University of Minnesota Athletics
OLD OLD Win Coffee With Coach Anderson
5/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Gophersports.com: You lost some key players from last year's team. What were some of the keys heading into 2010 to have success?
John Anderson: "We lost some key players from last year's team, but we had some good talent coming back in key player. A good team always needs to be strong up the middle and we had a lot of talent coming back in catcher, shortstop and center field. We also felt good about our infield, which did an excellent job defensively in 2009, and returned three-quarters intact. Our pitcher staff had also gained a great deal of experience coming into the season. We have largely depended on the junior class that has grown up in this program throughout the last two years. Because of injuries this year, we have also had to rely on a lot of young players that have stepped up and developed as the season has progressed."
Gophersports.com: Talk about how important this junior class is to your pitching success, and some of the other pitchers that have stepped up this year.
JA: "We knew when we recruited this junior class that they would have a significant impact on our program. Now that they are in their junior seasons, our pitching staff is largely dependent on this group. It is a group that has done a good job of working hard and growing on off the field as their careers have progressed and we have put the burden of expectations on them to be able to anchor this year's pitching staff. As much as we will count on the juniors, we also have a good wave of young talent in the program. TJ (Oakes) and Billy (Soule) have stepped in as true freshman for us, and pitched with a lot of composure this year. Kevin (Kray) and Austin (Lubinksy) are also two pitchers who have pitched this year, and will get opportunities down the stretch. We have a lot of good arms on this pitching staff."
Gophersports.com: Talk about the group of experienced infielders you brought back this year, and their roles in the success of this program."
JA: "This group of infielders played a major role in our success in 2009. When we redshirt our players we look for them to mature, work hard and figure out what it will take to succeed at this level. Kyle (Geason), Nick (O'Shea) and AJ (Pettersen) were all incredibly productive with their redshirt seasons, and were ready to step and play at a high level last year because of that hard work. We think all three players have continued to their progression in their sophomore seasons, and continue to be key contributors. Obviously it was difficult to replace what Derek (McCallum) did last year, because he had one of the best single seasons in the history of the program. However, Matt Puhl has done a great job at second base for us in his redshirt freshman season this year."
Gophersports.com: Talk about how important Kyle Knudson has been to this program, and how good the depth is on this team at the catcher position?
JA: "I thought last year that Kyle (Knudson) was the best all-around catcher in the Big Ten. He did a great job in every aspect for our team, and he really emerged as a great leader for our team. We were lucky to have the depth at the position while Kyle eased his way back to action behind the plate. Kurt (Schlangen) was ready to get behind the plate and performed at a high level for us while Kyle was working his way back behind the plate. It also helped us that Michael (Kvasnicka) had a great deal of experience behind the plate and has shown the versatility to get back there and play well behind the plate. Kurt and Michael have helped us rest Kyle during midweek games, and also did a good job at the beginning of the year behind the plate while Kyle was working his way back to being our regular catcher."
Gophersports.com: Talk about the talent you had coming into the season, and some of the players that have stepped up this year in the outfield for you with some of the injuries you have had.
JA: "We had a lot of talented options in the outfield coming into the year. Michael (Kvasnicka) and Justin (Gominsky) both had very good seasons for us last year. Unfortunately, Justin was injured early on in the season forcing other players to step up. At beginning of the season, Kvasnicka going behind the plate at times opened up some opportunities for some other players to get a chance to establish some playing time in the outfielder. Troy (Larson), Kurt (Schlangen) and Andy (Henkemeyer) have all been thrown into playing time out there, but have done a solid job of working hard and improving out there. Brooks Albrecht has also given us an athletic veteran who is a very good defensive player at any outfield spot."
Gophersports.com: How did the non-conference schedule help prepare you for Big Ten play?
JA: "We built a diverse non-conference schedule with teams from different regions this year. The main goal in challenging ourselves in non-conference play was to be ready to put our best players on the field, and be prepared to succeed in Big Ten play. We feel like this schedule gave us a chance to do that. We also had the added thrill of being able to open up Target Field on Mar. 27 against Louisiana Tech. This was a great moment for our players and our program. We are grateful to the Twins organization for giving us that opportunity"
Gophersports.com: How has the transition to playing all your games in the Metrodome gone this year?
JA: "I think our program has become more comfortable with playing at the Metrodome over the last three or four years. With our program playing have played at the Metrodome more often, our team is built more for success in the dome. To win at the Metrodome it takes pitching and defense and I think we have a team that is built to succeed in those phases of the game. We have also done some things to make the Metrodome feel more like a home park for our players, such as moving into the old Twins' clubhouse full time and adding some features to it to personalize to our program. Overall, I think it is good situation to be over there full-time."
Previous Coffee with the Coach winners
- Football Coach Tim Brewster and Jim Erickson
- Volleyball Coach Mike Hebert and Susan Goldstein
- Women's Hockey Coach Brad Frost and Theresa Stead
- Women's Basketball Coach Pam Borton and Janet Williams
- Women's Gymnastics Coaches Jim & Meg Stephenson and Hanna and April Beachem
- Women's Cross Country Coach Gary Wilson and David Harvey
- Baseball Coach John Anderson and Glenn and Garrett McConnach
- Volleyball Coach Mike Hebert and Fran Launstein
- Women's Basketball Coach Pam Borton and Shar Anderson
- Men's Hockey Coach Don Lucia and Ken Larson
- Wrestling Coach J Robinson and Kevin and Rocky Wilson
- Women's Hockey Coach Brad Frost and Brad Speakman
- Men's Tennis Coach Geoff Young and Mark DeGrood and sons
