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University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Opens Big Ten Play at Indiana
3/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
 Minnesota will begin Big Ten play at Indiana on Mar. 27-29. The Golden Gophers will face the Hoosiers on Friday, Mar. 27 at 2 p.m., Saturday, Mar. 28 at 12 p.m. and Sunday, Mar. 29 at 12 p.m. All three of those games can be heard live on KLBB (1220 AM) and on gophersports.com. The Hoosiers enter the series with a 7-14 overall record, while Minnesota is 13-6. Last year, Indiana finished sixth in the Big Ten at 15-17, and finished third in the Big Ten Tournament. Heading into 2009, the Hoosiers were picked to win the Big Ten in a preseason poll conducted by Baseball America. This year will mark the first season that the Big Ten will go to a three-game weekend series, instead of a four-game series.
Minnesota leads the all-time series against the Hoosiers 96-36. Last year, the two teams split a pair of games in Big Ten play at the Metrodome to open the 2008 conference season.
Sophomore rightfielder Michael Kvasnicka collected three hits in both games games against Texas-Arlington, and had at least one hit in each of the three games against Dallas Baptist to move his hitting streak to 24 games dating back to last year. Kvasnicka ended last year on a five-game hitting streak. He is the only Golden Gopher to collect a hit in each game this year. During the 24-game hitting streak, Kvasnicka is batting .480 (49-102) with 24 runs, three home runs and 29 RBI. This year, he is batting .462 with 20 runs, three home runs and 24 RBI. The streak is the longest by a Golden Gopher hitter since at least 1997.
Minnesota was ranked No. 25 in the Baseball America Top 25 for the second week in a row after going 3-2 against Texas-Arlington and Dallas Baptist, and finishing its Texas trip 5-3. The Golden Gophers were ranked in that poll for the first time since May 20, 2001 on Mar. 16, and for the first time in any poll since they were in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine poll on Mar. 10, 2003 after winning two of three over Cal State Fullerton on Mar. 7-9, 2003 at the Metrodome. This week, Ohio State is ranked No. 16 this week in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine Top 25 and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, while Illinois is No. 25 in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine poll.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Minnesota Indiana
Friday RHP Chauncy Handran LHP Blake Monar
(3-1, 3.00 ERA) (2-1, 3.55 ERA)
Saturday RHP Tom Buske RHP Eric Arnett
(4-0, 2.10 ERA) (4-1, 2.57 ERA)
Sunday RHP Seth Rosin LHP Matt Bashore
(1-1, 4.78 ERA) (0-3, 7.24 ERA)
MINNESOTA FOR OPENERS
Minnesota will open the Big Ten season against Indiana for the second straight season. Last year, the Golden Gophers won the first two games against the Hoosiers and lost the final two for a split at the Metrodome. The series split moved John Anderson’s record to 14-5-8 (W-L-Split) in opening Big Ten series. Anderson is also 14-6-7 in the first road Big Ten series of the year in his career. Last year, marked the first time that the Golden Gophers opened the conference season against Indiana since 1972. Minnesota has not started the conference season at Indiana since 1968. Golden Gopher head coach John Anderson has a 41-14 overall record against Indiana in his career. Tracey Smith is 4-8 against Minnesota, but has split with the Golden Gophers the last two times he has faced them.
Minnesota leads the all-time series against the Hoosiers 96-36. Last year, the two teams split a pair of games in Big Ten play at the Metrodome to open the 2008 conference season.
Sophomore rightfielder Michael Kvasnicka collected three hits in both games games against Texas-Arlington, and had at least one hit in each of the three games against Dallas Baptist to move his hitting streak to 24 games dating back to last year. Kvasnicka ended last year on a five-game hitting streak. He is the only Golden Gopher to collect a hit in each game this year. During the 24-game hitting streak, Kvasnicka is batting .480 (49-102) with 24 runs, three home runs and 29 RBI. This year, he is batting .462 with 20 runs, three home runs and 24 RBI. The streak is the longest by a Golden Gopher hitter since at least 1997.
Minnesota was ranked No. 25 in the Baseball America Top 25 for the second week in a row after going 3-2 against Texas-Arlington and Dallas Baptist, and finishing its Texas trip 5-3. The Golden Gophers were ranked in that poll for the first time since May 20, 2001 on Mar. 16, and for the first time in any poll since they were in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine poll on Mar. 10, 2003 after winning two of three over Cal State Fullerton on Mar. 7-9, 2003 at the Metrodome. This week, Ohio State is ranked No. 16 this week in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine Top 25 and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, while Illinois is No. 25 in the Collegiate Baseball Magazine poll.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Minnesota Indiana
Friday RHP Chauncy Handran LHP Blake Monar
(3-1, 3.00 ERA) (2-1, 3.55 ERA)
Saturday RHP Tom Buske RHP Eric Arnett
(4-0, 2.10 ERA) (4-1, 2.57 ERA)
Sunday RHP Seth Rosin LHP Matt Bashore
(1-1, 4.78 ERA) (0-3, 7.24 ERA)
MINNESOTA FOR OPENERS
Minnesota will open the Big Ten season against Indiana for the second straight season. Last year, the Golden Gophers won the first two games against the Hoosiers and lost the final two for a split at the Metrodome. The series split moved John Anderson’s record to 14-5-8 (W-L-Split) in opening Big Ten series. Anderson is also 14-6-7 in the first road Big Ten series of the year in his career. Last year, marked the first time that the Golden Gophers opened the conference season against Indiana since 1972. Minnesota has not started the conference season at Indiana since 1968. Golden Gopher head coach John Anderson has a 41-14 overall record against Indiana in his career. Tracey Smith is 4-8 against Minnesota, but has split with the Golden Gophers the last two times he has faced them.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ BaseballRHP/OF
/ BaseballC/OF
/ BaseballRHP
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