–> Amidst watching the 2023 College World Series and the Gophers deciding to extend long-time head coach John Anderson for one more season made me wonder; is Gophers baseball a sleeping giant?
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Baseball at a Big Ten school:
One of the biggest things you need to mention when talking about a Big Ten school’s popularity and potential to build up a baseball program is location. It will always be difficult to draw interest when you can’t consistently have true home games until sometime in May at the earliest and that is often a struggle, given the unpredictability of midwest weather. Notably, no Big Ten program made it to this year’s College World Series (CWS) out of the 10 schools present. College baseball will always be more popular in the south and a major reason is because of weather. Hockey is often the third most popular sport at many Big Ten institutions and in Minnesota’s case sometimes second. That will always make it tough for baseball to maneuver itself into the attention of fans.
Gophers’ storied history:
With all that being said, Minnesota is arguably the most storied college baseball program in the Big Ten and one of the best of All-Time. As of 2020, their 2,668 wins ranked 15th-most All-Time, and many outlets see them as one of the 10-best all-time programs. With three National Championships and 25+ conference championships, they should consistently be one of the best programs in the Big Ten. But with only two postseason appearances since 2010 and no CWS appearance since 1977, recent memory has not been kind to the Maroon & Gold. With Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and Glen Perkins all making names for themselves in the MLB, the history of Gophers baseball will always be storied.
John Anderson:
The Gophers recently signed long-time legendary head coach John Anderson to a one-year contract extension. Leading the Gophers to 9 Big Ten tournament Championships and 18× NCAA tournament Appearances, Minnesota fans should thank Anderson for building to program into what it is today. With a 39% winning percentage over the last three seasons, it has been a tough stretch for Anderson and the Gophers. But as recently as 2018, the Gophers had a 44-15 record, winning the Big Ten regular season and conference tournament and making it to the NCAA Super Regional. The potential is there for this program to get back to its winning ways.
Future of the program?:
The Gophers have made the NCAA Tournament twice since AD Mark Coyle took over in 2016. I think it would be fair to say that the current regime simply does not invest many resources and time into the baseball program. It seems to be a step behind the rest of the conference when it comes to recruiting out of high school and the transfer portal. With a youthful roster in 2023, there is certainly potential for Coach Anderson to have a competitive season in 2024, but it was hard to find evidence of that this season.
Whenever the Gophers do move on from the John Anderson era they will need to find a successor. Many fans will mention Paul Molitor’s name who managed the Minnesota Twins about five seasons ago, but only two years younger than Anderson, I don’t think it would make much sense. Promoting former pitcher and current assistant coach/pitching coach Ty McDevitt would be an option for the Gophers, but I think this program just needs a change of pace and a bolt of energy, and looking for a new up-and-coming coach outside the program might be the best option. I don’t have the answer or blueprint for how Gophers baseball can get back to being one of the premier programs in the country, but there is no reason why it can’t happen.