Gophers Ready to Host Indiana at Siebert Field
4/18/2024 3:05:00 PM | Baseball
The Hoosiers will play at Sibert Field for the first time since 2016.
Friday, April 19
Minnesota vs. Indiana
First Pitch: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: RHP Will Semb (1-2, 7.93 ERA, 36.1 IP, 44 K)
Hoosiers Starter: LHP Ty Bothwell (4-2, 6.00 ERA, 45.0 IP, 43 K)
TV: Big Ten+
Saturday, April 20
Minnesota vs. Indiana
First Pitch: 2:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: TBD
Hoosiers Starter: TBD
TV: Big Ten+
Sunday, April 21
Minnesota at Michigan
First Pitch: 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: TBD
Hoosiers Starter: TBD
TV: Big Ten+
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball team (15-16, 3-6 Big Ten) is ready to host the Indiana Hoosiers (20-17, 5-4 Big Ten) in a three-game series at Siebert Field this weekend for the first time since 2016.
First pitches will be at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be streamed on Big Ten+ with live stats available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
-After dropping game one at Michigan, the Gophers bounced back to win game two of their Saturday doubleheader, 8-3, behind another quality start from Wietgrefe. The Gophers dropped game three of the series.
-Minnesota was scheduled to play two mid-week games last week, but Tuesday's game was canceled due to weather.
-The Gophers picked up a run-rule victory on Wednesday evening against South Dakota State. Tucker Novotny, Sam Kennedy and Caden Capomaccio combined to strike out 16 Jackrabbits. Just five of the 21 outs recorded by Minneosta came from something other than a strikeout.
Scouting the Hoosiers
-Indiana was chosen to finish second in the Big Ten in the preseason poll.
-The Hoosiers have eight players with 20 or more RBIs on the season led by sophomore Tyler Cerny with 41, which is tied for fourth in the Big Ten. Redshirt freshman Brenczewski is having a standout season for Indiana, slashing .337/.415/.467 and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 8.
-Indiana's pitching staff is highlighted by Connor Foley, who ranks second in the Big Ten with 65 strikeouts. However, Foley has struggled a bit with allowing runs in his last three outings and has a 7.43 ERA in that span.
Opponent Series History
-Minnesota leads the all-time series with Indiana, 114-56.
-The two teams have not faced each other since 2022 in Bloomington. This will be the first matchup between Indiana and Minnesota at Siebert Field since 2016.
-The Hoosiers took the first two games of the last matchup. After Minnesota jumped out to a 6-2 lead in game one, Indiana came roaring back to score six in the bottom of the eighth to win 8-6. Game two was all Hoosiers as they shut out the Gophers 12-0.
-Minnesota won game three 9-8 behind a two-hit, four-RBI day from Kyle Bork, including a triple and a home run.
Wietgrefe's World
-Junior LHP Connor Wietgrefe put together his fifth quality start of the season on Saturday afternoon at Michigan.
-The Prior Lake, Minn. native pitched 6.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks. Wietgrefe fanned eight Wolverine hitters in the start and picked up his team-high fourth win of the season.
-In two starts in the month of April, Wietgrefe has pitched 12.2 innings, allowing just two runs. He has struck out ten batters and has a 1.42 ERA while picking up two wins.
-The southpaw currently ranks fifth in the Big Ten in ERA (3.40), tied for third in wins (4), seventh in innings (50.1) and tenth in strikeouts (46).
Neels by the Numbers
-Sophomore Weber Neels has picked up where he left off after a stellar freshman season.
-Neels leads the team in average (.321) and on base percentage (.437). He is second in RBIs (26), doubles (8), walks (17,) and is third in hits (36). He is also slugging .473 with three home runs for the season.
-Splitting time at catcher and first base, Neels is one of three players that has played all 31 games this season and leads the team with 423 putouts.
Consistency in Counsell
-Counsell has been a consistent bright spot in the Gophers lineup. He ranks in the top five in all offensive categories including leading the team in home runs (8), runs (31), total bases (72), walks (19) and stolen bases (14).
-A Milwaukee, Wis. native, Counsell is slashing .305/.40/.563. He has 39 hits, including nine doubles, and 22 RBIs. He has picked it up in April, slashing .433/.500/.833 with 10 RBIs, nine runs scored and six home runs in eight games this month.
