University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, May 4
Minneapolis, MN
2:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Ohio State
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
1B/C
/ Baseball
OF
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RHP
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RHP
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IF/OF
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RHP
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IF
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IF
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C
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Photo by: Christopher Mitchell
Preview: Gophers Welcome Ohio State for Key B1G Series
5/2/2019 10:49:00 AM | Baseball
Minnesota NotesPurchase TicketsFox Sports Go (Friday)BTN2Go (Saturday)BTN Plus (Sunday)Live Stats (all games)Bark at the Park InformationFollow @GopherBaseball
Friday and Saturday's games are national TV broadcasts.
MINNEAPOLIS – The gaze of national television viewers will fall on Siebert Field for the Gopher Baseball team's Big Ten Conference series against Ohio State with Friday night's game on Fox Sports 1 and Saturday's on BTN. Game three Sunday will be the annual Bark at the Park celebration presented by Wellhaven Pet Health.
Minnesota (18-23, 8-7 Big Ten) welcomes the Buckeyes for a key conference series between two teams battling to secure playoff positioning in the final three weeks of the regular season. Ohio State (29-13, 7-8 Big Ten) dropped 2-of-3 at Iowa last weekend before arriving in the Twin Cities.
Fans hoping to bring their furry friends to Bark at the Park on Sunday must bring a signed waiver available here.
Last Time Out
Minnesota dropped a 5-4 decision against Milwaukee on Wednesday evening. The two teams did all their scoring in the first two innings, with the Panthers jumping out to a 5-0 lead on the back of two first-inning home runs. Cole McDevitt knocked in a pair of runs, and Riley Smith doubled, but the Gopher offense could not get the timely hit to complete the comeback.
Against the Competition
Minnesota took 2-of-3 from Ohio State in last year's regular season and dominated with an 8-1 victory in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament ... Jordan Kozicky has batted .444 (12-for-27) with 9 RBIs against the Buckeyes .... McDevitt has gone 9-for-22 (.409) with two home runs and 8 RBIs ... Ben Mezzenga is 6-for-19 (.316) against OSU ... Patrick Fredrickson went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA, throwing 14.0 innings against the Buckeyes during his freshman campaign.
Going Streaking
Eli Wilson reached base in his 12th consecutive game with a hit against Milwaukee on Wednesday night, currently leading the Gophers in that category. Jack Wassel has reached in 11 straight. No player currently has a hitting streak of more than one game for Minnesota.
Weekend Forecast
Friday (8 p.m.): Shower possib,le ... High/Low: 59°/52° ... Winds: SSW 9 mph ... Precipitation: 53%
Saturday (2 p.m.): Cloudy ... High/Low: 71°/67° ... Winds: WSW 9 mph ... Precipitation: 9%
Sunday (1 p.m.): Mostly cloudy ... High/Low: 60°/57° ... Winds: ENE 8 mph ... Precipitation:25%
Line Drives
Drew Hmielewski set a new career high with four RBI, including a bases-clearing triple last Friday night against the Hoosiers ... Sam Thoresen threw a career outing with new collegiate bests of 11 strikeouts and 6.0 innings against Indiana, following 5.0 shutout innings last time out against Oklahoma by allowing one run against the ranked Hoosiers ... Minnesota had won six-straight games against Indiana before falling 7-6 on a walk-off home run on Saturday ... Ryan Duffy tossed a career-high 3.2 innings of relief in Sunday's game with Indiana. He also matched his collegiate best with four strikeouts.
NCAA Superlatives
Minnesota ranks no. 56 nationally, averaging 1.95 doubles per game as a team, totaling 80 so far on the year ... the Gopher pitching staff ranks no. 34 averaging 9.4strikeouts per nine and no. 70 allowing just 8.51 hits per nine innings ... Cole McDevitt's 15 doubles this year rank no. 57 nationally and third in the Big Ten ... Max Meyer ranks no. 34 nationally with his 2.00 ERA and no. 80 in both strikeouts at 72 and WHIP at 1.05 ... Brett Schulze's 22 appearances rank no. 78 nationally.
