After dropping six of their last seven games, Gophers baseball had an opportunity to get back on track with a pair of midweek non-conference opponents.
With an eventual 1-1 split against South Dakota State and St. Thomas the Gophers move to 12-27 on the season.

Slow start costs Gophers against South Dakota State 12-6

On a cold sub-40 degree spring afternoon, LHP Jack Liffrig started on the mound for the Gophers Tuesday. After four productive outings in a row, allowing one earned run or less, Liffrig was not able to find the same success against the Jackrabbits.

He left the top of the third inning allowing seven hits, seven earned runs and recorded only three strikeouts. SDSU took a commanding 10-0 lead after three innings of play.

Minnesota responded in the fourth inning. An RBI double from Ronald Sweeny and a two-run single from Brett Batmean, the lead was cut to 10-3.

Once again the Gophers’ offense caught fire, adding three more runs in the sixth inning. Led by another Bateman RBI, it was an 11-6 ballgame.

It was too little too late for the Maroon & Gold and South Dakota State ultimately left with a 12-6 victory.

Offensive explosion puts Gophers over St. Thomas 9-0

RHP Richie Holetz started on the mound Wednesday for the Gophers. The RHP came to play with four lights-out innings of work, allowing only one hit and zero earned runs while striking out six.

Minnesota’s run support came early and often with all nine of its runs coming in the first three innings.

Brett Bateman and Boston Merila led the way with a team-high three hits. Brady Counsell was the only one-two record multiple RBI, coming on a two-run double in the third inning.

The 9-0 victory over St. Thomas was the Gophers’ first shutout win of the season.
The Gophers will now look ahead to a three-game weekend series in East Lansing, Michigan against the Spartans of Michigan State.

Arkansas transfer forward Destinee Oberg announced that she will be coming home and committed to the Gophers Monday.

“You’ve watched me grow up. Supporting me even on my worst days. Yet the standard never changed, which is to give it my all. Representing you has always been an honor, doing that in my backyard only makes it that much more special. I’m coming home,” she said on Twitter Monday.

A Burnsville, Minnesota native and former Holy Angels Academy standout, recruiting service Prospects Nation rated Oberg as a 4.5-star prospect. She was the No. 6 post player and No. 38 overall recruit in the country coming out of high school in 2019

Oberg, a 6-foot-3 forward played in 39 career games for the Razorbacks in three seasons, averaging 1.1 points per game.

She is currently the only player with more than one season of college experience on the Gophers roster. She joins three returning players Katie Borowicz, Alanna Micheaux and Maggie Czinano along with four incoming freshmen and the No. 10 recruiting class in the country according to ESPN.

Head coach Lindsay Whalen and the Gophers will likely continue to be active in the transfer portal this offseason.

In its third Big Ten series of the season Minnesota had an opportunity to get some momentum against its rival Iowa. The Gophers continued to struggle offensively, getting outscored 20-7 in three consecutive losses.

Second inning explosion puts Hawkeyes over Gophers 9-3

Sam Ireland started on the mound for Minnesota Friday. In his ninth outing of the season, the junior RHP received some run support in the first inning.

A two-run double from catcher Chase Stanke gave the Gophers an early 2-0 lead.

Iowa responded in the first inning with a two-run home run of its own, and the Gophers trailed the rest of the way. A four-run explosion in the second inning gave the Hawkeyes an early 6-2 lead.

Ireland was pulled after four innings of work, allowing five hits, six earned runs and striking out two.

Minnesota added one more run in the sixth inning, but three more from Iowa resulted in a 9-3 ball game.

Gophers fall short 2-1 in pitching duel

Senior J.P. Massey was tasked with starting a pitcher for the Gophers in game No. 2.

Senior Chase Stanke opened the game offensively in the second inning with a solo home run, giving Minnesota an early 1-0 lead.

Iowa finally got on the board in the fifth inning adding two runs and took over the lead, forcing Minnesota to pull Massey off the mound.

Massey finished the game with 4.2 innings pitched, striking out six, allowing two earned runs and five hits.

