Gophers baseball and newly appointed head coach Ty McDevitt started the season with some emphatic wins.
After their first six games, Gophers baseball sits 2-4. In their two wins, they have outscored their opponents 24-7, while losing by a combined score of 19-13 in their four losses.
Wasting no time, the Gophers scored four runs in the first inning against the University of Houston Feb. 14, not giving up their lead the rest of the night. Leading the offense for Minnesota were juniors Drew Berkland, Kris Hokenson and Weber Neels.
Sophomore Cole Selvig started on the mound for the Gophers, earning six strikeouts in six innings. Picking up right where his teammate left off, junior Joe Sperry entered in the seventh inning and ended the night with four strikeouts.
After the win, McDevitt said the pitching is what got them started against the Cougars.
“Obviously there is a lot of emotion around opening day, and we got to a good pitcher early,” McDevitt said. “I think that set the tone for the rest of the night.”
Ultimately, the Gophers walked away with a loss from their first series of the season, falling short Saturday and Sunday night to Houston.
Sophomore Kyle Remington started slow on the mound Saturday night, and the Cougars struck first.
Berkland led the offense Saturday and Sunday night with a two-run home run on Saturday and a three-run home run on Sunday.
After back-to-back losses against Houston, the Gophers headed to Texas for the Karbach Round Rock Classic on Feb. 21. Their first matchup came against the University of Oklahoma, then they faced the University of Virginia and Oregon State University.
Selvig started the Round Rock Classic for the Gophers, but it was Oklahoma’s Kyson Witherspoon who finished Friday night with a win. Minnesota got within one run in the bottom of the eighth, but the Sooners took the win 3-2.
The pattern continued Saturday night against No. 2 ranked Virginia, ending in another loss, 4-2.
To turn the weekend around, the Gopher dominance returned on Sunday afternoon where they upset No. 7 Oregon State, 10-4.
Freshman Jameson Martin and redshirt senior Josh Fitzgerald led the Gopher’s offense with three RBIs each.
Martin tallied his first career home run, playing a crucial role in the win over the Beavers.
McDevitt had high praise for the freshman in a Saturday press conference.
“He’s just another guy that exemplifies what we are doing in our program, he can take bases, he’s a super cerebral baseball player, and he’s got a motor for days, so it was fun to see him get one,” McDevitt said.
As the only freshman to start against Oregon State, Martin was excited and nervous.
“Really fun, nerves are definitely there,” Martin said. “Such a great group of guys that help a ton — who have a lot of experience. Trusting what I’ve done and putting it out there.”
Minnesota picked up multiple season highs on offense, including 10 hits and three home runs in their win against Oregon State.
“I think you’re just seeing that starting piece in motion right now with what this group is capable of,” McDevitt said.
The Gophers will face Arizona State University next in a game series starting on Feb. 28.
