Feb. 27, 2014

LAST WEEKEND
• Minnesota went 1-2 in a neutral-site home series against Creighton at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla. The Gophers won the first game 10-5, but lost 11-4 and 8-0 in the next two.
• Bobby Juan hit the Gophers’ first home run of the season, a solo shot in Saturday’s loss. It was Juan’s first homer since May 6, 2012 against Penn State.
• Minnesota had nine hits in the first game and 10 hits in the second, but only four in the third, three of which were triples.
• Minnesota had nine hits in the first game and 10 hits in the second, but only four in the third, three of which were doubles.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
• Louisiana Tech holds a 2-5 record entering this weekend’s series.
• The Bulldogs lost a game 11-2 against  Arkansas-Little Rock on Wednesday after going 1-2 in a series against Tulane.
• Two Bulldog hitters are batting over .400 right now. Infielder Tyler Ervine is 11-for-24 (.458) and outfielder Colby Johnson is 9-for-21 (.429).
• Right-hander Richie Navari has started two games, going 14.0 innings overall with a 1.29 ERA. He pitched a complete game win in the Sunday game against Tulane. In his starts, Navari has held opposing batters to a .120 average.

GOPHERS VS. BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs won their last series against Minnesota 2-1 in Minneapolis. The second game of the series was played at Target Field, the first time the new facility was open to the public. 

CLOSE, BUT NO CYCLE
Two Gophers have fallen one category short of hitting for the cycle this season. Mark Tatera went 4-for-5 with a single, double and triple in the last game of the Northern Illinois series. In the second game of the Creighton series, Bobby Juan hit a single, double and home run. 

SOLID CORE
In the early stages of the season, Minnesota has fielded a different lineup in every game so far. The only two players who have started all six games at the same position are the middle infielders, second baseman Connor Schaefbauer and shortstop Michael Handel. 

MR. UTILITY
Redshirt junior Mark Tatera is the only Gopher listed on the roster as a “utility” player, and that has proven true early in the season. Tatera has started games at three different positions: first base (one game), third base (three games) and catcher (one game). 

TWO-WAY PLAYERS
Freshmen Matt Fiedler and Tyler Hanson were recruited by the Gophers to be both pitchers and position players. Both made their collegiate debuts during the Northern Illinois series. Fiedler has played third base and pitched in relief. Hanson has been a first baseman and designated hitter and pitched in relief. Both Fiedler and Hanson earned wins in their first appearances. 

FRESH FACES CONTRIBUTE
Nine Gophers (five true freshmen, three redshirt freshmen and a new junior) have made their collegiate debuts in the first two weekends of the season. The true and redshirt freshmen have combined for a .356 (16-for-45) batting average, nine runs, eight RBI and two wins and a save on the mound.