University of Minnesota Athletics
Preview: Gophers Head to Atlanta Challenge
2/15/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Gopher Baseball Week 1: Games 1-4 | Atlanta Challenge | |
| Gophers vs. Georgia Tech (0-0, 0-0 ACC) | |
| Date/Time | Friday, Feb. 16, 4 p.m. ET |
| Location | Russ Chandler Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. |
| Follow Live | ACC Network+ | Game Day Live |
| Weather | PM Showers, 69°/51°, 50% rain chance, W 14 mph, 77% humidity |
| Gophers vs. Kennesaw State (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) | |
| Date/Time | Saturday, Feb. 17, 1 p.m. ET (Doubleheader) |
| Location | Stillwell Baseball Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga. |
| Follow Live | Facebook Live | Game Day Live: Game 1 | 2 |
| Weather | Showers, 67°/46°, 60% rain chance, SE 8 mph, 83% humidity |
| Gophers vs. Georgia State (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) | |
| Date/Time | Sunday, Feb. 18, 1 p.m. ET |
| Location | GSU Baseball Complex, Atlanta, Ga. |
| Follow Live | Game Day Live |
| Weather | Mostly cloudy, 65°/56°, 20% rain chance, ENE 6 mph, 68% humidity |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Georgia Tech | Kennesaw State | Georgia State |
| Social Media | @GopherBaseball | Facebook | Instagram |
Gopher Baseball travels to the Atlanta Challenge this week, taking on Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, and Georgia State in four games in three days to open the 2018 campaign.
Big Ten Previews Players to Watch
The Big Ten announced Wednesday its 2018 Preseason Poll, with Minnesota chosen for a third-place finish. With that, the league also selected seniors Micah Coffey, Toby Hanson, and Luke Pettersen as Players to Watch in the league season. The third baseman Coffey boasts a .322 career batting average, .470 slugging percentage, and last season led the Gophers with 15 doubles. Hanson, a first baseman with experience in the outfield has batted .296 during his collegiate career, with 11 home runs (five each of the last two seasons), and 14 doubles last year while slugging .477 for the season. Pettersen enjoyed a breakout career on the infield last season, batting .354 in 56 games, driving in 30 runs on 69 hits.
Returning All-Big Ten
Minnesota returns four of its six honorees from the All-Big Ten Teams following the 2017 season, all of whom figure into the team's every day line-up. Junior Cole McDevitt landed on the league's First Team after batting .314 in league play with four doubles, 11 RBIs, and 14 runs scored. Senior Micah Coffey returns after earning a Second Team selection last year. He batted .370 in league play, lifting a team-best eight doubles and adding 22 RBIs. Senior Toby Hanson returns after driving in a team-high 24 runs against conference competition to land on the Third Team. Sophomore Jordan Kozicky was an All-Freshman Team selection, batting .351 as a utility player.
Gophers in the Polls
Minnesota ranked among the teams receiving votes in two Preseason Polls, the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Fabulous 40 Preseason Poll released Dec. 19 and the USA Today Baseball Coaches Poll published on Jan. 25.
Superlatives
Minnesota played Georgia State each of the past two seasons, splitting a two-game series at Siebert Field with a 9-1 victory on May 2, 2017 and a 7-5 defeat on May 3, 2017 ... senior Fred Manke had a career-high five strikeouts in 3.0 innings against the Panthers, allowing just one hit ... Eduardo Estrada Jr. launched a pinch-hit three-run home run to lead the Gophers to an 11-6 victory on Mar. 6, 2016 ... sophomore catcher Eli Wilson's three RBI game against Georgia State on May 2 also marked a single-game best.
Pepper
Head coach John Anderson and assistant head coach Rob Fornasiere's 33 seasons together makes them the longest-tenured duo in collegiate baseball ... Anderson is just six victories away from 1,250 for his career and one Big Ten victory away from 560 ... D1Baseball.com named senior first baseman Toby Hanson among the top seniors available for the upcoming 2018 MLB Draft ... College Baseball Daily named Hanson and Micah Coffey to the organization's Preseason All-Big Ten Team last month. Senior Luke Pettersen landed an Honorable Mention from the same group ... Perfect Game named Gophers freshman Max Meyer the Preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The Minnesota Twins selected Meyer in the 2017 MLB Draft ... the same group named Cole McDevitt, Hanson, and Coffey to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team ... 10 Innings placed infielders Micah Coffey, Toby Hanson, and Terrin Vavra on their Preseason All-Big Ten First Team.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets Website | @GTBaseball
Georgia Tech posted a 27-28 record a season ago, including an 11-19 mark in the ACC Coastal Division, finishing fifth ... head coach Danny Hall is in his 25th season in the dugout for Georgia Tech ... senior infielder Wade Bailey earned a spot on the ABCA Atlantic Region First Team and Collegiate Baseball All-American honors during the 2017 campaign. He posted a team-best .347 average with 21 doubles, 63 runs scored, 38 RBIs, and six home runs ... junior catcher Joey Bart returns after an ABCA Atlantic Region Second Team pick a season ago, driving in a team-high 43 runs while slugging 13 long balls despite missing time due to injury ... sophomore infielder Austin Wilhite earned NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America honors in 2017, batting .338 on the year with 14 doubles and 36 runs scored ... the Yellow Jackets saw three players selected in the MLB Draft a season ago, including pitcher Zac Ryan, who led Tech with a 3.33 ERA in 46.0 innings as a reliever last season ... sophomore Xzavion Curry returns as the team's top starting pitcher, posting a team-leading six wins and 5.23 ERA in 82.2 innings ... Minnesota owns a 1-4 record all-time against Georgia Tech, but the teams have not met since the 1994 season.
Scouting the Owls Website | @KSUOwlsBaseball
Kennesaw State finished 25-32 during the 2017 campaign, landing in fifth place with a 10-11 record in Atlantic Sun play ... head coach Mike Sansing is in his 27th season minding the Owls, leading KSU through transition from NAIA to NCAA I ... senior infielder Grant Williams landed on the ASUN All-Conference First Team and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. The second baseman batted .305 with 68 hits and 29 RBIs in 2017 ... senior Taylor Allum also earned a First Team All-ASUN pick a season ago, lifting 15 home runs and driving in 40 runs ... four Owls were selected in the 2017 MLB Draft, including Second Team All-ASUN starting pitcher Tony Dibrell, who led the team with a 7-4 record and 2.45 ERA in 14 starts, including one shutout ... senior AJ Moore returns the most experience on the mound for Kennesaw State, but posting a 6.13 ERA and 5-6 record in 72.0 innings a season ago ... the doubleheader will mark the first two meetings in program history between the Gophers and Owls.
Scouting the Panthers Website | @GaStateBaseball
Georgia State closed out 2017 with a 22-33 record, finishing fifth in the Sun Belt's East Division at 10-20 ... the 2018 season will mark year no. 12 for head coach Greg Frady, the winningest coach in Panthers program history ... Georgia State did not place any players on the all-conference teams a season ago ... junior catcher Nick Gatewood returns after posting a team-best .319 average in 51 games, slugging .482 while striking out just 25 times ... senior shortstop Justin Jones started 52 games, knocking a team-leading 14 doubles while swiping six bags on the year ... right-handed pitcher Bryce Conley became the latest Panther to be selected in the MLB draft, having made 13 starts for GSU ... sophomore righty Hunter Gaddis returns having tossed a team-leading 75.0 innings in his rookie year, posting a 3.72 ERA and 4-4 record in 15 appearances (11 starts) ... Minnesota owns a 3-2 record all-time against GSU, including a two-game series split in 2017.
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