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Photo by: Kelly Hagenson
'U' Gets NDSU and SDSU for Mid-week Games
4/15/2024 2:05:00 PM | Baseball
Tuesday, April 16
Minnesota vs. NDSU
First Pitch: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: RHP Sam Kennedy (1-0, 2.08 ERA, 4.1 IP, 3 K)
Bison Starter: TBD
TV: Big Ten+
Wednesday, April 17
Minnesota vs. SDSU
First Pitch: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-4, 6.62 ERA, 34.0 IP, 38 K)
Jackrabbits Starter: RHP Will Kent (2-3, 7.71 ERA, 18.2 IP, 22 K)
TV: Big Ten+
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota baseball team will host two mid-week games this week against North Dakota State and South Dakota State at Siebert Field.
The Gophers (14-16, 3-6 Big Ten) will face North Dakota State (10-21, 7-5 Summit) on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Minnesota will then take on South Dakota State (15-18, 7-7 Summit) on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on Big Ten+ with live stats available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
-The Gophers fell 8-1 in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. Michigan starter Kurt Barr held Minnesota to one run on five hits in a complete game on the mound. Brady Counsell drove in the Gophers' lone run with his seventh home run of the season.
-The 'U' answered in game two behind a six-run second inning. Jake Perry hit his fourth home run of the year in the inning, a three-run shot. For the day, Perry went 3-4 with a walk and a home run, four RBIs and two stolen bases. Brady Counsell also drove in two runs in the second inning, his 17th and 18th of the year. Wietgrefe pitched 6.0 innings of two-run ball and the Gophers coasted to an 8-3 win.
-The Wolverines jumped out to an early lead in game three after scoring seven runs in the first two innings. The Maroon and Gold got a pair back after back-to-back home runs by Mezzenga and Fitzgerald. It was the third time this season Minnesota has hit back-to-back home runs. Michigan tacked on two more before Counsell hit his eighth home run of the season to make it a 10-3 final in favor of the Wolverines.
Scouting the Opposition
-The Jackrabbits and Gophers have faced one common opponent this season, New Mexico. SDSU won game one of their four-game series 11-5 before falling in the final three. The Gophers beat New Mexico 11-2 in their second game of the season.
-Offensively, the Jackrabbits are led by Cael Frost and Dawson Parry. Frost is slashing .385/.474/.831 with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and 40 runs scored. Parry is slashing .346/.423/.692 with 12 home runs, 49 RBIs and 30 runs scored.
-Nic McCay headlines the Jackrabbits starting rotation. In eight games, he has a 4-0 record with a 2.08 ERA and 68 strikeouts.
-SDSU is coming off of a series loss on the road at Omaha.
-After falling to Minnesota in a mid-week contest last Tuesday, NDSU won two of three at Northern Colorado.
-Jake Schaffner leads the Bison offense, slashing .385/.452/.505 with 42 hits and 20 runs scored. James Dunlap tops the NDSU leaderboard with 22 RBIs.
-On the mound, Nolan Johnson leads the team with a 2.73 ERA in 26.1 innings pitched. Logan Knight leads the team with 45 strikeouts.
Opponent Series History
-Minnesota leads the all-time series with both NDSU and SDSU.
-The Gophers are 37-12 against NDSU and 39-15 over SDSU.
-The 'U' beat NDSU 11-3 last week Tuesday. Game one between Minnesota and SDSU this season was postponed due to rain.
Wietgrefe's World
-Junior LHP Connor Wietgrefe put together his fifth quality start of the season on Saturday afternoon at Michigan.
-The Prior Lake, Minn. native pitched 6.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks. Wietgrefe fanned eight Wolverine hitters in the start and picked up his team-high fourth win of the season.
-In two starts in the month of April, Wietgrefe has pitched 12.2 innings, allowing just two runs. He has struck out ten batters and has a 1.42 ERA while picking up two wins.
-The southpaw currently ranks fifth in the Big Ten in ERA (3.40), tied for third in wins (4), seventh in innings (50.1) and tenth in strikeouts (46).
Neels by the Numbers
-Sophomore Weber Neels has picked up where he left off after a stellar freshman season.
-Neels leads the team in average (.321) and RBIs (25). He is second in on base percentage (.437) and doubles (8), walks (17) and is third in hits (35). He is also slugging .477 with three home runs for the season.
-Splitting time at catcher and first base, Neels is one of three players that has played all 30 games this season and leads the team with 421 putouts.
