University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
McDevitt Inks Contract Extension Through 2030 Season, Announces Changes for 2027 Coaching Staff
8/28/2026 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN – The University of Minnesota and head baseball coach Ty McDevitt have agreed to a four year contract extension, keeping the head skipper in Minneapolis through the 2030 season.
"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity from Mark Coyle to continue leading the University of Minnesota Baseball program for years to come," said head coach Ty McDevitt. "This program means a great deal to me, and I'm thankful for the trust and support of our players, staff, administration, alumni, and Gopher family. I'm excited to keep building, competing, and representing Minnesota."
McDevitt enters his third year at the helm of the program in the 2027 season. Throughout his first two seasons in charge of the Gophers, McDevitt has collected a 54-51 overall record and a 21-39 record against Big Ten opponents. During 2026, McDevitt helped lead the maroon and gold to their first 30 win season since 2018 and led the club to their first Big Ten conference series sweep at home in Siebert Field since 2019.
During his tenure, McDevitt has helped lead three Gophers to postseason awards. Catcher Weber Neels was named to the 2026 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA DIvision I Midwest All-Region Second Team and earned back to back All-Big Ten honors in 2025 and 2026. Starting pitcher Isaac Morton and outfielder Charlie Sutherland were also named to All-Big Ten teams in 2026.
While head coach, McDevitt has helped develop eight Gophers into Major League Baseball (MLB) draft picks. With their picks in the 2026 MLB Draft, Minnesota extended their streak to 39 consecutive years with a draft pick. The streak remains as the third longest draft streak in the Big Ten, only behind USC (62 years) and UCLA (56 years).
Connor Gandossy elevates to Associate Head Coach after joining the Gophers prior to the 2025 season as an Assistant Coach, overseeing the program's hitters and catchers and heading recruitment.
"I'm incredibly honored and humbled to be named Associate Head Coach of Gopher Baseball," said Gandossy. "I want to sincerely thank Head Coach Ty McDevitt for his trust, leadership and belief in me, as well as our Athletic Department and the University of Minnesota for this opportunity. The growth we've experienced together as a staff over our first two years has been a direct result of the commitment, work ethic and belief of our players, coaches and entire program. I'm proud of what we've accomplished, but even more excited about where this program is headed. We have a strong foundation, tremendous people and a clear vision for the future, and I'm grateful to continue being a part of building something special at Minnesota."
During his first two years with the program, Gandossy has led the Gophers offense to back to back seasons ranked within the top 10 of the conference in total home runs. In 2026, the maroon and gold tallied their second consecutive year with a program record in total home runs (78) with the previous single season record dating back to 1998, while also tallying the program's highest slugging percentage (.494) since 1999, highest on-base percentage (.398) since 2002, and most total runs (408) since 2009. Under his guidance, star backstop Weber Neels collected back to back conference honors with All Big-Ten First Team honors in 2026 and All Big-Ten Second Team honors in 2025.
While leading recruitment efforts for the program, Gandossy has put a clear emphasis on bringing in local talent. Over the past two seasons, the Gopher program has signed freshman classes built mainly from players found throughout the Midwest, including 11 signees from the state of Minnesota. The maroon and gold also found huge success utilizing the transfer portal, ranking as the third best transfer class in the Big Ten and the 35th best transfer class in the nation by 64 Analytics for the 2026 season.
"Connor has been an invaluable part of our program, and I'm excited to recognize him with this well-deserved promotion to Associate Head Coach," said McDevitt. "His loyalty, work ethic, baseball knowledge, and commitment to our players have made a tremendous impact on Gopher Baseball. We've been able to keep Minnesota kids through our in-state recruiting efforts and set a program record for MLB Draft selections this past year. Connors fingerprints are all over these accomplishments. I'm grateful to have Connor alongside me as we continue to build this program, and I'm excited for what we'll accomplish together."
Brandon Hunt joins the Gophers as an Assistant Coach and Director of Operations for the 2027 season after recently completing five years at North Dakota State as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.
"I cannot tell you how excited I am and what an honor it is to be back in the maroon and gold!" said Hunt. "The Gopher Baseball program is a nationally known brand and the history and tradition speaks for itself. I want to thank Coach McDevitt for giving me the opportunity to return to Minnesota and be a part of his staff. Ty is someone that I have worked with closely in the past and I have always had an extreme amount of respect for how he treats his players and how he approaches the game. I look forward to working with Ty, Connor, Sean, and Alec by adding value to what is already an outstanding coaching staff."
Hunt helped elevate NDSU baseball from the moment he arrived, leading the Bison to their first Summit League regular‑season title in 2022 behind a 30‑17 record, a single‑season program mark of 87 stolen bases, 50 home runs, and the development of eight All‑Summit League players. By 2025, he guided NDSU through the nation's No. 1 non‑conference schedule on the way to the program's third Summit League Tournament championship and third NCAA Tournament appearance, while mentoring seven All‑Summit League selections, including Jake Schaffner, the first Bison ever named Summit League Defensive Player of the Year.
Hunt previously spent three seasons at the University of Minnesota where he served as the defensive coach, third base coach and assistant hitting coach. He helped develop several elite infield defenders in his time with the Golden Gophers. In 2020, infielders Jack Wassel and Zach Raabe were named to the D1 Baseball Top 10 position power rankings at third and second base, respectively. Raabe went on to garner 2020 Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American honors, was named to the 2021 All-Big Ten Second Team and was selected in the eighth round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Hunt also aided in the development of outfielders Easton Bertrand and Brett Batemen, who finished the 2021 season with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
"Brandon brings tremendous energy, organization, and a genuine commitment to our players and program," said McDevitt. "I'm excited to welcome him back to Gopher Baseball as an Assistant Coach and Director of Operations. His ability to build relationships, manage the details, and help our program operate at a high level on and off the field will be invaluable. We're fortunate to have Brandon on board, and I'm excited to see the impact he'll make."
The Minnesota baseball program closed out the 2026 season with a 30-23 overall record and a 11-19 record against Big Ten opponents, leading the conference in total stolen bases (106).