University of Minnesota Athletics
Tuesday, May 17
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Omaha
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
Gophers Host Omaha in Final Midweek Game
5/17/2022 8:20:00 AM | Baseball
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Siebert Field
Tuesday, May 17
Minnesota vs. Omaha
First Pitch: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Minnesota Starter: RHP George Klassen (0-2, 13.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 5 SO)
Omaha Starter: RHP Harrison Kreiling (3-2, 4.24 ERA, 23.1 IP, 40 SO)
Stream: B1G+
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-33, 5-16 Big Ten) are getting ready to host the Omaha Mavericks (23-26, 12-9 Summit) in their final mid-week game of the 2022. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT on B1G+. Blake Mortenson (play-by-play) and Rob Fornasiere (color commentary) will be on the call.
SCOUTING OMAHA
-The Mavericks are led by sixth-year head coach Evan Porter, a two-time former All-America honoree with the program from 2005-09.
-With just one week left in the regular season, Omaha ranks fourth in the Summit League standings with a 12-9 conference record. They'll finish their regular season this weekend against St. Thomas.
-The pitching staff has been the strength of the Mavs in 2022. They rank second in the Summit in ERA (4.27), third in strikeouts (422) and fourth in saves (6).
-Their top hitter is Mike Boeve, who is No. 2 in the league in batting average at .370. He also leads the team with eight home runs and 31 RBI, both of which place him in the top 10 in the Summit.
SERIES HISTORY
-Minnesota leads the all-time series 4-1 against Omaha. The last game was in 2018, a 5-3 victory at Siebert Field for the 'U.'
-Omaha transitioned from Division I to Division II in 2012. Minnesota and Omaha played a pair of two game series in 2012 and 2013.
-Omaha's lone win in the series was a 10-9 victory in 11 innings in 2013 at Siebert Field.
LAST TIME OUT
-Minnesota went 1-2 against Indiana in its final Big Ten road series of the year. The Gophers jumped out to a 6-2 lead on Friday, but the Hoosiers scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull ahead and grab an 8-6 win.
-IU won game two, 12-0, in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday.
-In the third game, Minnesota led 6-1 before IU came back late to take an 8-7 lead in the eighth inning. A two-run home run in the top of the ninth by Kyle Bork put the Gophers ahead for good and sealed their first conference road win of 2022.
JOHN ANDERSON HITS 600 CONFERENCE WINS, 1,000 B1G GAMES
-Minnesota is in its 134th season in program history in the spring of 2022.
-John Anderson is in his 41st year at the helm of Gopher Baseball and holds a 1,346-961-3 (.583) overall record. This includes a 603-398 (.603) Big Ten record. Under Anderson's watch, the Gophers have won 11 Big Ten titles and have made the NCAA Tournament 19 times.
-The winningest coach in Big Ten history, Anderson won his 600th conference game in late April, a 7-3 win over Penn State. He's the only B1G coach to reach that mark.
-Anderson coached his 1,000th career Big Ten game on Sunday afternoon against Indiana. He's the only coach in conference history to hit that mark.
GOPHERS SWIPING BASES AT A HIGH RATE
-The Gophers have been aggressive on the base paths this season, swiping 58 bases in 79 attempts. -The 'U' ranks sixth in the conference in stolen bases and have gotten contributions from 10 different players. Bateman (19), Wilhite (8) and Sweeny (8) lead the team.
BORK BASHES GAME-WINNER
-For just the second time this season, the Gophers came from behind to win when trailing heading into the ninth inning on Sunday at Indiana.
-In the top of the ninth with one man on and his team trailing 8-7, Bork smashed a game-winning, two-run home run off the scoreboard in left center field to put the Gophers up 9-8, which would eventually be the final score. He also had a two-run triple and finished the day 2-for-5 with four RBI.
-The Alpharetta, Ga., native ranks fourth on the team with four home runs this year. His 20 RBI rank third.
