University of Minnesota Athletics
AJ Pettersen Signs Deal With Minnesota Twins
6/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
It's tough to turn down an opportunity to play for your hometown team, and University of Minnesota junior shortstop AJ Pettersen will have that chance after signing a Minor League contract with the Minnesota Twins, according to Twins Director of Baseball Communications Mike Herman.
A native of Minnetonka, Pettersen was drafted by the Twins with the 27th pick in the 25th round (778th overall) of the Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday afternoon. Details of the contract, or when he'll report, were not available.
Pettersen, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound right-handed batter, earned First Team All-Big Ten honors this season after leading the team with a .344 (72-for-209) batting average with team-leading totals of 33 runs scored, 10 doubles, eight stolen bases, and a .394 on-base percentage. He started all 49 games for the Gophers, adding 12 runs batted in, two triples, and one home run.
Pettersen opened the 2011 season with a 19-game hitting streak to stretch a streak that dated back to last season to 22 games. He wound up getting hits in 43 of 49 games this season.
Pettersen was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team at last month's conference tourney after batting .348 (8-for-23) with three RBI, two runs scored, and a double. He also earned All-Big Ten Tournament acclaim in 2010.
As a sophomore, Pettersen batted .297 with 51 runs scored, 37 runs batted in, and two home runs to help the Gophers win the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and advance to the NCAA Regional championship game.
During his freshman season with the Gophers, Pettersen was named Second Team All-Big Ten and received First Team Freshman All-America honors at shortstop from Baseball America and the NCBWA. He batted .353 that season, with 65 runs scored, 79 hits, two home runs, 45 RBI and eight stolen bases.
Pettersen also stands out in the classroom, where he has earned First Team Academic All-District V recognition the past two seasons as an economics major.
He is the first of six Gophers draft picks to have signed a contract. Minnesota's other draft selections were junior outfielder Justin Gominsky (Houston Astros, 11th Round), junior first baseman Nick O'Shea (Cincinnati Reds, 24th Round), senior right-handed pitcher Scott Matyas (Detroit Tigers, 27th Round), junior right-handed pitcher Austin Lubinsky (San Francisco Giants, 36th Round), and sophomore right-handed pitcher TJ Oakes (Minnesota Twins, 41st Round).
