University of Minnesota Athletics
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Scout Series: Early-Season Non-Conference Slate
12/11/2019 1:12:00 PM | Baseball
As the end of 2019 draws near, so does the start of the highly anticipated 2020 college baseball season. This year, Minnesota Baseball opens the campaign with the Angels College Classic in Tempe, Ariz., before returning home to Minneapolis for a 14-game home stand at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Among the Gophers' early-season opponents are TCU, South Dakota State and North Dakota State. All three of these teams will venture to U.S. Bank during that opening home stand, with TCU traveling north for a three-game series. Meanwhile, SDSU will play Minnesota twice during that stretch, with a third and final game to come in April. For NDSU, the Bison will match up with the Maroon and Gold once during the home stand, with a second game to come later in the season.
Scouting the TCU Horned Frogs | Feb. 22-24 | 6pm/2pm/1:30pm | US Bank Stadium
TCU finished sixth in the Big 12 Conference a year ago, ending the campaign with a 34-28 (11-13) record. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle enters his 17th season leading the Horned Frogs in 2020, having compiled a career record of 653-297 during his tenure in Fort Worth, Tex.
Schlossnagle and company will look to replace the team's three leading hitters from 2019 in Jake Guenther (.345/.467/.565), Josh Watson (.324/.433/.540) and Johnny Rizer (.315/.382/.543). On top of that, the Horned Frogs will need to fill the void of 2019 ace and first round MLB Draft choice Nick Lodolo. In all, TCU saw a school-record nine players depart via the draft in 2019.
Redshirt senior Conner Shepherd will serve as the Horned Frogs' top returning hitter, having batted .297/.389/.465 with six home runs, 22 RBI and 33 runs last season. Junior left-handed pitcher Augie Milbauer will be tasked with leading the pitching staff, having boasted a 2.35 ERA across 28 innings last year. TCU has a major void to fill in the starting rotation, as senior Charles King returns with the most experience leading off games, albeit with only eight starts as a junior in 2019 (3.36 ERA).
Although the Horned Frogs did not face a single Big Ten Conference team last season, they were victorious in two-out-of-three games in Fort Worth against Minnesota back in 2018, outscoring the Gophers 18-8. Overall, the all-time series between the Gophers and Horned Frogs sits at 4-5 in favor of TCU. Dating back to 1908, Minnesota holds a 136-140-1 record against the Big 12.
Scouting the SDSU Jackrabbits | Feb. 26/March 4/April 15 | 6pm | US Bank Stadium
Last season, South Dakota State's journey concluded with a loss to Oral Roberts in the Summit League semifinals. With a 28-22 (19-10) record to their credit, the Jackrabbits placed second in the conference regular season standings. Entering 2020, head coach Rob Bishop is now in his third season with the Jackrabbits, owning a 44-56 (.440) record at SDSU and a .611 winning percentage overall as a collegiate head coach.
Minnetonka native and 2020 team home run leader Josh Falk (.257/.379/.446) returns this season after a 2019 campaign that featured eight homeruns, 38 RBI and 26 runs. Teammate and fellow Minnetonka native Gus Steiger (.324/.372/.449) will also be welcomed back for SDSU after a successful 2019 season in which he led the team in batting average, hits (73), doubles (13), runs (45) and at bats (225). SDSU will look to replace the likes of left-handed pitcher Brady Stover, who became the first Jackrabbit to be drafted since 2017 this past June (31st round, Washington Nationals).
In addition to Stover, SDSU saw nine seniors depart via graduation last season. As a result, 20 members of the Jackrabbit's current 31-man roster for 2020 are either freshman or sophomores, translating to 65% of the team makeup.
The Maroon and Gold batted against the Jackrabbits twice last season, coming out on top on both occasions. With the pair of wins, Minnesota improved to 36-12 in the all-time series and 6-0 over the last six meetings. Most recently, the Gophers went toe-to-toe with the Jackrabbits in a fall exhibition game, where the Minnesota offense pulled it together in the 10th inning to defeat the Jacks, 11-10. All eyes will be on freshman infielder Kyle Bork in this year's three-game spread, as the infielder launched a two-run homer over the batter's eye in centerfield to tie the game in the ninth inning this past September.
The key to this three-game season series will come in the form of experience and team leadership. Although the Gophers have just one senior in Jordan Kozicky, they have 15 other draft-eligible upperclassmen with two-plus years of college playing experience. If Minnesota can take advantage of the gap in experience in this two-game bender, they will likely replicate their past success against their border rivals.
Scouting the NDSU Bison | March 3/April 8 | 6pm/5pm | US Bank Stadium
Coming off a season-ending series loss to rival SDSU, North Dakota State will aim to flip the script in 2020. The Bison completed their 2019 season at 19-24 overall, going 15-15 during conference play. Head coach Tod Brown will lead the Bison in his 12th year this upcoming season, having compiled a 272-298 (.477) record in his previous 11 seasons in Fargo.
Infielder Bennett Hostetler (.250/.342/.416) returns for his senior year after leading the Bison with six big flies a year ago. Fellow infielder and Minnesota native Charley Hesse (.299/.420/.374) will be back for his junior year with the Bison in 2020 as well, after leading the team in hitting in 2019. Additionally, NDSU will return 2019 ace in left-handed pitcher Max Loven, who embarks on his sophomore campaign following a debut that saw him go 4-2 with a 2.74 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 88 2/3 innings pitched.
Having lost a mere four seniors via graduation, the Bison return the bulk of their core from 2019. Although this will work in NDSU's favor heading into this year's two-game series, Minnesota possesses a commanding all-time series advantage. The Gophers have dominated to the tune of a 35-9 record (.785) against NDSU dating back to 1948. Last season, the Bison played the Gophers once, with Minnesota prevailing via a dramatic 4-3 win via Max Meyer's game-winning walk-off home run at Siebert Field.
