University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 24
Fort Myers, FL (Bill Smith Field)
12:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Saint Louis
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
OF/C
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C/INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
Photo by: Ben Ludeman
Gophers Head to Florida to Play Saint Louis
2/22/2023 12:02:00 PM | Baseball
Friday's game will be at Hammond Stadium
Friday, Feb. 24
Minnesota vs. Saint Louis
First Pitch: 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT
Location: Bill Davis Field at Lee County Sports Complex (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Minnesota Starter: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-0, 9.82 ERA, 3.2 IP, 5 SO)
SLU Starter: RHP Dawson Smith (0-1, 13.50 ERA, 1.1 IP, 2 SO)
TV: No Stream Available
Saturday, Feb. 25
Minnesota vs. Saint Louis
First Pitch: 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT
Location: Bill Davis Field at Lee County Sports Complex (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Minnesota Starter: RHP Sam Malec (0-1, 7.20 ERA, 5.0 IP, 6 SO)
SLU Starter: LHP Caleb Thompson (0-0, 12.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 1 SO)
TV: No Stream Available
Sunday, Feb. 26
Minnesota vs. Saint Louis
First Pitch: 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT
Location: Hammond Stadium (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Minnesota Starter: RHP George Klassen (0-1, 18.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 2 SO)
SLU Starter: RHP Owen Chaffin (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 SO)
TV: No Stream Available
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Gophers baseball team heads south for the second straight weekend when they travel to Fort Myers, Fla., to play a three-game series against Saint Louis (0-3, 0-0 A-10). The two teams have never previously met. Games one and two will be played at Bill Davis Field, located right off the main parking lot from Hammond Stadium. Game three will be at Hammond, the home of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and the Minnesota Twins for spring training. All games are free for fan attendance. There will be no live stream but fans can follow along with live stats at Gophersports.com.
LAST TIME OUT
-Minnesota went 0-4 in the Sanderson Ford Classic Feb. 17-20 in Surprise, Ariz. The Gophers fell to UCSB (9-7), Oregon State (8-7), UCSB (13-2) and New Mexico (4-3). The UNM loss was in 12 innings.
-Sam Hunt led the Gophers with a .571 batting average in weekend one while Brett Bateman and Jake Larson both hit .444. Sunday and Monday starters Sam Malec (six strikeouts) and Richie Holetz (four strikeouts) both went 5.0 innings in their starts, numbers that are career-highs.
HISTORICAL NOTES
-Minnesota is in its 135th season in program history in the spring of 2023.
-John Anderson is in his 42nd year at the helm of Gopher Baseball and holds a 1,347-968-3 (.582) overall record. This includes a 604-400 (.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 B1G game last May against Indiana. He's the only coach in conference history to hit that mark.
SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS
-SLU went 29-24 (14-9 A-10) in 2022 and fell in the third round of the A-10 Championship to Richmond. Saint Louis was picked to finish tied for third in the 2023 Atlantic-10 race by the coaches.
-The Billikens return five starters from last year, paced by Cam Redding, who returns as the Billikens' leading hitter after he went .360 from the plate. Tyler Fogarty also returns after hitting 11 home runs.
-Head coach Darin Hendrickson is in his 16th season at SLU and he is 446-354-1 as a Billiken. SLU went 0-3 in opening weekend, getting swept by Marshall.
SERIES HISTORY - LAST YEAR IN FORT MYERS
-Saint Louis and Minnesota have never played.
-The Gophers went 1-2 last season at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla. Minnesota defeated Northeastern 3-1 in game one. Joe Hauser and Boston Merila both tallied RBI's in the victory. Minnesota then fell twice to Indiana State. They lost 16-3 in game one on Saturday and 14-8 in game two on Sunday. Brett Bateman and Kyle Bork had three hits each on Sunday while Merila went 2-for-4.
