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Tonight, we have a baseball game to watch on our televisions. At 5:05 central time, the Minnesota Twins will take on the Minnesota Gophers. Sure, it’s “Just” an exhibition game, but it’s a baseball game. As noted earlier, the Twins lineup will be filled with non-roster invites and minor leaguers, but that’s OK. Today, I thought it would be fun to get to know some of the Gophers players so that as you’re watching you know a little about the Twins opponent.Those that have listened to my Twins On Deck podcast know that I try to chat with a Gophers player each episode. Consistently, those guests have said that this Gophers team could have a real strong offense with several veteran players. The pitching has a lot of talent, but they’re quite young. In their first weekend of games, five Gophers pitchers made their college debut. Here are some quick notes on some of the players you’ll likely see tonight. Luke Pettersen - (Episode 1, Episode 7) - It’s a last name that is familiar to Gophers and Twins fans. Pettersen is a college senior from Minnetonka High School. Last year, the second baseman led the Gophers with a .354 batting average. He hit .400 (8-20) in the Gophers season opener with a couple of doubles. You remember Luke’s older brother AJ Pettersen who was a starting infielder for the Gophers and reached AA after being drafted by the Twins. Micah Coffey - (Episode 6) - Coffey has mostly played first base so far this season. The senior from Illinois hit .340 last year for the Gophers and .370 in Big 10 play. He was named second-team All Big Ten. When the Twins and Gophers played in 2015, Coffey pinch hit and went 0-1. He played last summer in the Cape Cod League. Jordan Kozicky - In the Gophers season opener on Friday at Georgia Tech, sophomore Kozicky homered in his first two at-bats. And it was his 21st birthday. He was a freshman All Big 10 a year ago and hit .325 with four homers. The Minneapolis Southwest grad redshirted his first year, so he is draft-eligible this year. Toby Hanson - (Episode 2) - Hanson was a third-team All Big Ten selection a year ago and led the team with 57 RBI. He hit .319 with 23 extra base hits. The Delano grad played a lot of right field in the team’s opening weekend in Georgia. He started the exhibition against the Twins his freshman season and went 0-2. Cole McDevitt - McDevitt was a first-team All Big Ten performer last year when he hit .296 (.314 in Big 10 play). The catcher is a junior who went to high school at Eastview. His brother, Ty, is the Gophers pitching coach. When he hasn’t caught, he’s had time at first base and DH already this year. Terrin Vavra - Twins fans are aware of the Vavra name. Terrin’s father Joe was a long-time coach for the Twins, serving in several roles. His older brothers, Tanner and Trey, were both drafted by the Twins in recent years. Terrin may be the best of the group. He’s been the Gophers starting shortstop since his freshman season. A junior now, Vavra hit .308 in 2017 for the Gophers, but he turned it on in Big 10 play, hitting .395. Last summer, he played in the Cape Cod League. Eduardo Estrada - Estrada was Mr. Baseball his senior season at Litchfield High School. Estrada played in the infield in high school and he’s moved around a bit in college. He’s now in the outfield, though he’s probably best at DH. Alex Boxwell - (Episode 3) Boxwell is a senior from Coon Rapids. He missed a lot of time last year with injury. He returned but wasn’t at 100 percent. In fact, he was supposed to go to the Cape Cod League but didn’t because of the injury. Boxwell led the Gophers in home runs (6) and stolen bases in 2017. Ben Mezzenga - A junior from Totino-Grace, Mezzenga got an opportunity to play 50 games last year and hit .296, but he got on base at a .415 clip. A good outfielder, Mezzenga is a speed guy Eli Wilson - Wilson is back for his sophomore season. A year ago, he hit .319 in 24 games for the Gophers. His father, Dan Wilson, was an All American catcher for the Gophers who had a great career and still works in the Mariners organization. Riley Smith - Riley Smith is in his junior season. He Oklahoma native played in just 23 games last year after playing 36 games as a freshman. As for pitching, it’s hard to know who the Gophers will have pitch against the Twins. They likely won’t have their top pitchers pitch as they’ll pitch in their weekend series in Port Charlotte where they’ll play Boston College, Chicago State and Mount St. Mary. Nick Lackney, a junior left-hander, threw six shutout innings against Kennesaw State in his first start. Brett Schulze threw four innings of shutout ball against Georgia Tech in his season debut. He is a sophomore. As I mentioned, five freshman pitchers debuted over the weekend. Josh Cullver, from Omaha, recorded a three-inning save in the first win. Woodbury’s Max Meyer, who the Twins drafted in 2017, made his debut on the mound and the next day at the plate. He’ll pitch and hit for the Gophers. Ryan Duffy is a lefty from South St. Paul. Patrick Fredrickson is a 6-6 freshman from Washington. Sam Thoresen is a right-hander from Minnetonka. Reggie Meyer was a freshman when these two teams played. He gave up a home run to Jorge Polanco in that game. The Twins and Gophers will play an exhibition game. It’ll be a good opportunity for both teams. It’ll be a memory that will last a lifetime for the Gophers players. Twins Lineup: Zack Granite - CF Gregorio Petit - 2B Nick Gordon - SS Chris Heisey - DH Brock Stassi - 1B Nick Buss - LF Ryan LaMarre - RF Jordan Pacheco - C Taylor Featherston - 3B Stephen Gonsalves - SP Gophers Lineup: Luke Pettersen - 2B Micah Coffey - 1B Jordan Kozicky - 3B Toby Hanson - RF Cole McDevitt - C Terrin Vavra - SS Riley Smith - LF Alex Boxwell - CF Gabe Knowles - DH Jeff Fasching - SP Click here to view the article

