. 7-9). The Golden Gophers will play their first Big Ten road series at Iowa on Apr. 14-16.
Minnesota will then play its first Big Ten series against Michigan State since 2003 in East Lansing on Apr. 21-23. The Golden Gophers also play Illinois (Apr. 28-30) in a home series at the Metrodome, as well as playing road series at Northwestern (May 5-7) and Ohio State (May 12-14). Minnesota wraps up Big Ten play against Indiana on May 19-21.
“The Big Ten continues to get better and better every year,” said Anderson. “Throughout the last two or three years institutions having starting committing more resources to the programs in the conference. This has helped the level of competition rise, which was reflected in a very tight conference race last year. I expect a very similar season this year.”
Last season, the Golden Gophers feel as if they put their best foot forward when it counted the most in the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota will try to use the positive feeling from that tournament and combine it with the hunger to get back to the NCAA Tournament to make a run at its annual goal of winning the Big Ten. Last year, interrupted a string of five straight years that the Golden Gophers had won either a Big Ten regular-season or conference tournament championship, and this group is determined to get that back on track this season. The Minnesota baseball program enters the 2006 season eager to build off the late season momentum that came from a strong run in last year’s Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota survived an inconsistent and injury-plagued 2005 regular-season campaign to become the first No. 6 seed in conference history to play for a Big Ten Tournament championship. The Golden Gophers finished just one game short of their annual goal of playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota returns 20 letterwinners from a hungry group of players who are determined to recapture the annual goals of contending for a Big Ten title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Joining the group of returning players is a talented group of newcomers and redshirt players ready to prove themselves.
“We are always disappointed when we come up short of winning the Big Ten title since it is an annual goal within our program,” said Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson. “I think injuries and inconsistency played a big part in how our regular-season went last year. At this level I have always said you need to be injury free to succeed, and you need some bounces go your way. We had a lot of untimely injuries last year, which forced us to plug in some inexperienced players in some important roles throughout the season. We have also had a pretty good run the last seven or eight years where we have had some good breaks at times to help us. Last year, it seemed like we just could not get things to go our way. I do think the positives that we drew out of the season was our performance in the Big Ten Tournament and the fact that some younger players stepped in and gained some valuable experience heading into this season. I think the Big Ten Tournament run gave us some confidence and showed us more of what Minnesota baseball is all about.”
Minnesota returns a good core group of experienced players to this year’s team, including four players who have been named All-Big Ten at some point in the past two seasons. Andy Hunter was named Third-Team All-Big Ten last season, and has garnered all- conference honors (1st team in 2004 & 2nd team in 2003) in all three of his seasons as a Golden Gopher. John Gaub also received Third-Team All-Big Ten honors for Minnesota as a reliever in 2005. Mike Mee received Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2004, while Luke MacLean was named Third-Team All-Big Ten that same season.
Hunter tied for the team lead in home runs and led Minnesota in RBI in 2005. He also led the team in Big Ten batting average last season. Mee tied for the team lead in home runs and joined Hunter as one of five Golden Gophers to be named to the Big Ten All- Tournament team. Joe Maciej joined Hunter and Mee on the team as he burst onto the scene for Minnesota with two home runs, six RBI, seven runs and a .550 average in the Big Ten Tournament.
“I think we have a good core of players returning to the team from last year,” said Anderson. “I am also very excited about the young talent we have coming into our team this year. There are going to be a lot of battles for positions and our new players are going to push the returnees to get better. The newcomers and redshirts that will be battling for spots on the team bring with them a lot of speed and athleticism. That will give us a lot of options heading into this season.”
Despite the loss of Matt Loberg and Josh Krogman, Minnesota returns five of the seven pitchers that made starts in Big Ten play. The Golden Gophers will rely heavily on the junior trio of Cole DeVries, Josh Oslin and Gaub. Gaub enters the season with a 1.99 ERA in 38 career appearances with a 4-2 career record and nine saves. He has also averaged 14.50 strikeouts per nine innings in his career.
DeVries made a start in all eight Big Ten series and was 3-3 with a 4.27 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 46.1 innings in conference play. Oslin, who was a 28th round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins out of high school, had 25 strikeouts in 34 innings of work and was third on the team with nine starts in 2005.