A Record Run
Brett Schulze suffered a rare defeat on Saturday afternoon against No. 23 Indiana, ending his program record 14-0 unbeaten decision streak over a span of 45 appearances. His last previous defeat came in his final decision of the 2017 season on May 19, throwing 4.2 innings against Purdue back in his freshman season. The record had been held by Dan Morgan, winning 12-straight decisions in 1976-77.
America's Big Ten Team
Minnesota plays a pair of nationally televised games this weekend against Ohio State. The Maroon & Gold are currently 0-3 on the airwaves after dropping Sunday's contest on ESPNU. The Gophers finished 12-3 in televised games during the 2018 campaign.
Slow Start... but Ready to Finish
Minnesota started the season 1-4 but has since played .500 baseball (16-16). The Gophers batted .198 with a team 6.49 ERA in the early stretch, improving to .269 with a 4.15 ERA during the majority of the season. Splitting the season in half, the Maroon & Gold are 12-7 since opening Big Ten play at Penn State on April 23, batting .263 as a team with 17 home runs while the pitching staff has settled in with a 3.86 ERA. Minnesota started the season 5-13, batting .256 but posting a combined 5.12 ERA.
Golden Spikes Award
Max Meyer earned a spot on USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List last week. Meyer is just the third Gopher to land among the Midseason honorees and first since Tom Windle (2013). He currently leads the Gophers in ERA and ranks among the team leaders in batting average. Meyer was one of 19 players to remain on the Midseason List after also being selected in the Preseason.
Climbing the All-Time Wins List
With 1,306 victories to his name, John Anderson continues to rise up the rankings of all-time victories for NCAA head coaches. In his 38th season, Minnesota's skipper currently ranks 26th all-time with 25th (Fresno State's Bob Bennett, 1,308) and 24th (Valdosta State's Pete Dunn, 1,312), and 23rd (Stetson's Joe Roberts, 1,314) all within striking distance. Anderson ranks third among current Division I coaches and eighth among current coaches at all levels of NCAA baseball. Already the Big Ten's winningest coach, the man they call "14" sits 15 victories away from 600 in conference play.
Preseason All-Americans
Sophomore pitchers Patrick Fredrickson and Meyer received Preseason All-America recognition from four organizations to begin 2019. Fredrickson landed Second Team selections from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA, and Perfect Game, and a Third Team pick from D1Baseball. Meyer landed on D1Baseball's First Team, the Second Team from both NCBWA and Perfect Game, and Third Team from Collegiate Baseball.
B1G Time Favorite
Big Ten coaches selected the defending champion Gophers to repeat in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll. Mezzenga and hurlers Fredrickson and Meyer were each chosen as Players to Watch in league play this season. Fredrickson, the reigning Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, and Meyer each received First Team All-Big Ten honors last year, while Mezzenga was a Second Team selection.
A New Look Dugout
Following the retirement of Gophers assistant head coach Rob Fornasiere following the 2018 season, John Anderson has revamped his coaching staff. Pitching coach Ty McDevitt has been elevated to assistant coach in his third season, former Upper Iowa University head coach Brandon Hunt joins the Maroon & Gold as a volunteer assistant, Golden Gopher alum and long-time Atlantic League standout Dan Lyons returns as a student assistant, and former head student manager Ryan Goll officially joins the staff as an undergraduate assistant. Hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Pat Casey expands his duties with the staff.
Returning All-Big Ten Selections
Minnesota earned seven All-Big Ten selections last season in addition to John Anderson earning the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year award. The Gophers return the Big Ten Freshman and Pitcher of the Year in starting pitcher Patrick Fredrickson and fellow All-Big Ten First Team selection relief pitcher Max Meyer as well as Second Team outfielder Ben Mezzenga. Senior infielder/catcher Cole McDevitt also returns having earned an All-Big Ten First Team selection back in 2017.
