University of Minnesota Athletics
Faces Behind Excellence
2/9/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Minneapolis, Minn. - Behind the scenes, the engine that powers Golden Gopher baseball is one that is as vibrant, and as deep, as the alumni pool of the storied program.
As time has shown it's not just the student athletes who compose the greatness of Gopher Baseball, but the faces behind the excellence who help enrich the facade of an accomplished and storied tradition.
Since 1977 the faces behind the scenes, the Golden Gopher Baseball student managers, have risen as some of the most influential and important members of the program. After an injury cut short his playing career, current head coach John Anderson began his career as a student manager for Gopher Baseball in the spring of 1976. During the incredible run to the College World Series in Omaha by the 1977 team, Anderson was named Gopher Baseball's Most Valuable Player by his peers, a team that included future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor. At that time Anderson was the only non-player to garner the award in program history.
"Back in those days being a student manager was like being another coach," says Anderson. "I can remember staying up past 4:00 a.m. making sure the laundry got done, then it was on to making sure the field was taken care of, practice was setup, guys' stuff was taken care of and somewhere between all of that you had to find a time to go to class. There were a lot of responsibilities back in those days that needed to get done and the only people to do them were the student managers. We didn't have a full time support staff back in the 70's. Those were all the jobs of the student managers and they needed to get done or we couldn't function as a program."
Anderson's legacy has carried over and spawned an incredible cast of immensely talented young men who have not only helped defined the Golden Gopher Baseball program, but those who have gone onto establish their own lasting effects.
Most recently senior manager Kan Ikeda, a native of Japan, completed his four-year degree at the University of Minnesota while also serving as the head student manager for the program, just accepted a position as a video scouting and operations intern with the Detroit Tigers. During his time with the program Ikeda, along with Joey Brettigen (2016) were responsible for video coordination, data entry, analytical analysis, sabermetrics implementation, on the field coordination and game day prep for the 2016 Big Ten Champion squad.
Ikeda joins Preston Higbe (2014) as current video coordinators working within Major League Baseball. Higbe, who signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in the winter of 2015, helped create the analytics and video analysis side of Gopher Baseball that has grown into an instrumental part of the programs development. Higbe, alongside Dylan Cyr (2014) began using analytical software and organizing data by hand during the 2014 season to help improve the Gophers reach in scouting analysis. By 2015 Gopher Baseball began full implementation of EdgeHQ data software and by 2016 started coordinating full video analysis for all Gopher Baseball games. Today Gopher Baseball has over a half dozen student managers who oversee the analytics, data entry, video analysis and sabermetrics side of the program.
Cyr now works as a local sales coordinator for IHeartMedia while working part-time with the Minnesota Twins Guest Service Department at Target Field.
"Student managing was a great help to me in that I was able to understand the game of baseball and learn from one of the best coaching staffs in the nation," says Cyr. "Gopher Baseball allowed me to be a part of practices, video prep, and the implementation of statistical analysis throughout the program. I also had the opportunity to create multiple relationships with the players and other student managers that made my time in college even better."
Parker Kruckenberg (2012) was one of the first of many to start charting Gopher games with InsideEdge software. Kruckenberg, now a full-time assistant coach at University of Montana-Billings started his career as a student manager for the Gophers.
"My time with the University of Minnesota Baseball program was extremely influential in my development as coach but even more important my development as a man," says Kruckenberg. "The daily example and values established by the coaching staff are lessons that I carry with me every single day in my own coaching career and life."
While some former Gopher Baseball student managers have stayed busy making careers in the game of baseball, many have ventured into other areas of the business world with paramount success. Last season's senior student managers Joey Brettigen and Austin Burandt (2016) both received internships to work at the Ryder Cup in Hazeltine and Best Buy Corp. respectively.
Brettigen, now a turf staff manager at the Roarking Club in Basalt, Col., will be shuffling along the west coast next summer managing the development of several major golf courses for the PGA.
Kevin Criter (2008) finished his tenure as a student manager by working in the equipment room for Gopher Athletics for six years before being offered a full time position to work as Nike Golf's main representative out of Malibu, Cal. in the summer of 2015. Criter, was the only other non-player in program history to be named the Most Valuable Player during the 2008 season.
Tony Morimoto (2005) was the Gophers bullpen catcher for three seasons and graduated from the Carlson School of Management in 2006 now works as Produce Broker for the Kunkel Company out of Eden Prairie, Minn. David Kuntz was a part of the 1988 Big Ten Championship team, is now on the American Legion Board of Directors and oversees the complete infrastructure of American Legion Baseball nationwide. Former student manager Mike Demianiuk (2010-2013) is currently a teacher at the Cathedral School of the Divine in New York City and Jerome Nemanich (1991-1994) is the head baseball coach at the high school in Sartell, Minn. Both had significant impacts on the Gopher Baseball program and helped lead Minnesota to Big Ten Championships in 1992 and 2000.
"It takes a lot of great people, all levels of a program, to make it great," says Assistant Head Coach Rob Fornasiere. "We have been fortunate to attract a stellar group of student managers over the years that have been critical to the success of Gopher Baseball. It is no surprise these young men have gone on to bigger and better things in baseball and business. They all have made our program better".
Current student managers Ryan Goll, Cale McElory, Sam Niedorf, Nick Kropodlowski, CJ Kramer, and Greg Whitaker make up the next line of successful managers eager to leave their footprints on Gopher Baseball. Each will be involved in the day-to-day operations of Gopher Baseball team practice and coordinated Dugout Club and other team events throughout the 2017 season. On game days these managers will be responsible for field prep, catching bullpens, video coordination, data entry for sabermetrics, analytical analysis, pitch charting and additional statistical duties.
Junior student manager Goll has a busy year ahead of him as he was recently hired by the Eau Claire Express of the Northwoods League to be an assistant baseball coach for the summer where he will work with the position players and coach first base. Additionally, Goll will be in charge of coordinating all student manager responsibilities this spring along with duties as the bullpen catcher and oversee the video and analytical aspects of the program.
Niedorf is entering his second full season as a manger and was recently hired by the Philadelphia Phillies as a video scouting intern for the summer. Kropodlowski, a rookie student manager for the Gophers, works in Guest Services for the Minnesota Twins at Target Field and is also involved in the Woodbury American Legion Baseball program as a coach who won the 2016 American Legion State Championship. McElory, a three-year veteran of the Gopher Student Manager staff, is also involved in all aspects of the program including video, statistical data entry, gameday prep and most importantly batting practice where he uses his physical ability as a top tier BP pitcher to help develop the Golden Gopher hitters. Whitaker and Kramer are both newcomers to the Gopher Student manager staff and have already made an impact with their exceptional work ethic and strong ties to analytics and the technological aspects of Gopher Baseball.
"I don't know where we'd be in this program if it wasn't for our student managers," says first year pitching coach Ty McDevitt. "As we approach an analytical and more technological age in college baseball, our student managers provide us with the resources, knowledge and unparalleled work ethic to keep us at the forefront of providing our student athletes with the best developmental tools available. These guys are at the core of our family and in many ways are as important as anyone else on the team. They all provide a huge impact on Gopher Baseball in so many ways."
The mission of Gopher Baseball is to foster and grow the amateur game at all levels. The student managers of Gopher Baseball have found themselves as the beneficiaries of that motto helping lead the way to prosperous careers in professional baseball as scouts, analytics/sabermetric analysts, interns and video coordinators as well as a variety of other exciting career fields.
These are the men behind the scenes who provide the spark which continues to make Gopher Baseball one of these most successful, and innovative programs in college baseball, the true faces behind excellence.
