As the college baseball season slowly creeps toward spring, Minnesota will continue to play its home games at an NFL stadium through the end of the month due to weather. It creates one of the weirdest atmospheres in the country in any sport.
Purdue’s most recent win took full advantage of the unusual setup with a monster grand slam!
Even though college baseball is considered a “spring” sport, the first few weeks take place during the months of February and March. Temperatures in Minneapolis are not expected to exceed 50º for three consecutive days until the last week of the third month of the year. And it just so happens to be the same week when the Golden Gophers are scheduled to return to Siebert Field. They will play every home game at their on-campus stadium from March 28 on.
In the meantime, Minnesota scheduled its first 10 “home” games to be played at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. It is a unique configuration where home plate is dropped down in one of the end zones.
Dimensions are as follow:
- Left field: 328 feet
- Left-center field: 375 feet
- Center field: 400 feet
- Right-center field: 350 feet
- Right field: 300 feet
It’s weird but it works! This has been a thing for the last few seasons so the Gophers are more than comfortable with their unusual arrangement. However, the Boilermakers were also quick to adjust.
Purdue (which might be a baseball school this year?!) beat Minnesota 6-3 in Game 1 on Friday. It set up for a sweep with a 11-6 win on Saturday. I am going to speak only about the latter but the result ultimately does not matter in the telling of this story. Win, lose or otherwise, the focus here is on the field.
Here’s a good look at the setup:
Today I join @burkegranger, @JoeHealyD1 , @ShotgunSprD1 & @Stitch_Head on the Big Ten beat, coming to you live from US Bank Stadium
Stitch, you better hop in your private jet, snow will be gone soon@GopherBaseball x @PurdueBaseball coming up pic.twitter.com/LaNMxzcrLz
— Patrick Ebert (@PatrickEbert44) March 8, 2025
The Gophers jumped out to a one-run lead during the sixth inning. The Boilermakers avoided more trouble with a throw-em-out-strike-em-out (pickoff move and strikeout) to close out the bottom half. Although that sequence would not normally be newsworthy, it is the exact kind of thing that super weird to watch unfold on a football field.
Pickoff & Strikeout for @EnasHayden as he gives the Boilers 3 outs after the Gophers retook the lead on a 2-run HR prior to the pitching change. #BoilerUp
End 6th: Minnesota 6, #Purdue 5
Live Stats: https://t.co/rhYGSL3IkH pic.twitter.com/uuOEEqSOXP— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) March 9, 2025
That leads us to the headline. Purdue went on to win the game behind a monster grand slam in the seventh. 6-foot-2, 210-pound slugger Aaron Manias (who has 13+ RBIs in the last seven days) skied one past the short-ish porch in right-center field for four runs on one swing.
Over the big faux wall & far away. @Manias_Aaron connects with the sacks packed for #Purdue‘s 3rd slam of the season. #BoilerUp 🚂
13 RBI & counting this week for Manias!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CnoHUrJJ1R
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) March 9, 2025
Again, this is not at all about the score. It is only about the field. Manias crushed a 2-1 pitch over the faux wall, for which I have yet to come up with a good name.
What started as a pitcher’s duel has turned into a back-and-forth slug fest, @PurdueBaseball’s Aaron Manias with the latest blast, a sky high shot that cleared the shortish porch in RCF for a grand slam
9-6 Purdue heading B7 pic.twitter.com/4epGIG4Qfd
— Patrick Ebert (@PatrickEbert44) March 9, 2025
Purple Monster is lame. Perhaps we can refer to the fence as the Gophers Guardrail? Otherwise, I’ve got nothing. Let me know if you have a better idea.
Whatever we want to call it, Purdue won Game 2 of a three-game series against Minnesota because of a grand salami that went more than 360 feet down the sideline of the Vikings’ NFL stadium. How can you not be romantic about college baseball?!
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