MINNESOTA
Head Coach: John Anderson
2023 Record: 18-34 (10-14)
Strengths
The strength of this 2024 Gophers squad will be its junior class which will serve as the backbone and will dictate much of the team’s success. Infielders Brady Counsell and Jake Perry, lefthander Tucker Novotny and righthanders Seth Clausen and Sam Malec all arrived on campus together and will serve integral roles.
Weaknesses
There isn’t much defined impact talent on the Minnesota roster, although they’re hopeful a few of their promising prospects continue to progress.
Star Power
Lefthanded pitcher Connor Wietegrefe excelled in his first year with Minnesota after beginning his college career at the JUCO level. A year ago he served as the team’s bullpen ace, making 22 appearances and recording a 3.83 ERA with five saves over 44 innings of work. He has a knack for missing bats thanks to his low-90s fastball and sweeping slider from a lower, slinging arm slot. Wietegrefe will be a weekend starter in 2024.
Minnesota’s Connor Wietgrefe (Minnesota Athletics)
Glue Guy
Switch-hitting senior outfielder/designated hitter Boston Merila enjoyed his best season last year, batting .303 with a disciplined approach. Second baseman Brady Counsell is expected to take another step forward while Tucker Novotny enjoyed success as the team’s weekend ace last year and will give the starting staff a second lefty opposing teams have to contend with.
Pick To Click
Kris Hokenson really stood out in the summer and fall and is expected to take a big step forward. A two-way player, he’ll serve a big role in both the middle of the lineup as a lefthanded slugger and on the staff as a lefthanded pitcher. Fellow sophomore Weber Neels came up with some big hits as a freshman, finishing second on the team in homers (7), and is expected to continue in his development. Clausen turned a corner with the command and overall feel for his slider and he could develop into one of the Big Ten’s most dynamic late-inning relievers.
Top Newcomer
The overall depth of the pitching staff is improved and transfer Tommy Gross (Creighton) is a big part of that. Built big and strong at 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, Gross sits in the low-90s with his fastball, touching 95-97 in shorter stints, and is expected to be a valuable addition to the staff either as a starter, a high-leverage reliever or both.
2024 Outlook
Long-time head coach John Anderson has announced this will be his last year with the program, leading the Gophers to 19 NCAA Tournament appearances in 42 seasons, which included hosting a regional in 2018. With the program’s recent struggles, Minnesota’s overall success in Anderson’s final season will be intriguing to follow with a strong core of talent, several promising young players and some key additions through the portal. Considering the amount of turnover in both players and coaches throughout the Big Ten, the opportunity for a bounceback season is especially tangible.
www.perfectgame.org
