University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Welcome Wildcats to Dome For Tuesday/Wednesday Tilt
3/12/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Minnesota vs Kansas State | |
| Tickets | Purchase Online |
| Date | Tues-Wed, March 13-14, 2012 |
| Time | 6:35 p.m.(Tues.), 3 p.m. (Wed.) |
| Location | H.H.H. Metrodome |
| Video | Gopher All-Access |
| Audio | GopherSports.com (Listen Online) |
March 12, 2012
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCH-UP
KS: Shane Conlon (So., LHP) vs. MN: DJ Snelten (So., LHP)
KS: Jared Moore (So., LHP) vs. MN: Jordan Jess (FR., LHP)
KANSAS STATE NOTES
• The weekday series against Kansas State marks the ninth and 10th meeting between the two teams. The Gophers lead the all-time series, 7-1.
• The last time the Gophers and Wildcats faced each other was in 2010 when they split the two games. Minnesota lost 12-6 and won, 3-0 against Kansas State.
• Minnesota and Kansas State held its first-ever meeting in 1993 as the two competed in a three-game series. Minnesota swept the Wildcats, in 6-4, 11-2 and 6-1 wins.
• In the last game between the Wildcats and Gophers, Austin Lubinsky, Billy Soule and former Gopher Scott Matyas combined for a 3-0 shutout. Lubinsky pitched five shutout innings, followed by Soule (3.0) and Matyas (1.0) and collected the save.
ON THE MOUND
Minnesota will have probable starters DJ Snelten and Jordan Jess head to the mound Tuesday and Wednesday. Snelten has started in two games and appeared in five. In those five appearances, Snelten has only allowed 1.06 earned runs this season. That came in the first game of the season against Louisville. Since the season opener, Snelten has held his opponents scoreless in 14.0 innings pitched. In the start against Milwaukee, he allowed just three hits in 5.1 innings pitched, while in the start against New Mexico State, had three strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
Jordan Jess made his first collegiate start in the Wednesday game against Hamline. In his 3.0 innings pitched against the Pipers, allowed two hits and had one strikeout in the 16-inning win. As a true freshman, Jess has appeared in four games and holds a 1.80 ERA.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE
Kansas State enters the Minnesota games with a 9-6 overall record and are currently on a four-game win streak as ti swept Hartford in its last series. The last loss for the Wildcats dates back to March 6 when it fell, 9-6, to Nebraska. Coached by Brad Hill, the Wildcats held a 36-25 overall record last year and went 12-14 in the Big Ten. An NCAA Regional qualifier last year, Kansas State lost to Stanford and Illinois in the tournament. Wade Hinkle and Jake Brown are tied for the team lead with 15 RBI. Hinkle, a senior infielder, is batting .429, has 15 walks and an on-base percentage of .580. Brown has 15 RBI in 15 games played and is batting .364. Jared King, a sophomore outfielder, leads the team with the best batting average. Playing in 13 games, he holds a .491 batting average in 53 at bats, 10 RBI and an on-base percentage of .542. On the mound Tuesday is sophomore left-handed pitcher Shane Conlon. In 9.0 innings pitched, he is 1-1 on the season and holds a 5.00 ERA.
GOPHER BASEBALL CLASSIC RECAP
Minnesota went 1-2 last weekend as it hosted Stony Brook (2) and Kansas last weekend. The Gophers earned a 7-1 win in the weekend opener (3/10) against the Seawolves and dropped the next two to Kansas (9-4 on 3/10) and Stony Brook (5-4 on 3/11). In the win over Stony Brook, Andy Henkemeyer and Dan Olinger each had two runs batted in to lead Minnesota to a 7-1 win over Stony Brook. Henkemeyer had an inside the park home run and went 1-3, while Olinger had two doubles, two RBI and a run scored in the win. TJ Oakes improved to 4-0 on the season when he went 6.2 innings. Facing 27 batters, he allowed 10 hits, one earned run and four strikeouts.
Although Minnesota scored four runs in the first inning, Kansas University used an eight-inning second inning to defeat the Gophers, 9-4, last Saturday night. In the Sunday finale, Stony Brook jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and the two teams were tied at 4-4 until the seventh. However, a home run by Seawolves William Carmona was the difference in the game and the win, 5-4. Olinger, who went 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Andy Henkemeyer was 2-4 with a run scored. Matt Puhl and Troy Larson also went 1-3.
SENDING HIM HOME
Andy Henkemeyer hit an inside the park home run against Stony Brook last week. The inside the park home run was the Gophers' first since Eric Decker accomplished the feat on April 28, 2008 against Purdue. It was Henkemeyer's first round tripper since May 14, 2010 against Penn State.
KEEP IT GOIN'
Dan Olinger is currently on a nine-game hit streak. As a red-shirt sophomore, his longest streak last year as a rookie was four-straight games. On the year, Olinger leads the team with a .404 batting average, seven doubles an on-base percentage of. 446 and 23 hits, leading the team in all categories. As a freshman, Olinger played in 39 games and had 27 hits, three doubles and 18 RBI.
