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Inside the Zone with Drew Hmielewski
9/16/2020 9:24:00 AM | Baseball
Entering his redshirt senior campaign, outfielder Drew Hmielewski has appeared in 66 career games for the Gophers including 37 starts. Over the course of his first three seasons in Gold Country, the Marshall, Minn. native posted a combined .252 batting average with one home run, two triples, five doubles, 21 runs scored and 17 RBI in addition to five stolen bases.
Perhaps best known for his excellent defense in the outfield, Hmielewski has made just two errors so far in his Gophers career. In both 2018 and 2020, Hmielewski finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage to go along with three career outfield assists.
As the Gophers begin small group training sessions in limited player pods this fall, Hmielewski will have some extra work to do on the diamond. After making a single pitching appearance as a redshirt freshman in 2018, Hmielewski is aiming to again contribute as a two-way player for Minnesota in 2021.
GopherSports: How did you keep busy during the summer months?
Hmielewski: "I actually had a job and I worked for Southwest Pro Painting. I painted houses and just buildings in general, working both inside and outside, staining decks… It was a new experience, but it was fun. The people I worked with were awesome and I got to meet some new people."
GS: How was your summer baseball experience with the Marshall A's?
Hmielewski: "It was awesome. It was a little different with all the new rules and whatnot, but just getting out on the field, spending some time with some guys and playing the sport that we love – it was awesome. Getting some at bats, it was just great to see pitching again. And then I got to get on the mound a little bit and close some games and that was awesome, too, because I haven't really pitched much since high school. It was a great experience. I haven't played for my hometown team in a while, so there were a lot of new faces."
GS: What did it feel like to get back on the mound after all this time?
Hmielewski: "Just getting back on the mound has allowed me to enjoy the game again. I haven't pitched much at all since high school. Getting on the mound with zero expectations, I was able to go up there and have fun and play the game of baseball and do something that I love. I think pitching this summer also helped me have a new perspective and helped me at the plate as well."
GS: How important is the fall after having the 2020 season cut short?
Hmielewski: "It's super important. At the moment, we're working out in pods, and so we're not all together as a whole team. That's kind of tough, but we get a lot of individual work in with our coaches, which is really nice. Just making sure that we keep following the rules and following the guidelines, because we could get sent home at any moment… Coming to work every day with a mindset to get better and a mindset to be mindful of others during this pandemic, making sure we do our part in slowing the spread."
GS: Talk about being reunited with your teammates after the long time away.
Hmielewski: "I haven't seen those guys for months. A lot of those guys I haven't seen, other than via Zoom, since we left campus [in March]. We were about to go play Air Force in Colorado, and then we were sent home, so I hadn't seen any of those guys since then. Coming back, it was really nice to catch up. Although it's limited with our pods, you see guys around. It's nice to have conversations and it's good to see them. It's awesome to see everybody again."
GS: What is your primary area of focus this fall in terms of development?
Hmielewski: "When I first came in my freshman year, I was coming in as a two-way. Playing football and coming back from football, I pretty much spent all my time developing as a position player. This fall, I'm switching gears a little bit and working on some pitching. I've never really gotten a chance to develop my game on the mound since I've gotten to college, so this fall I'll be working out with the pitchers and seeing what I can do on the mound. It's just finding ways to continue to work on my swing, get some at bats and do my all-around game in general."
GS: Who is one teammate that always has your number in intrasquad games?
Hmielewski: "No one specifically comes to mind, but I always want to say [Max Meyer]. He's the best of the best. I got to face him a couple of times leading up to the season and I just remember he started me off with two fastballs in a row. I think I swung through the first one and then watched the second one go by, both at 98 miles-per-hour, 99 miles-per-hour. And then he throws me his nasty slider and I think it started on the outside of the plate and broke all the way and hit my back foot. I didn't want to take the base, because I wanted to hit, so then he juiced a fastball up in the zone at about 100 miles-per-hour and I swung right through it. That's probably one of the most memorable at bats for me, because I just love it. You want to face the best of the best and he's up there. He's one of the best."
GS: Who is your way-too-early pick for 2021 breakout Gopher?
Hmielewski: "I'm going to say Sam Ireland. I just love everything about him. He's a hard worker. He's got a great frame. Love his swing – he has a pure swing. I think he can do some things for us, both at the plate and on the mound this year. I'm really excited to see what he does and how his body develops now that we have a full fall and full winter of weight training and skill instruction."
GS: What has been the coaching staff's message to the players over the past few months?
Hmielewski: "We're fortunate enough that we still get to play baseball here, and we're fortunate enough to have the alumni and have that rich history here to allow us to keep playing. They always keep that positive mindset there and reinforce to just do what we need to do to stay healthy and stay on the field. Control what we can control. And then just staying in touch. Being able to connect with each other. It's weird, but I think we're rolling and we're going to do some good things this fall regardless of the restrictions and what's going on in our society, our nation and in our world right now."
