University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, May 22
Omaha, NE
9:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
(5) Nebraska
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
IF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
Photo by: www.WaltMiddletonphoto.com
Preview: Big Ten Tournament
5/21/2019 9:00:00 AM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – The Gopher Baseball team opens postseason play Wednesday night at the Big Ten Tournament at T.D. Ameritrade Park, home of the College World Series.
Minnesota (26-25) earned the fourth seed and will take on fifth-seeded Nebraska (28-20) in the opening round of the double elimination tournament with first pitch set for 9 p.m. The winner will advance to take on the winner of No. 21 Indiana against Iowa at 9 p.m. Thursday while the losers of the two games will meet in an elimination match-up at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Every game of the tournament will air live on Big Ten Network and BTN2Go.
Last Time Out
Minnesota took 2-of-3 from Northwestern to end the regular season, knocking the Wildcats out of postseason contention with a 6-5 win in the series finale after waiting through a nearly 3-hour weather delay. Zack Raabe went 7-for-14 on the weekend, driving in two runs and scoring once while lifting three doubles on the weekend. He struck out just once and drew a walk while playing pristine defense on the weekend.
Fight from Underneath
Unlike 2018 when Minnesota cruised to the top seed of the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers showed their grit to claim the fourth seed in this year's field. The team surged late, finishing 8-2 in their last 10 to finish the regular season above .500 after starting the year at 2-11. Freshman Zack Raabe has led Minnesota with .341 batting average (15-of-44) with four doubles in that span. Senior Riley Smith has come on strong of late, batting .278. On the mound, the Gophers posted a 2.94 ERA. J.P. Massey, Nolan Burchill, and Jeff Fasching have combined for 15.0 shutout innings in seven appearances over that stretch while Brett Schulze has earned three saves while striking out 13 in 9.0 innings.
Back to the Old Me
After earning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors in his rookie season, Patrick Fredrickson got off to a slow start for Minnesota. In his first six starts, the right-hander posted a 2-3 record and 4.76 ERA, throwing 22.2 innings and walking 22 batters to 16 strikeouts before being shut down for a month due to arm tightness. Since returning to the staff on May 1, Fredrickson has posted a 1-0 record and 2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings, striking out 15 compared to five walks. He struck out a season-high seven batters in his return to the rotation against Maryland, earning a pair of no decisions in his last two starts.
Against Nebraska
Minnesota took 2-of-3 from the Cornhuskers at Siebert Field back on March 29-31. Eli Wilson went 6-for-12 with a walk-off home run in game one and four RBIs on the weekend, improving his career mark against the Cornhuskers to .474. Relievers Nick Lackney, Brett Schulze, and Ryan Duffy threw a combined 8.0 shutout innings with 15 strikeouts. Max Meyer tossed a career-high 8.0 innings, striking out 11 in a Saturday start while going 4-for-10 at the plate on the weekend. In his career, the right-hander has a 1.80 ERA in 10.0 innings against Nebraska. Game one starter Patrick Fredrickson has made two starts against the Cornhuskers, 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA in 10.2 innings pitched, striking out 12.
Against the Field
Minnesota played 6-of-7 teams in the Big Ten Tournament field this season, only missing Iowa on the regular season schedule. The Gophers finished 10-8 against tournament teams. Ben Mezzenga batted .321 with five runs scored. Jordan Kozicky had five home runs, 12 RBIs, and 13 runs scored. Sam Thoresen finished 1-0 in 13.2 innings, earning a 1.32 ERA. Brett Schulze made 11 appearances to the tune of a 3.94 ERA, going 2-1 with three saves in 16.0 innings, striking out 28 batters.
Postseason Experience
The Gophers finished 7-2 in postseason play last season, sweeping the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Minneapolis Regional before falling against eventual national champion Oregon State in the Super Regional round. Ben Mezzenga batted .400 (14-for-35) in postseason play last season, while 2018 Big Ten Tournament MVP Jordan Kozicky was 11-for-29 with a double and five RBIs. Patrick Fredrickson made three starts to the tune of a 2.12 ERA in 17.0 innings, collecting 11 strikeouts. Max Meyer earned a pair of saves throwing 10.0 innings in four appearances, striking out 14 batters.
Going Streaking
Zack Raabe extended his team-leading nine-game hitting streak through the weekend, reaching base in 10-straight games. Eduardo Estrada, Jr. leads the Gophers having reached base in 11 consecutive outings. Eli Wilson owns Minnesota's longest hitting streak (10) and reached-base streak (14) so far this season.
