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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Baseball Heads East to Take on the Elon Phoenix
3/14/2024 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
Friday, Mar. 15
Minnesota at Elon
First Pitch: 3:00 p.m. CT/4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Latham Park, Elon, N.C.
Gophers Starter: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-2, 7.31 ERA, 16.0 IP, 21 K)
Phoenix Starter: RHP Justin Mitrovich (2-1, 2.59 ERA, 24.1 IP, 35 K)
TV: FloBaseball
Saturday, Mar. 16
Minnesota at Elon
First Pitch: 1:00 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Latham Park, Elon, N.C.
Gophers Starter: RHP Will Semb (1-1, 5.03 ERA, 19.2 IP, 26 K)
Phoenix Starter: RHP Ben Sieracki (1-2, 5.21 ERA, 19 IP, 19 K)
TV: FloBaseball
Sunday, Mar. 17
Minnesota at Elon
First Pitch: 11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Latham Park, Elon, N.C.
Gophers Starter: LHP Connor Wietgrefe (1-1, 3.00 ERA, 21.0 IP, 10 K)
Phoenix Starter: TBD
TV: FloBaseball
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota baseball team (7-7) will head east to take on the Elon Phoenix (7-9) in a three game series in North Carolina.
First pitches are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Friday, 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. All games will be broadcast on FloBaseball with live stats available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
On Wednesday afternoon, the Gophers made their home debut against St. Olaf, winning 5-1. Nick Argento made his collegiate debut, pitching three strong innings with zero walks and three strikeouts. Ike Mezzenga continued his hot hitting, reaching base for the 13th straight game with a two-RBI single in the bottom of the first inning.
Scouting the Phoenix
-The Phoenix have four hitters that are batting over .400 for the season.
-Kenny Mallory Jr. is slashing .456/.544/.684 with 17 RBIs, striking out just 10 times in 57 at bats.
-Charlie Granatell has slashed .406/.519/.703 with 17 RBIs with just six strikeouts in 64 at bats.
-Ryan Sprock has 23 RBIs and is slashing .400/.468/.631 in 65 at bats.
-Justin Mitrovich is leading the Phoenix pitching staff with a 2.59 ERA in 24.1 innings with 35 strikeouts.
Opponent Series History
-The Gophers have squared off against the Phoenix just once in their history. The Phoenix won 5-2 on Mar. 8, 2014 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Sophomore Sluggers
-Named 2025 MLB Top Prospects by D1 Baseball, Weber Neels and Kris Hokenson have picked up right where they left off as prominent freshmen.
-Hokenson leads the team with 13 RBIs in 12 games while slashing .357/.460/.714 in 42 at-bats.
-The St. Louis Park, Minn. native currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in OPS at 1.174.
-On the Gophers' seven-game road trip, Hokenson compiled 10 hits (3 HR's and 2 2B's) and drove in 10 runs. He had a 1.493 OPS and a .455 average while drawing four walks and striking out just three times in 26 plate appearances.
-Neels has split time at catcher and first base and is slashing .286/.400/.347 in 14 games played. He has 12 RBIs for the season.
Gophers Produce Power
-The Gophers slugged 13 home runs on their seven-game road trip out west, including five games with multiple home runs.
-Nine different Gophers now have hit at least one home run this year, led by Mezzenga (4) and Hokenson (3).
-The Gophers hit back-to-back home runs in back-to-back games against Pacific on Mar. 3 and 4. The last time the Gophers hit back-to-back homers was Feb. 19, 2022.
-Minnesota has hit at least one home run in eight of their last 10 games.
Patience at the Plate
-The Gophers have drawn 80 walks in their first 13 games, which ranks third in the Big Ten.
-For the season, the 'U' is reaching base at a .367 clip, totaling 121 hits, 80 walks and 16 HBP.
We Like Ike
-Redshirt junior Ike Mezzenga has produced power numbers for Minnesota over his last six games. In that span, he is slashing .435/.423/1.043 with four home runs and 13 RBIs.
-On Mar. 3, Mezzenga went 2-3 with a walk, double and a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. His home run was the later half of back-to-back homers against Pacific.
-On Mar. 4, Mezzenga topped the performance by going 2-4 with two home runs, including a grand slam, two runs scored and six RBIs.
-Mezzenga's two homeruns on Mar. 4 both came in the sixth inning, with the first being the latter of a back-to-back and the second being the grand slam.
-With one out in the top of the ninth inning on Mar. 8, Mezzenga hit a three-run go-ahead home run to help propel the Gophers to an 8-5 victory.
-Ike currently ranks tied for third in the Big Ten in home runs (4), fifth in slugging (.659) and ninth in OPS (1.063).
Productive Pitching
-The Gophers' pitching staff has put together impressive numbers among Big Ten ranks to begin the season. Despite a 7-7 record, the Gophers have allowed the second-fewest runs in the Big Ten this season (72 R, 61 ER).
-As a team, the 'U' ranks fourth in the Big Ten in ERA (4.46) and second in opponent hitting (.236).
-Junior Connor Wietgrefe leads Minnesota starters with a 3.00, which ranks 10th among all Big Ten hurlers this season.
-Senior transfer Justin Thorsteinson leads the Minnesota bullpen and leads the Big Ten with the fewest hits and runs allowed this season. His 1.98 ERA and .152 opponent average both rank fifth among Big Ten pitchers this season.
-Junior Will Semb ranks sixth in the Big Ten in opponent batting average, holding hitters to .187. He is also tied for fifth in the conference in strikeouts with 26.
What's on Deck
The Gophers will host another midweek game at Siebert Field on Mar. 20 against Augsburg before heading back out west to face the University of San Francisco in a three-game series.
Minnesota at Elon
First Pitch: 3:00 p.m. CT/4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Latham Park, Elon, N.C.
