Oregon State cruised in their regional match ups and now move on to the Super Regionals to face one of the hottest teams in the country. Minnesota (44-13, 18-4 Big 10) has won 12 straight contests.
To learn more about the Gophers, we caught up with EJ Stevens of TheGopherReport.com on the Rivals network for a Q&A.
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1. The Minnesota baseball team has been pretty good from an outsiders perspective the past few seasons. Was this their year to make the Super Regionals or was this more of a surprise?
In John Anderson's 37th season as the manager, the team has never been to Super Regionals before. This team just seemed like it had the right mix of young talent and experience, and it has all come together to result in perhaps Anderson's best team overall. After winning the Big Ten regular season title in 2016, the team took a step back last year in a solid, but not spectacular 36-21 regular season that left them short of the postseason. One of the biggest keys to the season has been the addition of two freshmen pitchers, starter Patrick Fredrickson (9-0, 1.76 ERA) and reliever Max Meyer (2-2, 1.34 ERA, 16 saves). Player development has been key as well, as the Gophers returned eight everyday starters from last year's team. The starting lineup is very balanced from one through nine.
2. Who are the bats that Oregon State fans should be keeping an eye on and pose the biggest threat?
Shortstop Terrin Vavra is having a breakthrough season for the Gophers. After hitting .309 with two home runs last season, the junior is hitting .393 with a team leading ten home runs and 59 runs batted in this year. He has been sensational both in the field and at the plate. Vavra hits third in the order, just behind Ben Mezzenga, a junior outfielder who hits .378 while stealing 12 bases on the year, which is good for second on the team. Besides Vavra, the biggest home run hitter on the team is Cole McDevitt, a junior first basemen who has long balls to go along with 46 R.B.I.'s.
3. What should Oregon State fans watch for from the Minnesota starting pitching rotation and bullpen?
Freshman ace Patrick Fredrickson is a 6'6" 210 pound right-handed pitcher from Gig Harbor, Washington. John Anderson got him to come play his college baseball in the midwest and he has taken the Big Ten by storm. He is a perfect 9-0 on the season and opponents are hitting just .200 against the flame-throwing righty. He's logged 92 innings this season in 18 appearances (14 starts), which is good for second on the team. Fredrickson has typically been the Saturday starter while senior Reggie Meyer (8-3, 2.62 ERA) is the Friday guy and will most likely get the start in game one against the Beavers. Another right-hander, Meyer mixes his pitches really well to get hitters off-balance. He walked just 14 batters in his 103 innings this season. Out of the bullpen, the aforementioned Max Meyer and sophomore reliever Brett Schulze (9-0, 2.09 ERA) have been stellar. Schulze and Jackson Rose (5-1, 2.03 ERA) combined to throw six innings against UCLA on Sunday night, giving up just one run, striking out five and walking just one. This team has plenty of reliable arms when it comes to the bullpen.
4. What is your prediction for the series? How much of a chance do the Gophers have?
Both teams are red hot right now. The Gophers have won 12 straight games and 16 of their last 17 and Oregon State has won 12 of their last 15. Minnesota is the only Big Ten team to make the Super Regionals and the first since 2015 to do so. This is really a red-hot baseball team right now, and while they are facing a very talented Oregon State Beavers squad that has legitimate national title hopes, I think they find a way to take this one to three games. I can see the Beavers taking game one, the Gophers taking game two and Oregon State finding a way to edge out the Gophers on their home field to get back to the World Series. This should be a very exciting series to watch with great talent across the board.