“When we recruited those three pitchers we knew that this would be the year that they would need to step up and give us strong seasons,” said Anderson. “This is a big year for all three of them, because of the expectations within the program on them and secondly because it is the first year they are eligible to be drafted. The quality of our starting pitching will probably be tied to all three of our junior pitchers. If they do not deliver then it leaves a hole for us and we will need a younger, less-experienced player to pick up the slack. It is usually easier to be successful when your experienced players are the ones who step and deliver quality seasons, and all three of those juniors are capable of doing so this year.”
Heading into the 2006 season, the Golden Gophers have some retooling to do on the left side of their infield. Minnesota will have to replace David Hrncirik and Matt Fornasiere at third base and shortstop respectively. Minnesota does return Andy Hunter who started 60 games at first base for the Golden Gophers in 2005. Mee and redshirt freshman Gary Jost could also see time at first base as well if Hunter slides behind the plate for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers also return Jeremy Chlan who made 42 starts at second base last year, while MacLean split time starting in the outfield and at second base.
Hunter enters the season with a career .371 average in Big Ten play, a .345 overall average and is 10th on Minnesota’s career RBI list with 157. MacLean brings a career .316 batting average into his senior season. Last year, he finished sixth in the Big Ten with a .442 on- base percentage in conference play. Chlan played in 48 games for the Golden Gophers as a freshman and had a .957 fielding percentage playing primarily second base.
Mee enters 2006 with the sixth-best RBI total by a Golden Gopher in the first two years with the program at 95. He has batted .301 in his first two seasons with the Golden Gophers with 99 runs. Jost, who is the son of former Golden Gopher Gary Jost, redshirted his freshman season after being named All-State in 2003 and 2004 with Tartan High School.
“We have a lot of options in the infield heading into the season,” said Anderson. “We have a lot of experience returning on the right side with Andy (Hunter), Luke (MacLean) and Jeremy (Chlan), along with the possibility of Mike (Mee) playing first at times as well. We also feel confident that Bryan (Jost) can step in and play first base when needed as well. All three of our options at first base give us potent bats in our lineup, and Hunter and Mee have a lot of experience at first base in the field. Chlan showed us what he could do in the field last year at second base, and he has made huge strides in his hitting after what we saw of him in fall camp. MacLean gives us an experienced player with a lot of speed who can play in the outfield or second when needed.”
Minnesota will look to Dan Lyons to replace Fornasiere at shortstop. Lyons was a NJCAA First-Team All-American for Iowa Central in 2005. Lyons batted .435 with 88 runs, 13 home runs, 27 stolen bases, 48 RBI and had a .538 on-base percentage for Iowa Central. Nate Hanson will give the Golden Gophers depth in the infield, and could possibly challenge for a starting job. Hanson, who played shortstop in high school, was named All- State at Eden Prairie High School where he led his team to a state championship in 2004.
The Golden Gophers will look to Maciej to fill the hole at third base left by Hrncirik. Maciej batted .432 with three home runs, 11 RBI and 11 runs in limited at-bats as a redshirt freshman in 2005. He seized his opportunity in the Big Ten Tournament when Fornasiere was injured for the first three games, as he took over as one of Minnesota’s top performers throughout tournament. Maciej also provided one of the most memorable moments of 2005 for the Golden Gophers when he hit a walkoff homer in the first championship game against Ohio State to force an elimination game between the two teams the next day.
Sophomore Tom Steidl will also provide the Golden Gophers with a utility player who will be available to play all the infield or outfield spots for Minnesota. Steidl, who is the younger brother of former Golden Gopher Sam Steidl, will enter his third year with the program.
“We have big shoes to fill on the left side of the infield with the departures of David (Hrncirik) and Matt (Fornasiere). However, I feel very good about the players we have at those positions heading into the season. Dan (Lyons) is a very talented player who can make things happen in so many different aspects of the game. He has already given us a lot to get excited about by the way he blended in with the team right away in fall camp. Joe (Maciej) showed us he was capable of handling pressure in a big spot with the way he played in last year’s Big Ten Tournament. We have confidence that he can step right in at third base and give us a good defensive presence as well as being an offensive threat. Nate (Hanson) is an extremely talented freshman who will push for a starting job. He will get opportunities to fill in at second, shortstop and third base and will give us a strong utility player if he does not win starting a spot.”
