University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, April 22
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Penn State
Players Mentioned
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OF
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INF
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Gophers Host Penn St. For Weekend Stretch
4/21/2022 10:54:00 AM | Baseball
Friday's game starts at 6:05 p.m. CT
Friday, April 22
Minnesota vs. Penn State
First Pitch: 6:05 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Minnesota Starter: RHP Sam Ireland (4.37 ERA, 3-3, 47.1 IP, 55 SO)
Penn St. Starter: RHP Jaden Henline (4.55 ERA, 0-1, 31.2 IP, 38 SO)
TV: B1G+
Saturday, April 23
Minnesota vs. Penn State
First Pitch: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Minnesota Starter: RHP J.P. Massey (6.23 ERA, 2-5, 39.0 IP, 43 SO)
Penn St. Starter: TBA
Stream: B1G+
Sunday, April 24
Minnesota vs. Penn State
First Pitch: 11 a.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Minnesota Starter: RHP Aidan Maldonado (4.40 ERA, 1-3, 43.0 IP, 51 SO)
Penn St. Starter: TBA
Stream: B1G+
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-24, 1-8 Big Ten) are set to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (15-19, 5-7 Big Ten) for their second Big Ten home series of the season. With one more conference victory, head coach John Anderson will become the first manager in Big Ten history to eclipse 600 league wins. The Nittany Lions have won three of their last four, including taking two of three from Purdue last weekend. The two teams will play at 6 p.m. Friday followed by Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. All games will be streamed on B1G+.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
-The Nittany Lions are led by Rob Cooper, the ninth-year head coach. They finished the 2021 season with an 18-24 record, playing against exclusively Big Ten opponents. The wins included a 3-2 victory over No. 18 Michigan on March 26 and a series sweep over Michigan State.
-In Big Ten play this season, PSU fell in two of three games to Rutgers, Northwestern and Maryland before taking two of three from Purdue last weekend.
-The Nittany Lions rank seventh in the Big Ten in ERA (5.54) and tenth in batting average (.269).
-Penn State is led by Matt Wood, who leads the team in batting average (.412), home runs (6) and RBI (29). He leads the Big Ten in batting average and ranks in the top-10 statistically in six different categories.
SERIES HISTORY
-Minnesota leads the all-time series, 54-25. The two teams met once last year, in a neutral site game at Purdue. The Nittany Lions took home a 7-3 victory on May 29. In the two teams' last series, the Gophers swept PSU in State College, Pa., from March 23-24, 2019.
-They also played in West Lafayette, Ind., a three-game series from April 7-8, 2018, with the Gophers taking all three.
-Minnesota and Penn State haven't played at Siebert Field since 2015, when the Gophers swept the Nittany Lions from April 17-19. Prior to last year's meeting, the Gophers had won 18 straight in the series dating back to 2013.
LAST TIME OUT
-On Tuesday, Minnesota fell 6-0 to St. Thomas. The Gophers had just three hits and tallied just one after the third inning.
-UST had 11 hits and scored two runs each in the second, third and fourth innings. Right-hander Kolby Gartner tossed a complete-game shutout.
PROMOTIONS
-Friday night's game will be 'Galaxy Night' at Siebert Field. This features free #Gophers Star Wars Themed Posters to first 250 fans and a Star Wars costume contest to win movie passes.
-Saturday's game is Mental Health Awareness Day. The Gophers will wear green stickers on their batting helmets to signify mental health awareness. There will be an in-game video as well as tables around the concourse with professionals around the 'U' dedicated to mental health treatment.
-Sunday's game is 'Movies Day,' with clips from classic baseball movies shown between innings. There will also be free Gopher Baseball Koozies given out to the first 300 fans and kids can run around the bases postgame.
JOHN ANDERSON CLOSING IN ON 600 CONFERENCE WINS
-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 1,341-952-3 (.586) overall record. This includes a 599-390 (.608) 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 is just one conference win from 600 in his career.
