Weber Neels

Photo by: Brad Rempel

Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn

Position:
C/INF
Ht./Wt.:
6-1 / 210
Bats/Throws:
R/R
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Cottage Grove, Minn.
High School:
East Ridge

PRONUNCIATION

HONORS & AWARDS
Academic All-Big Ten (2023-24, 2024-25)
Big Ten Freshman of the Week (May 22, 2023)
Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2023)
Big Ten Player to Watch (2024)
All-Big Ten Second Team (2025)

HIGHLIGHTS
2023 Season

2025 | JUNIOR appeared in 50 games, making 48 starts · slashed .284/.604/.425 with seven doubles, one triple, a team leading 15 home runs, and a team leading 18 hit by pitch (new single season record) · his 15 home runs are the most by a Gopher since 2009 and tied for 10th in school history · tied for fourth in Big Ten with 13 home runs in league games · his 1.207 OPS in leage games ranked second in Big Ten · ranked third in Big Ten with .750 slugging percentage in conference games. Game Highlights: collected four RBIs at Houston (2/14), three hits versus Penn State (4/6) and two home runs at Michigan State (5/17) · went 5-for-11 with five RBI, five runs and two home runs in final series at Michigan State.

2024 | SOPHOMORE One of three players to appear in all 48 games, making 47 starts · slashed .317/.422/.528 with eight home runs and 14 doubles · tallied a team-high 43 RBI and scored another 33 runs. Game Highlights: Went 1-5 with two walks and two RBIs in the season opener · had two hits, including one double, an RBI and a run scored against Northeastern (Feb. 25) · went 2-4 with three runs scored against Pacific (Mar. 4) · tallied two hits with two RBI in four at-bats against Gonzaga (Mar. 9) · went 3-5 with a home run in a win over Elon (Mar. 17) · hit a home run and scored twice against San Francisco (Mar. 24) · hit a three-run home run against Iowa (Mar. 31) · went 1-4 with a two-RBI double against Illinois (Apr. 6) · had three hits in three at-bats with a double, RBI and run scored against North Dakota State (Apr. 9) · went 2-2 with two home runs, two walks, three RBI and four runs scored in a win over Indiana (Apr. 21) · had two hits in two trips to the play with an RBI and a run scored against St. Thomas (Apr. 24) · had three hits, including a home run, two RBI and two runs scored against Penn State (Apr. 28) · went 3-4 with a home run, two doubles, four RBI and three runs scored against Michigan State (May 11) · hit a go-ahead two-run home run against Northwestern (May 16)

2023 | SUMMER Neels played in the Northwoods League for the St. Cloud Rox · appeared in 15 games with a .281 batting average · collected 15 RBI and scored 13 runs on 18 hits for the season. Game Highlights: Went 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored in a win vs. Minot (May 31) · tallied three runs and one RBI with one hit on in a win over La Crosse (June 2)

2023 | FRESHMAN Started in 39 of the 49 games he played as a true freshman, slashing .274/.452/.372 with seven home runs and 24 RBI · totaled 43 hits, including five doubles and a triple, with 25 runs and 25 walks · led all Minnesota true freshman in every major hitting category · started games at catcher, first base and designated hitter. Game Highlights: Had his first career hit, a double, vs. Saint Louis (Feb. 25) · had a pinch hit home run for his first career long ball against No. 4 Ole Miss, a two-run shot (March 4) · went 1-for-4 with an RBI vs. Gonzaga (March 14) · hit two home runs, the Gophers only two runs, against Houston (March 18) · went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI at Illinois State (March 21) · had a double off the wall in a win at Creighton (March 25) · hit the game-tying home run in the ninth inning of a victory at Ohio State (March 31) · hit a home run in a win over NDSU (April 11) · tallied two hits and two RBI in a win over Iowa (April 14) · scored twice and had two hits at Illinois (April 23) · totaled two hits and two RBI in a 4-0 win over Michigan (May 5) · had the first three-hit game of his career and hit a solo home run in a win at No. 19 Maryland (May 12) · hit his seventh home run of the year and second of the series at Maryland (May 14) · had two singles and an RBI vs. SDSU (May 16) · singled and had an RBI in a win over Rutgers (May 18) · tallied a three-hit outing with two RBI and a run scored in a comeback win over RU (May 19) · earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week after his performance in the final four games of the season.

2022 | SUMMER Neels played summer ball for the Utah Marshalls, based out of Salt Lake City, Utah · he played in 41 games and batted .415 with 50 hits, 18 doubles, five home runs and 43 RBI · he posted a .979 fielding percentage through 176 innings and threw out 66 percent of the runners who tried to steal on him.

BEFORE MINNESOTA Neels is a native of Cottage Grove, Minnesota and graduated in 2022 from East Ridge H.S. · as a senior, Neels hit .384 with six home runs and threw out eight of 12 runners who attempted to steal on him · as a junior, Neels hit .303 with three home runs, 53 RBI and 12 doubles · he was extremely dependable in the field, making just two errors in the 89 opportunities he had · as a catcher, Neels threw out nine of the 15 runners who attempted to steal bases on him · as a freshman in high school, Neels led East Ridge to a state title victory over New Prague at Target Field. He went 2-for-3 in the game with a go-ahead two-run double in addition to a single earlier in the game · for club ball, Neels played six seasons for the Northstar Baseball Club under former Gophers Mike Kvasnicka and Alec Crawford · he also attended the 2020 futures games with fellow 2022 Drew Berkland at Milkmen Stadium in Franklin, Wis. · Neels went 3-for-7 on the weekend and was 6-for-6 on plays in the field · throughout his six years with Northstar, the team won half the tournaments it played in and were invited to multiple nationally renown tournaments · he also considered Dallas Baptist, Iowa, Purdue, Xavier and Bradley in the recruiting process.

PERSONAL Native of Cottage Grove, Minnesota · the son of Rachel and Peter Neels, Weber has a younger sister, Monica, and a dog named Maggie · his dad, Peter, played college baseball at the University of Mankato (1991-93) as a pitcher and first baseman · his sister, Monica, plays high school volleyball and hopes to play in college · his grandfather also pitched for the Milwaukee Braves in the late 1950's · Business Marketing and Education is his major at Minnesota.

WHY MINNESOTA: "I chose the University of Minnesota to continue my athletic career for three main reasons. Minnesota has a long track record of being in the top five of the Big Ten standings each year. Also, if it weren't for my family I wouldn't be in this position I am now, so for that I chose the UofM to stay close to home for dedication to my friends and family to be able to watch me play here at home. Finally, I decided to attend the University of Minnesota because I feel like they give me the greatest opportunity after school to reach my goals, whether it's with baseball or not."