Inspired by ill coach, Minnesota returns to Big Ten tourney
Published 8:34 am Wednesday, May 25, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota has returned to the Big Ten baseball tournament after an embarrassing one-year absence for the proud program, toting the regular-season title and the top seed that comes with it.
Riding the multiple talents of Big Ten Player of the Year award winner Matt Fiedler, the sage and steady guidance of coach John Anderson and the positive vibes of a determined and galvanized team, the Gophers have plenty of momentum for the postseason.
They have even more motivation, in its most somber form.
“It’s been a super-emotional couple of years,” Fielder said.
That’s because long-time pitching coach Todd Oakes, who has fought leukemia since 2012, was placed last week in home hospice care with further treatment no longer a viable option.
“It’s taken up a lot of energy,” Anderson said, as voice wavered and his eyes welled with tears, “but it should when you care about somebody as much as you do.”
Before the team left for Omaha, Nebraska, where the double-elimination draw is being played, Anderson visited the Oakes home with the conference trophy the Gophers earned for finishing in the first place. He left it at the house for Oakes and his family.
“That’s where it belongs,” Anderson said. “The kids wanted it there.”
Oakes has held the role in his home state since the 1999 season. He’s seen 26 of his pitcher pupils drafted by major league teams, including three-time All-Star Glen Perkins with the Twins.
“Everyone has him in their thoughts and prayers,” Fiedler said, “and we just hope he’s at peace.”
The Gophers (34-18) will face No. 8 seed Iowa in the first round Wednesday at TD Ameritrade Park, the site of the College World Series in case they needed any more incentive.
The other openers Wednesday in the double-elimination draw are No. 3 Indiana against No. 6 Maryland, No. 2 Nebraska against No. 7 Michigan State, and No. 4 Ohio State against No. 5 Michigan. Every team will play again Thursday. After the bracket is whittled down over the weekend, the championship game will be played Sunday afternoon.
Though the Gophers could certainly reach the NCAA tournament without the automatic bid, they’d rather not leave their status in the hands of the selection committee. The power conferences to the west and the south that consistently dominate the sport will fill most of the at-large spots, of course.
“I don’t think anybody can say they’re in in this part of the country,” said Anderson, who received the Big Ten Coach of the Year award for the sixth time in 35 seasons with the Gophers.
They’re right on track, though, after an uncharacteristic 21-30 finish in 2015.
“Everyone believed in this team from day one. To say that I’m surprised, that would be a lie, because I’m not. I knew that we could do this,” said Dalton Sawyer, the No. 2 starter behind Fiedler, who’s 7-2 with a 3.67 ERA and batting .383 for the third-best average in the conference with seven homers and 13 steals.
The Gophers haven’t won the regular-season title or conference tournament since 2010, the last time they’ve had a team this talented, according to Anderson. The old coach saw the signs of a special group in February, when an 8-7 loss to Oregon State in Arizona triggered a wave of frustration among the players and a quiet flight home.
“When the chemistry and the culture is off the charts,” Anderson said, “that helps you a little bit more.”