University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Kozicky and Smith Shine Around the Diamond
4/22/2019 9:12:00 AM | Baseball
Versatility can be one of a baseball team's most valuable assets, and for the Gopher Baseball team over the past four seasons, Riley Smith and Jordan Kozicky have provided a versatility to play any position in the field and bat anywhere in head coach John Anderson's line-up.
Kozicky played all over the field for Minnesota last season before settling into the role of starting shortstop this season, but has seen time in the outfield as well in 2019. Smith began the season at second base but has spent time at designated hitter as well as the outfield, where he got most of his reps as a junior after beginning his career playing mostly infield for the Maroon & Gold.
"If I had to pick a favorite position, it would be shortstop," Smith said. "I played [there] my freshman year and had a lot of fun. I got a lot of confidence in the infield, and that's where my ability to play wherever I wanted came from. I felt that confidence early."
Smith moved to the outfield primarily in 2018, helping provide stability when injuries affected the original line-up construction for the eventual Big Ten Champions. Often, Kozicky would play left field while Smith would play right, but the pair was prepared to play where needed
"When I was thrown into the outfield last year, I was forced to make adjustments and learn on the run. Ever since then, it's been about making sure I get quality time at each position infield and outfield and just doing whatever I can to help the team."
Smith adapted to the change quickly, as he showed in his Sportscenter Top 10 highlight reel catch in right field against St. John's on May 15, 2018.
"I had a lot of family members and people back home in Oklahoma texting and calling me, saying 'I just saw you on SportsCenter! What the heck just happened?' and along with that, 'wait, why were you in the outfield?'" Smith laughed. "People were surprised, but at the same time, they were really happy for me. It was a cool experience. my family was proud of me. Unfortunately, they didn't get to see it in person, but having that on video is just as cool."
Smith has not gotten off to the start he wanted offensively in 2019, but he has not let it affect his game in the field.
"[In baseball], you have your highs and lows. I learned early not to bring my at-bats into the field," Smith said. "If I'm in a slump at the plate, I just clear that [from my mind] as soon as I can to get out in the field and make a play on defense to get some confidence back."
One person he can look to as an example of bouncing back is Kozicky, who hit just .146 in his first 13 games this season before turning around with a.347 batting average over the last 20 games, slugging a team-leading seven home runs.
"I was in a rut, focused on being prefect – the things you really focus on as a baseball player," Kozicky said. "My season turned around when we went to Long Beach State. I fell in love with their field and tried to have the most fun I could possibly have. I accepted that failure is part of the game, and I can't do much about [past failures]. As soon as I threw that out the door, the confidence translated into almost immediate success.
Like his fellow utility man, Kozicky is happy to see his name in the line-up wherever he ends up.
"I like shortstop a lot, but I wouldn't say I have a favorite position. I love my time out in left and right, third base," Kozicky said. "When I was a true utility, I never worried about where I was going to play. Knowing where I'm going to be this year, I take a lot of pride that I am the starting shortstop."
When Minnesota graduated much of its starting line-up and saw starting shortstop Terrin Vavra drafted by the Colorado Rockies, it was up to the few upperclassmen Minnesota had left to step up and lead a young team. In showing their willingness to play anywhere, Kozicky and Smith each lead by example.
"I had some good people in front of me that taught me the ropes," Smith said. "All I really want to do is show people that it doesn't take talent to work hard."
Kozicky agreed.
"I feel like I was one of the leaders last year, but being one of the older guys, it is different," Kozicky said. "The biggest thing has been showing [the underclassmen] how we go about our business so that when we are gone, this team will be fine because we instilled the Gopher Baseball tradition into the younger guys."
The red-shirt junior from Minneapolis said that while playing alongside rookie Zack Raabe in the middle infield has been "cool," he does hold a soft spot for matching up alongside his fellow fourth-year player.
"Riley is one of my good friends on the team. We came up with our own handshake to do when the pitcher is done warming up and the ball comes down to second," Kozicky said. "We do it to gain that swagger for the inning and feel like the duo that is ready to make plays for our pitchers. We are good buddies, and we have embraced that utility theme together."