At 8:00 central time tonight, the Seth's Twins On Deck podcast was live. You can listen to it here. Seth was joined by Fox Sports North's Twins voice Dick Bremer. Twins prospects RHP Jake Reed and infielder Jordan Gore were also on the show. So was Gophers second baseman Luke Pettersen. We chatted briefly with former Twins pitcher Pat Mahomes before technical difficulties cut it short. But we'll have him on again next week.Dick Bremer has been the TV voice for Minnesota Twins baseball games for over 30 years. He's worked with some of the best players in Twins history, and in 2018, he'll work with Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Roy Smalley, Torii Hunter, LaTroy Hawkins and Justin Morneau. He has been the emcee of the Diamond Awards and is very involved in the community. We'll talk broadcasting and Twins baseball. Jake Reed is in big league camp again, attempting to make an impression on Paul Molitor, new Twins pitching coach Garvin Alston and the front office. He split 2017 between Chattanooga and Rochester. Jordan Gore was drafted by the Twins in 2017 out of Coastal Carolina. After 18 games in Elizabethton, he ended the season with 27 games in Cedar Rapids. Luke Pettersen is a repeat guest. He will lead off for the Minnesota Gophers on Thursday night when they play an exhibition game against the Twins at Hammond Stadium. In last weekend's Gophers trip to Georgia for four games, Pettersen went 8-20 (.400) with two doubles. Pat Mahomes was drafted by the Twins in 1988 and debuted with the team in 1992. He spent parts of five seasons with the Twins and then played for five other MLB teams in his career. We talked about his debut and his relationship with Tom Kelly and Scott Ullger. When he joins again next week, we'll discuss more about his Twins career as well about his son, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and more. There will also be at least one surprise guest, so you'll want to tune in. (Just waiting for final verification) ----------------------------------------------------------- If you have any questions for any of these guests, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. I'll ask them during the show. If you are listening during the live show, I will also ask for questions on my Twitter feed, so you can ask questions there as well. To listen to Monday night's show, click here. Either way, you'll want to listen and learn more about some Twins minor leaguers and more. Also, if you subscribe to Minnesota Sports Weekly on iTunes, you'll also be able to listen to these shows. PREVIOUS EPISODES While you're eagerly anticipating tonight's show, tune in to some of the previous episodes... Episode 1: Twins (LaMonte Wade, Stephen Gonsalves, Tyler Wells), Gophers (Luke Pettersen), MLB.com's prospect guru Jonathan Mayo. Episode 2: Twins (Aaron Slegers, Alex Kirilloff, Brent Rooker, Royce Lewis), Gophers (Toby Hanson) Episode 3: Twins (Bryan Sammons, Ryley Widell, Zack Littell, Travis Blankenhorn), Gophers (Alex Boxwell) Episode 4: Twins (Zack Granite, Nelson Molina, Lewis Thorpe, Josh Rabe), and Baseball HQ prospect guru, Chris Blessing. Episode 5: Twins prospects Charlie Barnes, Alex Robles, Tyler Watson, David Banuelos. Episode 6: Twins prospects Clark Beeker and Hector Lujan, Gopher senior infielder Micah Coffey, and Twins radio voice Cory Provus. Click here to view the article

It's been almost four years since I last did my own podcast. For a variety of reasons, I stopped at that time. Twins Daily was taking off. Listeners were low. We were contemplating Vikings and Wild and Wolves websites. Life. But the reality is that I really liked my podcast. It was something that I liked listening to. I liked talking about the Twins. I loved talking to players. And that's what I'm planning to do again with this podcast. Tonight at 8:00 central time, I was joined by three members of the Minnesota Twins organization, a senior on his year's Minnesota Gophers baseball team, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. We just talked baseball. It should be a lot of fun. If you're able to listen live, that would be great. If you have a football game to watch and don't want to mute the TV, you can always download it later. You will be able to leave questions in the page's chat room, or feel free to send questions in the comments below and I will be happy to ask them for you (if they're fair questions, of course).In tonight's podcast, Get to know a little more about minor league outfielder LaMonte Wade, two-time Twins Daily minor league pitcher of the year Stephen Gonsalves, minor league pitcher Tyler Wells, and Minnesota Gophers senior second baseman Luke Pettersen. LaMonte Wade was the Twins 9th round pick in 2015 and has quickly moved up the system. He ended 2017 in the Arizona Fall League. Stephen Gonsalves was the Twins 4th round pick in 2013. He went to big league came in 2017 and reached AAA late in the season. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster in November and should make his Major League debut in 2018. Tyler Wells was drafted by the Twins in 2016. The big right-hander had a quality season in Cedar Rapids and looks to jump to Ft. Myers in 2018. Finally, Luke Pettersen is a senior on the 2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers roster. We discuss his final college season and how the Gophers might fare in the Big Ten this year. Also, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo talked about the Twins 2017 draft as well as another one of his projects. In this return podcast, I was joined by the following: 8:00 - Gophers second baseman Luke Pettersen (1:35 - 12:17) 8:15 - Twins minor league outfielder LaMonte Wade (14:58 - 31:15) 8:30 - MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo (32:05 - 47:45) 8:45 - Twins minor league pitcher Stephen Gonsalves. (48:20 - 1:02:08) 8:30 - Twins minor league pitching Tyler Wells (1:03:33 - 1:24:40) A special thanks to Travis Aune and Chad Smith who are letting me use their Minnesota Sports Weekly platform for now. Upon the show's completion, it will be available on iTunes as well. I will provide those links as they are available. Click here to view the article

