University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 11
6:30 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Air Force
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Minnesota Hosts Three Game Set with Air Force
3/9/2022 11:27:00 AM | Baseball
Game one will be Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11
Minnesota vs. Air Force
First Pitch: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium
Minnesota Starter: RHP Sam Ireland (2-0, 1.96 ERA, 23 SO)
Air Force Starter: RHP Seungmin Shim (1-1, 1.64 ERA, 4 SO)
Stream: B1G+
Saturday, March 12
Minnesota vs. Air Force
First Pitch: 2 p.m. CT
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium
Minnesota Starter: RHP J.P Massey (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 16 SO)
Air Force Starter: RHP Rob Martin (0-0, 5.00 ERA, 11 SO)
Stream: B1G+
Sunday, March 13
Minnesota vs. Air Force
First Pitch: Noon CT
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium
Minnesota Starter: RHP Aidan Maldonado (0-2, 6.08 ERA, 14 SO)
Air Force Starter: RHP Ryan Stohr (0-0 11.81 ERA, 4 SO)
Stream: B1G+
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-10, 0-0 Big Ten) will host a three game set this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Air Force Falcons (4-6, 1-1 Mountain West). The Gophers and Falcons have each dropped four of their last five games and will be looking to get back on the right track this weekend. U.S. Bank Stadium will be the host site of all three contests.
TICKETING
Tickets are now available for purchase through Ticketmaster. Fans can also walk up and buy tickets at the U.S. Bank Stadium box office with 1.5 hours of first pitch.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
-The Falcons have started the season 4-6 (1-1 Mountain West). After splitting four games in the Swig & Swine Classic in South Carolina, Air Force fell in two out of three games to Navy, split two games with Nevada and dropped a midweek tilt to Campbell.
-Led by 12th-year head coach Mike Kazlausky, Air Force went 26-22 (18-16 Mountain West) in 2021.
-AFA has gotten quality pitching to start the season, owning a team ERA of 4.59, ranking third best among MW teams. Ace Paul Skenes' 16.39 K/9 is 14th among DI pitchers and ranks second in the Mountain West.
-The bats have been cold so far for the Falcons, as they're hitting just .213 as a team. Their top hitter, Sam Kilasingam, is hitting .324 with a home run and five RBI.
CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC RECAP
-The Gophers won one of their three games during the Cambria College Classic from March 4-6.
-They fell, 5-4, to No. 25 West Virginia on Friday night. Minnesota led 4-2 heading into the seventh inning, but three late WVU runs sealed the win.
-Jack Kelly went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI to lead Minnesota to an 8-1 win over Kansas Saturday. J.P. Massey went 6.2 innings with 8 K's.
-The 'U' fell to No. 12 Notre Dame, 3-1 on Sunday. Chase Stanke hit his team-leading seventh homer.
GOPHERS 1-2 IN MIDWEEK GAMES
-Minnesota emerged victoriously in its home opener last Tuesday night against St. Thomas. Minnesota clubbed five home runs, a season-high, in a 12-0 triumph over the Tommies in their first Division I matchup. Left-hander Jack Liffrig was masterful all night long, allowing just three hits and pitching a scoreless 7.2 innings.
-The Gophers fell, 7-5, to South Dakota State on Wednesday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. A five run top of the first inning from SDSU had the Gophers battling uphill all evening. Ronnie Sweeny hit his third home run of the year and the Gophers tallied 13 hits, but couldn't string enough offense together to complete the comeback.
-On March 8, Minnesota fell 5-2 at home to NDSU. The Bison's Jack Simonsen went 3-for-4 with two home runs and all five RBI. Minnesota's Chase Stanke went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, but the Gophers couldn't string enough offense together to complete a comeback.
JOHN ANDERSON'S 41st SEASON
-John Anderson is in his 41st year at the helm of Gopher Baseball and holds a 1,335-938-3 (.594) overall record. This includes a 598-382 (.610) Big Ten record. Under Anderson's watch, the Gophers have won 11 Big Ten titles and have made the NCAA Tournament 19 times. He's the winningest Big Ten coach in conference history and ranks just outside the top-20 all-time in NCAA history.
STANKE SURGING TO START 2022
-Minnesota starting catcher Chase Stanke, a Buster Posey Watch list member, has been crushing the ball to start 2022. He leads the Big Ten in home runs (7) and ranks third in slugging pct. (.808) and seventh in doubles (6). 13 of his 15 hits are for extra bases. He ranks fifth in the nation in home runs.