MALDONADO KEEPS IT MOVING - NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK
-In Junior Aidan Maldonado's five starts between April 8 and May 8, his stats were: 1-0, 2.37 ERA, 30.1 IP, 38 K's, 22 H, 8 ER
-After his performance on Sunday vs. Nebraska, Maldonado was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, the first conference award of the season for a Gophers player. Maldonado tossed 7.0 innings, striking out eight while allowing just five hits and one earned run in a 3-1 win.
MERILA MAKES SOME MAGIC
-Minnesota's Boston Merila paced the offense against Nebraska with a stellar 7-for-14 (.500) weekend at the plate.
-He went 3-for-6 in the Saturday game and drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the 12th inning.
-In his past seven games, he's 13-for-32 (.406) with six multi-hit games, five RBI and eight runs scored.
SKORO SHOVING OUT OF BULLPEN
-Redshirt senior left-hander Tom Skoro has been the Gophers 'Mr. Dependable' out of the bullpen this season.
-He leads the team with 25 appearances. In 29.0 innings, he's allowed just 10 earned runs and has struck out 32 hitters, with only 26 hits allowed.
-Skoro pitched a career-high 4.2 innings last Saturday against Nebraska, striking out three and allowing just four hits and one run.
SEASON FINALE AT SIEBERT
-The Gophers are through 14 of 18 home games at Siebert Field this season.
-Despite going 2-8 at Siebert Field in 2021, Minnesota is 58-40 there in the last six seasons.
-The 'U' went 13-7 in 2019, 12-2 in 2018, 10-9 2017, 16-7 in 2016 at Siebert Field.
-Minnesota is 6-8 at Siebert this season, compared to 2-18 in true road games. The 'U' went 6-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium in March.
BATEMAN SETS THE TONE
-Sophomore center fielder Brett Bateman leads the team in hits (59), at bats (195) and stolen bases (19), which ranks seventh in the league.
-He's hit safely in a team-best 17 of the last 22 games, including eight multi-hit games.
-Bateman is the only Gopher to start in all 48 games.
UP NEXT
Minnesota finishes up the 2022 regular season at home against Northwestern from May 19-21. Senior day is set for Saturday, May 21.
Minnesota vs. Omaha
First Pitch: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Minnesota Starter: RHP George Klassen (0-2, 13.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 5 SO)
Omaha Starter: RHP Harrison Kreiling (3-2, 4.24 ERA, 23.1 IP, 40 SO)
Stream: B1G+
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-33, 5-16 Big Ten) are getting ready to host the Omaha Mavericks (23-26, 12-9 Summit) in their final mid-week game of the 2022. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT on B1G+. Blake Mortenson (play-by-play) and Rob Fornasiere (color commentary) will be on the call.
SCOUTING OMAHA
-The Mavericks are led by sixth-year head coach Evan Porter, a two-time former All-America honoree with the program from 2005-09.
-With just one week left in the regular season, Omaha ranks fourth in the Summit League standings with a 12-9 conference record. They'll finish their regular season this weekend against St. Thomas.
-The pitching staff has been the strength of the Mavs in 2022. They rank second in the Summit in ERA (4.27), third in strikeouts (422) and fourth in saves (6).
-Their top hitter is Mike Boeve, who is No. 2 in the league in batting average at .370. He also leads the team with eight home runs and 31 RBI, both of which place him in the top 10 in the Summit.
SERIES HISTORY
-Minnesota leads the all-time series 4-1 against Omaha. The last game was in 2018, a 5-3 victory at Siebert Field for the 'U.'
-Omaha transitioned from Division I to Division II in 2012. Minnesota and Omaha played a pair of two game series in 2012 and 2013.
-Omaha's lone win in the series was a 10-9 victory in 11 innings in 2013 at Siebert Field.
LAST TIME OUT
-Minnesota went 1-2 against Indiana in its final Big Ten road series of the year. The Gophers jumped out to a 6-2 lead on Friday, but the Hoosiers scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull ahead and grab an 8-6 win.
-IU won game two, 12-0, in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday.
