University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host Ohio State for Regular Season Finale
5/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| No. 24 Minnesota (33-16, 15-5) vs. Ohio State (36-16-1, 13-8) | |
| Game 1 | Thursday, May 19 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Friday, May 20 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Game 3 | Saturday, April 21 | 2 p.m. |
| Location | Siebert Field | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| TV | BTN (Friday) |
| Live Video | Thursday (BTN Plus) | Friday (BTN2Go) | Saturday (BTN Plus) |
| Live Audio | Friday | Saturday |
| Live Stats | | | |
| Game Day Live | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Social Media | @GopherBaseball | Facebook | Instagram |
Minnesota Game Notes 
No. 24 Minnesota will play in its final regular season series of 2016 when it welcomes Ohio State to Seibert for a three-game set, May 19-21. Game times are set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, with the series finale starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Fan Advisory
Fans planning to attend the games should be aware that the main parking option for the general public will be the 4th St. ramp. All fans entering will do so at the 8th Street gate. A-Frame signage will be displayed on 15th Ave. and 8th St. to help direct patrons.
Coverage
Andy Masur and Scott Pose are set to handle broadcasting duties on the Big Ten Network for the Friday night tilt. Matt Nelson and Tom Witschen will have the call for Friday and Saturday on BTN Plus, while the Thursday night contest will feature a single-cam production. Live stats will be available on the baseball page of GopherSports.com.
Projected Starters
Thursday - Matt Fiedler (7-2, 3.86 ERA) vs. Tanner Tully (7-3, 2.26 ERA)
Friday - Dalton Sawyer (6-5, 3.41 ERA) vs. John Havird (6-2, 3.14 ERA)
Saturday - Toby Anderson (7-1, 3.12 ERA) vs. Adam Niemeyer (4-2, 3.38 ERA)
Promotions
Thursday - Little Leaguers who wear their jerseys receive free admission.
Friday - Pups in the Park. For rules: gophersports.com/pupsinthepark. Free Dilly Bars.
Saturday - Senior Day
Conference Implications
The Gophers ride into the series with a 0.5 game lead in the conference standings and control their own destiny for the Big Ten regular season crown. If Minnesota were to win the opening two games against the No. 4 team in the league and Indiana drops a game to Nebraska, the team could clinch as early as Friday night.
POTW
Toby Anderson was recently named the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week, following his complete-game shutout at Purdue on Sunday. Anderson tied a season-high with five strikeouts, allowed just four hits and faced only 30 batters.
Fied the Beast
Last Tuesday, Matt Fiedler was selected as one of the 18 nominees remaining for the John Olerud Award, which is given to the top two-way player in the nation. Fiedler has been a mainstay as the No. 3 hitter in the lineup, leading the team in batting average (.388), hits (78), runs (42) and stolen bases (13). On the mound, Fiedler has been the Friday night starter and has amassed a 7-2 record with a 3.86 ERA. He also has accumulated 56 strikeouts.
Doing Work Against the Bullpen
As a team, Minnesota has made the most of its opportunities against relief pitchers this season. The Gophers have totaled 289 hits and tout a .342 batting average against opposing bullpens. The hit total is good for 49 percent of the team's total hits through 49 percent of the innings (209.2). The Maroon and Gold have raced across 173 runs and opposing pitchers are throwing an ERA of 6.78.
On Pace for Greatness
Dalton Sawyer is having one of the best senior seasons in program history. With his final regular season start scheduled for Friday night, if he maintains his average of 7.0 strikeouts per start, he will finish in the top-five in program history for strikeouts in a season. So far, the southpaw has piled up 92 strikeouts, which tied for seventh in single-season history. With 26 more strikeouts, Sawyer would pass the Glen Perkins (117) for first all-time.
All-Time Series
Minnesota and Ohio State have met 179 times in series history that dates back to 1923. The two teams are deadlocked at 89-89-1 through the 90-plus-year rivalry. The last time these two teams dueled was the inaugural game of the new Siebert Field back in 2013. The Gophers took two of three and clinched the series on a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth in the final game of the set.
About the Buckeyes
Ohio State makes its way to Siebert Field as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Buckeyes have won 12 of their last 15 games, including eight of their last nine in Big Ten play. Ohio State is second in the league with a team ERA of 2.98 and has six pitchers with sub-3.00 ERA marks. Southpaw starters Tanner Tully and John Havird rank in the top three on the team with 62 and 52 strikeouts, respectively. At the plate, Nick Sergakis leads the team with a .367 batting average, 18 doubles and 44 RBI.
Mr. 1,200
Head coach John Anderson won his 1,200th and 1,201st games during the non-conference tilt with Kansas. Anderson became just the 24th coach ever to accomplish the feat and the ninth to do it all at one school. He has spent his entire 35-year career patrolling the dugout as the lead man for the Minnesota program.
Thinking Outside the Box
Alex Boxwell has emerged as a potent bat in the lineup in conference play. His .426 batting average currently paces the league in 18 games of action. Boxwell has slugged at the second-highest clip of .638 and holds a conference-best .491 on-base percentage in Big Ten contests.
Good Things Come in Two
So far in 2016, there have been 163 instances where a Gopher has tallied a multi-hit game. Matt Fiedler leads the way with 26, while Dan Motl (22), Austin Athmann (18) and Connor Schaefbauer (18) are close behind. Athmann has the team-high with five hits in one game. Riley Smith and Terrin Vavra have each netted two four-hit performances, while Micah Coffey, Athmann, Fiedler and Motl have each tallied one in the 2016 campaign.
Keep the Coffey Hot
Micah Coffey heads into the final series of the regular season on a 12-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in his last 14 games played. In that span, Coffey has raised his batting average by 44 points up to a solid .322 clip. In his last 12 games, the sophomore has gone 21-for-48 with three doubles, five home runs and 13 RBI.
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 (.360), Micah Coffey (.322), Connor Schaefbauer (.314) and Jordan Smith (.304) all tout averages above the .300 mark.
Program Upgrades
Minnesota received two upgrades this season. Its new state-of-the-art locker room has been ready for use for a few months and the new hitting facility that opened midway through the season, right next to Siebert Field.
Minnesota Heavy
The 2016 roster is highlighted by 66 percent of the players from inside the boarders of the state of Minnesota. Twenty-one players feature the highest number, with Wisconsin and Illinois close behind with four and three, respectively.
