The Wake

The University of Minnesota men’s baseball team looks like a solid squad again this year. The team returns 12 seniors and a potent offense that looks to help the Gophers to a Big Ten title and an NCAA bid. This year’s team has loads of talent and experience, but the season may rely upon the emergence of young pitchers.

Manager John Anderson has been impressed with the pitching thus far, but the group has some work to do.

“You can’t beat quality teams unless you pitch well,” Anderson said.

Nearly half the pitching staff is comprised of underclassmen and the staff has performed well, posting a 4.22 ERA thus far. The squad has enjoyed success in the early season based upon solid performances from the pitchers.

While some may worry about the youth of the pitching staff, the veterans have no doubts about their ability.

“I have as much confidence in [the young pitchers] as anybody on the team,” said senior pitcher Marcus McKenzie.

The Gophers have played their best against their toughest opponents this year. They have defeated three Top-25 ranked teams on their way to an 11-5 mark bolstered by strong outings from the pitching staff.

The offense looks stout with senior Mike Mee setting the pace for hitting. Performances by Matt Nohelty, the freshman All-American last year, and Derek McCallum have also shown that the Gophers have no problem producing runs. The only is question is just how many they will need to earn victories in the Big Ten this season.

Michigan and Ohio State loom large as conference play begins in late March. The Gophers will have tough challenges ahead as those two teams were predicted to finish first and second in preseason polls. Michigan beat Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament last year, and the Gophers will look to exact revenge in Ann Arbor in early April.

Minnesota has a legitimate chance of doing some damage in the Big Ten this year with its experience and developing pitching staff.

“We’ve got a chance to do a lot of great thing and have just a fun, great year for all of us, and have a good going-away year for all of the seniors,” McKenzie said.

The pride of seniors having a good final stanza will play an important role for everyone else on the team to ensure they have a proper send-off year. Their experience will carry the team far this season, but the question remains how far.

A Big Ten crown is not out of the question for the Gophers, nor is a bid to the NCAA tournament. If they continue to play as well as they have against ranked opponents once the Big Ten season kicks off, watch out. The Gophers will be rounding bases all year with strong bats in the lineup. As long as the pitching holds up throughout the season, Minnesota will make some noise in the Big Ten.