Other Gopher Sports
TV- ESPN U , Radio- 1220 am
Probable Lineups
Minnesota
CF Matt Nohelty, So.
SS Dan Lyons, Sr.
DH Mike Mee, Sr.
3B Nate Hanson, So.
RF Kyle Baran, Sr.
1B Bryan Jost, So.
LF Tijl Vanderwege, Sr.
2B Derek McCallum, Fr.
C Kevin Carlson, Sr.
Fullerton
CF Clark Hardman, Jr.
LF Josh Fellhauer, Fr.
RF Nick Mahin, Jr.
C John Curtis, Sr.
DH Chris Jones, So.
1B Matt Wallach, Jr.
3B Evan McArthur, Sr.
2B Corey Jones, Fr.
SS Joe Scott, So.
Pitching Matchup
CSF: RHP, Wes Roemer (9-6, 3.51 ERA)
MIN: RHP, Tom Buske (5-1, 3.02 ERA)
–Sophomore Tom Buske wasn’t expected to be the ace of the Gopher staff, but when #1 starter Ethan Vogt went down early with arm problems, Buske stepped in and went 5-1 in seven starts.
He won’t overpower anybody and doesn’t have any one pitch that scares batters, but he is very steady and throws strikes. Reminds alot of people of former Twin Brad Radke. Buske threw 56.2 innings, giving up 62 hits, striking out 34 while giving up 15 walks. Opponents have a .268 average against him. Kyle Carr, Bill Johnson, and Josh Oslin will be the top options of of the pen.
–Fullerton will throw righty Wes Roemer, who has been 1st team all Big West three times. Roemer was 9-6 with a 3.51 E.R.A. in 16 starts. He threw 5 complete games. He is a power pitcher who is 10th in the nation in strikeouts and has struck out 10 or more 5 times this season. He has 129 K’s while only walking 21.
Team Preview
Minnesota– The Gophers are led by a strong offense where 7 of the 9 regulars are hitting above .300. Senior Mike Mee leads the way with a .397 avg., team leading 81 hits, 12 doubles, 4 HR, and 46 RBI. Sophomore Nate Hanson has emerged as one of the top power hitters in the Big Ten leading the team with 10 home runs, 51 RBI, and a .346 avg. SS Dan Lyons has struggled in the field, but has made up for it at the plate with a.317 avg, 8 HR, 17 doubles, and 48 RBI. Soph. Bryan Jost put up huge power numbers in high school, but struggled as a freshman to adjust to college pitching. This season he has added some much need muscle to his skinny frame and belted 5 HR to go along with a .313 avg. Junior college transfer Kyle Baran hasn’t hit for power like some expected with only one home run, but he has driven in 34 runs thanks to 15 doubles and a solid .321 avg. Some think freshman Derek McCallum’s best sport was actually hockey, but that perception might change after he hit .321, with 49 hits, 6 doubles, 2 HR, and 32 RBI, not to mention a great glove at second base. The guy who sets the table for the Gophers is super quick CF Matt Nohelty, the only non-Minnesotan in the lineup. Nohelty had a .376 avg. with 74 hits and was 23 of 29 stealing bases. Kevin Carlson and Tijl Vanderwege round out the rest of the lineup.
Fullerton–The Titans have lost alot of talent the past few years and don’t have the offensive punch that got them to the CWS in 06. They have four transfers in the everyday lineup and only two seniors who see significant action. They are led by first team All Big West CF Clark Hardman. His .378 average was tops in the conference as was his 90 hits, which was 40 more than anybody else on the team. He scored 47 runs with 14 doubles, 4 triples, 3 HR, and 41 RBI from the leadoff position. The power will come from junior college transfer Nick Mahin. Mahin hit 9 bombs on the year with a .294 average. Catcher John Curtis bats cleanup but didn’t have the big power numbers you would expect from a four hitter. He hit 4 HR’s and had a .282 avg., but the impressive stat is he drew 30 walks. Tim Wallach was a very good major league player for the Expos in the 80’s and now his son hopes to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Matt Wallach plays first base and had a solid season with a .267 avg. and 4 HR. At DH is Texas A&M transfer Chris Jones. Jones hit .267 and doesn’t have the normal numbers you would expect from a DH with only 1 HR, but he had alot of extra base hits and did drive in 30. One of there best young players is freshman LF Josh Fellhauer. The lefty hit .310 and is probably the fastest player in the lineup. SS Joe Scott and 3B Evan McArthur anchor the bottom of the lineup. Overall the Titans are batting .276 as a team
History
Cal State Fullerton, out of the Big West conference, has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 29 times in just 33 years of playing Div. 1 baseball. They have made the NCAA’s 16 straight seasons, only Miami (35), Florida State (30), and Clemson (21) have longer streaks. The Ttians have 14 College World Series appearances and won the National Title in 1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004. Had 23 players selected in the MLB draft the past two seasons. Famous alumni include Tim Wallach, Phil Nevin, Adam Johnson, Mark Kotsay, Jeremy Giambi, Aaron Rowand, Reed Johnson, and Brent Mayne.
The Gophers have advanced to the NCAA Tournament 28 times in school history, including 7 of the past 10 years. Minnesota has made 5 trips to the College World Series , the latest coming in 1977, and walked away with the hardware three times in 1956, 60, and 64. Famous alumni include Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Paul Molitor, Terry Steinbach, Greg Olson, Denny Neagle, Dan Wilson, Jerry Kindall, Paul Giel, Robb Quinlan, and Glen Perkins.