GOPHERS HITTING THE LONG BALL
-Minnesota ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 32 home runs in 34 games this season. Chase Stanke ranks third in the conference with 10 while Jack Kelly has hit six. Easton Bertrand and Ronald Sweeny are up next with four apiece.
STANKE POWER-SURGING TO START 2021
-Minnesota catcher Chase Stanke, a Buster Posey Watch list member, has shown off his power in 2022.
-He ranks tied for third in the Big Ten in home runs (10). 20 of his 27 hits are for extra bases, which is a team-high. Coming into 2022, he hit just seven home runs in his previous three seasons.
-Only three Gophers since 2010 have hit 10-or-more home runs in a season. Stanke is trying to become the first Minnesota player since Nick O'Shea to hit more than 11 home runs in a single season.
GOPHERS IN THE PROS
-Left-handed pitcher Lucas Gilbreath continued his rise through the Rockies minor league organization last season. He was impressive in his first MLB year, tallying a 3-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in 42.2 IP over 47 games. He struck out 44, walked 23 and allowed just 16 earned runs. Gilbreath pitched 0.2 innings on April 20, 2022 to make his season debut.
-2020 No. 3 overall MLB Draft pick Max Meyer is also cruising through the Marlins minor league system. He started this year in AAA and pitched five perfect innings on April 12 with eight strikeouts. He ranks No. 34 on MLB.com's list of top-100 minor league prospects.
-2018 Gophers All-American shortstop Terrin Vavra spent most of his season with the Orioles Double-A team, the Bowie Baysox. He hit .248 (37-for-149) with five home runs, 20 RBI, one triple and 10 doubles with 29 walks. He's in AAA in 2022 and is hitting .304 in 46 at-bats.
IRELAND FINDING HIS STUFF
-Junior Friday starter Sam Ireland has been stellar to start the 2022 season. Through eight starts, he's 3-3 with a 4.37 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He ranks 9th in the B1G in K's (55). His three wins are tied for 11th.
-He became the first Gopher since Max Meyer in 2020 to strike out 15-or-more batters in his first two starts of the season.
MALDONADO MAKES HIS WAY
-Redshirt junior Aidan Maldonado brought his best stuff two weeks back in a win over No. 23 Maryland. He battled through 6.0 innings, striking out five and giving up a season-low one earned run.
-He picked up a no-decision, but it's the second time this year he's gone six-or-more innings against a ranked team. Maldonado went 6.0 innings against No. 12 Notre Dame on March 6, striking out five while allowing five hits and just two earned runs.
-Maldonado shoved again at Iowa, going 5.1 innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine (tying a career-high).
IRELAND IGNITES THE FLAME
-Junior Friday starter Sam Ireland has been stellar to start the 2022 season. Through eight starts, he's 3-3 with a 4.40 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He ranks 8th in the B1G in K's (55). His three wins are tied for 11th.
-He became the first Gopher since Max Meyer in 2020 to strike out 15-or-more batters in his first two starts of the season.
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 18 appearances. In 17.0 innings, he's allowed just four earned runs and has struck out 22 hitters, with only five hits allowed.
KELLY CRUSHING OPPOSING PITCHING
-Senior utility player Jack Kelly has been on a tear in his final collegiate season.
-He leads the team in hits (37) and RBI (32) while also totaling 11 multi-hit games.
-B1G Ranks: B. Avg.: .352 (11th), SLG%: .676 (3rd), triples: 3 (2nd), OB+SLG%: 1.110 (5th), RBI: 32 (11th).
BATEMAN SETS THE TONE
-Sophomore center fielder Brett Bateman ranks tied for first on the team in hits (42) and first in at bats (141). He's also swiped a team-best 13 bases, which ranks fifth in the league.
-He's has safely in a team-best eight straight games, including three multi-hit games. He led off all three games at Iowa with singles in the top of the first.
