Leading up to Friday’s NCAA Baseball Regional at Alex Box Stadium, LSUsports.net will profile each of the visiting schools. Today, the spotlight is on No. 2 seed Minnesota (38-17) of the Big Ten Conference.
Overall Record: 38-17
Big Ten Record (Finish): 17-6 (Second)
Preseason Pick: 7th of 10 in Big Ten (Baseball America)
Big Ten Tournament Record (Finish): 3-2 (Runner-up)
Rankings: No. 21 (Baseball America); No. 27 (Collegiate Baseball)
Head Coach: John Anderson (Minnesota, 1977)
Year at School: 28th
Assistant Coaches: Rob Fornasiere, Lee Swenson, Todd Oakes
Last Appearance in Baton Rouge: 2001 (0-2 at NCAA Regional)
Projected Starters:
Sr. RH Tom Buske (9-3, 3.36 ERA, 71 SO, 88.1 IP)
So. RH Seth Rosin (7-1, 4.08 ERA, 58 SO, 70.2 IP)
Sr. RH Chauncy Handran (7-3, 4.30 ERA, 50 SO, 88.0 IP)
Other Notable Pitchers
So. RH Scott Matyas (14 SV, 2.49 ERA, 40 SO, 25.1 IP)
Fr. RH Austin Lubinsky (3-1, 4.06 ERA, 23 SO, 37.2 IP)
Top Position Players:
Jr. INF Derek McCallum (.404 AVG, 17 HR, 79 RBI)
So. C/OF Michael Kvasnicka (.351 AVG, 9 HR, 62 RBI)
Fr. INF AJ Pettersen (.348 AVG, 41 RBI, 8 SB)
Sr. OF Matt Nohelty (.339 AVG, 25 SB, 29 RBI)
Notables:
No. 2 seed Minnesota will be making its second postseason appearance in Baton Rouge this decade as the Gophers competed in the NCAA Regional at LSU in 2001. Minnesota finished 0-2, losing to LSU in its opening game, 10-9, and California, 9-3. Junior second baseman Derek McCallum guides the Gophers into Baton Rouge this time around. The first-team All-Big Ten selection raised his batting average to a robust .404 and improved his home run total to 17 after finishing the Big Ten Conference tournament 7-for-16 with two dingers and seven RBI. Sophomore Michael Kvasnicka and freshman AJ Pettersen are also hitting over .345, and senior Matt Nohelty gives Minnesota a threat on the base paths with 25 steals in 30 attempts. The Gophers also possess a number of quality arms with All-Big Ten selections Tom Buske, Seth Rosin and Scott Matyas leading the charge. Buske and Rosin each finished the regular season ranked in the conference’s top-10 in both wins and ERA, while Matyas was second in the conference with 14 saves.