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Photo by: Christopher Mitchell
Scout Series: B1G at Siebert
2/10/2020 1:19:00 PM | Baseball
The 132nd season of Minnesota Baseball is set to officially begin this Friday, with the Gophers traveling to Tempe, Ariz. for the Angels College Classic. As the team prepares for the likes of Oregon, Pepperdine, San Diego and Arizona, we continue our 2020 Scout Series by looking further ahead in the future – this time to the team's Big Ten Conference home slate at Siebert Field.
Headed to Minneapolis this season are Rutgers, Northwestern, Purdue and No. 8 Michigan. Last season, Minnesota went 8-4 against Big Ten opponents at home, winning series against Nebraska, Ohio State and Maryland at Siebert Field.
Of Minnesota's 2020 home conference opponents, Michigan represents the only such team that qualified for the Big Ten Tournament in 2019. As a result, Gopher fans should have many opportunities to cheer on the Maroon & Gold towards important conference wins at their home venue this season.
Scouting Rutgers | April 3-5 | 4pm/2pm/1pm | Siebert Field
Rutgers heads into the 2020 season after posting a 20-31 record overall in 2019 to go with a 9-14 mark in Big Ten play. As a result, the Scarlet Knights concluded the previous campaign with a 10th place standing in the conference – their highest finish since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
With just four seniors on the roster a season ago, Rutgers returns the vast majority of their team in 2020. Senior right-handed pitcher Serafino Brito (3-5, 4.60 ERA) was the lone Scarlet Knight to be drafted last June, further enhancing the team's outlook for improvement. Rutgers welcomes back several key contributors on the pitching end, with senior left-handed pitcher Tevin Murray (4-5, 3.01 ERA) and redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Tommy Genuario (3-5, 3.14 ERA) projected to headline the staff.
At the plate, junior utilityman Mike Nyisztor (.281/.348/.352) represents the top returning hitter for Rutgers, who trail the Gophers in the all-time series, 8-5. New to this year's battle will be first year head coach Steve Owens, who joins Rutgers and the Big Ten baseball realm after nine years at Bryant University. Still, the outlooks for these two teams are rather polarizing for 2020, as Minnesota is picked to finish second in the Big Ten by D1Baseball and third by Baseball America, while Rutgers is projected to place eighth and 11th, respectively.
Scouting Northwestern | April 17-19 | 6:30pm/2pm/1pm | Siebert Field
After failing to qualify for postseason play in 2019, Northwestern embarks on a new season with tempered expectations. The Wildcats ended with a 24-27 (11-13) record last year, placing them in ninth in the Big Ten and just outside of qualification for the conference tournament.
Northwestern saw four seniors depart following the conclusion of 2019, with shortstop Jack Dunn (.340/.435/.403) being the only senior Wildcat chosen in the MLB Draft. In addition to Dunn, junior right-handed pitcher Nick Paciorek (3-2, 3.37 ERA) and junior infielder Alex Erro (.322/.372/.455) were selected in the seventh and 17th rounds. Dunn and Erro represent Northwestern's top-two hitters from a season ago, meaning the Wildcats will likely need some unproven players to contribute to the team's offensive production if they are to be successful in 2020.
Picked to finish 10th in the Big Ten by both Baseball America and D1Baseball, the Wildcats will likely have their hands full with the Gophers in Minneapolis this season. The all-time series sits at 168-80 (.677) in favor of Minnesota, further enhancing the outlook for the Maroon & Gold in this three game series. When these teams last faced at the end of the 2019 campaign, it was Minnesota coming out on top via a 2-1 series victory with respective scores of 5-4, 3-10 and 6-5.
The upcoming April series will also mark the first time Wildcat-turned-Gopher Jack Kelly will face his old team since transferring to the U from Northwester. Kelly was third for the Wildcats in batting with a .296 average in 2019 and second on the team with a .378 on-base percentage.
Scouting Purdue | April 24-26 | 6:30pm/2pm/1pm | Siebert Field
Purdue wrapped up their 2019 campaign at 20-34 overall and 7-16 in Big Ten play, leaving them with a 12th place finish in the conference. The season represented a major fall from graces for the Boilermakers, as they finished second in the Big Ten in 2018 with a 17-6 record, trailing only Minnesota in the final season standings. To make matters worse, they dropped the final eight conference games of the season in 2019 ad posted a 3-8 record in May.