Single-game tickets remain available for all Gophers home games. Minnesota returns to Siebert Field on Tuesday, April 30 to renew its border rivalry with North Dakota State. The Maroon & Gold walked off 4-3 winners over the Bison earlier this season on April 9. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Kozicky played all over the field for Minnesota last season before settling into the role of starting shortstop this season, but has seen time in the outfield as well in 2019. Smith began the season at second base but has spent time at designated hitter as well as the outfield, where he got most of his reps as a junior after beginning his career playing mostly infield for the Maroon & Gold.
"If I had to pick a favorite position, it would be shortstop," Smith said. "I played [there] my freshman year and had a lot of fun. I got a lot of confidence in the infield, and that's where my ability to play wherever I wanted came from. I felt that confidence early."
Smith moved to the outfield primarily in 2018, helping provide stability when injuries affected the original line-up construction for the eventual Big Ten Champions. Often, Kozicky would play left field while Smith would play right, but the pair was prepared to play where needed
"When I was thrown into the outfield last year, I was forced to make adjustments and learn on the run. Ever since then, it's been about making sure I get quality time at each position infield and outfield and just doing whatever I can to help the team."
Smith adapted to the change quickly, as he showed in his Sportscenter Top 10 highlight reel catch in right field against St. John's on May 15, 2018.
"I had a lot of family members and people back home in Oklahoma texting and calling me, saying 'I just saw you on SportsCenter! What the heck just happened?' and along with that, 'wait, why were you in the outfield?'" Smith laughed. "People were surprised, but at the same time, they were really happy for me. It was a cool experience. my family was proud of me. Unfortunately, they didn't get to see it in person, but having that on video is just as cool."
Smith has not gotten off to the start he wanted offensively in 2019, but he has not let it affect his game in the field.
"[In baseball], you have your highs and lows. I learned early not to bring my at-bats into the field," Smith said. "If I'm in a slump at the plate, I just clear that [from my mind] as soon as I can to get out in the field and make a play on defense to get some confidence back."
One person he can look to as an example of bouncing back is Kozicky, who hit just .146 in his first 13 games this season before turning around with a.347 batting average over the last 20 games, slugging a team-leading seven home runs.
"I was in a rut, focused on being prefect – the things you really focus on as a baseball player," Kozicky said. "My season turned around when we went to Long Beach State. I fell in love with their field and tried to have the most fun I could possibly have. I accepted that failure is part of the game, and I can't do much about [past failures]. As soon as I threw that out the door, the confidence translated into almost immediate success.
Like his fellow utility man, Kozicky is happy to see his name in the line-up wherever he ends up.
"I like shortstop a lot, but I wouldn't say I have a favorite position. I love my time out in left and right, third base," Kozicky said. "When I was a true utility, I never worried about where I was going to play. Knowing where I'm going to be this year, I take a lot of pride that I am the starting shortstop."
When Minnesota graduated much of its starting line-up and saw starting shortstop Terrin Vavra drafted by the Colorado Rockies, it was up to the few upperclassmen Minnesota had left to step up and lead a young team. In showing their willingness to play anywhere, Kozicky and Smith each lead by example.
"I had some good people in front of me that taught me the ropes," Smith said. "All I really want to do is show people that it doesn't take talent to work hard."
Kozicky agreed.
"I feel like I was one of the leaders last year, but being one of the older guys, it is different," Kozicky said. "The biggest thing has been showing [the underclassmen] how we go about our business so that when we are gone, this team will be fine because we instilled the Gopher Baseball tradition into the younger guys."
The red-shirt junior from Minneapolis said that while playing alongside rookie Zack Raabe in the middle infield has been "cool," he does hold a soft spot for matching up alongside his fellow fourth-year player.
"Riley is one of my good friends on the team. We came up with our own handshake to do when the pitcher is done warming up and the ball comes down to second," Kozicky said. "We do it to gain that swagger for the inning and feel like the duo that is ready to make plays for our pitchers. We are good buddies, and we have embraced that utility theme together."
Single-game tickets remain available for all Gophers home games. Minnesota returns to Siebert Field on Tuesday, April 30 to renew its border rivalry with North Dakota State. The Maroon & Gold walked off 4-3 winners over the Bison earlier this season on April 9. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
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