FRESHMEN FLASH SKILLS IN WEEK ONE
-Freshmen Sam Hunt (C/OF), Weber Neels (C/INF), Kris Hokenson (OF/LHP) and Drew Berkland (OF) all started games for Minnesota in weekend one.
-Hunt (.571) led the team in batting average while Hokenson (.231) played in all four games and ranks tied for the team lead in RBI.
-Berkland started multiple games in the outfield while Neels started games at catcher and first base.
GOPHERS SWIPING BASES AT A HIGH RATE
-The Gophers were aggressive on the base paths last season, swiping 68 bases in 94 attempts. -The 'U' ranked fifth in the Big Ten (85th nationally) in stolen bases and had contributions from 10 different players. Bateman (21) led the team. His 21 stolen bases tied former Gopher Alex Boxwell (2015-18) for most stolen bases by a Minnesota player since 2010.
-Minnesota stole five bases in four games to open 2023, a mark that ranks third in the Big Ten.
LARSON LIGHTS UP THE STAT SHEET
-Covington, Wash., native Jake Larson started off the season strong in weekend one, going 4-for-9 with one home run and three RBI. He had hits in all three games he played in, including multiple hits against New Mexico on Monday.
-Larson hit .209 as a freshman last year and is looking to be a mainstay in the infield in 2023.
SOPHOMORE PITCHERS SET THE TONE
-Minnesota's Friday-Saturday-Sunday starters are sophomores Tucker Novotny (LHP), Sam Malec (RHP) and George Klassen (RHP).
-Novotny led all freshmen in 2022 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1-1 record. Malec (10) made the most appearances of the trio, but posted a 9.88 ERA in an up-and-down freshman season.
-Redshirt sophomore George Klassen pitched just 7.2 innings after coming off Tommy John surgery. The flamethrower has been clocked as high as 102 mph and is set for a bounce-back 2023.
-In weekend one, Malec had the most consistent performance, setting career-highs in innings pitched (5.0) and strikeouts (six).
BATEMAN BACK TO PACE GOPHERS
-Junior center fielder Brett Bateman is back for year three for Minnesota. He's Minnesota's returning leader in average (.312), hits (67), starts (52) and total bases (78).
-The Arden Hills, Minn., native had a team-best 22 multi-hit games as a sophomore in 2022, including 17 two-hit games and five three-hit games. He started off 2023 going 8-for-18, leading the team in hits and ranking second in average (.444).
NOTABLE DEPARTURES
-Aidan Maldonado (RHP); Minnesota's pitcher of the year in 2022, Maldonado was a 14th round draft pick of the Brewers.
-Jack Kelly (INF/OF); Team MVP last year, Kelly led the team in batting avg. (.324), RBI (45) and slugging (.592).
-J.P. Massey (RHP); Massey was selected in the 7th round of the MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2022 IN REVIEW
-The Gophers finished 16-36 (6-18 Big Ten). Minnesota took 13th in the Big Ten and missed the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2015.
-Minnesota started its season by going 2-6 on a road trip to Florida, playing FAU, FGCU, Northeastern and Indiana State. The 'U' returned to Minneapolis and went 6-9 to finish March with an 8-15 record heading into Big Ten play.
-The Gophers went 13-16 at home last season, but just 2-18 away from Minneapolis. After winning the season opener 9-1 at FAU, Minnesota lost its next 18 road games before taking down Indiana, 9-8, in the final B1G road game of 2022.
-Minnesota's best win of the year came in a 4-3 decision over No. 23 Maryland on April 10 at Siebert Field. The Gophers took down Air Force, another NCAA Tournament team, 7-6 on March 13.
GOPHERS IN THE PROS
-Left-handed pitcher Lucas Gilbreath pitched in 47 games last year during his second year in the pros for the Colorado Rockies. He went 2-0 with a 4.19 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 43.0 innings pitched. Gilbreath tallied a career-high 12 holds out of the bullpen last summer.