As Purdue looks to get back in 2020, they will be led by first-year head coach Greg Goff. The rookie skipper will likely rely heavily on senior outfielder Skylar Hunter (.307/.385/.417), who is the team's top returning hitter and only player to bat above a .300 clip from a season ago. Altogether, the Boilermakers bid adieu to four seniors over the offseason, including senior left-handed pitcher Patrick J. Smith (4-4, 5.10 ERA), who was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 33rd round of the MLB Draft. In his absence, junior right-handed pitcher Trent Johnson (3-3, 2.83 ERA) and redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Bohm (0-9, 5.54 ERA) should be the core of the rotation after firing 60-plus innings apiece last season.
The Gophers possess a 122-54-2 (.685) all-time record against Purdue, as the Boilermakers are projected to finish 12th in the Big Ten by D1Baseball and ninth by Baseball America. These two teams last faced off in 2018, with Minnesota going 2-0 against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
Scouting Michigan | May 8-10 | 8:30pm/2pm/1pm | Siebert Field
Michigan's historic 2019 season is no secret. The Wolverines played to the tune of a 50-22 (16-7) record, making it to the College World Series and advancing to the CWS Championship before falling to Vanderbilt. As a result, Michigan ended the year as the nation's No. 2 ranked team, while currently being ranked as highly as No. 8 (Baseball America) in preseason national polls for 2020.
The Wolverines graduated six seniors from their 2019 NCAA runner-up squad, including infielders Blake Nelson (.297/.391/.390) and Jimmy Kerr (.269/.364/.500), the latter of which has also selected by the Detroit Tigers in the MLB Draft. In addition to Kerr, Michigan lost another four players to the draft, highlighted by three departures in the first three rounds: junior left-handed pitcher Tommy Henry (12-5, 3.27 ERA), junior right-handed pitcher Carl Kauffman (12-7, 3.03 ERA) and junior outfielder Jordan Brewer (.329/.389/.557). Junior right-handed pitcher Jeff Criswell (7-1, 2.72 ERA) is back for the Wolverines and represents Gopher ace Max Meyer's top competition for Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.
Michigan will also bring back junior outfielder Jordan Nwogu (.321/.435/.557) to lead the offense as the Wolverines look to claw back into the all-time series against Minnesota. Through 2019, the Gophers have a 105-95 (.525) series advantage against Michigan. Making matters all the more interesting, these two teams are projected as the top-two programs in the Big Ten by D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the 2020 season. This late-season series showdown could ultimately decide who comes home with the Big Ten regular season title.
Headed to Minneapolis this season are Rutgers, Northwestern, Purdue and No. 8 Michigan. Last season, Minnesota went 8-4 against Big Ten opponents at home, winning series against Nebraska, Ohio State and Maryland at Siebert Field.
Of Minnesota's 2020 home conference opponents, Michigan represents the only such team that qualified for the Big Ten Tournament in 2019. As a result, Gopher fans should have many opportunities to cheer on the Maroon & Gold towards important conference wins at their home venue this season.
Scouting Rutgers | April 3-5 | 4pm/2pm/1pm | Siebert Field
Rutgers heads into the 2020 season after posting a 20-31 record overall in 2019 to go with a 9-14 mark in Big Ten play. As a result, the Scarlet Knights concluded the previous campaign with a 10th place standing in the conference – their highest finish since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
With just four seniors on the roster a season ago, Rutgers returns the vast majority of their team in 2020. Senior right-handed pitcher Serafino Brito (3-5, 4.60 ERA) was the lone Scarlet Knight to be drafted last June, further enhancing the team's outlook for improvement. Rutgers welcomes back several key contributors on the pitching end, with senior left-handed pitcher Tevin Murray (4-5, 3.01 ERA) and redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Tommy Genuario (3-5, 3.14 ERA) projected to headline the staff.
At the plate, junior utilityman Mike Nyisztor (.281/.348/.352) represents the top returning hitter for Rutgers, who trail the Gophers in the all-time series, 8-5. New to this year's battle will be first year head coach Steve Owens, who joins Rutgers and the Big Ten baseball realm after nine years at Bryant University. Still, the outlooks for these two teams are rather polarizing for 2020, as Minnesota is picked to finish second in the Big Ten by D1Baseball and third by Baseball America, while Rutgers is projected to place eighth and 11th, respectively.