Despite the departure of the left side of the infield from last year’s team, the Golden Gophers feel confident that with a blend of newcomers and veterans they have a lot of good options.
“I was pleasantly surprised with how well our infield played in the fall,” said Anderson. “We executed well and really did not miss a beat defensively, despite having newcomers to the Division I level. If that transfers into the regular season we will have a strong infield this season.”
Minnesota will also look to fill a void left by Jake Elder, who made 134 starts at catcher over the last three years. Elder, who was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2005 Major League Draft after graduating from Minnesota, was the Golden Gophers hottest hitter down the stretch last season batting .443 in May with 18 RBI.
Kevin Carlson is the Golden Gophers most experienced returning catcher. Carlson played in 50 games last year, batting .312 with two home runs, eight doubles and 18 RBI. He started eight games behind the plate and was one of the Golden Gophers primary starters at designated hitter against left-handed pitchers.
Minnesota will also give John Arlt, Chris Herbert and Jeff DeSmidt chances at catcher. Arlt was converted back to catcher last year, and played in 25 games for the Golden Gophers. He batted .250 with six RBI and six runs in 2005. DeSmidt played in 22 games and batted .250 in 44 at-bats. He also made three starts at catcher in 2005. Herbert was redshirted, but was a two-time All-State selection at White Bear Lake High School.
The Golden Gophers could also call on Hunter to play catcher as well. Despite the fact that Hunter has played first base the last two seasons, he did make 10 starts at the catcher position in his freshman season in 2003 and played the position throughout high school.
“The catcher position is wide open going into the season,” said Anderson. “Kevin (Carlson) has the most experience, but he will have a lot of competition for the job in John (Arlt), Chris (Herbert) and Jeff (DeSmidt). John has worked on catching a lot since he moved back behind the plate last year. We got Jeff some time behind the plate last year in midweek games and he continues to get better, while Chris is a very talented athlete who just needs the experience to improve at the college level. There might also be some times where Andy (Hunter) goes behind the plate. He played catcher in his freshman season and has a good arm. We would feel comfortable sticking him back there as well.”
Heading into the 2006 season, Minnesota’s strongest area of depth is the outfield. The Golden Gophers return all of their outfielders who saw significant playing time last year. Minnesota will also add several young players in the mix who will be given the shot to claim starting positions heading into the season.
Minnesota’s most experienced outfielder heading into the season is senior Tony Leseman. Leseman enters the season having played in 178 games as a Golden Gopher. Last year, he batted .287 with 34 runs, three home runs and 27 RBI. Leseman gives the Golden Gophers a quick athletic outfielder who can play both center field or left field.
The Golden Gophers also have MacLean and Mee who can play in the outfield, along with splitting time at other positions. Last season, Mee played in the outfield for the first time since high school and responded by making a smooth adjustment to the new spot defensively. Mee started 47 games in right field and 11 games in leftfield. MacLean also made 35 starts in left field and could see time there again this season.
Minnesota also got contributions in the outfield from Taylor VanderAarde and Sean Kommerstad in 2005. VanderAarde took advantage of his first opportunity to play last year by finishing second on the team in stolen bases with 12, and also tallied 19 runs for the Golden Gophers. Kommerstad made 14 starts in right field and gained confidence this past offseason through working on his hitting approach with the Golden Gopher coaching staff.
Aaron Larson also returns for Minnesota after batting .263 with six runs and four RBI in 21 games as a redshirt freshman last year.
Joining the fray for Minnesota are three outfielders who sat out the 2005 season in Kyle Baran, Jost and Matt Nohelty. Baran came to Minnesota from Iowa Central Community College, where he was teammates with Lyons in 2004. He was named to the NJCAA All- Region team after batting .344 with six home runs, a team-high 45 RBI and 28 runs. Nohelty joined the team as a walk-on and redshirted the 2005 season. He gained valuable experience in the Northwoods League this past summer, as he tied for second in the league with 81 hits, and batted .318 with 35 runs, 33 RBI, eight doubles and 14 stolen bases.