Among the Gophers' early-season opponents are TCU, South Dakota State and North Dakota State. All three of these teams will venture to U.S. Bank during that opening home stand, with TCU traveling north for a three-game series. Meanwhile, SDSU will play Minnesota twice during that stretch, with a third and final game to come in April. For NDSU, the Bison will match up with the Maroon and Gold once during the home stand, with a second game to come later in the season.
Scouting the TCU Horned Frogs | Feb. 22-24 | 6pm/2pm/1:30pm | US Bank Stadium
TCU finished sixth in the Big 12 Conference a year ago, ending the campaign with a 34-28 (11-13) record. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle enters his 17th season leading the Horned Frogs in 2020, having compiled a career record of 653-297 during his tenure in Fort Worth, Tex.
Schlossnagle and company will look to replace the team's three leading hitters from 2019 in Jake Guenther (.345/.467/.565), Josh Watson (.324/.433/.540) and Johnny Rizer (.315/.382/.543). On top of that, the Horned Frogs will need to fill the void of 2019 ace and first round MLB Draft choice Nick Lodolo. In all, TCU saw a school-record nine players depart via the draft in 2019.
Redshirt senior Conner Shepherd will serve as the Horned Frogs' top returning hitter, having batted .297/.389/.465 with six home runs, 22 RBI and 33 runs last season. Junior left-handed pitcher Augie Milbauer will be tasked with leading the pitching staff, having boasted a 2.35 ERA across 28 innings last year. TCU has a major void to fill in the starting rotation, as senior Charles King returns with the most experience leading off games, albeit with only eight starts as a junior in 2019 (3.36 ERA).
Although the Horned Frogs did not face a single Big Ten Conference team last season, they were victorious in two-out-of-three games in Fort Worth against Minnesota back in 2018, outscoring the Gophers 18-8. Overall, the all-time series between the Gophers and Horned Frogs sits at 4-5 in favor of TCU. Dating back to 1908, Minnesota holds a 136-140-1 record against the Big 12.
Scouting the SDSU Jackrabbits | Feb. 26/March 4/April 15 | 6pm | US Bank Stadium
Last season, South Dakota State's journey concluded with a loss to Oral Roberts in the Summit League semifinals. With a 28-22 (19-10) record to their credit, the Jackrabbits placed second in the conference regular season standings. Entering 2020, head coach Rob Bishop is now in his third season with the Jackrabbits, owning a 44-56 (.440) record at SDSU and a .611 winning percentage overall as a collegiate head coach.
Minnetonka native and 2020 team home run leader Josh Falk (.257/.379/.446) returns this season after a 2019 campaign that featured eight homeruns, 38 RBI and 26 runs. Teammate and fellow Minnetonka native Gus Steiger (.324/.372/.449) will also be welcomed back for SDSU after a successful 2019 season in which he led the team in batting average, hits (73), doubles (13), runs (45) and at bats (225). SDSU will look to replace the likes of left-handed pitcher Brady Stover, who became the first Jackrabbit to be drafted since 2017 this past June (31st round, Washington Nationals).
In addition to Stover, SDSU saw nine seniors depart via graduation last season. As a result, 20 members of the Jackrabbit's current 31-man roster for 2020 are either freshman or sophomores, translating to 65% of the team makeup.
The Maroon and Gold batted against the Jackrabbits twice last season, coming out on top on both occasions. With the pair of wins, Minnesota improved to 36-12 in the all-time series and 6-0 over the last six meetings. Most recently, the Gophers went toe-to-toe with the Jackrabbits in a fall exhibition game, where the Minnesota offense pulled it together in the 10th inning to defeat the Jacks, 11-10. All eyes will be on freshman infielder Kyle Bork in this year's three-game spread, as the infielder launched a two-run homer over the batter's eye in centerfield to tie the game in the ninth inning this past September.
The key to this three-game season series will come in the form of experience and team leadership. Although the Gophers have just one senior in Jordan Kozicky, they have 15 other draft-eligible upperclassmen with two-plus years of college playing experience. If Minnesota can take advantage of the gap in experience in this two-game bender, they will likely replicate their past success against their border rivals.
Scouting the NDSU Bison | March 3/April 8 | 6pm/5pm | US Bank Stadium
Coming off a season-ending series loss to rival SDSU, North Dakota State will aim to flip the script in 2020. The Bison completed their 2019 season at 19-24 overall, going 15-15 during conference play. Head coach Tod Brown will lead the Bison in his 12th year this upcoming season, having compiled a 272-298 (.477) record in his previous 11 seasons in Fargo.
Infielder Bennett Hostetler (.250/.342/.416) returns for his senior year after leading the Bison with six big flies a year ago. Fellow infielder and Minnesota native Charley Hesse (.299/.420/.374) will be back for his junior year with the Bison in 2020 as well, after leading the team in hitting in 2019. Additionally, NDSU will return 2019 ace in left-handed pitcher Max Loven, who embarks on his sophomore campaign following a debut that saw him go 4-2 with a 2.74 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 88 2/3 innings pitched.
Having lost a mere four seniors via graduation, the Bison return the bulk of their core from 2019. Although this will work in NDSU's favor heading into this year's two-game series, Minnesota possesses a commanding all-time series advantage. The Gophers have dominated to the tune of a 35-9 record (.785) against NDSU dating back to 1948. Last season, the Bison played the Gophers once, with Minnesota prevailing via a dramatic 4-3 win via Max Meyer's game-winning walk-off home run at Siebert Field.
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