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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Announce 2021 Summer League Assignments
6/10/2021 9:50:00 AM | Baseball
As summer leagues start up, plenty of current and future Gophers will be in action around the country.
MINNEAPOLIS – As the academic year comes to a close and summer leagues get underway, numerous current and future members of the Gopher Baseball program are set to compete in various leagues across the country.
Cape Cod League (2)
Sam Ireland (Harwich Mariners) -- Ireland will join teammate Zack Raabe in the Cape Cod League this summer as the two Golden Gophers competing in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Ireland spent last summer playing for the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League.
Zack Raabe (Harwich Mariners) – The Second Team All-Big Ten second baseman will join fellow Gopher Sam Ireland with the Mariners after spending the previous two summers playing for the Green Bay Booyah of the Northwoods League (2019, 2020).
Northwoods League (15)
Brett Bateman (Willmar Stingers) -- Bateman will follow in a long line of Gophers to play at the Beehive this summer, and he'll also be joined by two incoming freshmen Sam Malec (Woodbury, Minn.) and Brady Counsell (Whitefish Bay, Wis.).
Kyle Bork (Madison Mallards) -- Bork will become the first Gopher to suit for the Mallards since his cousin (Michael Handle) did so back in the summer of 2014. Bork has spent the previous two summers playing for the Alpharetta Aviators of the Sunbelt Collegiate Baseball League in Georgia.
Easton Bertrand (Minnesota Mud Puppies) -- The Golden Gophers right fielder will join teammates Jack Liffrig, Tom Skoro and incoming freshmen Tucker Novotny on the Mud Puppies this summer. The Mud Puppies are a throwback to the inaugural season of the NWL in 1994 (Dubuque Mud Puppies). This year's team is unique in that they will only play a 36-game road schedule, picking up the road games originally scheduled for the Thunder Bay Border Cats (who have chosen not to participate this year due to COVID-19). Bertrand spent the summer of 2018 playing for the Saugerties Stallions of the Perfect Game League and the 2019 summer in Lakeshore playing for the Chinooks of the Northwoods League.
Brady Counsell* (Willmar Stingers) -- The current starting shortstop for Whitefish Bay (Wis.) had an outstanding senior year leading the Blue Dukes to a 23-2 record while posting a .547 average (29-for-53) with four home runs, 24 RBI's, 8 doubles, four triples, and 44 total bases at the plate. Counsell will join future Gopher teammates Brett Bateman and incoming freshmen hurler Sam Malec (Woodbury) in Willmar this summer.
Noah DeLuga (Rockford Rivets) -- DeLuga will head back to Rockford for his second summer of Northwoods League baseball in 2021. Last summer, DeLuga (and Cody Kelly) were two of the Gophers incoming freshmen to play in the Northwoods League.
Ryan Duffy (Waterloo Bucks) -- 2021 will mark the fourth summer of collegiate summer league action for the St. Paul native. In the summer of 2018, Duffy played for the Mankato Moondogs, and for the previous two summers (2019, 2020) he played for the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders of the Northwoods League.
Otto Grimm (Rochester Honkers) -- Grimm will be the first Gopher since Cole McDevitt and Troy Traxler played for the Honkers back in the summer of 2016. Grimm spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Wellington Heat of the KCBL/Jayhawk League and the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders of the Northwoods League.
Cody Kelly (St. Cloud Rox) -- Kelly will spend his second summer at the Rox Pile in the St Cloud where he will be joined by teammate Trent Schoeberl
Jack Liffrig (Minnesota Mud Puppies) – Liffrig is set for his second stint in the Northwoods League after playing the 2020 summer season for the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders. He'll join Easton Bertrand, Tucker Novotny and Tom Skoro with the Mud Puppies in 2021.
Sam Malec* (Willmar Stingers) – Malec, a two-way talent at Woodbury High School had quite the season on the mound, and at the plate, for the Royals. He finished his senior season with .514 batting average, 19 hits, a homerun and 15 runs scored. On the mound, the hard throwing righty went 2-1 with a 1.79 ERA to go along with 49 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.
Tucker Novotny* (Minnesota Mud Puppies) – Novotny, a 6'5" lefty, has been dominant on the mound for Park of Cottage Grove this spring registering a 9-1 record with a 1.40 ERA in 55 innings pitched and 101 strikeouts. Novotny will join a slew of veteran Gophers on the Mud Puppies this summer that include Jack Liffrig, Tom Skoro and Easton Bertrand.
Trent Schoeberl (St. Cloud Rox) -- Schoeberl will head back to St. Cloud for his second summer at the Rox Pile where he'll be joined by battery mate Cody Kelly.
