University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 24
Omaha, NE
4:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Creighton
Players Mentioned
RHP
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Gophers Go To Creighton for Two Game Swing
3/22/2023 1:53:00 PM | Baseball
The series was originally scheduled to be played in Minneapolis
Friday, March 24
Minnesota at Creighton
First Pitch: 4 p.m. CT
Location: Omaha, Neb. (Charles Schwab Field)
Minnesota Starter: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-2, 5.32 ERA, 23.2 IP, 19K)
Creighton Starter: RHP Ryan Windham (0-1, 2.28 ERA, 23.2 IP, 22K)
TV:Â FloBaseball
Saturday, March 25
Minnesota at Creighton
First Pitch: 2Â p.m. CT
Location: Omaha, Neb. (Charles Schwab Field)
Minnesota Starter:Â RHP George Klassen (0-3, 5.23 ERA, 20.2 IP, 26K)
Creighton Starter: RHP Justin Kleinsorge (1-1, 7.00 ERA, 20.1 IP, 22K)
TV:Â FloBaseball
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-18, 0-0 Big Ten) travel to Nebraska to take on the Creighton Bluejays (8-7, 0-0 BIG EAST) for a two-game series this Friday and Saturday. Game one will be Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT and Saturday will be at 2 p.m. Live stats will be available at GoCreighton.com while FloBaseball.tv is set to provide streaming.
LAST TIME OUT
-Minnesota defeated Illinois State 10-3 on Tuesday. It got a stellar pitching performance from Ben Shepard (6.0 IP, 3 ER) and two hits each from three Golden Gophers led by Weber Neels (2-4, 3 RBI).
HISTORICAL NOTES
-The 'U' is in its 135th year in program history in 2023.
-John Anderson is in his 42nd year at the helm of Gopher Baseball, holding a 1,351-982-3 (.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 CREIGHTON
-Creighton (8-7, 0-0 BIG EAST) is head coach Ed Servais, who is in his 20th season in charge of the Creighton baseball program posting a 31-18 record in 2022, including his 600th career win at the helm.
-CU entered the 2023 season picked to finish second in the conference with five preseason All-BIG EAST selections. Graduate student Tommy Steier, senior Jack Grace, senior Andrew Meggs, junior Dominic Cancelleri and junior Cade Lommel were the preseason all-league picks.
-So far in 2023, CU is led by Nolan Clifford (.353 avg., 2 HR, 12 RBI) and Nolan Sailors (.339 avg., 2 HR, 13 RBI). Starter Ryan Windham is leading the team with a 2.28 ERA and 22 K's in his five games as the Friday starter.
-The Bluejays defeated Nebraska 6-5 on Tuesday on a walk-off run scored on a wild pitch.
SERIES HISTORYÂ
-Minnesota is 28-26 all-time against Creighton. The Bluejays are currently on a three-game winning streak in the series after winning all three in 2022. Last year, CU won 5-4, 14-7 and 4-2 in the three games against the Gophers in Omaha.
GOPHERS ON THE ROAD
-Minnesota is 1-3 so far on the road this year, winning its most recent game against Illinois State on Tuesday. Prior to that, the Gophers were swept in three games by West Virginia from March 10-12.
-Last year, the Gophers went 2-18 in true road games, winning their first vs. FAU and last game vs. Indiana.
'U' LOOKING TO BUILD ON MID-WEEKS
-The Gophers got off the schneid two weeks back 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. Overall, Minnesota is 4-3 in mid-week games and 0-15 on weekends.
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 25 two-out RBI this season, compared to 56 two-out RBI for their opponents.
-The 'U' is hitting .210 with runners in scoring position while opponents are hitting .322.
HOLETZ HOLDING FIRM IN SENIOR YEAR
-Fifth year senior Richie Holetz has been a major bright spot on the mound for the Gophers this spring. In his second year on campus since coming over from Omaha, he leads all starting pitchers in innings pitched (27.0), lowest ERA (2.67), and fewest walks (9), while striking out 20.
-Holetz tossed a Minnesota-best 6.0 innings against Houston on Sunday, giving up zero earned runs and striking out a career-best seven batters.
NEELS HITTING NUKES AS A FROSH
-Freshman catcher Weber Neels has made a big impact as a true freshman 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 .283, best among all Gophers true freshmen.
-Neels leads all Big Ten freshmen with three home runs in 2023.
