University of Minnesota Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 612-625-1060
A HISTORY OF WINNING
On May 14, 2009, a 7-6 win at Penn State gave Anderson his 1,000th career victory. He became the 29th coach to ever reach 1,000 wins, and the 20th to do so with the same school. He was also the 10th-youngest coach to win 1,000 games. After the 2023 season, Anderson's career record is 1,365-997-3 (.579). He ranks 20th all-time among Division I coaches in collegiate victories, and second among active head coaches.
Anderson holds the record for overall wins and conference wins while coaching at a Big Ten university. He earned his 600th Big Ten victory on April 22, 2022, and has a 614-414 (.598) conference record through 2023. While Anderson has been the head coach at Minnesota since the 1982 season, there have been over 30 coaching changes in the conference.
The Gophers' 8-5 victory against Iowa on May 12, 2002, made Anderson the winningest coach in school history. His 755th win moved him past Siebert, his mentor, in the record books. The Gophers have had winning seasons in 38 of Anderson's 43 years as head coach. Anderson has put together 31 seasons with at least 30 wins, and 10 seasons with at least 40 wins.
BIG TEN TITLES
Anderson has guided the Gophers to 11 regular season Big Ten titles and a conference-best ten Big Ten Tournament titles. His regular season championships came in 1983, '84, '86, '87, 2000, '02, '03, '04, '10, '16, and '18 and his tournament championships in 1982, '85, '88, '92, '93, '98, 2001, `04, '10, and '18. (The first four regular season titles were divisional.)
Anderson has led Minnesota to 24 finishes of second or better in the conference standings, and 20 tournament championship games. This included seven-straight title game appearances from 2001-07. Overall, the Gophers have played in the tournament in 30 of Anderson's 37 seasons.
The Gophers' 2003 and 2004 senior classes graduated with four Big Ten championship rings, from either regular season or conference tournament. The 2002-04 regular season titles were the Gophers' first string of three in a row since 1968-70. Minnesota won or split 38 of its 43 Big Ten series from 2002-07. It also set a conference record with 45 Big Ten wins in two seasons from 2003-04.
2004 was the Gophers' first time winning both the regular season and tournament championships. They did the same in 2010.
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NCAA APPEARANCES
Under Anderson, Minnesota has appeared 19 times in the NCAA postseason. The first was during Anderson's inaugural season, 1982, and the most recent back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. Twice in Anderson's tenure, the Gophers have put together four-year streaks of NCAA Regional appearances: 1991-94 and 1998-2001.
In 2009, the Gophers lost to eventual national champion LSU in the title game of the Baton Rouge Regional. At the 2010 Fullerton Regional, they won their first two games against Cal State-Fullerton before being eliminated.
Minnesota reached new heights in the 2018 campaign, hosting an NCAA Regional Tournament for the first time since the 2000 season, and advancing to the program's first NCAA Super Regional. Minnesota dominated Canisius 10-1 in its opening game in front of a record crowd for the new Siebert Field on June 1, then continued its winning with back-to-back victories over No. 19 UCLA, 3-2 and then 13-8 in the Regional title game to advance to its Super Regional match-up with Oregon State. The eventual National Champion Beavers edged out the Gophers in the best-of-three series, but the Maroon & Gold proved yet again that they belonged on the national stage.
HALLS OF FAME
Anderson has been inducted into four different organizations' halls of fame: the American Baseball Coaches Association (2008), the University of Minnesota "M" Club (2002), the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association (2013) and Hibbing Community College.
With his induction into the ABCA Hall of Fame on Jan. 4, 2008, Anderson joined his mentor, Siebert, and another former Gophers coach, Frank McCormick. Anderson was the eighth coach from the state of Minnesota and the 15th Big Ten coach to receive that honor.
He was inducted into the MHSBCA Hall of Fame despite never having coached at the high school level. Anderson's contributions to high school baseball in the state include organizing camps/clinics and fall leagues and fundraising for Siebert Field, which frequently hosts high school level games.
COACHING AWARDS
Eight times Anderson has been recognized as Big Ten Coach of the Year. He earned the honor as a rookie head coach in 1982, and again in 2000. Anderson became the first coach to win the award three times in a row (2002, '03, '04) a few years later. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the sixth time in 2010, a year in which Minnesota won both the regular season and tournament conference titles. Anderson was also named ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year in 2004, 2010, and 2018. He recently picked up his eighth honor from the Big Ten Conference after guiding the Gophers to a regular season title in 2018.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER ACCOLADES
All-Americans
Seven different Gophers have earned 13 All-America First Team honors under Anderson. Second baseman Brian Raabe and catcher Dan Wilson both earned the award in 1990. Shortstop Brent Gates (1991), second baseman Mark Merila (1993-94), catcher Shane Gunderson (1995) and second baseman Derek McCallum (2009) also received first-team nods. In 2018, shortstop Terrin Vavra took home All-America honors from four different organizations.
Merila (1992, '94), first baseman Robb Quinlan (1998), second baseman Luke Appert (2003), pitcher Glen Perkins (2003-04), Vavra (2018), and pitcher Patrick Fredrickson (2018) were named to All-America Second Teams, and Gunderson (1995), Quinlan (1998-99), third baseman Jack Hannahan (2001), Appert (2002-03) Perkins (2004), Fredrickson (2018), and pitcher Max Meyer (2018) to All-America Third Teams.