Tom Skoro (Minnesota Mud Puppies) -- Skoro will be heading to the Northwoods League for the first time in his collegiate career. A transfer from Mizzou last fall, Skoro has spent the previous four summers competing for the Rossville Rattlers of the Mid-Plains League (2017), Minnetonka Millers (2018-2019) and Falcons of the CarShield Collegiate Baseball League (2020).
Ronald Sweeny (Lacrosse Loggers) -- The 2021 season will be Sweeny's fourth year in the Northwoods League. He's spent two summers playing for the Lakeshore Chinooks (2018, 2019), while spending parts of the 2019 summer with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League and has now spent two summers with the Lacrosse Loggers (2020, 2021).
Riley Swenson (Lakeshore Chinooks) -- Swenson will head out to the Northwoods League for the first time in his career. He spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Saugerties Stallions of the Perfect Game League and last summer playing for the Chaska Cubs (town ball amateur team).
MLB Draft League (4)
Josh Culliver (State College Spikes) – Culliver will compete in the first season of the MLB Draft League. Culliver spent the 2018 summer season playing for the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League and the 2019 summer playing in the Cape Cod League with the Bourne Braves.
Jack Kelly (Mahoning Valley Scrappers) – This will be Kelly's fourth summer of collegiate baseball. In the summer of 2018, he played for the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in New England, and for the previous two summers he played in St. Cloud for the Rox (2019, 2020).
J.P. Massey (West Virginia Black Bears) -- Massey will head out east this summer to play in the MLB Draft League, he spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Academy Barons of the California Collegiate League.
Chase Stanke (State College Spikes) -- Stanke was a postseason All Star and named to the MLB Dreams Showcase playing for the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League the past two summers (2019, 2020).
Perfect Game League (2)
Noah Berghammer (Saugerties Stallions) -- Berghammer will head out to the east coast with teammate Andrew Wilhite to play for the Stallions. Berghammer spent the summer of 2020 in the Expedition League playing for the Pierre Trappers.
Andrew Wilhite (Saugerties Stallions) -- Wilhite will head out east to play for the Stallions after he spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Rockford Rivets of the Northwoods League.
California Collegiate League (1)
Drew Stahl (Lincoln Potters) -- Stahl will head out west and be the first Golden Gopher to play for the Lincoln Potters. Stahl spent last summer playing with both the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders and Mankato Moondogs of the Northwoods League.
Prospect League (1)
Boston Merila (Alton River Dragons) -- Merila will be heading to Illinois this summer to play for the newly formed River Dragons out of Alton. This will be Merila's first summer in a collegiate league.
Additional Assignments
Seth Clausen* (Pleasant Valley Vikings, Iowa) – Clausen's high school season will be running into deep June/early July, and he'll look to expand on a breakout junior year where he led Pleasant Valley to a 13-win season while posting 52 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched, limiting opponents to a .212 batting average against and picking up four wins. So far, Clausen has been phenomenal in 2021, having just recently struckout 16 in six innings pitched while allowing just two hits. So far the sturdy right-hander has tossed 14 innings pitched on the young season with 32 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA.
Jared Everson* (Aquinas Blugolds, Wis.) – Everson will have his Aquinas Blugolds playing deep into June and in contention for the Wisconsin State Tournament this summer, set to be held late June/early July this year. Everson is having a huge senior year hitting .462 with 4 homeruns, 24 RBI, 12 doubles, 2 triples while playing error-free defense at first base and in right field with 115 putouts and seven assists.
Jake Larson* (Chicago Cream) – Larson will be heading out to play for the elite Chicago Cream travel team this summer. He ended his senior season hitting .405 (17-for-42) with three homeruns, two doubles, a triple and a .509 OBP.
Jake Perry* (Hopkins Flyers/American Legion) – Perry, a 6'4" infielder is hitting .380 with three homeruns, 23 RBI's, 25 runs scored, 5 doubles, three triples and 17 walks in 23 games.
Alec Willis* (Regis Jesuit, Colo.) – Willis is having perhaps one of the best spring seasons of any senior in the country. The 6'6" right-handed pitcher at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado has a fastball that's been clocked as high as 97 mph this spring, while regularly sitting 93-95 mph to go along with an impressive off-speed mix. So far, through four starts, Willis has tossed 25 innings on the mound and allowed just six hits and three walks while racking up 50 strikeouts and a 0.28 ERA. If that isn't enough, the Denver native has also excelled at the plate hitting .452 with three home runs, 13 RBI's and a 1.434 OPS in 14 games.
Additionally, the Golden Gopher Baseball student managers will also be busy this summer with Nolan Summerfield headed out to the Pierre Trappers of the Expedition League working as a Baseball Operations Intern. Zach Zoloto will be working with the Chicago Dogs (American Association Professional Baseball League) in their Analytics Department and Noah Guyette will be working for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (MiLB affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) and Green Bay Booyah (Northwoods League) as a video production assistant.
