University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Set to Begin B1G Tournament
5/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Minnesota (34-18, 16-7) vs. Iowa (27-25, 12-12) | |
| Date | Time | Wednesday, May 25 | 5 p.m. |
| Location | TD Ameritrade Park | Omaha, Neb. |
| TV | BTN |
| Live Video | BTN2Go |
| Live Stats | Gametracker |
| Game Day Live | Live Updates |
| Tournament Info | Tournament Central |
| Social Media | @GopherBaseball | Facebook | Instagram |
Minnesota Game Notes 
| Pre-Tournament Press Conference Quotes
After earning the top spot in the Big Ten Tournament, Minnesota is set to tangle with Iowa at 5 p.m. in the first round of the league championship on Wednesday. The Gophers and Hawkeyes are scheduled for the third game of the day.
Coverage
All games during the Big Ten Tournament will be featured on the Big Ten Tournament. Live stats will be available on the baseball schedule page of GopherSports.com.
Team of Three's
The projected starting lineup for the Gophers has seven hitters with a batting average at .300 or better. That mark leads the conference for the nation's No. 3 hitting team. Four of those bats - Matt Fiedler (.383), Austin Athmann (.376), Alex Boxwell (.344), Dan Motl (.335) and Micah Coffey (.333) - boast .330-plus clips to pace the Big Ten's top offense.
Fied the Beast
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 (.383), hits (82), and stolen bases (13). Fiedler has also been the Friday night starter and has amassed a 7-2 record with a 3.67 ERA and 63 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 292 hits and tout a .334 batting average against opposing bullpens. The hit total is good for 47 percent of the team's total hits through 48 percent of the innings (219.1). The Maroon and Gold have raced across 173 runs and opposing pitchers are throwing an ERA of 6.48.
On Pace for Greatness
Dalton Sawyer is having one of the best senior seasons in program history. After totaling nine strikeouts in his final regular season start, he moved his season total to 101. There have only been four other instances when a pitcher has reached triple digits during a season in program history. The last player to do it was Glen Perkins, who did it twice, with 117 strikeouts in 2003 and 113 send-downs in 2004. Sawyer needs just nine more to pass Dave Winfield (109, 1973) and 10 to eclipse Mike Diebolt (1997) to vault into third place in program history for a single season. With 217 career strikeouts, the southpaw is in ninth place on the all-time career list. If he notches three or more strikeouts, Sawyer can move past Mike Diebolt (218) and Ben Meyer (219) for seventh on the all-time list. C.J. Woodrow paces the Gophers all-time with 267 send-downs in his four years while donning the Maroon and Gold.
All-Time Series
Minnesota and Iowa have met 300 times in series history with the Gophers maintaining a 182-118 stronghold in the matchup. Minnesota took two of three to open Big Ten play in the first weekend of April. Matt Fiedler led the way with a .538 batting average, including two home runs, and had six RBI at the plate to pace the series victory. Connor Schaefbauer added a pair of homers, while Austin Athmann netted a roundtripper to guide the power at the dish. Fiedler also had it going on the mound with 7.0 innings, six strikeouts and only three hits in his lone start.
About the Hawkeyes
Iowa rides into the conference tournament having won five of its last six, including four of the last five against league foes. The Hawkeyes are led by dual-threat Tyler Peyton. Peyton holds a .320 batting average with four home runs and 23 RBI, while boasting 42 strikeouts in 11 starts on the mound with a 4.28 ERA. C.J. Eldred, who will get the ball on Wednesday, touts a 3.60 ERA and has 58 strikeouts in 85.0 innings on the season. At the plate, Joel Booker maintains a team-high .344 batting average with 17 doubles and a .512 slugging percentage. Booker is also active on the basepaths with 22 stolen bases in 24 attempts.
All-Time Against Iowa - B1G Tournament
Despite being familiar opponents during regular season play, the Gophers and Hawkeyes have only faced off four times in the postseason conference tournament. Both teams are tied at 2-2 in the series. Iowa knocked Minnesota out of the 2014 league tournament in its most recent matchup. Austin Athmann and Dan Motl picked up two of the team's four base knocks in the 2-1 defeat.
Common Opponents
Minnesota and Iowa have met seven common opponents this season in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri State, Northern Illinois and Ohio State. Against those teams, the Gophers have an 11-7 record, including winning records against Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri State and Northern Illinois. In duels with the same teams, the Hawkeyes are 8-11, with winning marks versus Illinois, Maryland and Northern Illinois.
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 .392 batting average currently paces the team in 20 games of action. Boxwell has slugged at the highest clip of .588 and holds the fifth-highest mark with a .458 on-base percentage against Big Ten opponents.
Good Things Come in Two
So far in 2016, there have been 175 instances where a Gopher has tallied a multi-hit game. Matt Fiedler leads the way with 27, while Dan Motl (24), Austin Athmann (21) and Connor Schaefbauer (20) are close behind. Athmann has the team-high with five hits in one game.
Keep the Coffey Hot
Micah Coffey brings a career-best 15-game hitting streak into Omaha and has reached base safely in his last 17 games played. In that span, Coffey has raised his batting average by 47 points up to a solid .333 clip. In the month of May, Coffey is 21-for-44 (.477) with four doubles, one triple, five home runs and 14 RBI, while boasting a .955 slugging percentage.
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 .379 average, while Alex Boxwell (.344), Micah Coffey (.333), Connor Schaefbauer (.318) and Toby Hanson (.302) all tout averages above .300
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.
Back at the Helm
Head coach John Anderson is back for his 35th season as the lead-man for the Minnesota baseball program. Through the three-plus decades of being in charge, Anderson has amassed 1,206 wins - which is the highest win total in Big Ten and program history. His win total currently sits in the top-30 all-time among collegiate head coaches. Anderson has coached 262 Academic All-Big Ten selections, six All-Americans and 18 players who made the major leagues.
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.
