Gophers baseball 2023 season preview interviews with Anderson, Bateman, Merila, + Klassen

The Gophers baseball team opens the 2023 season on Feb. 17 against UC-Santa Barbara in Surprise, Ariz. The Gophers will also play Oregon State and New Mexico on the trip. 

The Gophers also will play powerhouses Ole Miss (defending national champs) and Vanderbilt at U.S. Bank Stadium in early March part of a stacked non-conference schedule.

The Gophers have their first game scheduled at Siebert Field for Fri. Mar. 24, weather permitting, vs. Creighton.

KSTP Sports attended a recent Gophers practice and spoke with coach John Anderson, CF Brett Bateman, INF Boston Merila, and SP George Klassen.

***Click the video box above to watch those interviews and footage from practice***

The Gophers will play 32 non-conference games and a full 24-game Big Ten schedule.

The 2023 campaign will represent Anderson’s 42nd year as head coach, 49th overall with the program. With 1,347 wins in hand entering the year, Anderson is already the winningest coach in Big Ten history and ranks second in victories among active Division I head baseball coaches.

Anderson is entering the final year of his contract, out to prove that the recent down years can be fixed.

Klassen is the Gophers’ top-ranked MLB Draft prospect, having hit 102 mph on the radar gun in the fall.