University of Minnesota Athletics
2009 Dairy Queen Classic Preview
2/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The International Dairy Queen Corporation enters its seventh year as the title sponsor of the University of Minnesota’s annual baseball tournament held at the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome.
The tournament, which was established in 1985, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and is one of the most competitive collegiate tournaments in the nation. In fact, the Dairy Queen Classic is consistently ranked as one of the top college tournaments in the nation. Every year, the tournament 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, Oscar Meyer, Hormel and Dairy Queen 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 2009 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 The Depot Minneapolis, Rawling Baseballs and many others help make the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic possible each year.
This year’s tournament features another strong field as all three of the participants will venture from a great distance to play in the 25th installment of Dairy Queen Classic. The longest trip will be made by Hawai’i to the Twin Cities, while UC Santa Barbara and Washington will also come from the West Coast to compete in this prestigious tournament.
Last year, Minnesota won the Dairy Queen Classic for the fifth time as it went 2-1 in a field that included Pepperdine, TCU and Tulane. The Golden Gophers defeated Pepperdine in the final game of the tournament to claim the championship through a head-to-head tiebreaker.
University of Minnesota
Minnesota brings back 17 letterwinners from last year’s team including several key position players. The Golden Gophers also return 12 pitchers who saw action last year. This season, Minnesota was picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten in the Baseball America College Preview. Minnesota did tie for the lead with the most preseason All-Conference players, as Eric Decker, Scott Matyas and Matt Nohelty were all named to the team.
Nohelty returns to the team this year after being selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 18th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. Last year, he became the first Big Ten outfielder to receive First-Team All-Conference honors in consecutive seasons since Sam Steidl did so in 2003-04. Nohelty, who is fourth on the Golden Gopher career batting average list at .377 entering 2009, is joined in the outfield by Decker and Michael Kvasnicka.
Decker, who was a First-Team All-Big Ten wide receiver this past football season, batted .329 with 42 runs, 28 RBI and nine stolen bases in his first season with the baseball program. He was selected as the No. 77 overall college draft prospect by Baseball America earlier this year. Kvasnicka finished third in extra-base hits for Minnesota as a true freshman, and batted .318 in the final month of the season. Senior Jon Hummel, sophomore Brooks Albrecht, redshirt freshman Trip Schultz and true freshmen Justin Gominsky and Sam Ryan round out an extremely deep and talented group of Golden Gopher infielders.
Minnesota brings back junior Derek McCallum in the infield this season. McCallum, who will make the move from shortstop to second base, enters the season with a .311 career batting average for Minnesota. In his freshman season, when he played exclusively at second base, McCallum batted .340. The rest of the infield will be rounded out by redshirt freshmen, as Nick O’Shea will start at first base, AJ Pettersen will be at shortstop and Kyle Geason will start at third base to begin the season. O’Shea and Pettersen, along with McCallum, are all coming off standout performances in the Northwoods League this summer. Geason also gained valuable experience in the New England Collegiate League this summer. Freshman Troy Larson will be a utility player for Minnesota, while Ryan could possibly see some time a third base.
One of the Golden Gophers’ deepest positions heading into the 2009 season is catcher. Junior Kyle Knudson enters the season as the favorite to start behind the plate. Knudson had 19 RBI and 16 runs last year, and is coming off a summer where he batted .275 with 22 runs and 22 RBI in the Northwoods League for the Mankato Moondogs. Kvasnicka and O’Shea each offer experienced options behind the plate for Minnesota, along with true freshman Kurt Schlangen who could also get a chance to play at catcher for Minnesota this season.
The Golden Gophers pitching staff is shaped mostly around three seniors and a large group of sophomores. Seniors Tom Buske and Chauncy Handran each look like they will be given an opportunity to be starting pitchers heading into the season. Buske has been Minnesota’s Friday starter for the better part of the last two seasons, making a combined 21 starts over the last two years. Handran is coming off a season that saw him gain a great deal of experience in his first year with the program, as he made 13 appearances for the Golden Gophers.
