Sports Odd & Ends
There are approximately 100 African American and other student-athletes of color this school year at the University of Minnesota. In an occasional series throughout the school and sports year, the MSR will highlight many of these players. This week: Minnesota freshman pitcher-first baseman Gilbert Saunders III.
The 2023 Minnesota Gophers baseball team is now on its annual Western swing to start its season. It’s also Gilbert Saunders III’s first such trip as a collegiate.
A three-time MLB Dream Series participant, Saunders is a 2022 graduate of The Hill School in Pennsylvania. The Gilbertsville, Pa. native chose Minnesota from among a dozen schools that recruited him.
He told the MSR a couple of weeks before the team embarked for Arizona that he visited the campus last February and didn’t get scared off by the area’s legendary unpredictable winters. Coming to college wasn’t so shocking either, said the freshman pitcher-first baseman.
“I went to a boarding school, so I was lucky enough where that adjustment [to being away from home] wasn’t very dramatic to me,” noted Saunders, who showed he can hit .417 as a high school junior.
But now in college, “I got a big reality check right away,” he pointed out. “The first couple of scrimmages, I really, really, really struggled just trying to do too much. I was just stuck in my high school mentality of let me hit a home run and just trot around the bases. I wasn’t thinking of fundamental baseball.”
Minnesota Coach John Anderson pointed out that Saunders is indeed a long-term project, as he is learning how to play first base this year. “I think he’s got the potential to hit the ball out of the ballpark and be a force in the batter’s box,” said the veteran coach. “He’s been very coachable. He’s bought in and it’s a process.”
Saunders, a sports management major, loves school, his teammates and coaches. “Couldn’t be happier being here,” he said. “One of the biggest reasons I came here was the coaches just showed so much love and appreciation.” Classes are going well.
“I really enjoyed having Gilbert in our program,” said Anderson. “He’s got a big personality.”