Scouting Northwestern | April 17-19 | 6:30pm/2pm/1pm | Siebert Field
After failing to qualify for postseason play in 2019, Northwestern embarks on a new season with tempered expectations. The Wildcats ended with a 24-27 (11-13) record last year, placing them in ninth in the Big Ten and just outside of qualification for the conference tournament.
Northwestern saw four seniors depart following the conclusion of 2019, with shortstop Jack Dunn (.340/.435/.403) being the only senior Wildcat chosen in the MLB Draft. In addition to Dunn, junior right-handed pitcher Nick Paciorek (3-2, 3.37 ERA) and junior infielder Alex Erro (.322/.372/.455) were selected in the seventh and 17th rounds. Dunn and Erro represent Northwestern's top-two hitters from a season ago, meaning the Wildcats will likely need some unproven players to contribute to the team's offensive production if they are to be successful in 2020.
Picked to finish 10th in the Big Ten by both Baseball America and D1Baseball, the Wildcats will likely have their hands full with the Gophers in Minneapolis this season. The all-time series sits at 168-80 (.677) in favor of Minnesota, further enhancing the outlook for the Maroon & Gold in this three game series. When these teams last faced at the end of the 2019 campaign, it was Minnesota coming out on top via a 2-1 series victory with respective scores of 5-4, 3-10 and 6-5.
The upcoming April series will also mark the first time Wildcat-turned-Gopher Jack Kelly will face his old team since transferring to the U from Northwester. Kelly was third for the Wildcats in batting with a .296 average in 2019 and second on the team with a .378 on-base percentage.
Scouting Purdue | April 24-26 | 6:30pm/2pm/1pm | Siebert Field
Purdue wrapped up their 2019 campaign at 20-34 overall and 7-16 in Big Ten play, leaving them with a 12th place finish in the conference. The season represented a major fall from graces for the Boilermakers, as they finished second in the Big Ten in 2018 with a 17-6 record, trailing only Minnesota in the final season standings. To make matters worse, they dropped the final eight conference games of the season in 2019 ad posted a 3-8 record in May.
As Purdue looks to get back in 2020, they will be led by first-year head coach Greg Goff. The rookie skipper will likely rely heavily on senior outfielder Skylar Hunter (.307/.385/.417), who is the team's top returning hitter and only player to bat above a .300 clip from a season ago. Altogether, the Boilermakers bid adieu to four seniors over the offseason, including senior left-handed pitcher Patrick J. Smith (4-4, 5.10 ERA), who was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 33rd round of the MLB Draft. In his absence, junior right-handed pitcher Trent Johnson (3-3, 2.83 ERA) and redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Bohm (0-9, 5.54 ERA) should be the core of the rotation after firing 60-plus innings apiece last season.
The Gophers possess a 122-54-2 (.685) all-time record against Purdue, as the Boilermakers are projected to finish 12th in the Big Ten by D1Baseball and ninth by Baseball America. These two teams last faced off in 2018, with Minnesota going 2-0 against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
Scouting Michigan | May 8-10 | 8:30pm/2pm/1pm | Siebert Field
Michigan's historic 2019 season is no secret. The Wolverines played to the tune of a 50-22 (16-7) record, making it to the College World Series and advancing to the CWS Championship before falling to Vanderbilt. As a result, Michigan ended the year as the nation's No. 2 ranked team, while currently being ranked as highly as No. 8 (Baseball America) in preseason national polls for 2020.
The Wolverines graduated six seniors from their 2019 NCAA runner-up squad, including infielders Blake Nelson (.297/.391/.390) and Jimmy Kerr (.269/.364/.500), the latter of which has also selected by the Detroit Tigers in the MLB Draft. In addition to Kerr, Michigan lost another four players to the draft, highlighted by three departures in the first three rounds: junior left-handed pitcher Tommy Henry (12-5, 3.27 ERA), junior right-handed pitcher Carl Kauffman (12-7, 3.03 ERA) and junior outfielder Jordan Brewer (.329/.389/.557). Junior right-handed pitcher Jeff Criswell (7-1, 2.72 ERA) is back for the Wolverines and represents Gopher ace Max Meyer's top competition for Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.
Michigan will also bring back junior outfielder Jordan Nwogu (.321/.435/.557) to lead the offense as the Wolverines look to claw back into the all-time series against Minnesota. Through 2019, the Gophers have a 105-95 (.525) series advantage against Michigan. Making matters all the more interesting, these two teams are projected as the top-two programs in the Big Ten by D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the 2020 season. This late-season series showdown could ultimately decide who comes home with the Big Ten regular season title.
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