Minnesota also added walk-on outfielder Tijl Vanderwege, who played for Bellevue University in 2004 and Sauk Rapids Junior College in 2003. He was named the Pioneer Press Metro Player of the Year in 2002 as a high school senior at Como Park.
“There will be a lot of competition for starting spots in the outfield this season,” said Anderson. “We bring back all three starters (Leseman, MacLean, Mee) from last year in the outfield, but we also have three players in Kyle (Baran), Matt (Nohelty) and Bryan (Jost) who will all have a chance to push for a chance at a starting spot. Taylor (VanderAarde), Sean (Kommerstad) and Aaron (Larson) are also experienced players in our program who will get opportunities for us as well. We will be forced to make some tough decisions in the outfield, but having this many talented players in our outfield gives us a lot of depth which is a good situation for to have.”
For the second straight season, Minnesota will have to put together a pitching staff without its ace from the previous season. The Golden Gophers lose Matt Loberg, who led the team in innings pitched (95.0), starts (14), complete games (3) and wins (8). However, Minnesota does return 10 pitchers from last year’s staff.
The Golden Gophers’ most experienced pitcher heading into the season is DeVries. DeVries was second on the team last year in strikeouts (57), second in innings pitched (77.2) and tied for the team lead with three complete games (3). Last season, he pitched primarily as Minnesota’s second starter in Big Ten play.
Minnesota also returns senior lefthander Brian Bull. Bull, who had primarily been a reliever throughout his career with the Golden Gopher, took over as a starter in Big Ten play in the third conference series of the year at Penn State. He responded in a big way going 4-2 with a 3.79 ERA in Big Ten play. Bull, who pitched a career-high 55.0 innings and walked just seven batters, can provide the Golden Gophers versatility as either a starter or reliever depending upon the Minnesota’s needs.
The Golden Gophers also bring back three other pitchers that made starts in Big Ten play for them in Oslin, Dustin Brabender and Marcus McKenzie. Oslin was second on the team with nine starts in 2005. The coaching staff enters the 2006 season very optimistic about Oslin, after having its first offseason where they were able to adjust some of his mechanics to help him improve.
Brabender tied for third on the team in Big Ten starts with five as a true freshman. He gave the Golden Gophers the most starts by a true freshman since 2002 and pitched the most innings (35.2) by a true freshman since 2003. McKenzie, who transferred last year from New Orleans, went 3-2 with a 5.70 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. McKenzie made six starts on the season for the Golden Gophers, including an important start in a win against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament.
Minnesota also brings back a big part of its bullpen that had a 2.68 ERA in 90.2 innings of Big Ten play in Gaub and senior Andy Peters. Peters was 5-1 with a 3.47 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 36.1 innings for the Golden Gophers in 2005. He was even better in Big Ten play where he was 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 20 innings of work. Peters also played a big part in Minnesota’s success in the Big Ten Tournament, as he became only the fifth pitcher to win two games in the tournament. He joined Denny Neagle, who accomplished the feat in 1988, as one of two Minnesota pitchers to claim two wins in the Big Ten Tournament.
Gaub, who tied Minnesota’s record for saves in a Big Ten season with seven, developed a changeup to give him a three-pitcher arsenal and will get a chance to be a starter this season for the Golden Gophers. Last year he had 65 strikeouts in 39.0 innings and limited opponents to a .176 batting average.
Minnesota also returns Gary Perinar, Reid Mahon and Bill Johnson from last year’s team. Perinar went 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 20.0 innings pitched as true freshman. He will get a chance to either challenge for a starting spot or pitch out of the bullpen after limiting opponents to just a .167 batting average last year.
Mahon returns for his senior season after making four appearances for the Golden Gophers last year as a junior. Minnesota, who has a history of getting good years out of its senior pitchers, will look to Mahon to contribute leadership and will give him a chance to win a spot on the pitching staff. Johnson was 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in just four appearances for the Golden Gophers. He will provide Minnesota with lefthanded depth in the bullpen.
“It is my experience that to have a good season you must get good seasons out of your experienced pitchers,” said Anderson. “I think our group of seniors and juniors are primed to have strong seasons for us this year. We also like some of the younger arms we have on our team. Gary (Perinar) and Dustin (Brabender) got a lot of experience as true freshman last year and that should help them out going into this season.”