-Counsell leads the team with 80 assists, playing all 31 games at second base.
Productive Pitching
-The Gophers' pitching staff has put together impressive numbers among Big Ten ranks to begin the season. The Gophers have allowed the second-fewest earned runs (149) and third fewest runs (188) in the Big Ten. As a team, the 'U' also ranks third in the Big Ten in ERA (4.97) and sixth in opponent hitting (.265). The team also ranks third in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7).
-Their team ERA is top 22% in the nation (66/295) while their strikeouts per nine is top 15% in the nation (44/295).
-Individually, Will Semb is fourth in the Big Ten and 76th in the nation in K/9 at 11.10.
Newcomers Making an Impact
-Kyle Remington has been a staple out of the Gophers' bullpen. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Mar. 11. He continued his impressive freshman season by working 1.2 innings of relief against Michigan. He held the Wolverines scoreless, allowing one hit, zero walks and picked up one strikeout.
-Tyler Hemmesch has pitched 16.2 innings in eight appearances for the Gophers in his rookie season. He's tallied 16 strikeouts with a 2.70 ERA and is holding opponents to .179 average off him.
-Charlie Sutherland has appeared in 20 games this season with six starts. He has emerged as one of the Gophers' go-to hitters off the bench. For the season, he is slashing .286/.432/.457 with a home run, three doubles, six RBIs and six runs scored.
-Senior transfer Justin Thorsteinson has provided the Gophers a trustworthy arm in the back end of the bullpen. In 25.2 innings, he has a 2.45 ERA and 23 punch outs.
-Freshman Jack Taxdahl earned his first start behind the dish last Saturday. He went 1-4 with a run scored in the win. In eight games this season, he is hitting .286 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
-Freshman Jack Spanier has seen an increase in playing time after flashing the leather at shortstop. In 14 games played, he has recorded 10 putouts and 27 assists without committing an error. Spanier has also picked up five hits since seeing more regular action.
What's on Deck
The Gophers will remain home for two mid-week games with St. Thomas on Tuesday and Wednesday. Minnesota will head to College Station to take on Penn State over the weekend.
Minnesota vs. Indiana
First Pitch: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: RHP Will Semb (1-2, 7.93 ERA, 36.1 IP, 44 K)
Hoosiers Starter: LHP Ty Bothwell (4-2, 6.00 ERA, 45.0 IP, 43 K)
TV: Big Ten+
Saturday, April 20
Minnesota vs. Indiana
First Pitch: 2:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: TBD
Hoosiers Starter: TBD
TV: Big Ten+
Sunday, April 21
Minnesota at Michigan
First Pitch: 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Siebert Field
Gophers Starter: TBD
Hoosiers Starter: TBD
TV: Big Ten+
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball team (15-16, 3-6 Big Ten) is ready to host the Indiana Hoosiers (20-17, 5-4 Big Ten) in a three-game series at Siebert Field this weekend for the first time since 2016.
First pitches will be at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be streamed on Big Ten+ with live stats available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
-After dropping game one at Michigan, the Gophers bounced back to win game two of their Saturday doubleheader, 8-3, behind another quality start from Wietgrefe. The Gophers dropped game three of the series.
-Minnesota was scheduled to play two mid-week games last week, but Tuesday's game was canceled due to weather.
-The Gophers picked up a run-rule victory on Wednesday evening against South Dakota State. Tucker Novotny, Sam Kennedy and Caden Capomaccio combined to strike out 16 Jackrabbits. Just five of the 21 outs recorded by Minneosta came from something other than a strikeout.
Scouting the Hoosiers
-Indiana was chosen to finish second in the Big Ten in the preseason poll.
-The Hoosiers have eight players with 20 or more RBIs on the season led by sophomore Tyler Cerny with 41, which is tied for fourth in the Big Ten. Redshirt freshman Brenczewski is having a standout season for Indiana, slashing .337/.415/.467 and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 8.
-Indiana's pitching staff is highlighted by Connor Foley, who ranks second in the Big Ten with 65 strikeouts. However, Foley has struggled a bit with allowing runs in his last three outings and has a 7.43 ERA in that span.
