University of Minnesota Athletics
Tuesday, March 21
Normal, IL
2:00 PM
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Illinois State
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'U' Goes to ISU for Two Game Mid-Week Series
3/20/2023 4:20:00 PM | Baseball
Minnesota and Illinois State haven't played since 2009
Tuesday, March 21
Minnesota at Illinois State
First Pitch: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Ill. (Duffy Bass Field)
Minnesota Starter: RHP Ben Shepard (0-1, 3.06 ERA, 17.2 IP, 14K)
Illinois State Starter: RHP Thomas Harper (1-0, 4.09 ERA, 11.0 IP, 12K)
TV: ESPN+
Wednesday, March 22
Minnesota at Illinois State
First Pitch: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Ill. (Duffy Bass Field)
Minnesota Starter: RHP Caden Capomaccio (0-3, 7.71 ERA, 14.0 IP, 12K)
Illinois State Starter: TBA
TV: ESPN+
NORMAL, Ill. -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-18, 0-0 Big Ten) travel to Illinois to take on the Illinois State Redbirds (6-8, 0-0 MVC) for a two-game series this Tuesday and Wednesday. Game one will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. CT (originally 5 p.m.) and Wednesday will be at 1 p.m. Both contests will be streamed on ESPN+ while live stats will be available at GoRedbirds.com.
LAST TIME OUT
-Minnesota was swept in a three-game series against the University of Houston this weekend. The Gophers fell 3-2 Friday, 4-2 Saturday (10 inn.) and 5-2 Sunday. Five of Minnesota's six runs on the weekend came via solo home runs.
HISTORICAL NOTES
-The 'U' is in its 135th year in program history.
-John Anderson is in his 42nd year at the helm of Gopher Baseball, holding a 1,350-982-3 (.581) record. This includes a 604-400 (.603) B1G mark. Under his watch, the Gophers have won 11 B1G titles and hold 19 NCAA Tournament appearances.
-The winningest coach in Big Ten history, Anderson won his 600th conference game in April vs. Penn State. He's the only B1G coach to reach that mark.
-Anderson coached his 1,000th career B1G game in May against Indiana. He's the only coach in conference history to hit that mark.
GEORGE KLASSEN NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK
-Redshirt sophomore right-hander George Klassen was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 20 after a career performance against Houston. He went 7.2 innings (career-best), striking out eight while allowing no earned runs and just one hit. It's the first conference weekly honor of his career.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
-Illinois State (6-8, 0-0 MVC) is led by fifth-year head coach Steve Holm. His overall mark is 93-108, a winning percentage of .463.
-In 2022, Illinois State finished 20-31 overall and 7-14 in the MVC, finishing seventh in the league.
-Sixth-year senior Jared Hart has been selected to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference team, one of just two relief pitchers on the 13-player squad. -Illinois State was picked to finish seventh in the expanded 10-team MVC in 2023.
-The Redbirds are led by infielder Greg Nichols, who holds a .300 batting average with a team-best four home runs and 11 RBI this season.
SERIES HISTORY
-Minnesota is 8-3 all-time against Illinois State, but the two teams haven't played since 2009. They will square up twice this week in Normal, Ill.
GOPHERS AT U.S. BANK STADIUM
-Minnesota finished 3-8 at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2023, with wins over NIU, SDSU and Gonzaga.
-The Gophers went 6-6 last season at U.S. Bank Stadium. They swept Western Illinois and defeated Air Force, Kansas and West Virginia once each.
-Dating back to 2020, Minnesota is 18-31 when playing at U.S. Bank Stadium.
'U' LOOKING TO BUILD ON MID-WEEKS
-The Gophers got off the schneid last week with wins over Northern Illinois (5-3) and South Dakota State (3-2). Minnesota trailed in both games early before coming from behind to take its first two victories of the season.
-The 'U' finished its U.S. Bank Stadium mid-week season with a 3-2 record, going 1-1 versus Gonzaga last week.