This week, the Gophers are making a California swing before getting started with Big Ten play next weekend. They played a single game on Tuesday night at California-Berkeley, and last night they began a three-game series at Sacramento State. Find out more about those games and what’s coming up, but first, here is a Q&A with Gophers senior outfielder Jordan Smith.Smith came to the Gophers after a strong high school career at Eden Prairie. He also was a big Twins fan and is getting the opportunity to live out a dream by playing for the Gophers. Let’s get to know him. Get to know Jordan Smith Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Eden Prairie, were you a big Twins fan? Did you get to many games? Who were some of your favorite ballplayers? Jordan Smith (JS): When I was younger I was a huge Twins fan. I really enjoyed the teams they had in the early 2000s. Guys such as Jacque Jones, Christian Guzman, and Johan Santana were some of my favorite players. SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school career? JS: During my junior year, my legion team won the 2011 American Legion World Series. We had lost our first game I believe 13-1 and ended up winning 6 straight games in 4 days. It was an unbelievable run and something I will never forget. SS: What was it about the University of Minnesota that made you decide to play for the Gophers? JS: I always wanted to play for the Gophers growing up so when I had the opportunity to play here it was an easy choice. I was very comfortable with the coaching staff and I knew a majority of the players coming in with me along with players already on the team. SS: Have you played summer ball through your college years? JS: My true freshman summer I played for the Chaska Cubs. The following summer I played for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League. The last two summers I have not played summer ball due to an injury and an internship commitment. SS: What have been some of the highlights of your time with the Gophers? JS: A moment that I really enjoyed last year was celebrating our Big Ten championship on the field after beating Ohio State. Along with that, playing in a regional tournament was really sweet too. The atmosphere of postseason baseball is something not every player will get to experience during their career so that was something special. SS: What are your goals for the 2017 season? JS: Continue to get better every single day and to make sure each game we compete at a high level. If we are able to do this, I know we can build upon last years season and advance to not just a super-regional, but a trip to Omaha to win a national championship which is the ultimate goal. SS: What is your major, and what are your career goals going forward? (How does baseball fit into that equation?) JS: My major is sport management, and I am not really sure what I want to do yet. Something involved in the sports industry would be my main goal. Maybe win the lottery… GOPHER NOTES On Tuesday at Berkeley, the Gophers lost a 7-1 decision. They managed just three hits. Luke Pettersen went 1-3 and drove in the lone run. Last night (Thursday), the Gophers fell 3-2 to Sacramento State. Lucas Gilbreath made the start and had his best showing of the season. The left-hander went the first six innings. He gave up no runs on two hits. He walked two and struck out a career-high nine batters. The Gophers lost the lead in the 7th inning on a three-run homer. Micah Coffey and Matt Stemper were each 2-4. Toby Hanson went 1-3 with a walk. The Gophers will play two more games against Sacramento State, one each on Friday and Saturday.Then next weekend, they begin Big Ten play at Ohio State. Alex Wimmers, Twins top pick in 2010 and former Buckeye noted the other day, “It’s crazy how college baseball is starting up conference play in a week here already.” He said that he played the Gophers twice at Ohio State and once in the Metrodome during his three years. “They always had a good team when I was there.” Click here to view the article

The Twins played their first spring training game Friday, but baseball-starved Minnesotans didn't have to make the 1,700-mile trek to Fort Myers to catch a live game. The Gophers played their first baseball game in U.S. Bank Stadium history, beating Seattle University 13-4. In terms of how the venue transformed to accommodate baseball, it was clear a lot of inspiration was taken from the building that formerly stood at the corner of 4th Street & Chicago Ave.Indeed, it seemed the more things change the more they stay the same, as the field shares some striking similarities to the Metrodome. It's got the baggy out in right field, the awkwardly folded up football seats in center, foul "poles" ascending down from the roof -- it's almost like they've created an homage to the old dome sweet dome. And while there will always be something unnatural about