Consistency in Counsell
-Counsell has been a consistent bright spot in the Gophers lineup. He reanks in the top five in all offenseive categories including leading the team in home runs (8), runs (29), total bases (67), walks (19) and stolen bases (12).
-A Milwaukee, Wis. native, Counsell is slashing .290/.395/.540. He has 36 hits, including seven doubles, and 19 RBIs.
-Counsell leads the team with 79 assists, playing all 30 games at second base.
Productive Pitching
-The Gophers' pitching staff has put together impressive numbers among Big Ten ranks to begin the season. The Gophers have allowed the second-fewest runs (166) and earned runs (135) in the Big Ten. As a team, the 'U' ranks fifth in the Big Ten in ERA (5.11) and sixth in opponent hitting (.266). The team also ranks third in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (9.5).
Newcomers Making an Impact
-Kyle Remington has been a staple out of the Gophers' bullpen. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Mar. 11. He continued his impressive freshman season by working 1.2 innings of relief against Michigan. He held the Wolverines scoreless, allowing one hit, zero walks and picked up one strikeout.
-Tyler Hemmesch has pitched 16.2 innings in eight appearances for the Gophers in his rookie season. He's tallied 16 strikeouts with a 2.70 ERA and is holding opponents to .179 average off him.
-Charlie Sutherland has appeared in 16 games this season with three starts. He has emerged as one of the Gophers' go-to hitters off the bench. In 26 at bats, he is slashing .308/.438/.462 with a home run, a double, six RBIs and four runs scored.
-Senior transfer Justin Thorsteinson has provided the Gophers a trustworthy arm in the back end of the bullpen. In 21.2 innings, he has a 2.91 ERA and 21 punch outs.
-Freshman Jack Taxdahl earned his first start behind the dish on Saturday afternoon. He went 1-4 with a run scored in the win. In seven games this season, he is hitting .364 with an RBI and two runs scored.
-Freshman Jack Spanier has seen an increase in playing time after flashing the leather at shortstop. In 12 games played, he has recorded eight putouts and 25 assists without committing an error. Spanier has also picked up five hits since seeing more regular action.
What's on Deck
The Gophers will remain home for the weekend as the Indiana Hoosiers will come to town.
Minnesota vs. NDSU
First Pitch: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: RHP Sam Kennedy (1-0, 2.08 ERA, 4.1 IP, 3 K)
Bison Starter: TBD
TV: Big Ten+
Wednesday, April 17
Minnesota vs. SDSU
First Pitch: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-4, 6.62 ERA, 34.0 IP, 38 K)
Jackrabbits Starter: RHP Will Kent (2-3, 7.71 ERA, 18.2 IP, 22 K)
TV: Big Ten+
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota baseball team will host two mid-week games this week against North Dakota State and South Dakota State at Siebert Field.
The Gophers (14-16, 3-6 Big Ten) will face North Dakota State (10-21, 7-5 Summit) on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Minnesota will then take on South Dakota State (15-18, 7-7 Summit) on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on Big Ten+ with live stats available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
-The Gophers fell 8-1 in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. Michigan starter Kurt Barr held Minnesota to one run on five hits in a complete game on the mound. Brady Counsell drove in the Gophers' lone run with his seventh home run of the season.
-The 'U' answered in game two behind a six-run second inning. Jake Perry hit his fourth home run of the year in the inning, a three-run shot. For the day, Perry went 3-4 with a walk and a home run, four RBIs and two stolen bases. Brady Counsell also drove in two runs in the second inning, his 17th and 18th of the year. Wietgrefe pitched 6.0 innings of two-run ball and the Gophers coasted to an 8-3 win.
-The Wolverines jumped out to an early lead in game three after scoring seven runs in the first two innings. The Maroon and Gold got a pair back after back-to-back home runs by Mezzenga and Fitzgerald. It was the third time this season Minnesota has hit back-to-back home runs. Michigan tacked on two more before Counsell hit his eighth home run of the season to make it a 10-3 final in favor of the Wolverines.
Scouting the Opposition
-The Jackrabbits and Gophers have faced one common opponent this season, New Mexico. SDSU won game one of their four-game series 11-5 before falling in the final three. The Gophers beat New Mexico 11-2 in their second game of the season.
-Offensively, the Jackrabbits are led by Cael Frost and Dawson Parry. Frost is slashing .385/.474/.831 with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and 40 runs scored. Parry is slashing .346/.423/.692 with 12 home runs, 49 RBIs and 30 runs scored.