-Bateman is the only Gopher to start in all 34 games.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will host South Dakota State and St. Thomas for midweek games before traveling to Michigan State for a three-game weekend series.
Minnesota vs. Penn State
First Pitch: 6:05 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Minnesota Starter: RHP Sam Ireland (4.37 ERA, 3-3, 47.1 IP, 55 SO)
Penn St. Starter: RHP Jaden Henline (4.55 ERA, 0-1, 31.2 IP, 38 SO)
TV: B1G+
Saturday, April 23
Minnesota vs. Penn State
First Pitch: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Minnesota Starter: RHP J.P. Massey (6.23 ERA, 2-5, 39.0 IP, 43 SO)
Penn St. Starter: TBA
Stream: B1G+
Sunday, April 24
Minnesota vs. Penn State
First Pitch: 11 a.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Minnesota Starter: RHP Aidan Maldonado (4.40 ERA, 1-3, 43.0 IP, 51 SO)
Penn St. Starter: TBA
Stream: B1G+
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-24, 1-8 Big Ten) are set to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (15-19, 5-7 Big Ten) for their second Big Ten home series of the season. With one more conference victory, head coach John Anderson will become the first manager in Big Ten history to eclipse 600 league wins. The Nittany Lions have won three of their last four, including taking two of three from Purdue last weekend. The two teams will play at 6 p.m. Friday followed by Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. All games will be streamed on B1G+.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
-The Nittany Lions are led by Rob Cooper, the ninth-year head coach. They finished the 2021 season with an 18-24 record, playing against exclusively Big Ten opponents. The wins included a 3-2 victory over No. 18 Michigan on March 26 and a series sweep over Michigan State.
-In Big Ten play this season, PSU fell in two of three games to Rutgers, Northwestern and Maryland before taking two of three from Purdue last weekend.
-The Nittany Lions rank seventh in the Big Ten in ERA (5.54) and tenth in batting average (.269).
-Penn State is led by Matt Wood, who leads the team in batting average (.412), home runs (6) and RBI (29). He leads the Big Ten in batting average and ranks in the top-10 statistically in six different categories.
SERIES HISTORY
-Minnesota leads the all-time series, 54-25. The two teams met once last year, in a neutral site game at Purdue. The Nittany Lions took home a 7-3 victory on May 29. In the two teams' last series, the Gophers swept PSU in State College, Pa., from March 23-24, 2019.
-They also played in West Lafayette, Ind., a three-game series from April 7-8, 2018, with the Gophers taking all three.
-Minnesota and Penn State haven't played at Siebert Field since 2015, when the Gophers swept the Nittany Lions from April 17-19. Prior to last year's meeting, the Gophers had won 18 straight in the series dating back to 2013.
LAST TIME OUT
-On Tuesday, Minnesota fell 6-0 to St. Thomas. The Gophers had just three hits and tallied just one after the third inning.
-UST had 11 hits and scored two runs each in the second, third and fourth innings. Right-hander Kolby Gartner tossed a complete-game shutout.
PROMOTIONS
-Friday night's game will be 'Galaxy Night' at Siebert Field. This features free #Gophers Star Wars Themed Posters to first 250 fans and a Star Wars costume contest to win movie passes.
-Saturday's game is Mental Health Awareness Day. The Gophers will wear green stickers on their batting helmets to signify mental health awareness. There will be an in-game video as well as tables around the concourse with professionals around the 'U' dedicated to mental health treatment.
-Sunday's game is 'Movies Day,' with clips from classic baseball movies shown between innings. There will also be free Gopher Baseball Koozies given out to the first 300 fans and kids can run around the bases postgame.
JOHN ANDERSON CLOSING IN ON 600 CONFERENCE WINS
-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 1,341-952-3 (.586) overall record. This includes a 599-390 (.608) 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 is just one conference win from 600 in his career.