(*Indicates an incoming freshman for the Gophers.)
Cape Cod League (2)
Sam Ireland (Harwich Mariners) -- Ireland will join teammate Zack Raabe in the Cape Cod League this summer as the two Golden Gophers competing in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Ireland spent last summer playing for the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League.
Zack Raabe (Harwich Mariners) – The Second Team All-Big Ten second baseman will join fellow Gopher Sam Ireland with the Mariners after spending the previous two summers playing for the Green Bay Booyah of the Northwoods League (2019, 2020).
Northwoods League (15)
Brett Bateman (Willmar Stingers) -- Bateman will follow in a long line of Gophers to play at the Beehive this summer, and he'll also be joined by two incoming freshmen Sam Malec (Woodbury, Minn.) and Brady Counsell (Whitefish Bay, Wis.).
Kyle Bork (Madison Mallards) -- Bork will become the first Gopher to suit for the Mallards since his cousin (Michael Handle) did so back in the summer of 2014. Bork has spent the previous two summers playing for the Alpharetta Aviators of the Sunbelt Collegiate Baseball League in Georgia.
Easton Bertrand (Minnesota Mud Puppies) -- The Golden Gophers right fielder will join teammates Jack Liffrig, Tom Skoro and incoming freshmen Tucker Novotny on the Mud Puppies this summer. The Mud Puppies are a throwback to the inaugural season of the NWL in 1994 (Dubuque Mud Puppies). This year's team is unique in that they will only play a 36-game road schedule, picking up the road games originally scheduled for the Thunder Bay Border Cats (who have chosen not to participate this year due to COVID-19). Bertrand spent the summer of 2018 playing for the Saugerties Stallions of the Perfect Game League and the 2019 summer in Lakeshore playing for the Chinooks of the Northwoods League.
Brady Counsell* (Willmar Stingers) -- The current starting shortstop for Whitefish Bay (Wis.) had an outstanding senior year leading the Blue Dukes to a 23-2 record while posting a .547 average (29-for-53) with four home runs, 24 RBI's, 8 doubles, four triples, and 44 total bases at the plate. Counsell will join future Gopher teammates Brett Bateman and incoming freshmen hurler Sam Malec (Woodbury) in Willmar this summer.
Noah DeLuga (Rockford Rivets) -- DeLuga will head back to Rockford for his second summer of Northwoods League baseball in 2021. Last summer, DeLuga (and Cody Kelly) were two of the Gophers incoming freshmen to play in the Northwoods League.
Ryan Duffy (Waterloo Bucks) -- 2021 will mark the fourth summer of collegiate summer league action for the St. Paul native. In the summer of 2018, Duffy played for the Mankato Moondogs, and for the previous two summers (2019, 2020) he played for the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders of the Northwoods League.
Otto Grimm (Rochester Honkers) -- Grimm will be the first Gopher since Cole McDevitt and Troy Traxler played for the Honkers back in the summer of 2016. Grimm spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Wellington Heat of the KCBL/Jayhawk League and the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders of the Northwoods League.
Cody Kelly (St. Cloud Rox) -- Kelly will spend his second summer at the Rox Pile in the St Cloud where he will be joined by teammate Trent Schoeberl
Jack Liffrig (Minnesota Mud Puppies) – Liffrig is set for his second stint in the Northwoods League after playing the 2020 summer season for the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders. He'll join Easton Bertrand, Tucker Novotny and Tom Skoro with the Mud Puppies in 2021.
Sam Malec* (Willmar Stingers) – Malec, a two-way talent at Woodbury High School had quite the season on the mound, and at the plate, for the Royals. He finished his senior season with .514 batting average, 19 hits, a homerun and 15 runs scored. On the mound, the hard throwing righty went 2-1 with a 1.79 ERA to go along with 49 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.
Tucker Novotny* (Minnesota Mud Puppies) – Novotny, a 6'5" lefty, has been dominant on the mound for Park of Cottage Grove this spring registering a 9-1 record with a 1.40 ERA in 55 innings pitched and 101 strikeouts. Novotny will join a slew of veteran Gophers on the Mud Puppies this summer that include Jack Liffrig, Tom Skoro and Easton Bertrand.
Trent Schoeberl (St. Cloud Rox) -- Schoeberl will head back to St. Cloud for his second summer at the Rox Pile where he'll be joined by battery mate Cody Kelly.
Tom Skoro (Minnesota Mud Puppies) -- Skoro will be heading to the Northwoods League for the first time in his collegiate career. A transfer from Mizzou last fall, Skoro has spent the previous four summers competing for the Rossville Rattlers of the Mid-Plains League (2017), Minnetonka Millers (2018-2019) and Falcons of the CarShield Collegiate Baseball League (2020).
