University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Travel to Illinois for Weekend Tilt
4/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| No. 19 Minnesota (25-12, 9-2) at Illinois (20-17, 6-6) | |
| Game 1 | Friday, April 29 | 4 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Friday, April 29 | 8 p.m. |
| Game 3 | Sunday, May 1 | 1 p.m. |
| Location | Illinois Field | Champaign, Ill. |
| TV | BTN (Friday Game 2) |
| Live Video | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| Games 1 & 3 are Illinois Video / Game 2 is BTN2Go | |
| Live Stats | | | |
| Game Day Live | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| Social Media | @GopherBaseball | Facebook | Instagram |
No. 19 Minnesota closes its seven-game road stint with a three-game series against Big Ten foe Illinois, April 29-May 1. The Gophers and Illini will meet in a doubleheader on Friday, beginning at 4 p.m., before concluding the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Coverage
The second game of the series will be broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network. Illinois will have an in-house production for the other two games. Live stats are available on the baseball schedule page on GopherSports.com.
Projected Starters
Friday (Game One) - Matt Fiedler (6-2, 3.60 ERA) vs. Cody Sedlock (4-1, 2.94 ERA)
Friday (Game Two) - Dalton Sawyer (5-4, 3.47 ERA) vs. Doug Hayes (5-3, 3.36 ERA)
Sunday - Toby Anderson (5-0, 3.74 ERA) vs. Cole Bellair (2-2, 2.79 ERA)
Last Time Out
The Gophers swept Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. last weekend to extend their winning streak to five games. However, Minnesota was defeated at North Dakota State on Tuesday night to snap the streak. Troy Traxler netted three RBI, while Micah Coffey and Dan Motl netted a pair of hits to lead the offense in a 7-4 decision.
Ranking Highly
Last Monday, Minnesota was tabbed in the top 25 for the first time since 2009. The Gophers have fared well in contests against ranked opponents, having taken four of fix with both losses coming by one run. Minnesota currently holds an RPI mark of 32, which is currently second in the Big Ten Conference.
Watch List Worthy
Junior Matt Fiedler was named to the 2016 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Watch List, it was announced by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame last Wednesday. Fiedler ranks 43rd in the nation with a .395 batting average and leads the team with 58 hits. The junior has amassed 10 doubles, three home runs and 24 RBI to pace the No. 6 offense in the country this season. He has slugged .537 and holds an on-base clip of .436 through 37 games played. On the mound, Fiedler holds a 6-2 overall mark with a 3.60 ERA as the Friday night starter. Through 60.0 innings pitched, he has held the opposition to hit just .244 while totaling 46 strikeouts.
Big Man On Campus
Austin Athmann was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after pacing Minnesota to a 4-0 week on the diamond. Athmann touted a .500 batting average, 1.000 slugging percentage and a .533 on-base clip. The junior totaled seven hits, including two homers, and seven RBI en route to his first career honor by the league.
Keep the Streak
The Gophers have a few notable streaks that they will put on the table this weekend. Austin Athmann has reached base safely in 25 straight games, while Cole McDevitt, Dan Motl and Matt Stemper all are riding a six-game hitting streak.
All-Time Series
Minnesota and Illinois have met 207 times in their history, with the Gophers touting a 107-99-1 advantage all-time. The Illini took two of three in the latest series, a three-game series at Siebert Field in 2013. However, Minnesota stormed back to defeat Illinois twice in the conference tournament at Target Field that season, including a walk-off win in the opening game.
About the Illini
Illinois comes into the weekend with a 20-17 overall mark and has won seven of its last eight contests, including a series win against Ohio State a week ago. The Illini have won of the strongest pitching staffs in the Big Ten and country. All three projected starters this weekend have an ERA of 3.36 or lower and hold strikeout-to-walk ratios of 4:1, 3:1 and 2:1, respectively. Cody Sedlock was the National Pitcher of the Week after tossing 10.0 innings and striking out 14 in his last start. At the plate, Jason Goldstein leads the team with a .342 batting average and a club-high 24 RBI. Adam Walton has laced a team-best eight doubles, while speedster Doran Turchin has drilled a pair of triples and swiped eight bases.
We Need Gills
Lucas Gilbreath has made a massive difference in the bullpen in his seven appearances. The southpaw has yet to surrender an earned run in 11.2 innings, has struck out 18 batters and is holding clubs to a .227 batting average this season.
Good Things Come in Two
So far in 2016, there have been 120 instances where a Gopher has tallied a multi-hit game. Matt Fiedler leads the way with 20, while Austin Athmann (14), Connor Schaefbauer (14) and Dan Motl (13) are close behind. Athmann has the team-high with five hits in one game. Terrin Vavra has netted a pair of four-hit performances, while Riley Smith added another in his first career start opening weekend.
Strikeout King
Minnesota's Dalton Sawyer has made his senior season one to remember. He currently leads the team and ranks in the top-50 in the nation with 70 strikeouts. Sawyer needs just 18 strikeouts to reach the top-10 for send-downs in a single season.
Lefties Galore
Minnesota boasts 16 left-handed hitters on its roster this season. That number is the highest among Power-5 schools, with Texas (15), Ohio State (14) and Virginia (14) the next closest. Terrin Vavra leads all left-handed hitters in Minnesota's lineup with a .390 average, while Alex Boxwell (.339) and Connor Schaefbauer (.326) all tout averages above the .300 mark.
Program Upgrades
Minnesota is receiving two upgrades this season. Its new state-of-the-art locker room has been ready for use for a few weeks and the new hitting facility will open midway through the season, right next to Siebert Field.