baseball being played indoors (let alone in a stadium designed for football), it's still February baseball in Minnesota. A few of the things that looked out of place ranged from the visually unpleasing (industrial looking temporary dugouts, lack of dirt around the bases) to legit safety concerns: an awkward mound that's part turf and part dirt, no warning tracks, and not as much netting to protect fans as you'd see at an MLB stadium. And there's also the issue that the tickets ($10, all are general admission) and concessions all cost about the same as what I typically paid at Target Field last season. This was my first time inside U.S. Bank Stadium, and while I enjoyed exploring around some, it was a bit disappointing that seating was limited to the sections along the first base line and behind home plate. But even with those negatives I just listed, I'd go back to another game. Again, this is baseball being forced indoors, so it's never going to be perfect. But the most important thing is this configuration works, and it's going to give hundreds of Minnesota kids a chance to play real games in a pretty cool venue during late winter/early spring. As far as the game went, things didn't get off to a great start for the Gophers, as they fell behind 3-0. But once the bats got rolling it was big inning after big inning, as they scored 13 unanswered runs. Senior catcher Matt Stemper hit the first home run in the stadium's history, and finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs. Toby Hanson was another bright spot, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Lucas Gilbreath, who is trying to transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation this season, showed some positive signs, striking out five batters, but he also walked six over his three innings of work. Tyler Hanson came out of the pen to provide the Gophers 3 2/3 shutout innings. Friday' Gopher victory was the opener of a three-game series against Seattle U. The two teams square off again Saturday at 6 p.m., then close things out Sunday at 1 p.m.. Between now and late April around 140 baseball games will be played at the Metrodo ... er, U.S. Bank Stadium. Along with the Gophers, some other local college team's from the NSIC and MIAC will make appearances, as well as a number of high schools. Entry to non-Gopher games will be $5. Here is a full list of baseball games scheduled form the stadium's official website. Click here to view the article

It’s a busy time of year for the Gophers baseball program. On Tuesday, they played NDSU. On Thursday, they played a game against Hawaii. Today, they completed the Dairy Queen Classic by playing Iowa after playing Oral Roberts on Friday and Hawaii on Saturday. The schedule doesn’t slow down as they will play South Dakota State on Tuesday night and Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Then they’ll play a three-game series against Missouri State. That will end their 13-game homestand at US Bank Stadium.Today, we get to know more about right-handed pitcher Tim Shannon. Coming into the season, he had pitched in 52 career games for the Gophers including 23 starts. This year, he has been working out of the bullpen for the Gophers (and making a fairly significant mechanical alteration). The Hopkins graduate grew up miles away from the Metrodome (and now Target Field) and was a big Twins fans. Let’s spend a little time today getting to know him. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Hopkins, were you a big Twins fan? Did you get to many games? Who were some of your favorite ballplayers? Tim Shannon (TS): I was always a huge Twins fan, and my family actually had season tickets for most of my childhood. I went to tons of games, and a good amount of playoff games as well, including Game 163 against the Tigers in 2009 which was definitely a highlight. My favorite players were Delmon Young, Alexi Casilla, and Michael Cuddyer. SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school career? TS: High school baseball was a phenomenal experience for me, and I have a lot of great memories from it. If I had to pick one, it would be a win that I got against Wayzata in 2012 to get into the state tournament. SS: What was it about the University of Minnesota that made you decide to play for the Gophers? TS: I really wanted to be part of the Gopher baseball family. I knew many of the guys on the team, and had heard nothing but good things about the coaches and support staff. SS: Have you played summer ball through your college years? TS: I have played in the Northwoods League with the Waterloo Bucks. My time in summer ball has been some of my favorite in the sport, and I made a lot of good friends in my time there. The Northwoods League is also a tremendous place to grow as a collegiate player and gain experience. SS: Which pitches do you throw, and what makes you successful on the mound? TS: This is my first year as a submariner, and so far it has been a blast. I rely mostly on deception and movement, and throw a sinking fastball, a frisbee slider, and a ridiculously slow changeup. SS: What have been some of the highlights of your time with the Gophers? TS: The big one is obviously winning the Big Ten Title in 2016. The team we had that year was a special group of guys that were really close on and off the field, and the things that we had to deal with off the field, including the passing of Todd Oakes, only worked to bring us closer. As far as personal highlights, my first career start came on the road at the University of Texas and I pitched pretty well. The next day, Auggie Garrido came and found me and told me he was impressed