2017 Gopher Baseball Season Thread

Reggie Meyer gets the win going 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 3 hits while walking 2, hitting 2 batters, and striking out 2. Encouraging 1.2 innings from Nick Lackney as he gave up 1 hit and stuck out 1 but most important did not walk a batter. Tim Shannon faced 1 hitter and retired him and Brian Glowicki gave up 1 hit while picking up the save in the 9th. Offensively Luke Pettersen led the way with 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and also walked twice. Jordan Kozicky also had 2 doubles and drove in 2 runs. Gophers are scheduled to play Kansas again tomorrow afternoon but looks like there is rain in the forecast so not sure whether they'll be able to get the game in or not.
 

Good midweek win. Kansas is no powerhouse but better than playing Hamline. Wanted to go to one of the Kansas games, but doesn't look like it is going to work out with the threat of rain.
 

Lucas Gilbreath got the win with 6 strong innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits while walking 3 and striking out 8. Tyler Hanson went the next 2 innings and worked around 2 hits to not allow any damage. Brian Glowicki allowed a lead off single in the 9th but after a sac bunt he struck out the final to Michigan State hitters to secure the win. Micah Coffey returned to the lineup a serving as DH he came through 2 out bases loaded double in the 4th to drive in the Gophers 3 runs. Gophers will play game 2 at Michigan State in about 20 minutes.
 


Big sweep, pitching was solid today and timely hitting.
Definitely great start to conference play.
Nick Lackney with the win with another 2.1 good innings allowing just 2 hits, striking out 1, and most importantly 0 walks. Brett Schulze had a solid start going 5.2 innings and Brian Glowicki with another save getting Michigan State in order in the 9th. Luke Pettersen came through with the go ahead single in the top of the 9th with 1 out after a single from Jordan Smith, Cole McDevitt fielders choice, and a Terrin Vavra single. Alex Boxwell left the game in the 6th with what looked like a hamstring injury so hopefully that is nothing serious.
 


The guys seen to be finding a bit of a groove. Good time for it now that we're into conference play.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk
 

Looking like another sweep for the boys. Love starting the conference season 6-0.

And I think I have another clue about posting in the past (some of my posts appear in the thread list before the post I'm responding to). GH just told me: This forum requires that you wait 30 seconds between posts. Please try again in 175 seconds.

I must have more posts coming that I haven't yet thought of...
 

Really good weekend for the guys in East Lansing. Finishing off a conference road sweep for the second straight weekend was impressive! Now 18-8 overall and 6-0 in the conference after 9-4 win against Michigan State this afternoon. :clap:
 

Toby Anderson went 7 innings for the win scattering 8 hits and allowing 4 runs but did not walk a batter and struck out 2. Tim Shannon went the final 2 innings to finish the sweep. 2 hits each from Terrin Vavra, Toby Hanson, Jordan Smith, Eddie Estrada, and Cole McDevitt. McDevitt drove in 3 runs while Hanson had 2 as well as him and Smith each having a double and Estrada had his first career triple. No Alex Boxwell today and Matt Stemper left the game after fouling a ball of his foot in the 4th. Next up is the Siebert Field opener on Tuesday afternoon against NDSU and after the way we played against them at US Bank Stadium I'd expect a very focused effort and a different result.
 



Nolan Burchill gets the win on the mound going 5.1 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3. Reggie Meyer threw 2.2 scoreless innings with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts and Jackson Rose pitched a 1,2,3 9th picking up a strikeout. Toby Hanson drove in 3 runs, Ben Mezzenga had 2 hits and scored 3 runs, Eli Wilson and Micah Coffey each had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs.
 

Nolan Burchill gets the win on the mound going 5.1 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3. Reggie Meyer threw 2.2 scoreless innings with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts and Jackson Rose pitched a 1,2,3 9th picking up a strikeout. Toby Hanson drove in 3 runs, Ben Mezzenga had 2 hits and scored 3 runs, Eli Wilson and Micah Coffey each had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs.

Caught the end of the game after watching softball romp over South Dakota. Pitching has been really good and the offense is getting it done with some timely hitting. Have to like their approach at the moment. Hopefully they can keep rolling against Rutgers this weekend.
 






Rutgers website said the two teams are in contact about rescheduling the games. This is not going to happen for a couple of reasons.
1. I think in the Big Ten there is a rule that conference games have to be played on the weekend they are scheduled. I could be wrong.
2. Minnesota is not aggressive in getting more games scheduled when other games are lost to weather. I see other Big ten teams much more aggressive in trying to get the maximum amount of games in for a season. Granted there may be a number of reasons for lack of rescheduling but we are not aggressive in this area.
3. Possible but not Probable. Both teams have the last two mid-week slots open on their schedule. Your not going to make up all three games but a two game mid-week contest would make sense. Then again the U very rarely uses common sense.
 