-Nic McCay headlines the Jackrabbits starting rotation. In eight games, he has a 4-0 record with a 2.08 ERA and 68 strikeouts.
-SDSU is coming off of a series loss on the road at Omaha.
-After falling to Minnesota in a mid-week contest last Tuesday, NDSU won two of three at Northern Colorado.
-Jake Schaffner leads the Bison offense, slashing .385/.452/.505 with 42 hits and 20 runs scored. James Dunlap tops the NDSU leaderboard with 22 RBIs.
-On the mound, Nolan Johnson leads the team with a 2.73 ERA in 26.1 innings pitched. Logan Knight leads the team with 45 strikeouts.
Opponent Series History
-Minnesota leads the all-time series with both NDSU and SDSU.
-The Gophers are 37-12 against NDSU and 39-15 over SDSU.
-The 'U' beat NDSU 11-3 last week Tuesday. Game one between Minnesota and SDSU this season was postponed due to rain.
Wietgrefe's World
-Junior LHP Connor Wietgrefe put together his fifth quality start of the season on Saturday afternoon at Michigan.
-The Prior Lake, Minn. native pitched 6.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks. Wietgrefe fanned eight Wolverine hitters in the start and picked up his team-high fourth win of the season.
-In two starts in the month of April, Wietgrefe has pitched 12.2 innings, allowing just two runs. He has struck out ten batters and has a 1.42 ERA while picking up two wins.
-The southpaw currently ranks fifth in the Big Ten in ERA (3.40), tied for third in wins (4), seventh in innings (50.1) and tenth in strikeouts (46).
Neels by the Numbers
-Sophomore Weber Neels has picked up where he left off after a stellar freshman season.
-Neels leads the team in average (.321) and RBIs (25). He is second in on base percentage (.437) and doubles (8), walks (17) and is third in hits (35). He is also slugging .477 with three home runs for the season.
-Splitting time at catcher and first base, Neels is one of three players that has played all 30 games this season and leads the team with 421 putouts.
Consistency in Counsell
-Counsell has been a consistent bright spot in the Gophers lineup. He reanks in the top five in all offenseive categories including leading the team in home runs (8), runs (29), total bases (67), walks (19) and stolen bases (12).
-A Milwaukee, Wis. native, Counsell is slashing .290/.395/.540. He has 36 hits, including seven doubles, and 19 RBIs.
-Counsell leads the team with 79 assists, playing all 30 games at second base.
Productive Pitching
-The Gophers' pitching staff has put together impressive numbers among Big Ten ranks to begin the season. The Gophers have allowed the second-fewest runs (166) and earned runs (135) in the Big Ten. As a team, the 'U' ranks fifth in the Big Ten in ERA (5.11) and sixth in opponent hitting (.266). The team also ranks third in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (9.5).
Newcomers Making an Impact
-Kyle Remington has been a staple out of the Gophers' bullpen. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Mar. 11. He continued his impressive freshman season by working 1.2 innings of relief against Michigan. He held the Wolverines scoreless, allowing one hit, zero walks and picked up one strikeout.
-Tyler Hemmesch has pitched 16.2 innings in eight appearances for the Gophers in his rookie season. He's tallied 16 strikeouts with a 2.70 ERA and is holding opponents to .179 average off him.
-Charlie Sutherland has appeared in 16 games this season with three starts. He has emerged as one of the Gophers' go-to hitters off the bench. In 26 at bats, he is slashing .308/.438/.462 with a home run, a double, six RBIs and four runs scored.
-Senior transfer Justin Thorsteinson has provided the Gophers a trustworthy arm in the back end of the bullpen. In 21.2 innings, he has a 2.91 ERA and 21 punch outs.
-Freshman Jack Taxdahl earned his first start behind the dish on Saturday afternoon. He went 1-4 with a run scored in the win. In seven games this season, he is hitting .364 with an RBI and two runs scored.
-Freshman Jack Spanier has seen an increase in playing time after flashing the leather at shortstop. In 12 games played, he has recorded eight putouts and 25 assists without committing an error. Spanier has also picked up five hits since seeing more regular action.
What's on Deck
The Gophers will remain home for the weekend as the Indiana Hoosiers will come to town.
Weber Neels Highlights
Wednesday, May 28
Gophers (11) - Michigan State (5) Highlights
Friday, May 16
Gophers (4) - Michigan State (3) Highlights
Thursday, May 15
Gopher Baseball Senior Salute
Monday, May 12