with the way that I threw, and that was a really cool moment for me. SS: What are your goals for the 2017 season? TS: My goals for the 2017 season are to help out in any way that I can out of the bullpen. One of the perks of being a submarine guy is that it doesn't take much of a toll on my arm, so I should be available for many of the games which is exciting for me. I also hope to grow as a leader on and off the field, especially as one of the older guys on the team. SS: What is your major, and what are your career goals going forward? (How does baseball fit into that equation?) TS: I am a political science major, and a sport management minor. I am hoping to go to law school down the road, and would love to work as an agent within the baseball field. Thank you to Tim Shannon for taking time to answer our questions. We certainly wish him continued success throughout the season and beyond. GOPHER NOTES On Thursday, Hawaii topped the Gophers 11-2, though going into the ninth inning, it was a 5-2 game. Terrin Vavra went 3-4 with a stolen base in the game. Micah Coffey went 2-4 with a double. Jordan Smith added his first home run of the year. Friday night, the Gophers played Oral Roberts in their first game of the Dairy Queen Classic. It went to the 13th inning when catcher Cole McDevitt hit a sacrifice fly to win the game. McDevitt went 2-4 with a walk and two RBIs in the game. Jordan Smith went 2-5 with a walk and a double. Terrin Vavra also had two hits. Ben Mezzenga went 1-4 with two walks. Lucas Gilbreath had his best start of the year. He gave up two unearned runs in the first inning and ended with six innings of just one-hit baseball. He walked three and struck out five. Jackson Rose threw two scoreless innings. Brian Glowicki gave up a run in his two innings. Nick Lackney finished the game with three shutout innings with a walk and three strikeouts. On Saturday night, the Twins were unable to get the bats going against Hawaii, falling 4-0. Brett Schulze started and was solid again. The freshman worked five innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks. Tim Shannon struck out two over the final five outs. Terrin Vavra was 2-4 with a stolen base. Luke Pettersen was 1-3 with a walk. On Sunday, the Gophers played an afternoon game against Iowa. It won’t count as a Big 10 game, but the Gophers were able to pick up a 6-3 win. Toby Anderson was on the mound to start the game. He gave up a three-run homer in the first inning, but he settled down nicely. In total, he went six innings and gave up three runs on three hits. He walked four and struck out four. Nick Lackney got the next five outs, and Brian Glowicki recorded the final four outs for the save. Ben Mezzenga led off and went 2-4 with a walk. Luke Pettersen also went 2-4. Jordan Smith went 1-3 with a walk and his second home run. Micah Coffey was 1-3 with a walk, a double and a couple of RBIs. In the four games, shortstop Terrin Vavra went a combined 7-17 (.412) with a couple of stolen bases. After starting the season 5-27, it was a nice turnaround for the infielder. Vavra has more Twins ties that most. His father is Joe Vavra, the Twins current bench coach who has served the organization for a couple of decades. His brother Tanner Vavra spent three seasons in the Twins farm system, reaching Ft. Myers and twice being awarded a Harmon Killebrew Award. He spent 2016 with the St. Paul Saints. Another older brother, Trey Vavra, is a first baseman in the Twins system. He spent 2016 with the Miracle. He’s been named to his league’s All-Star team each of the last two years.Senior Jordan Smith also had a strong four-game weekend. He went 5-15 (.333) with two walks, a double and two home runs. The senior from Eden Prairie plays left field for the Gophers.Coming into the weekend, Luke Pettersen led the country with a .667 batting average. He went 3-13 with a walk in the Dairy Queen Classic. He is now hitting .529 (18-34) on the season.Micah Coffey leads the team with nine RBIs. Smith and Toby Hanson each have eight.Nick Lackney is a left-handed reliever from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. He has appeared in four games and pitched nine innings. He has yet to give up a run. He has given up just one hit and struck out seven. He also has seven walks.Again, things stay busy this week for the Gophers. The 13-game US Bank homestand is eight games over. There will be five more games there for baseball fans to watch over the next week. Again South Dakota State will be here on Tuesday, and Milwaukee will be there on Wednesday. Missouri State then comes in for a three-game series next weekend. Then they are on the road for a couple of weeks. Feel free to discuss the Gophers, the Dairy Queen Classic and more. Feel free to ask questions and discuss college baseball. Click here to view the article