Minnesota welcomes three new pitchers to the program in Kyle Carr, Chuck Lukanen and Tyler Oakes. Carr, who was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 31st round of the Major League Draft out of high school in 2005, is a very talented athlete out of Linton, N.D. who has a chance to contribute to the pitching staff right away. Carr is a 6-5 lefthanded pitcher who has the foundation to become an excellent three-pitch pitcher for the Golden Gophers.
Lukanen is an All-State pitcher out of Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn. who was named to the All-State team last year. He is very polished for a freshman and does a good job of setting hitters up. Oakes, who is the son of Minnesota Pitching Coach Todd Oakes, is a talented athlete who was named the Minnesota Class 2A Player of the Year in 2005. Oakes has been complimented by the coaching staff for having a great mound presence, and could have a chance to contribute right away to the program based on a strong fall campaign.
“The three pitchers that we are bringing into the program are all very advanced for their age and have a strong mound presence about them,” said Anderson. “All three of them looked good in the fall and will get a chance to contribute right away. There will be a lot of competition for spots in our pitching staff this season.”
Minnesota continues its annual tradition of playing some of the best teams in the nation as it opens up at 2005 NCAA Super Regional participant Florida State in a three-game series on Feb. 24-26. The Golden Gophers will then host the 22nd annual Dairy Queen Classic on Mar. 3-5. Minnesota will open with 2005 NCAA Regional participant Arizona on Mar. 3, followed by the Golden Gophers facing 2005 NCAA Regional participant Notre Dame on Mar. 4 and finishing up the Dairy Queen Classic against 2005 College World Series participant Nebraska on Mar. 5.
The Golden Gophers will then host a four-team tournament at the Metrodome on Mar. 10 -12 that includes Vermont, Illinois State and Ball State. Minnesota will face Vermont on Mar. 10, Ball State on Mar. 11 and Illinois State on Mar. 12.
Following the tournament, the Golden Gophers will play eight straight games on the road. Minnesota starts a five-game road trip to Louisiana against New Orleans on Mar. 14 and then against 2005 NCAA Regional participant Southern on Mar. 15. The Golden Gophers will close out the Louisiana trip with a three-game series against 2005 NCAA Regional participant Louisiana-Lafayette on Mar. 17-19. Minnesota will finish its eight-game road trip at Missouri State on Mar. 24-26.
“We always like to put together a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare ourselves for Big Ten play,” said Anderson. “I think we have done so again this year. We have three very challenging three-game series against strong non-conference opponents and host Dairy Queen Classic, which has a very strong field this year. We also host another tournament the following week against a solid group of opponents. We feel that this schedule will help us find our strengths and weaknesses early in the season and will prepare us to compete at a high level in Big Ten play.”
For the first time in school history the Golden Gophers will play their entire conference schedule in the Metrodome. Minnesota opens Big Ten play at the Metrodome with back- to-back home series against Penn State (Mar. 31-Apr. 2) and Michigan (Apr. 7-9). The Golden Gophers will play their first Big Ten road series at Iowa on Apr. 14-16.
Minnesota will then play its first Big Ten series against Michigan State since 2003 in East Lansing on Apr. 21-23. The Golden Gophers also play Illinois (Apr. 28-30) in a home series at the Metrodome, as well as playing road series at Northwestern (May 5-7) and Ohio State (May 12-14). Minnesota wraps up Big Ten play against Indiana on May 19-21.
“The Big Ten continues to get better and better every year,” said Anderson. “Throughout the last two or three years institutions having starting committing more resources to the programs in the conference. This has helped the level of competition rise, which was reflected in a very tight conference race last year. I expect a very similar season this year.”
Last season, the Golden Gophers feel as if they put their best foot forward when it counted the most in the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota will try to use the positive feeling from that tournament and combine it with the hunger to get back to the NCAA Tournament to make a run at its annual goal of winning the Big Ten. Last year, interrupted a string of five straight years that the Golden Gophers had won either a Big Ten regular-season or conference tournament championship, and this group is determined to get that back on track this season.