SHEPARD SHINING AS MID-WEEK STARTER
-Senior right-hander Ben Shepard has proven to be a standout on the hill in three mid-week starts. In his first Gophers start since transferring from UMD, Shepard went 4.0 innings vs. Milwaukee, giving up just two earned runs on three hits.
-On March 7 vs. NIU, Shepard struck out a career-best seven hitters, allowing his hits and two earned runs in the Gophers win. He went a season-best 6.2 innings Tuesday vs. Gonzaga with six strikeouts. He'll be looking for his first win as a Gopher on Tuesday at ISU.
TWO OUT HITTING AILS GOPHERS EARLY
-Minnesota has struggled to drive runners in scoring position home early on, especially with two outs. The Gophers have just 24 two-out RBI this season, compared to 54 two-out RBI for their opponents.
-The 'U' is hitting .204 with runners in scoring position while opponents are hitting .327.
MEZZENGA MAKING THE MOST OF HIS OPPORTUNITIES
-A transfer from NIACC, Ike Mezzenga is the third Mezzenga brother to play for Minnesota. His brother Gabe played football from 2010-14 while his brother Ben played baseball from 2015-19. Ike came to Minnesota after playing two years of JUCO ball.
-In 2023, he's made his presence known, ranking second on Minnesota in average (.308) and RBI (10), first in hits (24), multi-hit games (8) and doubles (7).
-Ike has shown his versatility in the field, playing shortstop, first base, left field and right field.
JURGELLA JUMPS RIGHT IN
-Outfielder Brady Jurgella, who missed the first 12 games of the season due to injury, has jumped in and made a difference this past week.
-In nine games, he's hitting .296 with eight hits, including a pair of doubles and three RBI. He hit a two-run single Wednesday in the win vs. Gonzaga.
NEELS HITTING NUKES AS A FROSH
-Freshman catcher Weber Neels has made a big impact in rotational time this season. He's tied for the team lead with three home runs, including two in one game on Saturday versus Houston. Neels is hitting .262, best among all true freshmen.
UP NEXT
Minnesota (3-18, 0-0 Big Ten) is scheduled to take on Creighton (7-7, 0-0 BIG EAST) this weekend. An update is coming on these games tomorrow morning.
Minnesota at Illinois State
First Pitch: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Ill. (Duffy Bass Field)
Minnesota Starter: RHP Ben Shepard (0-1, 3.06 ERA, 17.2 IP, 14K)
Illinois State Starter: RHP Thomas Harper (1-0, 4.09 ERA, 11.0 IP, 12K)
TV: ESPN+
Wednesday, March 22
Minnesota at Illinois State
First Pitch: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Ill. (Duffy Bass Field)
Minnesota Starter: RHP Caden Capomaccio (0-3, 7.71 ERA, 14.0 IP, 12K)
Illinois State Starter: TBA
TV: ESPN+
NORMAL, Ill. -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-18, 0-0 Big Ten) travel to Illinois to take on the Illinois State Redbirds (6-8, 0-0 MVC) for a two-game series this Tuesday and Wednesday. Game one will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. CT (originally 5 p.m.) and Wednesday will be at 1 p.m. Both contests will be streamed on ESPN+ while live stats will be available at GoRedbirds.com.
LAST TIME OUT
-Minnesota was swept in a three-game series against the University of Houston this weekend. The Gophers fell 3-2 Friday, 4-2 Saturday (10 inn.) and 5-2 Sunday. Five of Minnesota's six runs on the weekend came via solo home runs.
HISTORICAL NOTES
-The 'U' is in its 135th year in program history.
-John Anderson is in his 42nd year at the helm of Gopher Baseball, holding a 1,350-982-3 (.581) record. This includes a 604-400 (.603) B1G mark. Under his watch, the Gophers have won 11 B1G titles and hold 19 NCAA Tournament appearances.
-The winningest coach in Big Ten history, Anderson won his 600th conference game in April vs. Penn State. He's the only B1G coach to reach that mark.
-Anderson coached his 1,000th career B1G game in May against Indiana. He's the only coach in conference history to hit that mark.