Line Drives
Minnesota began its series with Northwestern plating five runs in the first inning. The Gophers last scored five runs in an inning back on March 24 in an 8-6 win over Penn State ... head coach John Anderson celebrated a victory last Thursday against Northwestern on his birthday ... Ryan Duffy's Friday start against the Wildcats marked just the third time Minnesota has thrown a left-hander to start the game all season (1-2) ... Mezzenga played in his first game back since May 4 last Friday, going 2-for-5 ... Chicago native J.P. Massey struck out the first four batters he faced in his return to his home state, finishing with five in 3.0 hitless, shutout innings ... Easton Bertrand's triple against Northwestern marked his team-leading fourth of the season. Only Eli Wilson (two) has multiple triples this season ... Jordan Kozicky lifted his team-leading 10th home run against Northwestern on Saturday ... Jack Wassel hit home runs in back-to-back games for the first time in his career on Thursday and Friday against the Wildcats.
NCAA Superlatives
Minnesota's line-up currently ranks no. 61 nationally averaging 1.92 doubles per game, a total of 98 this season, but the pitching staff has been the strength for the Maroon & Gold this year. Gopher hurlers rank no. 25 nationally with 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, no. 34 with 8.08 hits allowed per nine, and no. 65 with a 4.17 ERA. Max Meyer continues to stand among the nation's best with his 2.28 ERA (no. 46), 1.06 WHIP (no. 71), and 6.97 hits per nine innings (no. 100). Easton Bertrand's four triples are second-most in the Big Ten and rank no. 60 nationally ... Brett Schulze has enjoyed a nice season, ranking no. 69 with his eight saves and no. 65 with 25 appearances out of the Minnesota bullpen.
Climbing the All-Time Wins List
John Anderson moved into a tie for 23rd place all-time among NCAA coaches with Stetson's Joe Roberts when he earned his 1,314th career victory against Northwestern to close out the regular season. Anderson ranks third among current NCAA I coaches and eighth among active coaches at all levels. Already the conference's all-time wins leader, "14" sits just eight victories away from 600 in the Big Ten.
Tournament Forecast
Wednesday (9 p.m.): Clear ... High/Low: 68°/58° ... Winds: W 7 mph ... Precipitation: 15%
Thursday (1 p.m. or 9 p.m.): Thunderstorms ... High/Low: 72°/67° ... Winds: ENE 10 mph ... Precipitation: 66%
Friday (TBD): Cloudy ... High/Low: 80°/59° ... Winds: SW 12 mph ... Precipitation: 25%
Saturday (TBD): Cloudy ... High/Low: 80°/63° ... Winds: NNE 8 mph ... Precipitation: 30%
Golden Spikes Award
Max Meyer earned a spot on USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. 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.
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.
Gophers in the Pros
Minnesota currently has eight alumni serving time in MLB organizations, with three more signed on to play major professional basebalzl with the American Association, including a pair in St. Paul. They are 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) will join the Chicago Dogs and Alex Boxwell ('18) the Gary South Shore Rail Cats while Jordan Jess ('16) and Dan Motl ('16) will compete with the St. Paul Saints.
Minnesota (26-25) earned the fourth seed and will take on fifth-seeded Nebraska (28-20) in the opening round of the double elimination tournament with first pitch set for 9 p.m. The winner will advance to take on the winner of No. 21 Indiana against Iowa at 9 p.m. Thursday while the losers of the two games will meet in an elimination match-up at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Every game of the tournament will air live on Big Ten Network and BTN2Go.
Last Time Out
Minnesota took 2-of-3 from Northwestern to end the regular season, knocking the Wildcats out of postseason contention with a 6-5 win in the series finale after waiting through a nearly 3-hour weather delay. Zack Raabe went 7-for-14 on the weekend, driving in two runs and scoring once while lifting three doubles on the weekend. He struck out just once and drew a walk while playing pristine defense on the weekend.
Fight from Underneath
Unlike 2018 when Minnesota cruised to the top seed of the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers showed their grit to claim the fourth seed in this year's field. The team surged late, finishing 8-2 in their last 10 to finish the regular season above .500 after starting the year at 2-11. Freshman Zack Raabe has led Minnesota with .341 batting average (15-of-44) with four doubles in that span. Senior Riley Smith has come on strong of late, batting .278. On the mound, the Gophers posted a 2.94 ERA. J.P. Massey, Nolan Burchill, and Jeff Fasching have combined for 15.0 shutout innings in seven appearances over that stretch while Brett Schulze has earned three saves while striking out 13 in 9.0 innings.
Back to the Old Me
After earning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors in his rookie season, Patrick Fredrickson got off to a slow start for Minnesota. In his first six starts, the right-hander posted a 2-3 record and 4.76 ERA, throwing 22.2 innings and walking 22 batters to 16 strikeouts before being shut down for a month due to arm tightness. Since returning to the staff on May 1, Fredrickson has posted a 1-0 record and 2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings, striking out 15 compared to five walks. He struck out a season-high seven batters in his return to the rotation against Maryland, earning a pair of no decisions in his last two starts.