-2020 No. 3 overall MLB Draft pick Max Meyer made his Major League debut last spring for the Miami Marlins. He made two starts, going 5.1 innings in his debut before leaving his second start with an arm injury. Meyer underwent Tommy John surgery, thus ending his 2022 season.
-2018 Gophers All-American shortstop Terrin Vavra was the second Gopher to make his Major League debut. He played in 40 games, hitting .258 with one home run, 12 RBI and 30 total hits. He joined the Baltimore Orioles on July 29, 2022 and played the rest of the season in the big leagues.
-Minnesota has multiple other alumni playing rookie league, A, AA and AAA ball.
TWO NEW COACHING STAFF MEMBERS JOIN THE FOLD
-Head coach John Anderson added two new members to the coaching staff this season in Alec Crawford (interim pitching coach) and Mike Kvasnicka (volunteer assistant).
-A 2014 MLB Draft pick of the Rockies, Crawford pitched for two years (2013-14) at the University of Minnesota. He was an All-Big Ten Third Team selection and named the Gophers' David Winfield Pitcher of the Year in his senior season. He tied for the team lead and ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 67 strikeouts.
-Another Gopher great, Kvasnicka was former first round MLB Draft pick in 2010 (33rd, Houston Astros), Kvasnicka spent time in the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins farm systems (Third base, right field and catcher) over the course of six seasons. He reached AA (New Britain) in 2014 with the Twins before playing with the St. Paul Saints in the American Association in 2015. During his professional baseball career, Kvasnicka played in 535 games, with a career batting average of .269.
CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC
-Minnesota will host the third ever Cambria College Classic from March 3-5 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Defending national champion Ole Miss, perennial power Vanderbilt and Hawaii will play Minnesota, Maryland and Nebraska in the three-day event.At the conclusion, a champion will be named in addition to the all-tournament team and MVP.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will return home to play Milwaukee on March 1 and then Hawaii, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in the Cambria College Classic (March 3-5). All games will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
Minnesota vs. Saint Louis
First Pitch: 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT
Location: Bill Davis Field at Lee County Sports Complex (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Minnesota Starter: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-0, 9.82 ERA, 3.2 IP, 5 SO)
SLU Starter: RHP Dawson Smith (0-1, 13.50 ERA, 1.1 IP, 2 SO)
TV: No Stream Available
Saturday, Feb. 25
Minnesota vs. Saint Louis
First Pitch: 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT
Location: Bill Davis Field at Lee County Sports Complex (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Minnesota Starter: RHP Sam Malec (0-1, 7.20 ERA, 5.0 IP, 6 SO)
SLU Starter: LHP Caleb Thompson (0-0, 12.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 1 SO)
TV: No Stream Available
Sunday, Feb. 26
Minnesota vs. Saint Louis
First Pitch: 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT
Location: Hammond Stadium (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Minnesota Starter: RHP George Klassen (0-1, 18.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 2 SO)
SLU Starter: RHP Owen Chaffin (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 SO)
TV: No Stream Available
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Gophers baseball team heads south for the second straight weekend when they travel to Fort Myers, Fla., to play a three-game series against Saint Louis (0-3, 0-0 A-10). The two teams have never previously met. Games one and two will be played at Bill Davis Field, located right off the main parking lot from Hammond Stadium. Game three will be at Hammond, the home of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and the Minnesota Twins for spring training. All games are free for fan attendance. There will be no live stream but fans can follow along with live stats at Gophersports.com.
LAST TIME OUT
-Minnesota went 0-4 in the Sanderson Ford Classic Feb. 17-20 in Surprise, Ariz. The Gophers fell to UCSB (9-7), Oregon State (8-7), UCSB (13-2) and New Mexico (4-3). The UNM loss was in 12 innings.
-Sam Hunt led the Gophers with a .571 batting average in weekend one while Brett Bateman and Jake Larson both hit .444. Sunday and Monday starters Sam Malec (six strikeouts) and Richie Holetz (four strikeouts) both went 5.0 innings in their starts, numbers that are career-highs.