GEORGE KLASSEN NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK
-Redshirt sophomore right-hander George Klassen was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 20 after a career performance against Houston. He went 7.2 innings (career-best), striking out eight while allowing no earned runs and just one hit. It's the first conference weekly honor of his career.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
-Illinois State (6-8, 0-0 MVC) is led by fifth-year head coach Steve Holm. His overall mark is 93-108, a winning percentage of .463.
-In 2022, Illinois State finished 20-31 overall and 7-14 in the MVC, finishing seventh in the league.
-Sixth-year senior Jared Hart has been selected to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference team, one of just two relief pitchers on the 13-player squad. -Illinois State was picked to finish seventh in the expanded 10-team MVC in 2023.
-The Redbirds are led by infielder Greg Nichols, who holds a .300 batting average with a team-best four home runs and 11 RBI this season.
SERIES HISTORY
-Minnesota is 8-3 all-time against Illinois State, but the two teams haven't played since 2009. They will square up twice this week in Normal, Ill.
GOPHERS AT U.S. BANK STADIUM
-Minnesota finished 3-8 at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2023, with wins over NIU, SDSU and Gonzaga.
-The Gophers went 6-6 last season at U.S. Bank Stadium. They swept Western Illinois and defeated Air Force, Kansas and West Virginia once each.
-Dating back to 2020, Minnesota is 18-31 when playing at U.S. Bank Stadium.
'U' LOOKING TO BUILD ON MID-WEEKS
-The Gophers got off the schneid last week with wins over Northern Illinois (5-3) and South Dakota State (3-2). Minnesota trailed in both games early before coming from behind to take its first two victories of the season.
-The 'U' finished its U.S. Bank Stadium mid-week season with a 3-2 record, going 1-1 versus Gonzaga last week.
SHEPARD SHINING AS MID-WEEK STARTER
-Senior right-hander Ben Shepard has proven to be a standout on the hill in three mid-week starts. In his first Gophers start since transferring from UMD, Shepard went 4.0 innings vs. Milwaukee, giving up just two earned runs on three hits.
-On March 7 vs. NIU, Shepard struck out a career-best seven hitters, allowing his hits and two earned runs in the Gophers win. He went a season-best 6.2 innings Tuesday vs. Gonzaga with six strikeouts. He'll be looking for his first win as a Gopher on Tuesday at ISU.
TWO OUT HITTING AILS GOPHERS EARLY
-Minnesota has struggled to drive runners in scoring position home early on, especially with two outs. The Gophers have just 24 two-out RBI this season, compared to 54 two-out RBI for their opponents.
-The 'U' is hitting .204 with runners in scoring position while opponents are hitting .327.
MEZZENGA MAKING THE MOST OF HIS OPPORTUNITIES
-A transfer from NIACC, Ike Mezzenga is the third Mezzenga brother to play for Minnesota. His brother Gabe played football from 2010-14 while his brother Ben played baseball from 2015-19. Ike came to Minnesota after playing two years of JUCO ball.
-In 2023, he's made his presence known, ranking second on Minnesota in average (.308) and RBI (10), first in hits (24), multi-hit games (8) and doubles (7).
-Ike has shown his versatility in the field, playing shortstop, first base, left field and right field.
JURGELLA JUMPS RIGHT IN
-Outfielder Brady Jurgella, who missed the first 12 games of the season due to injury, has jumped in and made a difference this past week.
-In nine games, he's hitting .296 with eight hits, including a pair of doubles and three RBI. He hit a two-run single Wednesday in the win vs. Gonzaga.
NEELS HITTING NUKES AS A FROSH
-Freshman catcher Weber Neels has made a big impact in rotational time this season. He's tied for the team lead with three home runs, including two in one game on Saturday versus Houston. Neels is hitting .262, best among all true freshmen.
UP NEXT
Minnesota (3-18, 0-0 Big Ten) is scheduled to take on Creighton (7-7, 0-0 BIG EAST) this weekend. An update is coming on these games tomorrow morning.
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