Gophers in the Pros
Minnesota currently has nine alumni serving time in MLB organizations, with three more signed on to play major professional baseball with the American Association, including a pair in St. Paul. They are Austin Athmann ('16), Micah Coffey ('18), Lucas Gilbreath ('17), Ben Meyer ('15), Jackson Rose ('18), Dalton Sawyer ('16), Terrin Vavra ('18), and Tom Windle ('13). D.J. Snelten ('13) signed on with the Chicago Dogs this past week while Jordan Jess ('16) and Dan Motl ('16) will compete with the St. Paul Saints.
Minnesota (18-23, 8-7 Big Ten) welcomes the Buckeyes for a key conference series between two teams battling to secure playoff positioning in the final three weeks of the regular season. Ohio State (29-13, 7-8 Big Ten) dropped 2-of-3 at Iowa last weekend before arriving in the Twin Cities.
Fans hoping to bring their furry friends to Bark at the Park on Sunday must bring a signed waiver available here.
Last Time Out
Minnesota dropped a 5-4 decision against Milwaukee on Wednesday evening. The two teams did all their scoring in the first two innings, with the Panthers jumping out to a 5-0 lead on the back of two first-inning home runs. Cole McDevitt knocked in a pair of runs, and Riley Smith doubled, but the Gopher offense could not get the timely hit to complete the comeback.
Against the Competition
Minnesota took 2-of-3 from Ohio State in last year's regular season and dominated with an 8-1 victory in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament ... Jordan Kozicky has batted .444 (12-for-27) with 9 RBIs against the Buckeyes .... McDevitt has gone 9-for-22 (.409) with two home runs and 8 RBIs ... Ben Mezzenga is 6-for-19 (.316) against OSU ... Patrick Fredrickson went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA, throwing 14.0 innings against the Buckeyes during his freshman campaign.
Going Streaking
Eli Wilson reached base in his 12th consecutive game with a hit against Milwaukee on Wednesday night, currently leading the Gophers in that category. Jack Wassel has reached in 11 straight. No player currently has a hitting streak of more than one game for Minnesota.
Weekend Forecast
Friday (8 p.m.): Shower possib,le ... High/Low: 59°/52° ... Winds: SSW 9 mph ... Precipitation: 53%
Saturday (2 p.m.): Cloudy ... High/Low: 71°/67° ... Winds: WSW 9 mph ... Precipitation: 9%
Sunday (1 p.m.): Mostly cloudy ... High/Low: 60°/57° ... Winds: ENE 8 mph ... Precipitation:25%
Line Drives
Drew Hmielewski set a new career high with four RBI, including a bases-clearing triple last Friday night against the Hoosiers ... Sam Thoresen threw a career outing with new collegiate bests of 11 strikeouts and 6.0 innings against Indiana, following 5.0 shutout innings last time out against Oklahoma by allowing one run against the ranked Hoosiers ... Minnesota had won six-straight games against Indiana before falling 7-6 on a walk-off home run on Saturday ... Ryan Duffy tossed a career-high 3.2 innings of relief in Sunday's game with Indiana. He also matched his collegiate best with four strikeouts.
NCAA Superlatives
Minnesota ranks no. 56 nationally, averaging 1.95 doubles per game as a team, totaling 80 so far on the year ... the Gopher pitching staff ranks no. 34 averaging 9.4strikeouts per nine and no. 70 allowing just 8.51 hits per nine innings ... Cole McDevitt's 15 doubles this year rank no. 57 nationally and third in the Big Ten ... Max Meyer ranks no. 34 nationally with his 2.00 ERA and no. 80 in both strikeouts at 72 and WHIP at 1.05 ... Brett Schulze's 22 appearances rank no. 78 nationally.
A Record Run
Brett Schulze suffered a rare defeat on Saturday afternoon against No. 23 Indiana, ending his program record 14-0 unbeaten decision streak over a span of 45 appearances. His last previous defeat came in his final decision of the 2017 season on May 19, throwing 4.2 innings against Purdue back in his freshman season. The record had been held by Dan Morgan, winning 12-straight decisions in 1976-77.
