University of Minnesota Athletics
Around the Bases with Fred Manke
5/8/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS – GopherSports.com has gone “Around the Bases” with each of its seniors this season. The team caught up with senior right-handed relief pitcher Fred Manke late last month.
Manke has taken the hill in seven games this season after a preseason injury delayed the start of his senior campaign. The sidearm slinger has posted a 3.86 ERA while striking out 11 in 9.1 innings. During his injury, he took on duties as the team’s first base coach and has continued on days he doesn’t take the hill.
GopherSports.com: You have expanded your role with the team as a part-time first base coach for the Gophers. How did that come about?
Fred Manke: It all started when I had a shoulder impingement to start the season and was out for the first two weeks. [Assistant Coach Patrick Casey] talked to me about coaching first base in order to keep me involved in the game. I did it the first weekend and had fun. It was a way to interact with the guys and not feel left out. I'm still enjoying it. I don't do it as often because I want to be ready to pitch, but we rotate with guys that are hurt or not in the line-up that day. I’m having a lot of fun with it.
GS: What have you learned from that experience?
FM: I learned pitch sequences that different pitchers like to go to on the mound. Being a pitcher, that was something I noticed right away. From the hitting aspect, what hitters are sitting on and what counts, base-stealing tendencies that certain guys have. It gave me a different perspective than being a player.
GS: How has the season been going for you on the mound since returning from the injury?
FM: I'm pitching pretty well. Our staff is very talented, to say the least. We have good freshman. [Pitching coach] Ty McDevitt has been working hard with them. There has not always been a lot of opportunities for everybody, but I think as a whole staff, we have maximized our opportunities. We are pitching very well right now.
GS: What has been your favorite moment during your career with Gopher Baseball?
FM: Probably last year in the Big Ten Tournament when we came back from a six-run deficit against Indiana to knock them out of the tournament. I got to pitch in the ninth inning and got the save. It was exciting.
GS: What is the most important lesson you have learned while playing collegiate athletics?
FM: The most important lesson is to "never give up" - on anything. You never know what is going to happen or when you will be called upon. It has given me the mentality to stay ready all the time, and that carries over into life. You never know what will happen in life, and you have to be on your toes all the time.
GS: What are your plans for your post-playing career?
FM: I'm majoring in business marketing education, and I actually just completed my degree program. I just need to pass all my elective classes. I plan to go into the family business. I am a third-generation marine dealer with my dad. We just started a company about a year ago in northern Wisconsin. I've been helping since I was about 13, but I plan to learn the ropes of how to run a business and use my degree and everything I've learned here to help the family business grow.
GS: Either now or when you were growing up, did you have a favorite MLB Team and favorite player?
FM: I've always been a Brewers fan, and my favorite player growing up was Damian Miller. He was a catcher for the Brewers. I used to be a catcher and I idolized him. Since [starting my pitching career], I liked Jordan Zimmerman of the Nationals has been my favorite pitcher. He went to UW-Stevens Point, and he's someone that I followed all through high school.
GS: What is your favorite baseball movie, and why?
FM: The Sandlot is a classic. I grew up watching it every summer. As a kid, you wished you could do that.
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