Rounding the Bases with Will Anderson

HIT & RUN

Major: Kinesiology
Favorite athlete: Max Scherzer
Favorite hobby: going up north
Favorite book: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Favorite musical artist: The Weeknd
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite professional team: Minnesota Twins
Favorite restaurant: Chipotle
Favorite Gopher sporting event: football
Biggest fear: heights
Biggest pet peeve: people who don't use their blinkers
Hidden talent: TopGolf
Person you'd most like to meet: Conor McGregor
Something you never leave home without: AirPods
Dream vacation spot: Italy
Sport you'd like to try but never have: skeleton
This year from Santa: shoes
Notable gift: receives girl doll every Christmas from grandparents

TEAM SUPERLATIVES

Best personality in the dugout: Ronald Sweeny
Hardest-working teammate: Drake Davis
Most competitive teammate: Drew Stahl
Most studious teammate: Jack Liffrig
Biggest prankster: Nolan Burchill
Best nickname: Tree (Trent Schoeberl)
Build the ultimate five-tool player with your teammates: Max Meyer (arm), Drew Stahl (glove), Ronald Sweeny (power), Trent Schoeberl (speed), Chase Stanke (contact)

GopherSports met with Minnesota's 12 newcomers to discuss their life before the U and gather the inside scoop for the 2020 season, continuing this week with freshman left-handed pitcher Will Anderson.

Anderson, a 2019 Minnesota Mr. Baseball finalist, has long dreamed of playing collegiate baseball for the Maroon and Gold. After a widely successful career at St. Michael-Albertville High School, Anderson was able to turn his dream into a reality.

As a senior, Anderson dominated over the course of 53 innings, finishing with an 8-1 record and a miniscule 1.58 ERA. Making eight starts, Anderson fired three complete game shutouts and sat down 72 batters on strikes, good for an eye-popping 12.23 K/9.

Overall, the southpaw went 15-3 during his Knights career and came to the Gophers as Prep Baseball Report's No. 3 left-handed pitcher/No. 6 overall player in Minnesota. Now a member of the program he grew up aspiring to be a part of, Anderson provides some insight on the heels of his first fall season under head coach John Anderson and company.

GopherSports: Why did you choose to attend the University of Minnesota?
Anderson: "My family has bled Maroon and Gold their whole lives, so it's always been a dream. I grew up going to Gopher football and hockey games. Especially on my dad's side, they're huge Gopher fans, so it was always the dream. Right off the bat when I started getting recruited here, it was just amazing. The coaching staff, the players, the facilities – it was just all-in-one the perfect spot."

GS: Did you ever go to Gopher Baseball games while you were growing up?
Anderson: "I did. Baseball's always been my favorite sport since I was little and this being my dream school makes it the perfection combination."

GS: When did you start playing baseball and when did you set your sights on playing collegiately?
Anderson: "I've played baseball ever since I could walk and pick up a bat. My family has photos and videos of me with a bat and a glove in my hand when I was still crawling. It became a thing that I could do in college late in my sophomore year, when I realized I could actually pursue my dream in this. I just needed to throw harder. Once that happened, it just took off from there."

GS: What would you say is your biggest strength and what is one possible area of improvement?
Anderson: "My biggest strength would probably be controlling myself – not getting too up, not getting too down. Being in the present on the mound and not worrying about things in the past. I think I could definitely work on pitch sequencing, when to throw pitches in certain counts and where to throw them. It's a completely different game from high school, where you could beat hitters with your fast ball 90% of the time."

GS: What was it like being a 2019 Minnesota Mr. Baseball Finalist?
Anderson: "It was awesome. It was a great group of guys to be around. The winner, Drew Gilbert, is a great kid and a great person. It was awesome to get to be a part of that and go to that banquet and be among those guys."

GS: Do you have any game day rituals or superstitions?
Anderson: "I don't have anything specific. I just like to get in the zone. The night before, I'm envisioning success and doing things to calm myself. The day of, I try to think of nothing but the game itself. I try to focus on what I can do and what I need to prepare for the game so that I can perform well."

GS: What is your most memorable moment from playing baseball?
Anderson: "My most memorable moment was playing in the state tournament my junior year of high school. We played Lakeville North and they were the heavy favorites. I ended up pitching the whole game and we won 3-2 on an interference call to end the game – so that's pretty memorable. Everyone got along during my high school baseball career, so it was fun to be with those guys."

GS: What is your favorite part of being a Gopher so far?
Anderson: "I'm living my dream. It's a really tough life balancing school and sports, but it's the life I've always dreamed of having. Just being able to live that every day is the best part of being a Gopher."

GS: What are your goals for the upcoming 2020 season?
Anderson: "For myself, it is just giving the team my best. Each and every day, I know there will be guys that are going to give their best and I want to repay them with giving my best. The coaches do everything for our program. They lay everything out for us, so I want to return the favor and give my best for them. As a team, win as many games as possible and go as far as possible. We have a really talented roster, but talent only gets you so far. I feel like we have a great culture that can roll us into June and into late June."

GS: Do you have any advice for aspiring youth athletes?
Anderson: "Have fun with what you're doing, adapt with how the game's changing and don't forget your why – why you're doing it. If you forget that and you don't have conviction with your why, there really is no point in doing it."

GS: What are your aspirations for after college ball?
Anderson: "After college ball, there's always the dream of being a professional baseball player and I am going to pursue that until I get that tap on the shoulder that tells me I should be done. After that, I hope to take my Kinesiology degree and become a chiropractor, a physical therapist, or something along those lines."

GS: Who are you looking forward to playing against the most?
Anderson: "Michigan at home. I have heard a lot of things about them and their run in the College World Series last year, plus the history between these two teams. I'm excited to be a part of that history this year. I grew up around all Big Ten teams, so I know the rivalries and it's going to be electric."

GS: What has it been like being a Division I student-athlete so far?
Anderson: "It's a totally different lifestyle [from high school]. There are huge time management skills required. Getting up, going to class, getting your tutoring done and going to practice all while trying to improve before the season. You try to balance studying for finals and getting prepared for the season, because you want to play as a freshman. It's so hard to balance such an important academic period and athletic period."

GS: In your short time here, what impact has the coaching staff had on you?
Anderson: "It's been better than imagined. Some people think it's a recruiting pitch when they tell you it's a family, or they care about you more than baseball. It's not. They truly care about you as a person, then as a student – and as an athlete last. They are very helpful on the athletic side, but they also care about you as a person."

GS: As a freshman, where do you see your role on this team come February?
Anderson: "We have a loaded staff, so I don't expect anything much. Those guys know what it takes to be a college pitcher, the length of a college season and what it takes to pitch continuously, so I just hope that I can be there when my number's called. Whether that's sometime on the weekend, in relief, mid-weeks – whatever it is, I just hope that I'll be able to contribute when they need me most."

GS: What is a bold prediction for the 2020 season?
Anderson: "I think Drake Davis is going to be huge for us. He hasn't pitched off a mound in two or so years, but he is the hardest working kid I have ever met in my entire life and I know that when it comes to it and he's on that rubber, he's not going to get beat. I think he's going to have a break-out year and I think he's going to lead us to a Super Regional, Omaha, all the works."

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Players Mentioned

Will Anderson

Nolan Burchill

Drake Davis

Jack Liffrig

Max Meyer

Trent Schoeberl

Drew Stahl

Chase Stanke

Ronald Sweeny