Opponent Series History
-Minnesota leads the all-time series with Indiana, 114-56.
-The two teams have not faced each other since 2022 in Bloomington. This will be the first matchup between Indiana and Minnesota at Siebert Field since 2016.
-The Hoosiers took the first two games of the last matchup. After Minnesota jumped out to a 6-2 lead in game one, Indiana came roaring back to score six in the bottom of the eighth to win 8-6. Game two was all Hoosiers as they shut out the Gophers 12-0.
-Minnesota won game three 9-8 behind a two-hit, four-RBI day from Kyle Bork, including a triple and a home run.
Wietgrefe's World
-Junior LHP Connor Wietgrefe put together his fifth quality start of the season on Saturday afternoon at Michigan.
-The Prior Lake, Minn. native pitched 6.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks. Wietgrefe fanned eight Wolverine hitters in the start and picked up his team-high fourth win of the season.
-In two starts in the month of April, Wietgrefe has pitched 12.2 innings, allowing just two runs. He has struck out ten batters and has a 1.42 ERA while picking up two wins.
-The southpaw currently ranks fifth in the Big Ten in ERA (3.40), tied for third in wins (4), seventh in innings (50.1) and tenth in strikeouts (46).
Neels by the Numbers
-Sophomore Weber Neels has picked up where he left off after a stellar freshman season.
-Neels leads the team in average (.321) and on base percentage (.437). He is second in RBIs (26), doubles (8), walks (17,) and is third in hits (36). He is also slugging .473 with three home runs for the season.
-Splitting time at catcher and first base, Neels is one of three players that has played all 31 games this season and leads the team with 423 putouts.
Consistency in Counsell
-Counsell has been a consistent bright spot in the Gophers lineup. He ranks in the top five in all offensive categories including leading the team in home runs (8), runs (31), total bases (72), walks (19) and stolen bases (14).
-A Milwaukee, Wis. native, Counsell is slashing .305/.40/.563. He has 39 hits, including nine doubles, and 22 RBIs. He has picked it up in April, slashing .433/.500/.833 with 10 RBIs, nine runs scored and six home runs in eight games this month.
-Counsell leads the team with 80 assists, playing all 31 games at second base.
Productive Pitching
-The Gophers' pitching staff has put together impressive numbers among Big Ten ranks to begin the season. The Gophers have allowed the second-fewest earned runs (149) and third fewest runs (188) in the Big Ten. As a team, the 'U' also ranks third in the Big Ten in ERA (4.97) and sixth in opponent hitting (.265). The team also ranks third in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7).
-Their team ERA is top 22% in the nation (66/295) while their strikeouts per nine is top 15% in the nation (44/295).
-Individually, Will Semb is fourth in the Big Ten and 76th in the nation in K/9 at 11.10.
Newcomers Making an Impact
-Kyle Remington has been a staple out of the Gophers' bullpen. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Mar. 11. He continued his impressive freshman season by working 1.2 innings of relief against Michigan. He held the Wolverines scoreless, allowing one hit, zero walks and picked up one strikeout.
-Tyler Hemmesch has pitched 16.2 innings in eight appearances for the Gophers in his rookie season. He's tallied 16 strikeouts with a 2.70 ERA and is holding opponents to .179 average off him.
-Charlie Sutherland has appeared in 20 games this season with six starts. He has emerged as one of the Gophers' go-to hitters off the bench. For the season, he is slashing .286/.432/.457 with a home run, three doubles, six RBIs and six runs scored.
-Senior transfer Justin Thorsteinson has provided the Gophers a trustworthy arm in the back end of the bullpen. In 25.2 innings, he has a 2.45 ERA and 23 punch outs.
-Freshman Jack Taxdahl earned his first start behind the dish last Saturday. He went 1-4 with a run scored in the win. In eight games this season, he is hitting .286 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
-Freshman Jack Spanier has seen an increase in playing time after flashing the leather at shortstop. In 14 games played, he has recorded 10 putouts and 27 assists without committing an error. Spanier has also picked up five hits since seeing more regular action.
What's on Deck
The Gophers will remain home for two mid-week games with St. Thomas on Tuesday and Wednesday. Minnesota will head to College Station to take on Penn State over the weekend.