HISTORICAL NOTES
-Minnesota is in its 135th season in program history in the spring of 2023.
-John Anderson is in his 42nd year at the helm of Gopher Baseball and holds a 1,347-968-3 (.582) overall record. This includes a 604-400 (.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 B1G game last May against Indiana. He's the only coach in conference history to hit that mark.
SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS
-SLU went 29-24 (14-9 A-10) in 2022 and fell in the third round of the A-10 Championship to Richmond. Saint Louis was picked to finish tied for third in the 2023 Atlantic-10 race by the coaches.
-The Billikens return five starters from last year, paced by Cam Redding, who returns as the Billikens' leading hitter after he went .360 from the plate. Tyler Fogarty also returns after hitting 11 home runs.
-Head coach Darin Hendrickson is in his 16th season at SLU and he is 446-354-1 as a Billiken. SLU went 0-3 in opening weekend, getting swept by Marshall.
SERIES HISTORY - LAST YEAR IN FORT MYERS
-Saint Louis and Minnesota have never played.
-The Gophers went 1-2 last season at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla. Minnesota defeated Northeastern 3-1 in game one. Joe Hauser and Boston Merila both tallied RBI's in the victory. Minnesota then fell twice to Indiana State. They lost 16-3 in game one on Saturday and 14-8 in game two on Sunday. Brett Bateman and Kyle Bork had three hits each on Sunday while Merila went 2-for-4.
FRESHMEN FLASH SKILLS IN WEEK ONE
-Freshmen Sam Hunt (C/OF), Weber Neels (C/INF), Kris Hokenson (OF/LHP) and Drew Berkland (OF) all started games for Minnesota in weekend one.
-Hunt (.571) led the team in batting average while Hokenson (.231) played in all four games and ranks tied for the team lead in RBI.
-Berkland started multiple games in the outfield while Neels started games at catcher and first base.
GOPHERS SWIPING BASES AT A HIGH RATE
-The Gophers were aggressive on the base paths last season, swiping 68 bases in 94 attempts. -The 'U' ranked fifth in the Big Ten (85th nationally) in stolen bases and had contributions from 10 different players. Bateman (21) led the team. His 21 stolen bases tied former Gopher Alex Boxwell (2015-18) for most stolen bases by a Minnesota player since 2010.
-Minnesota stole five bases in four games to open 2023, a mark that ranks third in the Big Ten.
LARSON LIGHTS UP THE STAT SHEET
-Covington, Wash., native Jake Larson started off the season strong in weekend one, going 4-for-9 with one home run and three RBI. He had hits in all three games he played in, including multiple hits against New Mexico on Monday.
-Larson hit .209 as a freshman last year and is looking to be a mainstay in the infield in 2023.
SOPHOMORE PITCHERS SET THE TONE
-Minnesota's Friday-Saturday-Sunday starters are sophomores Tucker Novotny (LHP), Sam Malec (RHP) and George Klassen (RHP).
-Novotny led all freshmen in 2022 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1-1 record. Malec (10) made the most appearances of the trio, but posted a 9.88 ERA in an up-and-down freshman season.
-Redshirt sophomore George Klassen pitched just 7.2 innings after coming off Tommy John surgery. The flamethrower has been clocked as high as 102 mph and is set for a bounce-back 2023.
-In weekend one, Malec had the most consistent performance, setting career-highs in innings pitched (5.0) and strikeouts (six).
BATEMAN BACK TO PACE GOPHERS
-Junior center fielder Brett Bateman is back for year three for Minnesota. He's Minnesota's returning leader in average (.312), hits (67), starts (52) and total bases (78).
-The Arden Hills, Minn., native had a team-best 22 multi-hit games as a sophomore in 2022, including 17 two-hit games and five three-hit games. He started off 2023 going 8-for-18, leading the team in hits and ranking second in average (.444).