The Gophers were not able to drive in any more runs, falling 2-1.

Late game surge leads to third straight blow Gophers lead 9-3

Minnesota’s offense got started early Sunday in the series finale. One run in each of the first three innings resulted in a 3-0 lead.

RBI from Jack Kelly, Andrew Wilhite and Drew Stahl was enough to give the Gophers a spark.

Thanks to a terrific outing from RHP Aidan Maldanado, Minnesota was able to carry its lead through six innings.

Maldanado’s day finished with 5.1 innings pitched, nine strikeouts, zero earned runs and only two hits allowed.

Right when things were looking up for the Gophers, Iowa scored eight in the seventh inning followed by one more run in the eighth. Minnesota lost 9-3.

The Gophers will look to get back on track with another midweek home matchup against St. Thomas on Tuesday and a weekend series at Siebert Field against Penn State.

An eighth inning RBI double from redshirt-senior Jack Kelly was the difference in Minnesota earning a 2-1 victory over in-state opponent St. Thomas.

On a rainy sub-45 degree day at Siebert Field, head coach John Anderson decided to deploy LHP Jack Liffrig as the Gophers starting pitcher.

The decision seemed to pay off, as Tuesday was one of Liffirg’s best outings of the season.

One run in the second inning was all the Tommies coust muster at the plate. Liffrig’s four innings pitched is his second longest outing this season. Only allowing two hits, one earned run and walking none set the Gophers up for success.

St. Thomas RHP Duke Coborn had a day of his own, allowing the Gophers to get only two hits all game. His three strikeouts through seven innings made it tough on Minnesota’s offense.

An RBI single in the seventh inning from redshirt-sophomore Kyle Bork got the party started for Minnesota’s offense.

Jack Kelly found himself starting at third base, but his big play at the plate helped Minnesota take home the victory. An eighth inning RBI double scored CF Brett Bateman giving the Gophers a 2-1 lead.

Solid relief pitching from Trent Schoeberl, Tucker Novotny and Will Semb helped the Gophers stave off the Tommies and pick up their tenth win of the season.

Minnesota now looks ahead to a weekend Big Ten series in Iowa City, Iowa against the Hawkeyes, who carry a 3-3 conference record into the matchup.

Minnesota’s running back depth chart took a hit Friday when Bucky Irving announced that he will be entering the NCAA transfer portal.

“I want to thank my coaches,teammates and the University Of Minnesota, I have entered the transfer portal – Bucky Irving TRUST,” Irving said on Twitter Friday.

Irving was a highly touted recruit in the 2021 recruiting class, rated as No. 23 RB in the country and No. 348 overall player according to 247sports.

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois Irving lived up to his high billing as a true freshman last season. He totaled 699 yards on the ground and four touchdowns, along with eight catches for 73 yards through the air.

The Gophers will now lean on veteran trio Mohamed Ibrahim, Trey Potts and Bryce Williams at the running back position. Irving’s departure opens the door for true freshman Zach Evans to also earn playing time at the position.

Minnesota opened Big Ten conference play with a weekend road series against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights had their way, defeating the Gophers in three straight games.

Gophers comeback attempt comes up short

Junior RHP Sam Ireland started on the mound for the Gophers. He compiled six strikeouts in five innings pitched, but three earned runs in the first two innings put them in a tough hole to climb out of.

A two-run home run from redshirt senior Jack Kelly in the sixth inning brought Minnesota within one run, but Rutgers responded, extending its lead to 6-2 by the end of the seventh inning.

RBI doubles from Kelly and Otto Grimm in the eighth inning gave the Gophers one last chance, but Rutgers ultimately ended on top 6-4.

Rutgers’ offensive explosion too much for Minnesota

In the first leg of a double-header Saturday, RHP J.P. Massey started on the mound for Minnesota. In 3.1 innings of work he allowed five hits and six runs, while striking out five batters.

An offensive outburst in the fourth inning saw Rutgers grow its lead to 9-0.