Sophomores Phil Isaksson (0-1, 1 SV, 5.09 ERA, .172 Opp. BA), Dustin Klabunde (10 App. And 5 starts) and Seth Rosin
(1-1, 2 SV, 4.34 ERA, 32 SO, 47.2 IP) are the sophomores who will probably get the first chance at being part of the starting rotation for Minnesota this season. Rosin’s 47.2 innings were the most throw by a Golden Gopher freshman since 2001.
Two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Scott Matyas (3-4, 2 SV, 4.45 ERA, 33 SO, 32.1 IP), Cullen Sexton (2-3, 2 SV, 5.09 ERA, .226 Opp. BA) and lefthander Luke Rasmussen (2-0, 1 Sv, 5.87 ERA) will likely continue their roles from their freshman season, as key pitchers out of the bullpen. Senior Tyler Oakes, whose 40 career appearances lead all returning players, could also play a key role out of the bullpen.
Freshman Austin Lubinsky who was 10-1 with a 1.24 ERA in his senior season in high school, and has been impressive in fall and spring camp for the Golden Gophers should figure into the pitching staff as well. He will be joined by junior Allen Bechstein and sophomore Tim Ryan who will also look to battle for spots on the pitching staff.
Minnesota has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in seven of the past 11 seasons, and is 164-101 in Big Ten play over the last nine seasons. The Golden Gophers will look to make a return to the NCAA Tournament this season, and will again aim for their preseason goal of finishing on top of the Big Ten.
The Golden Gophers went 2-1 in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, claiming victories over West Virginia (5-4) and Michigan State (7-2), while dropping the opener to Seton Hall (11-2). Minnesota was led by Kvasnicka who batted .417 (5-12) with four runs, a home run, four RBI and three doubles. Decker batted .538 (7-13) with three runs and a stolen base, while Pettersen batted .444 (4-9) with three runs, three RBI and two stolen bases. Nohelty had hits in all three games to move his hitting streak to 19 dating back to last year.
Buske pitched six innings, gave up three hits, two runs and struck out four to get a win against Michigan State, while Seth Rosin pitched four shutout innings against West Virginia in his start. Cullen Sexton picked up a win in relief against the Mountaineers, as he pitched 2.1 shutout innings.
Hawai’i
The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a season that saw them go 29-31, and finish tied for second in the WAC at 18-14. Hawai’i is coached by Mike Trapasso who is 223-190 entering his eighth season with the program.
Hawai’i is led by junior third baseman Vinnie Catricala who batted .280 with five home runs and 39 RBI last year. Sophomore second baseman Greg Garcia also batted .312 with 29 runs and 20 RBI in 2008, while outfielder Jeffrey Van Doornum was second on the team in RBI at 44, and batted .299 with 38 runs. Senior catcher Landon Hernandez batted .277 with five home runs and 30 RBI last season.
Pitching wise, the Rainbow Warriors are led by senior Jared Alexander who was 7-3 with a 3.27 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 82.2 innings last year. Hawai’i also brings back a pair of standout relievers in senior Jayson Kramer (1-1, 5 SV, 6.34 ERA, 30 SO, 44.0 IP, 27 App.) and sophomore lefthander Sam Spangler (1-3, 1 SV, 6.75 ERA, 17 SO, 21.1 IP, 21 App.).
Baseball America picked Hawai’i to finish third in the WAC this year. Hernandez, Alexander, sophomore reliever Josh Slaats and junior college transfer Christian Johnson were all named to the preseason All-Conference team.
The Rainbow Warriors went 1-3 in a four-game home series against UC Irvine. Hawai’i lost the first three games of the series (5-1, 5-4, 5-4), before winning the series finale 7-4. Catricala batted .500 (6-12) with four runs and three RBI, while Kevin McDonald knocked in five runs and three RBI. Johnson also hit the Rainbow Warriors’ only homer of the weekend and knocked in three runs.