BERTRAND EARNING HIS PRAISE
-Gophers redshirt senior outfielder Easton Bertrand was named as a top-150 (No. 110) outfielder in the country by D1Baseball.com. The Illinois native ranks in the top ten in the Big Ten in slg.% (.702), hits (18), home runs (4) and stolen bases (5).
IRELAND BACK TO WORK
-Junior Friday starter Sam Ireland picked up the first win of his career on opening day, a 9-1 victory over FAU. He pitched 5.0 innings, striking out five and giving up just one earned run. He was even better against Northeastern on Feb. 25, striking out 10 to tie his career-high while pitching 7.1 innings.
-Ireland made it halfway through last season before missing the rest because of injury. His health and continued progression is key for the Gophers, who are happy to have their ace back.
-Ireland earned a no decision against WVU on Friday, going 6.0 innings with eight strikeouts.
-He became the first Gopher since Max Meyer in 2020 to strike out 15-or-more batters in his first two starts of the season.
KELLY, MASSEY AND STANKE NAMED TO CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
-Jack Kelly, J.P. Massey and Chase Stanke were named to the Cambria College Classic All-Tournament Team on Sunday night.
-Kelly had four hits, including three with a home run and 4 RBI in a win over Kansas. Massey went 6.2 innings and tied a career-high with eight strikeouts in a win over KU. Stanke homered twice and hit .400 for the weekend to make the team as the best catcher in the tournament.
GOPHERS HITTING THE LONG BALL
-Minnesota ranks first in the Big Ten and No. 15 in the nation with 20 home runs in 14 games this season. Chase Stanke leads the conference with seven while Easton Bertrand has four and Ronnie Sweeny have three. Kyle Bork and Jack Kelly have hit two apiece.
MINNESOTA SWIPING BASES EARLY
-The Gophers have been aggressive on the base paths through the first three weeks of the season, swiping 21 bases in 27 attempts. The 'U' ranks second in the conference in stolen bases and have gotten contributions from six different players. Bateman (6) and Bertrand (5) lead the team.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Media should enter in the administration entrance off of S. 11th Avenue at U.S. Bank Stadium. Media seating will be on the third floor press box of the stadium.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will travel to Creighton for a three game series in Omaha from March 16-18.
Minnesota vs. Air Force
First Pitch: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium
Minnesota Starter: RHP Sam Ireland (2-0, 1.96 ERA, 23 SO)
Air Force Starter: RHP Seungmin Shim (1-1, 1.64 ERA, 4 SO)
Stream: B1G+
Saturday, March 12
Minnesota vs. Air Force
First Pitch: 2 p.m. CT
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium
Minnesota Starter: RHP J.P Massey (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 16 SO)
Air Force Starter: RHP Rob Martin (0-0, 5.00 ERA, 11 SO)
Stream: B1G+
Sunday, March 13
Minnesota vs. Air Force
First Pitch: Noon CT
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium
Minnesota Starter: RHP Aidan Maldonado (0-2, 6.08 ERA, 14 SO)
Air Force Starter: RHP Ryan Stohr (0-0 11.81 ERA, 4 SO)
Stream: B1G+
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-10, 0-0 Big Ten) will host a three game set this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Air Force Falcons (4-6, 1-1 Mountain West). The Gophers and Falcons have each dropped four of their last five games and will be looking to get back on the right track this weekend. U.S. Bank Stadium will be the host site of all three contests.
TICKETING
Tickets are now available for purchase through Ticketmaster. Fans can also walk up and buy tickets at the U.S. Bank Stadium box office with 1.5 hours of first pitch.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
-The Falcons have started the season 4-6 (1-1 Mountain West). After splitting four games in the Swig & Swine Classic in South Carolina, Air Force fell in two out of three games to Navy, split two games with Nevada and dropped a midweek tilt to Campbell.
-Led by 12th-year head coach Mike Kazlausky, Air Force went 26-22 (18-16 Mountain West) in 2021.
-AFA has gotten quality pitching to start the season, owning a team ERA of 4.59, ranking third best among MW teams. Ace Paul Skenes' 16.39 K/9 is 14th among DI pitchers and ranks second in the Mountain West.
-The bats have been cold so far for the Falcons, as they're hitting just .213 as a team. Their top hitter, Sam Kilasingam, is hitting .324 with a home run and five RBI.
CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC RECAP
-The Gophers won one of their three games during the Cambria College Classic from March 4-6.
-They fell, 5-4, to No. 25 West Virginia on Friday night. Minnesota led 4-2 heading into the seventh inning, but three late WVU runs sealed the win.