Rutgers website said the two teams are in contact about rescheduling the games. This is not going to happen for a couple of reasons.
1. I think in the Big Ten there is a rule that conference games have to be played on the weekend they are scheduled. I could be wrong.
2. Minnesota is not aggressive in getting more games scheduled when other games are lost to weather. I see other Big ten teams much more aggressive in trying to get the maximum amount of games in for a season. Granted there may be a number of reasons for lack of rescheduling but we are not aggressive in this area.
3. Possible but not Probable. Both teams have the last two mid-week slots open on their schedule. Your not going to make up all three games but a two game mid-week contest would make sense. Then again the U very rarely uses common sense.

Weak ass effort by Rutgers. Maryland made it to Nebraska on time for their series. Very disappointing with the Gophers on a roll.
 

Weak ass effort by Rutgers. Maryland made it to Nebraska on time for their series. Very disappointing with the Gophers on a roll.

Unfortunately that's the way sports plays out. As a coach you need to figure out how to keep things rolling despite the circumstances. Coach Anderson is a good coach, but if we lose the series to Indiana, Coach will definitely use not playing this weekend as an excuse.
 

Weak ass effort by Rutgers. Maryland made it to Nebraska on time for their series. Very disappointing with the Gophers on a roll.

Yup I bet us hicks from flyover country could have worked something out.
 

Weak ass effort by Rutgers. Maryland made it to Nebraska on time for their series. Very disappointing with the Gophers on a roll.
Yeah Maryland was smart enough to leave earlier in the day Thursday while Rutgers was gonna leave Thursday night I believe and didn't change their plans even with incoming weather which is just stupid and I really don't get how they couldn't find another flight sometime Friday to at least get a couple games in. Will be interesting to see what the Gophers do Tuesday at NDSU. Do you throw each of your weekend guys for a inning or so to get the some work or just stick with midweek starters.
 

Gophers pick up 11th win in a row with a 6-1 win. Toby Hanson had 4 hits and 3 RBIs including a 2 run homer that was a absolute blast. Cole McDevitt also had a good night at the plate with 3 hits. Gophers used 8 different pitchers Burchill, Meyer, Lackney, Hanson, Rose, Shannon, Stevenson, and Glowicki who finished the game by striking out the side in the 9th.
 

This Weekend in the B1G

Friday, April 14
#93 Purdue @ #94 Rutgers, 2
#149 Ohio State @ #55 Michigan State, 2:05
#17 Oklahoma @ #35 Michigan, 3
#49 Minnesota @ #37 Indiana, 5:05
#186 Penn State @ #30 Maryland, 5:30
#89 Iowa @ #36 Nebraska, 6:35
#261 Northwestern @ #148 Illinois, 7 (BTN)

Saturday, April 15
Purdue @ Rutgers, 12
Ohio State @ Michigan State, 12:05
Penn State @ Maryland, 1
Oklahoma @ Michigan, 1
Minnesota @ Indiana, 1:05
Northwestern @ Illinois, 3
Iowa @ Nebraska, 6:05

Sunday, April 16
Penn State @ Maryland, 12
Purdue @ Rutgers, 12
Minnesota @ Indiana, 12:05
Ohio State @ Michigan State, 12:05
Northwestern @ Illinois, 1
Iowa @ Nebraska, 2:05 (BTN)

#s are RPI through games played April 12.

Current B1G Tournament Seed
#1 Minnesota (6-0)
#2 Nebraska (4-1-1)
#3 Maryland (6-3)
#4 Michigan (6-3)
#5 Purdue (5-4)
#6 Indiana (4-4-1)
#7 Iowa (3-3)
#8 Michigan State (3-3)
Others
#9 Ohio State (3-6)
#10 Northwestern (2-4)
#11 Illinois (1-5)
#12 Penn State (1-5)
#13 Rutgers (0-3)
 

Alex Boxwell returned to the lineup and started the game with the homerun and that was a sign of things to come as the Gophers would pound out 20 hits. Boxwell, Terrin Vavra, and Matt Stemper all hit homeruns. Vavra and Stemper both finished a triple short of the cycle while Toby Hanson was a homerun short of the cycle. Every Gopher starter had at least 1 hit and Stemper had 5 RBIs while Micah Coffey and Vavra each had 2. Lucas Gilbreath was very good on the mound again 7.2 scoreless innings allowing only 2 hits while walking 1, hitting 4 batters, and striking out 8. Reggie Meyer finished the final 1.1 innings on the mound striking out 1 and giving up nothing.
 

23 runs combined in last 2 games but only 1-1? Never good. But I still like first place...
 

Gophers struggled on the mound today and 1 big inning cost them. Leading 8-4 going to the bottom of the 5th the Gophers gave up 9 runs. Nick Lackney had recorded the previous 4 outs including 3 strikeouts but did not record a out in the 5th and gave up 2 runs before exiting with the bases loaded. Tim Shannon came in and hit the first batter to give up a run and then the big blow of a grand slam followed. Shannon would eventually get out of the 5th inning but not before another 2 run homerun for Indiana to make the score 13-8. The Gophers would chip away and had chances to tie the game again and even take back the lead in the 7th and 8th. Luke Pettersen grounded out sharply to end the 7th with the tying run on 3rd and go ahead run on 2nd. Micah Coffey came up in the 8th with runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out but hit a grounder right up the middle which turned into a double play. Homeruns for Boxwell(to start the game again, Kozicky(1st career), and Stemper. 5/5 day for Kozicky and 3 hits each for Coffey and Stemper. Gophers need a good start from SR Toby Anderson tomorrow and the offense needs to just stay solid to get back on track and win another series.
 