-In the third game, Minnesota led 6-1 before IU came back late to take an 8-7 lead in the eighth inning. A two-run home run in the top of the ninth by Kyle Bork put the Gophers ahead for good and sealed their first conference road win of 2022.
JOHN ANDERSON HITS 600 CONFERENCE WINS, 1,000 B1G GAMES
-Minnesota is in its 134th season in program history in the spring of 2022.
-John Anderson is in his 41st year at the helm of Gopher Baseball and holds a 1,346-961-3 (.583) overall record. This includes a 603-398 (.603) Big Ten record. Under Anderson's watch, the Gophers have won 11 Big Ten titles and have made the NCAA Tournament 19 times.
-The winningest coach in Big Ten history, Anderson won his 600th conference game in late April, a 7-3 win over Penn State. He's the only B1G coach to reach that mark.
-Anderson coached his 1,000th career Big Ten game on Sunday afternoon against Indiana. He's the only coach in conference history to hit that mark.
GOPHERS SWIPING BASES AT A HIGH RATE
-The Gophers have been aggressive on the base paths this season, swiping 58 bases in 79 attempts. -The 'U' ranks sixth in the conference in stolen bases and have gotten contributions from 10 different players. Bateman (19), Wilhite (8) and Sweeny (8) lead the team.
BORK BASHES GAME-WINNER
-For just the second time this season, the Gophers came from behind to win when trailing heading into the ninth inning on Sunday at Indiana.
-In the top of the ninth with one man on and his team trailing 8-7, Bork smashed a game-winning, two-run home run off the scoreboard in left center field to put the Gophers up 9-8, which would eventually be the final score. He also had a two-run triple and finished the day 2-for-5 with four RBI.
-The Alpharetta, Ga., native ranks fourth on the team with four home runs this year. His 20 RBI rank third.
MALDONADO KEEPS IT MOVING - NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK
-In Junior Aidan Maldonado's five starts between April 8 and May 8, his stats were: 1-0, 2.37 ERA, 30.1 IP, 38 K's, 22 H, 8 ER
-After his performance on Sunday vs. Nebraska, Maldonado was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, the first conference award of the season for a Gophers player. Maldonado tossed 7.0 innings, striking out eight while allowing just five hits and one earned run in a 3-1 win.
MERILA MAKES SOME MAGIC
-Minnesota's Boston Merila paced the offense against Nebraska with a stellar 7-for-14 (.500) weekend at the plate.
-He went 3-for-6 in the Saturday game and drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the 12th inning.
-In his past seven games, he's 13-for-32 (.406) with six multi-hit games, five RBI and eight runs scored.
SKORO SHOVING OUT OF BULLPEN
-Redshirt senior left-hander Tom Skoro has been the Gophers 'Mr. Dependable' out of the bullpen this season.
-He leads the team with 25 appearances. In 29.0 innings, he's allowed just 10 earned runs and has struck out 32 hitters, with only 26 hits allowed.
-Skoro pitched a career-high 4.2 innings last Saturday against Nebraska, striking out three and allowing just four hits and one run.
SEASON FINALE AT SIEBERT
-The Gophers are through 14 of 18 home games at Siebert Field this season.
-Despite going 2-8 at Siebert Field in 2021, Minnesota is 58-40 there in the last six seasons.
-The 'U' went 13-7 in 2019, 12-2 in 2018, 10-9 2017, 16-7 in 2016 at Siebert Field.
-Minnesota is 6-8 at Siebert this season, compared to 2-18 in true road games. The 'U' went 6-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium in March.
BATEMAN SETS THE TONE
-Sophomore center fielder Brett Bateman leads the team in hits (59), at bats (195) and stolen bases (19), which ranks seventh in the league.
-He's hit safely in a team-best 17 of the last 22 games, including eight multi-hit games.
-Bateman is the only Gopher to start in all 48 games.
UP NEXT
Minnesota finishes up the 2022 regular season at home against Northwestern from May 19-21. Senior day is set for Saturday, May 21.
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