Minnesota got on the board at last in the sixth inning, thanks to a Chase Stanke RBI single. Then a Brady Counsell home run in the eighth inning narrowed Rutgers’ lead to 11-2.

The Scarlet Knights’ fast start was too much for the Gophers, who fell 11-2.

Minnesota’s offense struggles to find rhythm

An early two-run home run from Andrew Wilhite in the third inning gave the Gophers their first a 2-1 lead, their first and only of the weekend series.

Redshirt junior RHP Aidan Maldonado started for the Gophers. He pitched 3.2 innings, allowing eight hits and seven earned runs.

The Gophers were not able to get any offense going after Wilhite’s early home run. Rutgers finished the game scoring eight unanswered runs and took down Minnesota 9-2.

Minnesota now moves to 8-18 on the season and will host North Dakota State on Tuesday, before a home weekend series against Maryland.

Only one day after the leading scorer Sara Scalia entered the transfer portal, sophomore guard Alexia Smith joined her, becoming the sixth Gophers player to do so this season.

Smith, a Columbus, Ohio native came to Minnesota as a five-star prospect and was ranked by ESPN as the No. 46 player in the class of 2020.

As a freshman last season, Smith was thrust into a major role averaging 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12 total starts. This season, she was a reserve averaging 3.4 points in only 16.2 minutes per game.

With Smith’s departure, the Gophers only have three players expected to return next season. Katie Borowicz, Alanna Micheaux and Magie Czinano will join the No. 10 ranked recruiting class in the country according to ESPN.

Minnesota women’s basketball’s all-time program leading scorer and current head coach Lindsay Whalen will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski.

Hailing from Hutchinson, Minn. Whalen became the Gophers’ all-time leading scorer with 2,285 points throughout her four-year career.

She led Minnesota to its first-ever Final Four appearance in 2004, marking one of three straight NCAA Tournament appearances for the Gophers, who had just been to one tournament before her arrival.

Her long professional career spanned more than 12 seasons, highlighted by four WNBA Championships with the Minnesota Lynx, five WNBA All-Star game appearances and two Olympic gold medals with Team USA.

After becoming the league’s all-time winningest player, Whalen returned to the University of Minnesota to become the head coach of the women’s basketball program in 2018.

Whalen just completed her fifth season as head coach of the Gophers in a storied basketball career.

The Gophers leading scorer (17.9 PPG) Sara Scalia announced Thursday that she will be entering the transfer portal, becoming the fifth Gophers player to do so since the start of the 2021-22 season.

Scalia, a Stillwater, Minn. native became a leader of Minnesota basketball averaging at 10 points per game in each of her three seasons with the program.

In 2021-22 she developed into a lethal three-point shooter making 41.3% from beyond the arc, adding 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest to a superb offensive campaign.

Veteran point guard Jasmine Powell and post player Klarke Sconiers entered the transfer portal during the season. Erin Hedman and Kadi Sissoko entered earlier this month. Now Scalia is the fifth Gophers player to leave the team since the start of the 2021-22 season.

Minnesota welcomes the No. 10 ranked recruiting class in the country, but it will now have to replace each of its top six scorers from this season’s team.

After her second season playing with Minnesota, redshirt junior forward Kadi Sissoko announced that she will be entering the transfer portal on her Instagram Tuesday.

Sissoko, originally from Paris, France, transferred to Minnesota from Syracuse following the 2018-19 season. After sitting out the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules at the time, she has been an integral part of the Gophers team since.

She averaged 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds last season, starting 19 of 20 games. This season she averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest in 27 starts.

Veteran point guard Jasmine Powell and post player Klarke Sconiers entered the transfer portal during the season. Sissoko now is the third Gophers player to leave the team since the start of the 2021-22 season.

The Gophers 2021-22 campaign officially ended Sunday with a second-round loss in the WNIT. With the No. 10 ranked in-coming recruiting class according to ESPN, newly-extended head coach Lindsay Whalen will have a new-look team next season.