Ronald Sweeny (Lacrosse Loggers) -- The 2021 season will be Sweeny's fourth year in the Northwoods League. He's spent two summers playing for the Lakeshore Chinooks (2018, 2019), while spending parts of the 2019 summer with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League and has now spent two summers with the Lacrosse Loggers (2020, 2021).
Riley Swenson (Lakeshore Chinooks) -- Swenson will head out to the Northwoods League for the first time in his career. He spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Saugerties Stallions of the Perfect Game League and last summer playing for the Chaska Cubs (town ball amateur team).
MLB Draft League (4)
Josh Culliver (State College Spikes) – Culliver will compete in the first season of the MLB Draft League. Culliver spent the 2018 summer season playing for the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League and the 2019 summer playing in the Cape Cod League with the Bourne Braves.
Jack Kelly (Mahoning Valley Scrappers) – This will be Kelly's fourth summer of collegiate baseball. In the summer of 2018, he played for the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in New England, and for the previous two summers he played in St. Cloud for the Rox (2019, 2020).
J.P. Massey (West Virginia Black Bears) -- Massey will head out east this summer to play in the MLB Draft League, he spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Academy Barons of the California Collegiate League.
Chase Stanke (State College Spikes) -- Stanke was a postseason All Star and named to the MLB Dreams Showcase playing for the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League the past two summers (2019, 2020).
Perfect Game League (2)
Noah Berghammer (Saugerties Stallions) -- Berghammer will head out to the east coast with teammate Andrew Wilhite to play for the Stallions. Berghammer spent the summer of 2020 in the Expedition League playing for the Pierre Trappers.
Andrew Wilhite (Saugerties Stallions) -- Wilhite will head out east to play for the Stallions after he spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Rockford Rivets of the Northwoods League.
California Collegiate League (1)
Drew Stahl (Lincoln Potters) -- Stahl will head out west and be the first Golden Gopher to play for the Lincoln Potters. Stahl spent last summer playing with both the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders and Mankato Moondogs of the Northwoods League.
Prospect League (1)
Boston Merila (Alton River Dragons) -- Merila will be heading to Illinois this summer to play for the newly formed River Dragons out of Alton. This will be Merila's first summer in a collegiate league.
Additional Assignments
Seth Clausen* (Pleasant Valley Vikings, Iowa) – Clausen's high school season will be running into deep June/early July, and he'll look to expand on a breakout junior year where he led Pleasant Valley to a 13-win season while posting 52 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched, limiting opponents to a .212 batting average against and picking up four wins. So far, Clausen has been phenomenal in 2021, having just recently struckout 16 in six innings pitched while allowing just two hits. So far the sturdy right-hander has tossed 14 innings pitched on the young season with 32 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA.
Jared Everson* (Aquinas Blugolds, Wis.) – Everson will have his Aquinas Blugolds playing deep into June and in contention for the Wisconsin State Tournament this summer, set to be held late June/early July this year. Everson is having a huge senior year hitting .462 with 4 homeruns, 24 RBI, 12 doubles, 2 triples while playing error-free defense at first base and in right field with 115 putouts and seven assists.
Jake Larson* (Chicago Cream) – Larson will be heading out to play for the elite Chicago Cream travel team this summer. He ended his senior season hitting .405 (17-for-42) with three homeruns, two doubles, a triple and a .509 OBP.
Jake Perry* (Hopkins Flyers/American Legion) – Perry, a 6'4" infielder is hitting .380 with three homeruns, 23 RBI's, 25 runs scored, 5 doubles, three triples and 17 walks in 23 games.
Alec Willis* (Regis Jesuit, Colo.) – Willis is having perhaps one of the best spring seasons of any senior in the country. The 6'6" right-handed pitcher at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado has a fastball that's been clocked as high as 97 mph this spring, while regularly sitting 93-95 mph to go along with an impressive off-speed mix. So far, through four starts, Willis has tossed 25 innings on the mound and allowed just six hits and three walks while racking up 50 strikeouts and a 0.28 ERA. If that isn't enough, the Denver native has also excelled at the plate hitting .452 with three home runs, 13 RBI's and a 1.434 OPS in 14 games.
Additionally, the Golden Gopher Baseball student managers will also be busy this summer with Nolan Summerfield headed out to the Pierre Trappers of the Expedition League working as a Baseball Operations Intern. Zach Zoloto will be working with the Chicago Dogs (American Association Professional Baseball League) in their Analytics Department and Noah Guyette will be working for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (MiLB affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) and Green Bay Booyah (Northwoods League) as a video production assistant.
(*Indicates an incoming freshman for the Gophers.)
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