GS: Who on the team can challenge you for the most range in the outfield?
Hmielewski: "Easton Bertrand. He's got some wheels on him. I like watching him run. That's probably the guy that I would say."
Perhaps best known for his excellent defense in the outfield, Hmielewski has made just two errors so far in his Gophers career. In both 2018 and 2020, Hmielewski finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage to go along with three career outfield assists.
As the Gophers begin small group training sessions in limited player pods this fall, Hmielewski will have some extra work to do on the diamond. After making a single pitching appearance as a redshirt freshman in 2018, Hmielewski is aiming to again contribute as a two-way player for Minnesota in 2021.
GopherSports: How did you keep busy during the summer months?
Hmielewski: "I actually had a job and I worked for Southwest Pro Painting. I painted houses and just buildings in general, working both inside and outside, staining decks… It was a new experience, but it was fun. The people I worked with were awesome and I got to meet some new people."
GS: How was your summer baseball experience with the Marshall A's?
Hmielewski: "It was awesome. It was a little different with all the new rules and whatnot, but just getting out on the field, spending some time with some guys and playing the sport that we love – it was awesome. Getting some at bats, it was just great to see pitching again. And then I got to get on the mound a little bit and close some games and that was awesome, too, because I haven't really pitched much since high school. It was a great experience. I haven't played for my hometown team in a while, so there were a lot of new faces."
GS: What did it feel like to get back on the mound after all this time?
Hmielewski: "Just getting back on the mound has allowed me to enjoy the game again. I haven't pitched much at all since high school. Getting on the mound with zero expectations, I was able to go up there and have fun and play the game of baseball and do something that I love. I think pitching this summer also helped me have a new perspective and helped me at the plate as well."
GS: How important is the fall after having the 2020 season cut short?
Hmielewski: "It's super important. At the moment, we're working out in pods, and so we're not all together as a whole team. That's kind of tough, but we get a lot of individual work in with our coaches, which is really nice. Just making sure that we keep following the rules and following the guidelines, because we could get sent home at any moment… Coming to work every day with a mindset to get better and a mindset to be mindful of others during this pandemic, making sure we do our part in slowing the spread."
GS: Talk about being reunited with your teammates after the long time away.
Hmielewski: "I haven't seen those guys for months. A lot of those guys I haven't seen, other than via Zoom, since we left campus [in March]. We were about to go play Air Force in Colorado, and then we were sent home, so I hadn't seen any of those guys since then. Coming back, it was really nice to catch up. Although it's limited with our pods, you see guys around. It's nice to have conversations and it's good to see them. It's awesome to see everybody again."
GS: What is your primary area of focus this fall in terms of development?
Hmielewski: "When I first came in my freshman year, I was coming in as a two-way. Playing football and coming back from football, I pretty much spent all my time developing as a position player. This fall, I'm switching gears a little bit and working on some pitching. I've never really gotten a chance to develop my game on the mound since I've gotten to college, so this fall I'll be working out with the pitchers and seeing what I can do on the mound. It's just finding ways to continue to work on my swing, get some at bats and do my all-around game in general."
GS: Who is one teammate that always has your number in intrasquad games?
Hmielewski: "No one specifically comes to mind, but I always want to say [Max Meyer]. He's the best of the best. I got to face him a couple of times leading up to the season and I just remember he started me off with two fastballs in a row. I think I swung through the first one and then watched the second one go by, both at 98 miles-per-hour, 99 miles-per-hour. And then he throws me his nasty slider and I think it started on the outside of the plate and broke all the way and hit my back foot. I didn't want to take the base, because I wanted to hit, so then he juiced a fastball up in the zone at about 100 miles-per-hour and I swung right through it. That's probably one of the most memorable at bats for me, because I just love it. You want to face the best of the best and he's up there. He's one of the best."
GS: Who is your way-too-early pick for 2021 breakout Gopher?
Hmielewski: "I'm going to say Sam Ireland. I just love everything about him. He's a hard worker. He's got a great frame. Love his swing – he has a pure swing. I think he can do some things for us, both at the plate and on the mound this year. I'm really excited to see what he does and how his body develops now that we have a full fall and full winter of weight training and skill instruction."
GS: What has been the coaching staff's message to the players over the past few months?
Hmielewski: "We're fortunate enough that we still get to play baseball here, and we're fortunate enough to have the alumni and have that rich history here to allow us to keep playing. They always keep that positive mindset there and reinforce to just do what we need to do to stay healthy and stay on the field. Control what we can control. And then just staying in touch. Being able to connect with each other. It's weird, but I think we're rolling and we're going to do some good things this fall regardless of the restrictions and what's going on in our society, our nation and in our world right now."
GS: Who on the team can challenge you for the most range in the outfield?
Hmielewski: "Easton Bertrand. He's got some wheels on him. I like watching him run. That's probably the guy that I would say."
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