So often college baseball programs in the northern part of the country will travel south, to Florida or Texas or California, to play some early-season ball games. Thursday night, the Gophers baseball team will HOST Hawaii. It’s one nine-inning game. Hawaii is coming to Minnesota to play in the first Dairy Queen Classic (along with Oral Roberts and Iowa) this weekend, and the two teams are playing an extra game tonight. Again, head to US Bank Stadium this weekend for some terrific baseball.Today we bring you another Q&A with a Gophers senior. Let’s get to know a little more about right-handed pitcher Tyler Hanson. The Burnsville native grew up a Twins fan and has spent the last three years playing for his home team Gophers. He came to the University as a pitcher and first baseman, but starting as a junior, he focused strictly on pitching. Get to know: Tyler Hanson Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Burnsville, were you a big Twins fan? Did you get to many games? Who were some of your favorite ballplayers? Tyler Hanson (TH): Born and raised a Twins fan! I've been to plenty of games at both the Metrodome and Target Field. This may surprise some, but I enjoyed watching Kyle Lohse and Joe Nathan when I grew up. SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school career? TH: My sophomore year at Burnsville, we won the State Championship game to Maple Grove, coming back 5-0 in the bottom of the 7th. SS: What was it about the University of Minnesota that made you decide to play for the Gophers? TH: The U of M was a perfect fit for me academically, geographically, socially, and obviously a strong baseball program that values family and tradition. SS: Have you played summer ball through your college years? TH: Yes, I played three seasons for the Willmar Stingers in the Northwoods League. SS: Which pitches do you throw, and what makes you successful on the mound? TH: I throw a 4-seam fastball, change-up, slider, and a knuckle ball. My success is all a part of throwing off my fastball. Mixing locations and establishing I can command all pitches for strikes. SS: What have been some of the highlights of your time with the Gophers? TH: My personal highlight is crushing my only home run of my college career at Richmond my sophomore year. My favorite moment as a Gopher has to be winning the Big Ten regular season last year. SS: What are your goals for the 2017 season? TH: My goal is to do all that I can on and off the field to give our team the best chance to win games. SS: What is your major, and what are your career goals going forward? (How does baseball fit into that equation?) TH: I am a Sport Management major and am pursuing a career in marketing, hopefully in the sport industry. Hanson has a 4.26 ERA in 6.1 innings so far this season. He earned a win this past weekend against Seattle with 3.1 scoreless innings of work. He will likely fill a long relief type of role in the Gophers bullpen though he may also have the ability to make some spot starts if needed. GOPHER NOTES On Tuesday night, the Gophers hosted NDSU at US Bank Stadium. The Bison won the game 3-1. For the Gophers, Nolan Burchill started and gave up one run in 4.1 innings of work. He also batted seventh and went 0-1. Burchill is a 6-1 freshman from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.Luke Peterson still leads the team in batting average at .667 (14-21).Upcoming Games:Thursday: 5:00 vs HawaiiFriday: 6:30 vs Oral RobertsSaturday: 6:30 vs HawaiiSunday: 3:00 vs IowaTuesday: 6:00 vs South Dakota StateWednesday: 6:30 vs MilwaukeePlease feel free to discuss Tyler Hanson, the Gophers, the upcoming schedule of games or anything you’d like below. Click here to view the article

The Gophers played a home series in Minnesota for the first time since the days of the Metrodome. They helped open up US Bank Stadium with a three-game series against Seattle University. Read at the bottom for more on the three games and upcoming Gophers games. Before getting to more details on the series and other Gophers notes, let’s get to know a little more about Gophers senior closer Brian Glowicki. The right-hander grew up in Illinois and went to the same high school as Twins relief prospect Nick Burdi. He played with Burdi’s brother and top White Sox relief prospect Zach Burdi. But Glowicki is going to make a name for himself in the Minnesota bullpen this season.Over the weekend, he was on the mound for the final outs in two of the three Gopher wins. Take a few minutes to learn about Brian Glowicki. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Illinois, who was your favorite team and who were some of your favorite ballplayers? Brian Glowicki (BG): My dad has been a huge Boston fan for as long as I can remember so the Red Sox have always been my favorite team. I loved watching Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez. SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school career? Did you play with or against the Burdi Brothers? BG: Winning the regional championship my senior year is a moment that I will always remember. And I went to the same high school as them. Zack is actually one of my best friends and I've played baseball and even football with him since we were in third grade or so. I don't believe I ever played with Nick Burdi but I watched him play a lot in high school. SS: What was it about the University of Minnesota that made you decide to play for the Gophers? BG: I really appreciated the way they went about recruiting and how the University of Minnesota had such a family atmosphere to it. SS: Have you played summer ball through your college years? BG: Yes, my sophomore and junior year summers I played in the Northwoods League for the St. Cloud Rox. SS: Which pitches do you throw, and what makes you successful on the mound? BG: I throw a 4-seam fastball, changeup and slider. I think most of my success comes from how competitive I am. I have the mindset that I am not going to back down from anyone which helps me attack hitters. SS: What have been some of the highlights of your time with the Gophers? BG: Everything about the 2016 season is a highlight. Winning the B1G and making a regional will be two moments I'll never forget. Also, in 2015 when we played against the Minnesota Twins at their spring training complex was a once in a lifetime opportunity. SS: What are your goals for the 2017 season? BG: My goals for the 2017 season are just to build on the success we