GOPHERS HITTING THE LONG BALL
-Minnesota ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 32 home runs in 34 games this season. Chase Stanke ranks third in the conference with 10 while Jack Kelly has hit six. Easton Bertrand and Ronald Sweeny are up next with four apiece.
STANKE POWER-SURGING TO START 2021
-Minnesota catcher Chase Stanke, a Buster Posey Watch list member, has shown off his power in 2022.
-He ranks tied for third in the Big Ten in home runs (10). 20 of his 27 hits are for extra bases, which is a team-high. Coming into 2022, he hit just seven home runs in his previous three seasons.
-Only three Gophers since 2010 have hit 10-or-more home runs in a season. Stanke is trying to become the first Minnesota player since Nick O'Shea to hit more than 11 home runs in a single season.
GOPHERS IN THE PROS
-Left-handed pitcher Lucas Gilbreath continued his rise through the Rockies minor league organization last season. He was impressive in his first MLB year, tallying a 3-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in 42.2 IP over 47 games. He struck out 44, walked 23 and allowed just 16 earned runs. Gilbreath pitched 0.2 innings on April 20, 2022 to make his season debut.
-2020 No. 3 overall MLB Draft pick Max Meyer is also cruising through the Marlins minor league system. He started this year in AAA and pitched five perfect innings on April 12 with eight strikeouts. He ranks No. 34 on MLB.com's list of top-100 minor league prospects.
-2018 Gophers All-American shortstop Terrin Vavra spent most of his season with the Orioles Double-A team, the Bowie Baysox. He hit .248 (37-for-149) with five home runs, 20 RBI, one triple and 10 doubles with 29 walks. He's in AAA in 2022 and is hitting .304 in 46 at-bats.
IRELAND FINDING HIS STUFF
-Junior Friday starter Sam Ireland has been stellar to start the 2022 season. Through eight starts, he's 3-3 with a 4.37 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He ranks 9th in the B1G in K's (55). His three wins are tied for 11th.
-He became the first Gopher since Max Meyer in 2020 to strike out 15-or-more batters in his first two starts of the season.
MALDONADO MAKES HIS WAY
-Redshirt junior Aidan Maldonado brought his best stuff two weeks back in a win over No. 23 Maryland. He battled through 6.0 innings, striking out five and giving up a season-low one earned run.
-He picked up a no-decision, but it's the second time this year he's gone six-or-more innings against a ranked team. Maldonado went 6.0 innings against No. 12 Notre Dame on March 6, striking out five while allowing five hits and just two earned runs.
-Maldonado shoved again at Iowa, going 5.1 innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine (tying a career-high).
IRELAND IGNITES THE FLAME
-Junior Friday starter Sam Ireland has been stellar to start the 2022 season. Through eight starts, he's 3-3 with a 4.40 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He ranks 8th in the B1G in K's (55). His three wins are tied for 11th.
-He became the first Gopher since Max Meyer in 2020 to strike out 15-or-more batters in his first two starts of the season.
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 18 appearances. In 17.0 innings, he's allowed just four earned runs and has struck out 22 hitters, with only five hits allowed.
KELLY CRUSHING OPPOSING PITCHING
-Senior utility player Jack Kelly has been on a tear in his final collegiate season.
-He leads the team in hits (37) and RBI (32) while also totaling 11 multi-hit games.
-B1G Ranks: B. Avg.: .352 (11th), SLG%: .676 (3rd), triples: 3 (2nd), OB+SLG%: 1.110 (5th), RBI: 32 (11th).
BATEMAN SETS THE TONE
-Sophomore center fielder Brett Bateman ranks tied for first on the team in hits (42) and first in at bats (141). He's also swiped a team-best 13 bases, which ranks fifth in the league.
-He's has safely in a team-best eight straight games, including three multi-hit games. He led off all three games at Iowa with singles in the top of the first.
-Bateman is the only Gopher to start in all 34 games.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will host South Dakota State and St. Thomas for midweek games before traveling to Michigan State for a three-game weekend series.
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Thursday, May 15