All Things Gopher Baseball





Gophers had multiple chances to take control of this game early and didn't, they gave the Huskers the chance in the 4th with the multiple walks and hit batters and they took advantage delivering the big blow with the 3 run homerun.
Good to see Senior Kyle Bork performing well and looking like he has made some adjustments lately while on the opposite end I get frustrated everytime I see Riley Swenson in the lineup lately. He has made no adjustments through his career and now will swing at about everything, throw him fastballs and it could be trouble you through him offspeed and he will be out one way or the other, really struggling defensively too seems like he has at least 1 passed ball a game and 1 fairly routine for a D1 catcher "wild pitch" he can't handle as well.
 


When we beat Iowa in the series opener a few weeks ago to move to 4-3 in conference play, I thought this program might be turning the corner back to respectability, and legitimately thought they had a shot to make the conference tourney. Losing 7 of 8 league games - and a few real bad losses among them - was a reality slap that there is still a long way to go.

Agree on Swenson - he is really chasing breaking pitches right now. And that passed ball was bizarre.

Most of the infield struggled past two days.

The one that got me was after the 3-run home run, they had guy on first again and I think it was a lefty pulls it into hole on right side for a hit, and Hokenson looked like he was shaded way toward center field, then misses the ball, and then the throw back in either was off-target or perhaps Counsel missed it on a short hop (never easy to know exactly what happens in a Big10+ game), and the guy scores from first. Way too easy.

And have we never played a game in the wind before? I get it's not easy, but when a popup is in the air for a long time and we aren't close to catching it?
 

Really solid Friday night win. Tucker Novotny and Noah Rooney were excellent on the mound but I fear we may have lost Rooney for the rest of the year. Offensively took advantage of one of the better pitchers in the conference struggling with command in the 1st and put up the crooked number, really solid approach.
 






Feels good to be on the other side of a late inning comeback!
Always a risk to have those position player closers and that was huge for this. I'm not a fan of Swenson playing at all but gotta give him credit as well as Jurgella for sparking the comeback with the 1 out singles. Counsell comes through with the big hit. Doesn't seem that long ago that I was watching the streams of the Arizona tournament while snow fell here in Northern Minnesota but it is really fun to see the growth of so many young guys.
 

Gophers can't complete the sweep as they fall 4-1 in finale. Holetz settled in after a 3 HR in 1st and bullpen was good, but offense just couldn't get anything going. Larson pinch-hit triple accounted for our only run.
 

Gophers get a nice 10-7 win tonight at Maryland. Offense was really good tonight. Swenson with a 2 out, full count bases 3 run double to put Gophers in front by a run early, then added a solo HR on top of it. Merila, Neels and Hokenson also with HRs tonight. 12 hits, 7 walks, some good at bats fouling off tough pitches. On the mound, Wietgrefe came in for Novotny - who was victimized by the long ball - and pitched four scoreless and dominant innings in relief.

Even though team is basically in spoiler mode at this point, good to see them get a nice win like this.
 



That is a heck of a win. Maryland's park inflates the numbers offensively some but that is a old lineup that can absolutely mash and Wietgrefe absolutley diced them up. This group has consistently improved throughout the year and a large majority of the guys getting the ABs and innings will be back, could really be a solid team next season.
 

Maryland takes the final 2 of the series using a big 6th inning today to erase a 1 run Gopher lead.
Gophers will enter the final weekend with a shot at the 8 seed but I believe need to sweep Rutgers while having Nebraska sweep Purdue and Indiana sweep Michigan State. Man that loss to Illinois where the game was extended on the blown call at 1st and there was no review would be nice to have right about now.
 

With 17 runs on the board, UCLA today gives up a grand slam.

USC seems better than UCLA. USC has won 12 national championships. UCLA won it in 2013.

They are headed to the Big Ten the season after next. Worth keeping an eye on. Our future Big Ten adversaries.


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With 17 runs on the board, UCLA today gives up a grand slam.

USC seems better than UCLA. USC has won 12 national championships. UCLA won it in 2013.

They are headed to the Big Ten the season after next. Worth keeping an eye on. Our future Big Ten adversaries.


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UCLA has been the much better program the last 10+ years
 

With 17 runs on the board, UCLA today gives up a grand slam.

UCLA has been the much better program the last 10+ years
Very much so. Bruins have been devastated by injuries this year, but have a very talented roster. Savage is a great coach and a pitching guru.
Go Beav’s!
 

8 run opening inning carries the Gophers to a 9-6 win over South Dakota State tonight.
Final regular season series opens Thursday against Rutgers.
 



Those who are more tuned into the program than me, is it time to pull the plug? There's no denying what Anderson has accomplished, but how optimistic are we going forward with him in charge?
Early in the year I probably would've said I think it is time to move on but over the last 4-5 weeks this team has really shown some promise. With many of the primary faces back next season I'm as optimistic as I've been in a while on taking a big jump up the standings.
 

We need pitching to go in right direction. Last 4 years including this year: 2023 5.89 ERA
2022 6.56 ERA
2021 8.09 ERA
2020 6.54 ERA
Never gonna win with that kind of pitching!
 

We need pitching to go in right direction. Last 4 years including this year: 2023 5.89 ERA
2022 6.56 ERA
2021 8.09 ERA
2020 6.54 ERA
Never gonna win with that kind of pitching!
An ERA over 8? Is that a record?
 

We need pitching to go in right direction. Last 4 years including this year: 2023 5.89 ERA
2022 6.56 ERA
2021 8.09 ERA
2020 6.54 ERA
Never gonna win with that kind of pitching!
Feels like the pitching has been much much better this year. Our team ERA is very inflated due to those 5 or so big games and part of that has to due with the pitching injuries so if the outcome isn't in doubt we have the 3-4 guys that are absolutely just out there to finish things and you know they are gonna get hit all over. Honestly I've been happier with our pitching than offense this year.
 

Those who are more tuned into the program than me, is it time to pull the plug? There's no denying what Anderson has accomplished, but how optimistic are we going forward with him in charge?
They should have pulled the plug on him several years ago.
 

Staying alive! Gophers win 5-3, Nebraska beats Purdue, but now Michigan State just took lead in bottom of 6th on Indiana that game is on BTN. Way I understand it Gophers need to win out, Purdue to get swept by Nebraska, and Michigan State to lose 2/3.
 


Looking into tiebreakers I think we are actually still alive despite Purdue winning today. I think if we sweep Rutgers and Indiana wins the final 2 against Sparty as well as Nebraska defeats Purdue tomorrow we go to Omaha.
 

Looking into tiebreakers I think we are actually still alive despite Purdue winning today. I think if we sweep Rutgers and Indiana wins the final 2 against Sparty as well as Nebraska defeats Purdue tomorrow we go to Omaha.
Wow are there a lot of “ifs” in this post!
 




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