The Utes hope to have big league-caliber play in a big league-caliber stadium this weekend as they head to Minneapolis for the Dairy Queen Classic at the historic Metrodome. They’ll face Northern Illinois today, Minnesota on Saturday and Dartmouth on Sunday in the round-robin tournament.
Utah players are looking forward to the opportunity to play in the Metrodome, but for many Utes, this won’t be their first time playing in a Major League ballpark. AJ Young and TJ Bennett have both played at Chase Field — home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bennett said he is excited to play on perfectly manicured turf, but has other reasons to enjoy the experience as well.
“For me, it’s pretty cool,” Bennett said. “I know that’s where the Vikings play football too. I was a big Brett Favre fan when he was with the Vikings, and it’s kind of cool being in the same place as someone like him.”
Konnor Armijo had the opportunity to play at the Metrodome his junior year of high school. While he is looking forward to going back, he pointed out one major flaw in its design as a baseball venue.
“The whole ceiling is all white,” Armijo said. “When we played there, a lot of players were losing balls in the ceiling.”
As for Utah’s opponents, Northern Illinois has started the season 1-7, most recently losing three of four to Nevada last weekend. Minnesota is 4-3 after winning three of four against Western Michigan last weekend, and Dartmouth will be playing its first series of the season. The Big Green went 24-18 last year and earned a trip to the Ivy Championship Series.
“We’re playing very good teams,” said Utah head coach Bill Kinneberg. “We’ve played Minnesota countless times. They’re always very good. They’re the best or one of the best in the Big Ten each and every year.”
Kinneberg isn’t as familiar with Dartmouth’s personnel, though he anticipates the Big Green will have solid pitching. Although they know little about their opponents this weekend, the Utes will approach each game the same way they have all year. Kinneberg said this is the fastest roster he’s ever had at the U, and the team’s success will come from staying confident and being aggressive on the base paths.
“Our speed is tremendous right now,” Kinneberg said. “It’s fun to watch. We’ll try to do our thing. Scouting reports are good to have, but we’re not going to change anything.”