University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Neels, Selvig, Sutherland Named Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch
2/11/2026 3:09:00 PM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – University of Minnesota baseball players Weber Neels, Cole Selvig, and Charlie Sutherland were named Big Ten Players to Watch for the upcoming 2026 season, as announced by the conference this afternoon.
Neels comes off an All-Big Ten second team performance throughout the 2025 season, hitting .284 on the year and leading Minnesota in total home runs (15) and OPS (1.029). Neels also set a new Gopher record of 18 hit by pitches 169 at bats last season. Neels was voted as the No. 1 preseason catcher in the Big Ten and No. 6 preseason catcher in the nation by D1Baseball heading into 2026.
Selvig started in all nine of his appearances for Minnesota last season, tallying a 5.44 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 44.2 total innings of work. Selvig is poised to become a mainstay in the starting rotation for the Gophers after missing the back half of the 2025 season due to a back injury.
Sutherland tallied a .290 average with eight doubles, one triple, and six home runs after appearing in 44 games for the Gophers in 2025. The multi-talented utility player brings power to the dish for Minnesota, as evidenced by his grand slam on the road against Ohio State last season.
Minnesota baseball begins their season this weekend with a three game weekend against Stetson University, St. John's University, and Ball State University. All the action begins against the Hatters on Friday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 PM (CT).