Gophers Starter: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-2, 7.31 ERA, 16.0 IP, 21 K)
Phoenix Starter: RHP Justin Mitrovich (2-1, 2.59 ERA, 24.1 IP, 35 K)
TV: FloBaseball
Saturday, Mar. 16
Minnesota at Elon
First Pitch: 1:00 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Latham Park, Elon, N.C.
Gophers Starter: RHP Will Semb (1-1, 5.03 ERA, 19.2 IP, 26 K)
Phoenix Starter: RHP Ben Sieracki (1-2, 5.21 ERA, 19 IP, 19 K)
TV: FloBaseball
Sunday, Mar. 17
Minnesota at Elon
First Pitch: 11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Latham Park, Elon, N.C.
Gophers Starter: LHP Connor Wietgrefe (1-1, 3.00 ERA, 21.0 IP, 10 K)
Phoenix Starter: TBD
TV: FloBaseball
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota baseball team (7-7) will head east to take on the Elon Phoenix (7-9) in a three game series in North Carolina.
First pitches are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Friday, 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. All games will be broadcast on FloBaseball with live stats available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
On Wednesday afternoon, the Gophers made their home debut against St. Olaf, winning 5-1. Nick Argento made his collegiate debut, pitching three strong innings with zero walks and three strikeouts. Ike Mezzenga continued his hot hitting, reaching base for the 13th straight game with a two-RBI single in the bottom of the first inning.
Scouting the Phoenix
-The Phoenix have four hitters that are batting over .400 for the season.
-Kenny Mallory Jr. is slashing .456/.544/.684 with 17 RBIs, striking out just 10 times in 57 at bats.
-Charlie Granatell has slashed .406/.519/.703 with 17 RBIs with just six strikeouts in 64 at bats.
-Ryan Sprock has 23 RBIs and is slashing .400/.468/.631 in 65 at bats.
-Justin Mitrovich is leading the Phoenix pitching staff with a 2.59 ERA in 24.1 innings with 35 strikeouts.
Opponent Series History
-The Gophers have squared off against the Phoenix just once in their history. The Phoenix won 5-2 on Mar. 8, 2014 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Sophomore Sluggers
-Named 2025 MLB Top Prospects by D1 Baseball, Weber Neels and Kris Hokenson have picked up right where they left off as prominent freshmen.
-Hokenson leads the team with 13 RBIs in 12 games while slashing .357/.460/.714 in 42 at-bats.
-The St. Louis Park, Minn. native currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in OPS at 1.174.
-On the Gophers' seven-game road trip, Hokenson compiled 10 hits (3 HR's and 2 2B's) and drove in 10 runs. He had a 1.493 OPS and a .455 average while drawing four walks and striking out just three times in 26 plate appearances.
-Neels has split time at catcher and first base and is slashing .286/.400/.347 in 14 games played. He has 12 RBIs for the season.
Gophers Produce Power
-The Gophers slugged 13 home runs on their seven-game road trip out west, including five games with multiple home runs.
-Nine different Gophers now have hit at least one home run this year, led by Mezzenga (4) and Hokenson (3).
-The Gophers hit back-to-back home runs in back-to-back games against Pacific on Mar. 3 and 4. The last time the Gophers hit back-to-back homers was Feb. 19, 2022.
-Minnesota has hit at least one home run in eight of their last 10 games.
Patience at the Plate
-The Gophers have drawn 80 walks in their first 13 games, which ranks third in the Big Ten.
-For the season, the 'U' is reaching base at a .367 clip, totaling 121 hits, 80 walks and 16 HBP.
We Like Ike
-Redshirt junior Ike Mezzenga has produced power numbers for Minnesota over his last six games. In that span, he is slashing .435/.423/1.043 with four home runs and 13 RBIs.
-On Mar. 3, Mezzenga went 2-3 with a walk, double and a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. His home run was the later half of back-to-back homers against Pacific.
-On Mar. 4, Mezzenga topped the performance by going 2-4 with two home runs, including a grand slam, two runs scored and six RBIs.
-Mezzenga's two homeruns on Mar. 4 both came in the sixth inning, with the first being the latter of a back-to-back and the second being the grand slam.
-With one out in the top of the ninth inning on Mar. 8, Mezzenga hit a three-run go-ahead home run to help propel the Gophers to an 8-5 victory.
-Ike currently ranks tied for third in the Big Ten in home runs (4), fifth in slugging (.659) and ninth in OPS (1.063).
Productive Pitching
-The Gophers' pitching staff has put together impressive numbers among Big Ten ranks to begin the season. Despite a 7-7 record, the Gophers have allowed the second-fewest runs in the Big Ten this season (72 R, 61 ER).
-As a team, the 'U' ranks fourth in the Big Ten in ERA (4.46) and second in opponent hitting (.236).
-Junior Connor Wietgrefe leads Minnesota starters with a 3.00, which ranks 10th among all Big Ten hurlers this season.
-Senior transfer Justin Thorsteinson leads the Minnesota bullpen and leads the Big Ten with the fewest hits and runs allowed this season. His 1.98 ERA and .152 opponent average both rank fifth among Big Ten pitchers this season.
-Junior Will Semb ranks sixth in the Big Ten in opponent batting average, holding hitters to .187. He is also tied for fifth in the conference in strikeouts with 26.
What's on Deck
The Gophers will host another midweek game at Siebert Field on Mar. 20 against Augsburg before heading back out west to face the University of San Francisco in a three-game series.
Highlights: Gophers 10, Kansas 3
Saturday, February 28
Highlights: Gophers 12, Kansas 5
Friday, February 27
Highlights: Gophers 7, Kansas 8
Wednesday, February 25
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Sweep Northeastern
Wednesday, February 25