University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Picked For Second in Big Ten
2/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Minnesota baseball team was picked to finish second in the Big Ten according to a preseason poll conducted by Baseball America, which surveyed coaches from around the conference.
Ohio State was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten. Michigan was picked to finish third, followed by Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Iowa, Penn State and Northwestern. The Golden Gophers, Buckeyes and Wolverines were predicted as the three teams that will represent the Big Ten in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota also had four players selected to the preseason All-Big Ten, which was the most of any program in the conference. Junior outfielder Michael Kvasnicka, junior reliever Scott Matyas, sophomore shortstop AJ Pettersen and junior starting pitcher Seth Rosin were each selected to the Baseball America preseason All-Big Ten team.
Freshmen TJ Oakes and Ryan Abrahamson were also selected among the top 10 newcomers in the Big Ten this year. Kvasnicka (No. 3), Rosin (No. 4), Matyas (No. 9) and Cullen Sexton (No. 10) were selected among the top 10 draft prospects in the Big Ten this year.
Senior Kyle Knudson was selected for having the best arm among catchers in the Big Ten, and sophomore Justin Gominsky received the same honor for outfielders in the conference. Sophomores Kyle Geason and Pettersen were named as the top defensive players at third base and shortstop respectively in the Big Ten.
The Golden Gophers also received several preseason honors from CollegeBaseballInsider.com, as it selected Rosin as one of the conference's top three starting pitchers, Matyas as the top closer, Pettersen as the best defensive infielder and Kvasnicka as one of the top three power threats in the Big Ten.