had as a team last year. Last year we created a great culture within the team and this year I'd like to see us build on that as well as learn from some of the mistakes we made. SS: What is your major, and what are your career goals going forward? (How does baseball fit into that equation?) BG: I am majoring in kinesiology and with that I plan on eventually coaching baseball. I have also put some thought into obtaining a business degree and pursuing accounting or financial aid. GOPHER NOTES On Friday night, the Gophers won 13-4. Going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Gophers were down 3-0. However, they put up four in the fifth, one in the sixth, and four in both the seventh and eighth innings. Matt Stemper went 3-5 and hit the team’s first home run at US Bank Stadium. Toby Hanson went 3-4 with a walk, a double and a triple. He scored and drove in three runs. Alex Boxwell went 3-6. Micah Coffey was 2-5, and Luke Pettersen went 2-4. Lucas Gilbreath struggled again in his second start. The lefty gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits and six walks in just three innings. He struck out five. Tyler Hanson came on and provided 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. (Read Tom Froemmings article from the Friday night game, including video.) Saturday night, the Gophers notched a 6-3 win. Freshman Brett Schulze made his first college start and gave up two runs on one hit in five innings. He walked two and struck out four. Nick Lackney walked four but got through the next 2.2 innings without allowing a run. Brian Glowicki got the final two outs of the game. Semper and Coffey each had two hits. Boxwell had two hits, including a triple. Toby Hanson and Troy Traxler each doubled. Sunday afternoon was again a close game until the late innings. In fact, Seattle scored a run in the top of the seventh to tie the game at seven. But the Gophers scored one in the bottom half and plated three more in the bottom of the eighth. They won 11-7. Jordan Smith led the offense. The senior went 4-5 with a double and four RBI. Luke Pettersen went 3-4 with a walk. Toby Hanson went 3-5 with a double. Freshman Eli Wilson made his first start and went 2-3 with a walk. Toby Anderson worked the first five innings. He gave up five runs. Alex Farley made his college debut and got the two batters he faced out. Brian Glowicki got the final five outs for the save. Junior Luke Pettersen went 5-8 with a walk in the series. The Minnetonka grad is now 13-17 on the season, a solid .765 average.Junior Toby Hanson was the star of the weekend. The first baseman from Delano went 7-13 in the series with three doubles and a triple.Along with the Gophers first home run in US Bank Stadium, catcher Matt Stemper went 5-14 in the series.Senior Jordan Smith went 5-11 (.455) with two walks and two doubles in the series. The Eden Prairie native plays left field for the Gophers.NEXT UP The Gophers will play a single game on Tuesday night at US Bank Stadium at 6:00 p.m. After sweeping a four-game series at Mississippi Valley State last weekend, the Bison were swept this weekend at Abilene Christian. The Bison have 23 players on their roster who went to high school in Minnesota. Tyler Oakes in the NDSU pitching coach. He spent four years pitching under his father Todd Oakes at the University of Minnesota. He was a starter one season and worked out of the bullpen three seasons. He went undrafted and spent one season with the Rays Appy League team. This is his fourth year as the Bison pitching coach. He also became their recruiting coordinator last summer. On Thursday the Gophers will play a game against Hawaii. Then Friday through Sunday, US Bank Stadium will host the Dairy Queen Classic. The four-team tournament returns and features Oral Roberts, Hawaii and Iowa. I remember going to the Dairy Queen Classic when I was in high school. Georgia Tech was one of the teams in the tournament, so I saw Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek. If you’re able, be sure to check out a Gophers game this week. There are five options!! Click here to view the article

At Twins Daily, we take a lot of pride in providing you with quality Twins content. We like to focus on the big leagues and the minor leagues. We focus on the draft as well. We have had articles on the St. Paul Saints the last couple of years too. This year, we are going to be writing a little bit on the Minnesota Gophers as well. The plan is to start out with some interviews of the Gophers seniors. Each article will then contain some notes on the Gophers, information from the previous week’s series and looking forward. We hope you will enjoy this feature and support Minnesota baseball in all forms. In fact, if you would like to take a college baseball team and write about it, feel free to start your own blog here.Last weekend, the 2017 Gophers schedule got started with a series at UC-Irvine. On Friday night, the Minnesota Gophers will begin a three-game series at home, in February, in US Bank Stadium. For the first time since the Metrodome days, the Gophers have been able to play some home games before April. When the weather cooperates, they’ll play their games at the new and improved Siebert Field near the University of MInnesota campus. Our first Q&A is with Gophers senior right-handed pitcher Cody Campbell. He came to the Gophers from Naperville, Illinois, a city in the western suburbs of Chicago. While he has unfortunately missed a lot of time with injuries, he has had a big impact in the Twin Cities, donating his time to a variety of programs. He’s also known to have a little bit of fun in the dugout. Let’s get to know him a little bit more. Remember when the Twins played a spring training game in 2015 against the Gophers? Campbell pitched in that game. