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University of Minnesota Athletics
Preview: DQ Classic-Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge
3/1/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| DQ Classic-Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge: Games 10-12 | |
| Gophers vs. Arizona (5-3, 0-0 Pac-12) | |
| Date/Time | Friday, March 2, 7 p.m. |
| Location | U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Follow Live | BTN Plus | Game Day Live |
| Weather | Indoors |
| Gophers vs. Washington (4-3, 0-0 Pac-12) | |
| Date/Time | Saturday, March 3, 7 p.m. |
| Location | U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Follow Live | BTN Plus | Game Day Live |
| Weather | Indoors |
| Gophers vs. No. 11 UCLA (7-1, 0-0 Pac-12) | |
| Date/Time | Sunday, March 4, 6 p.m. |
| Location | U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Follow Live | BTN Plus | Game Day Live |
| Weather | Indoors |
| Tournament Page | 2018 DQ Classic |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Arizona | Washington | UCLA |
| Social Media | @GopherBaseball | Facebook | Instagram |
MINNEAPOLIS -- Six top teams from the Big Ten and the Pac-12 will descend on U.S. Bank Stadium this weekend for the nine-game, three-team DQ Classic-Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge. Minnesota (7-2), Illinois, and Michigan State will take on Arizona, No. 11 UCLA, and Washington. For more details and the complete schedule, follow this link.
DQ Classic-Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge
The nine-game, three-day event will conclude with the crowning of a DQ Classic Team Champion. The team with the best record will receive the honor with tiebreakers being head-to-head, followed by aggregate score (runs allowed subtracted from runs scored). All-Tournament Team, Tournament MVP, and Silver Stick Award (highest average) will also be awarded.
An Honorable Week
Shortstop Terrin Vavra batted .600 for the week (9-for-15), scoring eight runs, driving in six, stealing two bases, and lifting two triples without a single strikeout on the week. He slugged .867 while getting on-base at a .625 clip as the Gophers swept a three-game weekend with wins over Boston College, Chicago State, and Mount St. Mary's.
Gopher Debuts
The collegiate debuts continued to roll in for the Gophers at the Snowbird Classic. Jacob Hitz debuted against Chicago State, drawing a walk and scoring a run, while also pinch hitting and playing the outfield against Mount St. Mary's. Redshirt freshman Drew Hmielewski opened his Gopher career with a single against Boston College after coming on as a defensive replacement and had his first collegiate start at designated hitter against the Mountaineers. Bubba Horton took the hill for the first time in the exhibition with the Twins and then came back to strike out the final batter of the game in his first official appearance against Mount St. Mary's. Redshirt freshman Gabe Knowles appeared in all three games for Minnesota this past weekend as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement in the outfield.
NCAA Superlatives
Minnesota currently ranks eighth in batting average in the nation at .347 and in runs scored with 74 ... the Gophers are also in the top-five in scoring average at 10.6 runs per game ... Minnesota's eight sacrifice flies are the second-most in the country behind Middle Tennessee's nine. Micah Coffey has three of the nine sac flies, good for second-most nationally as an individual ... Terrin Vavra has scored 10 runs already this season, the 30th-most nationally ... Toby Hanson's four doubles have him leading the Big Ten and ranked no. 33 nationally.
Against the Competition
Minnesota has not faced any of its foes from this year's DQ Classic since the 2013 season. No players currently on the Gophers have competed against Arizona, Washington, or UCLA.
Lucky Number Seven
Minnesota's 8-run seventh inning against Mount St. Mary's last Sunday was the first of its kind since an 8-2 victory over Penn State back on May 26, 2011 but came just a day after the team scored six runs in the seventh against Chicago State. The Gophers have outscored opponents 17-0 in the seventh inning this season.
Gophers in the Polls
The Gophers slid into the teams receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 poll this week.
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.
Ins & Outs
On Tuesday night, head coach John Anderson earned his historic 1,250th career victory as the Gophers defeated North Dakota State 3-1 ... Anderson's 1,251 career victories are the seventh-most among active coaches in the entire NCAA and fifth-most in NCAA Division I ... Wednesday against South Dakota State, Joshua Culliver, Jeff Fasching, and Max Meyer combined for Minnesota's first shutout since a 6-0 victory over Rutgers last season on May 16, 2017 ... the Gophers were held to just three hits for the first time since April 1, 2017 at Michigan State ... the 1-0 victory was the first for Minnesota since April 2, 2014 against Augsburg at Siebert Field.
Scouting the Wildcats
Arizona (5-3) has dropped three of its last five but picked up a 5-4 victory over New Mexico State last time out ... the Wildcats finished 38-21 a season ago, running up a 16-14 mark to land fourth in the Pac-12 ... head coach Jay Johnson returns for his third season at Arizona off an appearance in the NCAA Tournament ... right-hander Cody Deason is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA, striking out nine in 12.1 innings ahead of a start against the Maroon & Gold ... junior outfielder Alfonso Rivas III is batting .333 with 10 RBIs, two doubles, and one home run.
Scouting the Huskies
Washington (4-3) won two out of three against UC-Riverside in a three-game set last weekend ... the Huskies concluded 2017 at 28-26 overall but finished seventh in the Pac-12 at 14-16 in league play ... Lindsay Meggs returns for his ninth season at the helm of Washington baseball ... sophomore left-hander Chris Micheles will start for the Huskies against the Gophers, entering the weekend 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in 8.2 innings with 11 strikeouts ... senior Joe Wainhouse has hit .368 in six games this season, driving in three runs and scoring four times.
Scouting the Bruins
No. 11 UCLA (7-1) enters the weekend on a two-game winning streak including a 12-2 win over Cal State Fullerton last time out ... the Bruins posted a 30-27 final mark a season ago, but at 19-11 against the Pac-12 finished third in the conference ... John Savage continues his 14-year tenure leading UCLA in 2018 ... right-hander Zach Pettway will start for the Bruins, having posted a 2-0 record and 0.69 ERA in 13.0 innings during his freshman season ... sophomore infielder Michael Toglia is hitting .433 in eight starts this season, driving in 10 runs while lifting a team-leading three home runs on the year.
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