Matt Sisto pitched seven innings, gave up five hits, two runs and struck out four batters. Harrison Kuroda and Sam Spangler each pitched three innings in relief without giving up a run.
UC Santa Barbara
The Gauchos are coming off a season that saw them go 35-21, and finish tied for third in the Big West at 14-10. UC Santa Barbara is coached by Bob Brontsema who is 406-400 in his 16th season with the program.
Senior shortstop Shane Carlson leads the way for the Gauchos after batting .349 with six home runs and 53 RBI in 2008. Senior outfielder Brian Gump led the team with 25 stolen bases, batted .315, scored 51 runs and had 36 RBI last year. UC Santa Barbara senior first baseman Eric Oliver also batted .315 with five home runs and 35 RBI in 2008, while senior infielder Robby Cummings was second on the team with nine home runs last year, batted .295 and knocked in 23 runs.
Pitching wise, UC Santa Barbara is led by junior righthander Mike Ford who went 6-4 with a 2.96 ERA and struck out 76 batters in 94.1 innings of work in 2008. Sophomore lefthander Mario Hollands went 7-3 with a 4.03 ERA last year and struck out 61 batters in 82.2 innings, while senior reliever Patrick McIntyre was 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA in 14 appearances.
The Gauchos were picked third in the preseason Big West in the Baseball America Preseason Magazine. Gump and Ford were also named to the preseason All-Conference team by Baseball America.
Minnesota is 2-0 against UC Santa Barbara in the all-time series. The Golden Gophers won in Santa Barbara against the Gauchos in 2007 by scores of 6-5 in 10 innings (3/13/07) and 12-5 (3/14/07). UC Santa Barbara opened the season with a 1-1 record when it lost to St. Louis (8-7) and defeated Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 22. Carlson went 4-for-9 with four runs, two home runs and four RBI. Gump was also 3-for-9 with two runs, a home run and two stolen bases. Hollands threw eight shutout innings against Cal State Bakesfield and struck out six batters.
Washington
The Huskies are coming off a 2008 season that saw them finish 33-22 and tied for fifth in the Pac-10 at 11-13 in conference play. Washington is coached by Ken Knutson who is 559-369-2 in his 17th season with the program.
Washington is led by junior outfielder Kyle Conley who batted .337 with 19 home runs and 57 RBI for Huskies in 2008. Junior third baseman Aaron Russell also batted .351 with 18 runs, while sophomore first baseman Troy Scott had a .260 average, seven home runs and 36 RBI last year. Junior outfielder Ty Rasmussen batted .291 with three home runs and 19 RBI in 2008.
Pitching wise, Washington is led by senior righthander Jordan Merry who is 8-2 with a 3.61 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched last year. Junior righthander Cam Nobles was 6-4 with a 3.74 ERA and struck out 57 batters in 67.1 innings in 2008, while Jason Erickson was 3-3 with a 3.55 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 45.2 innings of work last year.
Baseball America picked Washington to finish eighth in the Pac-10 in the preseason poll. Conley was also named to the preseason All-Conference team by Baseball America.
Washington is making its second appearance in the Dairy Queen Classic. The Huskies finished 2-1 as part of a 1997 tournament field that included Minnesota, Nebraska and UCLA. The Golden Gophers are 3-4 all-time against Washington. The teams last met in the 2003 NCAA Regionals in Long Beach, when the Huskies won a pair of meetings against Minnesota.
The Huskies dropped two of three at defending National Champion Fresno State to open the season. Washington lost the first and third games 5-4 and 3-1, and while claiming the middle game 11-4. Conley batted .500 (6-12) with three runs, a home run and four RBI, while Doug Cherry had a .357 batting average, a home run and five RBI.
Jorden Merry pitched five innings, gave up three hit, one earned run and struck out eight in a no-decision, while Tyler Cheney picked up a win, as he went five innings, gave up two hits, one run and had three strikeouts.