-Jack Kelly went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI to lead Minnesota to an 8-1 win over Kansas Saturday. J.P. Massey went 6.2 innings with 8 K's.
-The 'U' fell to No. 12 Notre Dame, 3-1 on Sunday. Chase Stanke hit his team-leading seventh homer.
GOPHERS 1-2 IN MIDWEEK GAMES
-Minnesota emerged victoriously in its home opener last Tuesday night against St. Thomas. Minnesota clubbed five home runs, a season-high, in a 12-0 triumph over the Tommies in their first Division I matchup. Left-hander Jack Liffrig was masterful all night long, allowing just three hits and pitching a scoreless 7.2 innings.
-The Gophers fell, 7-5, to South Dakota State on Wednesday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. A five run top of the first inning from SDSU had the Gophers battling uphill all evening. Ronnie Sweeny hit his third home run of the year and the Gophers tallied 13 hits, but couldn't string enough offense together to complete the comeback.
-On March 8, Minnesota fell 5-2 at home to NDSU. The Bison's Jack Simonsen went 3-for-4 with two home runs and all five RBI. Minnesota's Chase Stanke went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, but the Gophers couldn't string enough offense together to complete a comeback.
JOHN ANDERSON'S 41st SEASON
-John Anderson is in his 41st year at the helm of Gopher Baseball and holds a 1,335-938-3 (.594) overall record. This includes a 598-382 (.610) Big Ten record. Under Anderson's watch, the Gophers have won 11 Big Ten titles and have made the NCAA Tournament 19 times. He's the winningest Big Ten coach in conference history and ranks just outside the top-20 all-time in NCAA history.
STANKE SURGING TO START 2022
-Minnesota starting catcher Chase Stanke, a Buster Posey Watch list member, has been crushing the ball to start 2022. He leads the Big Ten in home runs (7) and ranks third in slugging pct. (.808) and seventh in doubles (6). 13 of his 15 hits are for extra bases. He ranks fifth in the nation in home runs.
BERTRAND EARNING HIS PRAISE
-Gophers redshirt senior outfielder Easton Bertrand was named as a top-150 (No. 110) outfielder in the country by D1Baseball.com. The Illinois native ranks in the top ten in the Big Ten in slg.% (.702), hits (18), home runs (4) and stolen bases (5).
IRELAND BACK TO WORK
-Junior Friday starter Sam Ireland picked up the first win of his career on opening day, a 9-1 victory over FAU. He pitched 5.0 innings, striking out five and giving up just one earned run. He was even better against Northeastern on Feb. 25, striking out 10 to tie his career-high while pitching 7.1 innings.
-Ireland made it halfway through last season before missing the rest because of injury. His health and continued progression is key for the Gophers, who are happy to have their ace back.
-Ireland earned a no decision against WVU on Friday, going 6.0 innings with eight strikeouts.
-He became the first Gopher since Max Meyer in 2020 to strike out 15-or-more batters in his first two starts of the season.
KELLY, MASSEY AND STANKE NAMED TO CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
-Jack Kelly, J.P. Massey and Chase Stanke were named to the Cambria College Classic All-Tournament Team on Sunday night.
-Kelly had four hits, including three with a home run and 4 RBI in a win over Kansas. Massey went 6.2 innings and tied a career-high with eight strikeouts in a win over KU. Stanke homered twice and hit .400 for the weekend to make the team as the best catcher in the tournament.
GOPHERS HITTING THE LONG BALL
-Minnesota ranks first in the Big Ten and No. 15 in the nation with 20 home runs in 14 games this season. Chase Stanke leads the conference with seven while Easton Bertrand has four and Ronnie Sweeny have three. Kyle Bork and Jack Kelly have hit two apiece.
MINNESOTA SWIPING BASES EARLY
-The Gophers have been aggressive on the base paths through the first three weeks of the season, swiping 21 bases in 27 attempts. The 'U' ranks second in the conference in stolen bases and have gotten contributions from six different players. Bateman (6) and Bertrand (5) lead the team.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Media should enter in the administration entrance off of S. 11th Avenue at U.S. Bank Stadium. Media seating will be on the third floor press box of the stadium.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will travel to Creighton for a three game series in Omaha from March 16-18.
First Practice of Fall
Thursday, September 18
Weber Neels Highlights
Wednesday, May 28
Gophers (11) - Michigan State (5) Highlights
Friday, May 16
Gophers (4) - Michigan State (3) Highlights
Thursday, May 15