Anderson has coached nine Freshman All-Americans in catcher Darren Grass (1992), outfielder Sam Steidl (2001), Perkins (2003), catcher/DH Andy Hunter (2003), first baseman/DH Mike Mee (2004), outfielder Matt Nohelty (2006), shortstop AJ Pettersen (2009), and pitchers Patrick Fredrickson and Max Meyer (each 2018). Receiving Freshman All-America Honorable Mention were: pitchers James Brower and Mark Vandersall (1992), shortstop Rick Brousseau (1998), Appert (2000), first baseman Nick O'Shea (2009) and outfielder Justin Gominsky (2009).
Big Ten Awards
Eight different Gophers have won eight Big Ten Player of the Year awards under Anderson's tutelage: catcher Terry Steinbach (1983), shortstop Brent Gates (1991), second baseman Mark Merila (1994), catcher Shane Gunderson (1995), first baseman Robb Quinlan (1999), third baseman Jack Hannahan (2001), second baseman Luke Appert (2002-03) and pitcher/outfielder Matt Fiedler (2016).
C.J. Woodrow (2002), Glen Perkins (2004), and Patrick Fredrickson (2018) have earned Pitcher of the Year accolades, and four Gophers--Dan Wilson (1988), Merila (1991), Perkins (2003), and Fredrickson (2018) -- have been named Freshman of the Year.
Minnesota has had 78 All-Big Ten First Team selections with Anderson at the helm. Most recently, starting pitcher Connor Wietgrefe garnered the recognition following a stellar 2024. Catcher Eli Wilson took home the honor following the 2019 campaign. In 2018, starting pitcher Patrick Fredrickson, relief pitcher Max Meyer and shortstop Terrin Vavra claimed First-Team selections. Minnesota has had at least one player selected to the First Team each year since 2015 and 15 individuals tabbed since the year 2010.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Developing all-around student-athletes is Anderson's top priority. As well as succeeding on the field, the Golden Gophers have excelled in the classroom. Anderson has coached 335 Academic All-Big Ten selections, including 15 honorees in 2019.
Anderson has also coached several Academic All-Americans, including Andy Hunter (2005-06), Troy Larson (2012-13), Matt Nohelty (2009), and Micah Coffey (2018), as well as Academic All-District honorees, including Ben Meyer in 2014 and 2015 and Matt Fiedler (2016).
For over 40 years, Anderson’s overarching philosophy has been to prepare his players “for the next 50 years of their lives.” Although winning baseball games is a crucial component in his winning formula, the primary objective has always been on improving his players as individuals and setting them up for a lifetime of success regardless of their pursuits after college.
SIEBERT FIELD
Thanks to Anderson's fundraising ability, Minnesota was able to build the new Siebert Field, a state-of-the-art facility with a MondoTurf playing surface. Construction was completed in 2012, and the Golden Gophers opened their new home with a game against Ohio State on April 5, 2013. The addition of a lighting system brought the first night games to new Siebert in 2014. In 2018, the Maroon & Gold dedicated the Glen Perkins Family Baseball Performance Center, an all-season training facility located along the first base line.
OTHER COACHING OPPORTUNITIES AND BASEBALL DEVELOPMENT
In the summer of 1993, Anderson served as head coach for USA Baseball. He guided Team USA to a 30-16 record, including a silver medal finish at the Intercontinental Cup in Parna, Italy. The squad also went 8-1 in the World Championships. Anderson had served as an assistant for USA Baseball in 1989-90.
Anderson co-authored a book, Why Good Coaches Quit--And How You Can Stay in the Game, with sports psychologist Rick Aberman. In the book, Anderson offers practical solutions to the problems that coaches at all levels routinely encounter on and off the field.
GOPHERS IN THE PROS
At least 23 Gophers who played for Anderson have gone on to play Major League Baseball, with many others continuing their careers in the minor leagues. Former right-handed pitcher Max Meyer and shortstop Terrin Vavra became the most recent additions to this list in 2022 when they made their debuts with the Marlins and Orioles, respectively. Left-handed pitcher Lucas Gilbreath joined the crew in 2021 as he made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies. In 2018, pitchers D.J. Snelten (Giants) and Ben Meyer (Marlins) became additions to the list, which also includes standouts such as 2014 All-Star closer Glen Perkins (Twins) and Jack Hannahan (Reds). MLB teams have made over 100 draft picks of Gophers since Anderson became head coach. Minnesota has had MLB Draft picks in 34 consecutive seasons, which is by far the longest streak in the Big Ten Conference and ranks in the top-20 nationally. Ohio State (10 straight years) and Michigan (9) are the closest to Minnesota in terms of consecutive years with an MLB Draft pick.
FROM PLAYER TO COACH
After graduating from Nashwauk-Keewatin High School in northern Minnesota, Anderson was a pitcher for the Gophers in 1974-75. An injury ended his playing career, but he remained involved as a student coach. He was voted Team MVP of the 1977 Gophers squad which featured Future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor and played in the College World Series.
Anderson started his coaching career in 1978 as a graduate assistant under Siebert. After Siebert's death in December 1978, Anderson was elevated to the position of assistant coach under then-head coach George Thomas.
Upon Thomas' resignation after the 1981 season, Anderson was named the 13th coach in Gopher baseball history. At the time, at age 26, he was the youngest head baseball coach in Big Ten history.
PERSONAL
Anderson and his wife, Jan, have been married for more than 30 years. Their daughter, Erin Elizabeth, graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2017.