Against Nebraska
Minnesota took 2-of-3 from the Cornhuskers at Siebert Field back on March 29-31. Eli Wilson went 6-for-12 with a walk-off home run in game one and four RBIs on the weekend, improving his career mark against the Cornhuskers to .474. Relievers Nick Lackney, Brett Schulze, and Ryan Duffy threw a combined 8.0 shutout innings with 15 strikeouts. Max Meyer tossed a career-high 8.0 innings, striking out 11 in a Saturday start while going 4-for-10 at the plate on the weekend. In his career, the right-hander has a 1.80 ERA in 10.0 innings against Nebraska. Game one starter Patrick Fredrickson has made two starts against the Cornhuskers, 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA in 10.2 innings pitched, striking out 12.
Against the Field
Minnesota played 6-of-7 teams in the Big Ten Tournament field this season, only missing Iowa on the regular season schedule. The Gophers finished 10-8 against tournament teams. Ben Mezzenga batted .321 with five runs scored. Jordan Kozicky had five home runs, 12 RBIs, and 13 runs scored. Sam Thoresen finished 1-0 in 13.2 innings, earning a 1.32 ERA. Brett Schulze made 11 appearances to the tune of a 3.94 ERA, going 2-1 with three saves in 16.0 innings, striking out 28 batters.
Postseason Experience
The Gophers finished 7-2 in postseason play last season, sweeping the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Minneapolis Regional before falling against eventual national champion Oregon State in the Super Regional round. Ben Mezzenga batted .400 (14-for-35) in postseason play last season, while 2018 Big Ten Tournament MVP Jordan Kozicky was 11-for-29 with a double and five RBIs. Patrick Fredrickson made three starts to the tune of a 2.12 ERA in 17.0 innings, collecting 11 strikeouts. Max Meyer earned a pair of saves throwing 10.0 innings in four appearances, striking out 14 batters.
Going Streaking
Zack Raabe extended his team-leading nine-game hitting streak through the weekend, reaching base in 10-straight games. Eduardo Estrada, Jr. leads the Gophers having reached base in 11 consecutive outings. Eli Wilson owns Minnesota's longest hitting streak (10) and reached-base streak (14) so far this season.
Line Drives
Minnesota began its series with Northwestern plating five runs in the first inning. The Gophers last scored five runs in an inning back on March 24 in an 8-6 win over Penn State ... head coach John Anderson celebrated a victory last Thursday against Northwestern on his birthday ... Ryan Duffy's Friday start against the Wildcats marked just the third time Minnesota has thrown a left-hander to start the game all season (1-2) ... Mezzenga played in his first game back since May 4 last Friday, going 2-for-5 ... Chicago native J.P. Massey struck out the first four batters he faced in his return to his home state, finishing with five in 3.0 hitless, shutout innings ... Easton Bertrand's triple against Northwestern marked his team-leading fourth of the season. Only Eli Wilson (two) has multiple triples this season ... Jordan Kozicky lifted his team-leading 10th home run against Northwestern on Saturday ... Jack Wassel hit home runs in back-to-back games for the first time in his career on Thursday and Friday against the Wildcats.
NCAA Superlatives
Minnesota's line-up currently ranks no. 61 nationally averaging 1.92 doubles per game, a total of 98 this season, but the pitching staff has been the strength for the Maroon & Gold this year. Gopher hurlers rank no. 25 nationally with 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, no. 34 with 8.08 hits allowed per nine, and no. 65 with a 4.17 ERA. Max Meyer continues to stand among the nation's best with his 2.28 ERA (no. 46), 1.06 WHIP (no. 71), and 6.97 hits per nine innings (no. 100). Easton Bertrand's four triples are second-most in the Big Ten and rank no. 60 nationally ... Brett Schulze has enjoyed a nice season, ranking no. 69 with his eight saves and no. 65 with 25 appearances out of the Minnesota bullpen.
Climbing the All-Time Wins List
John Anderson moved into a tie for 23rd place all-time among NCAA coaches with Stetson's Joe Roberts when he earned his 1,314th career victory against Northwestern to close out the regular season. Anderson ranks third among current NCAA I coaches and eighth among active coaches at all levels. Already the conference's all-time wins leader, "14" sits just eight victories away from 600 in the Big Ten.
Tournament Forecast
Wednesday (9 p.m.): Clear ... High/Low: 68°/58° ... Winds: W 7 mph ... Precipitation: 15%
Thursday (1 p.m. or 9 p.m.): Thunderstorms ... High/Low: 72°/67° ... Winds: ENE 10 mph ... Precipitation: 66%
Friday (TBD): Cloudy ... High/Low: 80°/59° ... Winds: SW 12 mph ... Precipitation: 25%
Saturday (TBD): Cloudy ... High/Low: 80°/63° ... Winds: NNE 8 mph ... Precipitation: 30%
Golden Spikes Award
Max Meyer earned a spot on USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. 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.
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.
Gophers in the Pros
Minnesota currently has eight alumni serving time in MLB organizations, with three more signed on to play major professional basebalzl with the American Association, including a pair in St. Paul. They are 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) will join the Chicago Dogs and Alex Boxwell ('18) the Gary South Shore Rail Cats while Jordan Jess ('16) and Dan Motl ('16) will compete with the St. Paul Saints.
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