UP NEXT
Minnesota (4-18, 0-0 Big Ten)Â heads to Ohio State (11-7, 0-0 Big Ten) next weekend to open conference play. Game one is set for Friday, March 31 at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT. B1G+ is set to stream all three contests.
Minnesota at Creighton
First Pitch: 4 p.m. CT
Location: Omaha, Neb. (Charles Schwab Field)
Minnesota Starter: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-2, 5.32 ERA, 23.2 IP, 19K)
Creighton Starter: RHP Ryan Windham (0-1, 2.28 ERA, 23.2 IP, 22K)
TV:Â FloBaseball
Saturday, March 25
Minnesota at Creighton
First Pitch: 2Â p.m. CT
Location: Omaha, Neb. (Charles Schwab Field)
Minnesota Starter:Â RHP George Klassen (0-3, 5.23 ERA, 20.2 IP, 26K)
Creighton Starter: RHP Justin Kleinsorge (1-1, 7.00 ERA, 20.1 IP, 22K)
TV:Â FloBaseball
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-18, 0-0 Big Ten) travel to Nebraska to take on the Creighton Bluejays (8-7, 0-0 BIG EAST) for a two-game series this Friday and Saturday. Game one will be Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT and Saturday will be at 2 p.m. Live stats will be available at GoCreighton.com while FloBaseball.tv is set to provide streaming.
LAST TIME OUT
-Minnesota defeated Illinois State 10-3 on Tuesday. It got a stellar pitching performance from Ben Shepard (6.0 IP, 3 ER) and two hits each from three Golden Gophers led by Weber Neels (2-4, 3 RBI).
HISTORICAL NOTES
-The 'U' is in its 135th year in program history in 2023.
-John Anderson is in his 42nd year at the helm of Gopher Baseball, holding a 1,351-982-3 (.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 CREIGHTON
-Creighton (8-7, 0-0 BIG EAST) is head coach Ed Servais, who is in his 20th season in charge of the Creighton baseball program posting a 31-18 record in 2022, including his 600th career win at the helm.
-CU entered the 2023 season picked to finish second in the conference with five preseason All-BIG EAST selections. Graduate student Tommy Steier, senior Jack Grace, senior Andrew Meggs, junior Dominic Cancelleri and junior Cade Lommel were the preseason all-league picks.
-So far in 2023, CU is led by Nolan Clifford (.353 avg., 2 HR, 12 RBI) and Nolan Sailors (.339 avg., 2 HR, 13 RBI). Starter Ryan Windham is leading the team with a 2.28 ERA and 22 K's in his five games as the Friday starter.
-The Bluejays defeated Nebraska 6-5 on Tuesday on a walk-off run scored on a wild pitch.
SERIES HISTORYÂ
-Minnesota is 28-26 all-time against Creighton. The Bluejays are currently on a three-game winning streak in the series after winning all three in 2022. Last year, CU won 5-4, 14-7 and 4-2 in the three games against the Gophers in Omaha.
GOPHERS ON THE ROAD
-Minnesota is 1-3 so far on the road this year, winning its most recent game against Illinois State on Tuesday. Prior to that, the Gophers were swept in three games by West Virginia from March 10-12.
-Last year, the Gophers went 2-18 in true road games, winning their first vs. FAU and last game vs. Indiana.
'U' LOOKING TO BUILD ON MID-WEEKS
-The Gophers got off the schneid two weeks back 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. Overall, Minnesota is 4-3 in mid-week games and 0-15 on weekends.
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 25 two-out RBI this season, compared to 56 two-out RBI for their opponents.
-The 'U' is hitting .210 with runners in scoring position while opponents are hitting .322.
HOLETZ HOLDING FIRM IN SENIOR YEAR
-Fifth year senior Richie Holetz has been a major bright spot on the mound for the Gophers this spring. In his second year on campus since coming over from Omaha, he leads all starting pitchers in innings pitched (27.0), lowest ERA (2.67), and fewest walks (9), while striking out 20.
-Holetz tossed a Minnesota-best 6.0 innings against Houston on Sunday, giving up zero earned runs and striking out a career-best seven batters.
NEELS HITTING NUKES AS A FROSH
-Freshman catcher Weber Neels has made a big impact as a true freshman 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 .283, best among all Gophers true freshmen.
-Neels leads all Big Ten freshmen with three home runs in 2023.
UP NEXT
Minnesota (4-18, 0-0 Big Ten)Â heads to Ohio State (11-7, 0-0 Big Ten) next weekend to open conference play. Game one is set for Friday, March 31 at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT. B1G+ is set to stream all three contests.
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