America's Big Ten Team
Minnesota plays a pair of nationally televised games this weekend against Ohio State. The Maroon & Gold are currently 0-3 on the airwaves after dropping Sunday's contest on ESPNU. The Gophers finished 12-3 in televised games during the 2018 campaign.
Slow Start... but Ready to Finish
Minnesota started the season 1-4 but has since played .500 baseball (16-16). The Gophers batted .198 with a team 6.49 ERA in the early stretch, improving to .269 with a 4.15 ERA during the majority of the season. Splitting the season in half, the Maroon & Gold are 12-7 since opening Big Ten play at Penn State on April 23, batting .263 as a team with 17 home runs while the pitching staff has settled in with a 3.86 ERA. Minnesota started the season 5-13, batting .256 but posting a combined 5.12 ERA.
Golden Spikes Award
Max Meyer earned a spot on USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List last week. Meyer is just the third Gopher to land among the Midseason honorees and first since Tom Windle (2013). He currently leads the Gophers in ERA and ranks among the team leaders in batting average. Meyer was one of 19 players to remain on the Midseason List after also being selected in the Preseason.
Climbing the All-Time Wins List
With 1,306 victories to his name, John Anderson continues to rise up the rankings of all-time victories for NCAA head coaches. In his 38th season, Minnesota's skipper currently ranks 26th all-time with 25th (Fresno State's Bob Bennett, 1,308) and 24th (Valdosta State's Pete Dunn, 1,312), and 23rd (Stetson's Joe Roberts, 1,314) all within striking distance. Anderson ranks third among current Division I coaches and eighth among current coaches at all levels of NCAA baseball. Already the Big Ten's winningest coach, the man they call "14" sits 15 victories away from 600 in conference play.
Preseason All-Americans
Sophomore pitchers Patrick Fredrickson and Meyer received Preseason All-America recognition from four organizations to begin 2019. Fredrickson landed Second Team selections from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA, and Perfect Game, and a Third Team pick from D1Baseball. Meyer landed on D1Baseball's First Team, the Second Team from both NCBWA and Perfect Game, and Third Team from Collegiate Baseball.
B1G Time Favorite
Big Ten coaches selected the defending champion Gophers to repeat in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll. Mezzenga and hurlers Fredrickson and Meyer were each chosen as Players to Watch in league play this season. Fredrickson, the reigning Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, and Meyer each received First Team All-Big Ten honors last year, while Mezzenga was a Second Team selection.
A New Look Dugout
Following the retirement of Gophers assistant head coach Rob Fornasiere following the 2018 season, John Anderson has revamped his coaching staff. Pitching coach Ty McDevitt has been elevated to assistant coach in his third season, former Upper Iowa University head coach Brandon Hunt joins the Maroon & Gold as a volunteer assistant, Golden Gopher alum and long-time Atlantic League standout Dan Lyons returns as a student assistant, and former head student manager Ryan Goll officially joins the staff as an undergraduate assistant. Hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Pat Casey expands his duties with the staff.
Returning All-Big Ten Selections
Minnesota earned seven All-Big Ten selections last season in addition to John Anderson earning the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year award. The Gophers return the Big Ten Freshman and Pitcher of the Year in starting pitcher Patrick Fredrickson and fellow All-Big Ten First Team selection relief pitcher Max Meyer as well as Second Team outfielder Ben Mezzenga. Senior infielder/catcher Cole McDevitt also returns having earned an All-Big Ten First Team selection back in 2017.
Gophers in the Pros
Minnesota currently has nine alumni serving time in MLB organizations, with three more signed on to play major professional baseball with the American Association, including a pair in St. Paul. They are Austin Athmann ('16), Micah Coffey ('18), Lucas Gilbreath ('17), Ben Meyer ('15), Jackson Rose ('18), Dalton Sawyer ('16), Terrin Vavra ('18), and Tom Windle ('13). D.J. Snelten ('13) signed on with the Chicago Dogs this past week while Jordan Jess ('16) and Dan Motl ('16) will compete with the St. Paul Saints.
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