Frustrating day for the Gophers especially at the plate. Only had 4 hits but had 4-5 balls caught at the wall, 4-5 line drives right at a Indiana player, couple liners just foul, a couple close calls at 1st that went against the Gophers that looked to be wrong, and should have had a lead off double but the ump incorrectly called the ball foul. The Gophers also walked 5 times although it probably should've been more as Gopher hitters were constantly frustrated by the bad and inconsistent zone from the home plate ump when they were at the plate. Indiana's starter did a good job taking advantage of the zone and used his offspeed pitches pretty well to keep the Gophers off balance. Toby Anderson pitched pretty solid but just made a few mistakes in the 5th inning and those mistakes turned into a run scoring single and a 3 run homerun. Reggie Meyer pitched a scoreless 2/3 of an inning and Brian Glowicki had a scoreless 8th. Gophers are now home for 9 of the next 10 games starting Tuesday night at Siebert against South Dakota State and then a huge weekend series against Nebraska.
 

Current B1G Tournament Brackets

Indiana will host the double-elimination tournament May 24-28.

Bracket A
#1 GOPHERS (7-2) vs. #8 Purdue (6-6)
#4 Nebraska (5-3-1) vs. #5 Iowa (5-4)

Bracket B
#2 Maryland (9-3) vs. #7 Indiana (6-5-1)
#3 Michigan (6-3) vs. #6 Michigan State (5-4)

This Weekend
Nebraska (5-3-1) @ Gophers (7-2)
Michigan State (5-4) @ Maryland (9-3)
Indiana (6-5-1) @ Michigan (6-3)
Rutgers (2-4) @ Iowa (5-4)
Illinois (3-6) @ Purdue (6-6)
Northwestern (3-6) @ Penn State (1-8)
 

Watched the Huskers play several times this year, so I thought I would share some thoughts. Huskers are built on pitching and defense. Starting pitching has been solid. Jake Hohensee has had a good year so far, battled injuries until this year. If he keeps the ball down he is very good. Leaves it up and gives up big hits. Burkamper has been good for 2 years and Sunday starter Jake Meyers is the best of the three. Plays center field the first 2 games of the series. Bullpen is pretty solid. Offense is sporadic. They never seem to come up with the key 2-out hit. Luis Alvarado is another player to watch, leads the team in batting, can play several positions and is their closer. The Gophers will need to play well to win the series. Expect a pretty big turnout of Husker fans, they do love their college baseball. The Huskers has 3 Minnesotans on their roster. Freshmen Luke Roskum has played well at third base and is hitting over .300. Robbie Paulkert is a good out of the bullpen.
 

Gophers started slow but got the job done. Nolan Burchill started and went the first 2.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits while walking 2 and striking out 1. The Gopher bullpen would only allow 3 hits the rest of the way. Tyler Hanson pitched 2.2 innings and struck out 3, Nick Lackney went 1.2 innings and gave up 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Tim Shannon pitched 1.1 innings and didn't allow anything and Brian Glowicki closed out the game with a strikeout, a hit, and a 4-6-3 double play. Gophers were led at the plate by Freshman Eli Wilson who went 3-4 with a triple and 3 RBIs. Toby Hanson also had 2 hits including a triple and RBI and Terrin Vavra had a extra base hit with a double. Gophers did struggle a little situationally at the plate and ended up leaving 14 runners on base so that is something that will need to be better this weekend and I'm sure it will.
 

Time to shake up the pitching rotation.

Pitching rotation 1-4

1. Gilbreath is number one and there is no doubt about that.
2. I think there is time for a change here. I have nothing against Schulze and he has a great future. If your trying to go farther in the NCAA tournament compared to last year, it's hard to do that with a number two guy with a ERA around 5. I think it's time for a change. Hanson and Shannon have always struggled being starters but do well as relievers. Lackney walks way to many guys right now. Can't have Glowicki as a starter. My choice would be Reggie Meyer. His first pitching appearance this year was terrible. After that he's lowered his ERA from 10 to around 3. He's had two really good starts in the Midweek and done well in relief appearances.
3. I'd keep Toby here, but there are times I have doubts about our number three guy too. He struggled mightily to start the season, but now seems to have things turned around. Been pretty consistent his last three starts. A 7 era is pretty bad, but hopefully with him being a senior, things will keep turning around. If he struggles some more, maybe you put Lackney here.
4. Schulz and Burchill. I'd give them both 4 innings against Northern Illinois, and have them both start against Georgia State. Whoever looks the best, gets first crack at number 4 spot in the Big Ten tournament. Both these guys are better then our starting mid-week pitching last year.

If Anderson keeps the same rotation and makes no changes, but all our pitcher's pitch perfect games this weekend, I will be just as happy as the next person. I just think it's time for a change in the pitching rotation.
 




Top Bottom