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Naperville, Illinois, who was your favorite team to follow, and who were some of your favorite ballplayers? Cody Campbell (CC): I don't really follow sports, but if I had to pick a favorite team it would be the Detroit Tigers. I lived right outside of Detroit during K-2nd grade and fell in love with the TIgers. Some of my favorite players are Roy Halladay and Justin Verlander. They are some of the greats and I strived to be like them, even at one point switching my windup and leg kick to look like Roy Halladay's. SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school career? CC: Winning a State football championship my sophomore year as a starting offensive linemen, weighing only 180 pounds was my most memorable highlight. Playing four years of varsity baseball and three years of varsity football really helped mold me as a player by watching the older guys and how they prepared day in and day out. SS: What was it about the University of Minnesota that made you decide to leave home and play for the Gophers? CC: Having the opportunity to get coached by a legendary coaching staff was the key reason. Another reason was because I am a psychology major and Minnesota has a great psychology program. SS: Have you played summer ball through your college years? CC: No, I haven't been healthy enough to. I usually take the summers to get surgery on something and recover to get ready for fall. SS: What have been some of the highlights of your time with the Gophers? CC: Year in and year out we have a great group of guys that always find a way to have fun. I also think watching how the team has grown and developed throughout my time has been fun. After missing the Big Ten Tournament my sophomore year, the whole locker room atmosphere had changed and we started getting our priorities straight. SS: What are your goals for the 2017 season? CC: Stay healthy is my main goal, I haven't had a healthy season yet so I figured my last year should be my healthiest year. Other goals are know my role and excel at it, be a presence in the dugout and locker room, keep the atmosphere that we had last year going throughout this year. SS: What is your major, and what are your career goals going forward? (How does baseball fit into that equation?) CC: I'm a psychology major and am looking for a career where I can manage and develop people. Baseball fits into the equation because it has taught me to be adaptable and has motivated me to keep getting better because no matter how good you are at your job there is always going to be someone better. Having that mentality will push me to excel in a career outside of baseball Thank you very much to senior right-handed pitcher Cody Campbell for taking time to respond to our questions. Best wishes on a healthy and successful senior season. GOPHER NOTES The Gophers opened their 2017 season by traveling to play UC-Irvine. There was a three-way split. Weather won on Friday night washhing out the first contest. On Saturday, the Gophers won 9-8. On Sunday afternoon, the Gophers fell 7-5. Luke Pettersen led the offense. In the first game, he was 4-4 with a sacrifice bunt. On Sunday, he went 4-5. Going 8-9 on the first weekend is a good way to start the season. Pettersen is a junior second baseman. You will recall that his brother, AJ Pettersen, played for the Gophers and then spent four seasons in the Twins minor league system. AJ is about to begin his third season as the head coach of the Chanhassen baseball program.Junior third baseman Micah Coffey batted cleanup in both games. He went 5-10 with two doubles and a triple.The lone Gophers home run last weekend came off of the bat of sophomore DH Eduardo Estrada. The 2015 Litchfield graduate was the top prospect in the state of Minnesota following his senior season.Friday night starter (who started Saturday because of the rain out) Lucas Gilbreath is a junior from Colorado. He struggled in his season debut. The left-hander gave up five earned runs in just three innings. Last year, he gave up five earned runs in 33 innings (struck out 46). He is touted as one to watch at draft time despite the fact that last Saturday was just his second career start.Two freshmen made their college debuts in the Sunday afternoon game. Brett Schulze, from Maple Grove, came on in relief and worked four innings. He gave up one run on three hits and three walks, and he struck out three. Later in the game, catcher Eli Wilson entered the game. He walked in his only plate appearance. Wilson is from Seattle and is the son of former Gophers All-American and Mariners great Dan Wilson.On Friday night, the Gophers will play Seattle University. The weekend series marks their first games in US Bank Stadium.Twins catching prospect Brian Olson is a graduate of Seattle University.The teams will play on Friday at 6:30, Saturday at 6:00 and Sunday afternoon at 1:00. Admission to US Bank Stadium is $11 for adults, and $8 for children. Students with a valid student ID can get one free ticket.The Gophers next 13 games will be at US Bank Stadium.Looking ahead, the Gophers will take on North Dakota State University next Tuesday (Feb 28) as well.Also, on Saturday, Concordia College (Moorhead) will play a doubleheader against Jamestown University at US Bank Stadium. You could spend a full day in the new stadium watching some quality college baseball.Feel free to discuss the Q&A and chat about the Gophers in the comments below. Click here to view the article