NOTABLE DEPARTURES
-Aidan Maldonado (RHP); Minnesota's pitcher of the year in 2022, Maldonado was a 14th round draft pick of the Brewers.
-Jack Kelly (INF/OF); Team MVP last year, Kelly led the team in batting avg. (.324), RBI (45) and slugging (.592).
-J.P. Massey (RHP); Massey was selected in the 7th round of the MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2022 IN REVIEW
-The Gophers finished 16-36 (6-18 Big Ten). Minnesota took 13th in the Big Ten and missed the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2015.
-Minnesota started its season by going 2-6 on a road trip to Florida, playing FAU, FGCU, Northeastern and Indiana State. The 'U' returned to Minneapolis and went 6-9 to finish March with an 8-15 record heading into Big Ten play.
-The Gophers went 13-16 at home last season, but just 2-18 away from Minneapolis. After winning the season opener 9-1 at FAU, Minnesota lost its next 18 road games before taking down Indiana, 9-8, in the final B1G road game of 2022.
-Minnesota's best win of the year came in a 4-3 decision over No. 23 Maryland on April 10 at Siebert Field. The Gophers took down Air Force, another NCAA Tournament team, 7-6 on March 13.
GOPHERS IN THE PROS
-Left-handed pitcher Lucas Gilbreath pitched in 47 games last year during his second year in the pros for the Colorado Rockies. He went 2-0 with a 4.19 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 43.0 innings pitched. Gilbreath tallied a career-high 12 holds out of the bullpen last summer.
-2020 No. 3 overall MLB Draft pick Max Meyer made his Major League debut last spring for the Miami Marlins. He made two starts, going 5.1 innings in his debut before leaving his second start with an arm injury. Meyer underwent Tommy John surgery, thus ending his 2022 season.
-2018 Gophers All-American shortstop Terrin Vavra was the second Gopher to make his Major League debut. He played in 40 games, hitting .258 with one home run, 12 RBI and 30 total hits. He joined the Baltimore Orioles on July 29, 2022 and played the rest of the season in the big leagues.
-Minnesota has multiple other alumni playing rookie league, A, AA and AAA ball.
TWO NEW COACHING STAFF MEMBERS JOIN THE FOLD
-Head coach John Anderson added two new members to the coaching staff this season in Alec Crawford (interim pitching coach) and Mike Kvasnicka (volunteer assistant).
-A 2014 MLB Draft pick of the Rockies, Crawford pitched for two years (2013-14) at the University of Minnesota. He was an All-Big Ten Third Team selection and named the Gophers' David Winfield Pitcher of the Year in his senior season. He tied for the team lead and ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 67 strikeouts.
-Another Gopher great, Kvasnicka was former first round MLB Draft pick in 2010 (33rd, Houston Astros), Kvasnicka spent time in the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins farm systems (Third base, right field and catcher) over the course of six seasons. He reached AA (New Britain) in 2014 with the Twins before playing with the St. Paul Saints in the American Association in 2015. During his professional baseball career, Kvasnicka played in 535 games, with a career batting average of .269.
CAMBRIA COLLEGE CLASSIC
-Minnesota will host the third ever Cambria College Classic from March 3-5 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Defending national champion Ole Miss, perennial power Vanderbilt and Hawaii will play Minnesota, Maryland and Nebraska in the three-day event.At the conclusion, a champion will be named in addition to the all-tournament team and MVP.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will return home to play Milwaukee on March 1 and then Hawaii, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in the Cambria College Classic (March 3-5). All games will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
Highlights: Gophers 1, Illinois 0
Saturday, March 14
Highlights: Gophers 6, Gonzaga 2
Wednesday, March 11
Cambria Classic Champions
Wednesday, March 11
Highlights: Gophers 11, Gonzaga 8
Tuesday, March 10