The Gophers baseball team will open its Big Ten Conference season with a three-game series at Nebraska, the defending league champion. The first game is 4 p.m. Friday in Lincoln.

Minnesota (14-8) is 17th among Division I teams with a .307 batting average and ninth in hits with 238. Shortstop Terrin Vavra is third among Big Ten players with a .414 average, and freshman reliever Max Meyer is first with five saves.

Nebraska (11-9) is 8-2 in its past 10 games vs. the Gophers.

• Third baseman Micah Coffey of the Gophers was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, which will honor one player for excellence in community, classroom, character and competition.

U softball at Wildcats

The Gophers softball team also opens its Big Ten season, facing Northwestern this weekend in Evanston, Ill. The series opener is 3 p.m. Friday.

Minnesota (17-11), the defending conference champion, is coming off a doubleheader sweep of New Mexico State, 7-0 and 15-5, on Sunday in Las Cruces, N.M.

"[The second game] was our most complete offensive game of the year," first-year Gophers coach Jamie Trachsel said, "and it was a good way to end spring break."

The Wildcats (17-8) are on an eight-game winning streak. Northwestern was 0-4 vs. Minnesota last season.

Calvo renews contract

Captain Francisco Calvo and Minnesota United have agreed on a new deal, keeping him with the Loons through 2020 with options to extend it through 2022, the MLS team announced Thursday.

"It's a privilege for me to renew my contract with Minnesota," the defender said. "First, I'm grateful to God for this opportunity, to leadership for trusting in me for several more years and, of course, to Adrian Heath and his coaching staff."

During his first season with the club, Calvo, 25, started 27 matches. In 2018, he has once again anchored the back line in two wins through three matches.

Five top goalies

Five players were named finalists for the Mike Richter Award, which honors the top goalie in college hockey.

They are Cale Morris of Notre Dame, the Big Ten player of the year; Tanner Jaillet of Denver, the repeat NCHC goalie of the year; Matthew Galajda of Cornell; Colton Point of Colgate and Cayden Primeau of Northeastern.

The winner will be named April 6 during the Frozen Four at the Xcel Energy Center.

Etc.

• Senior guard Carlie Wagner and junior guard Kenisha Bell of the Gophers were each named all-region nominees for the 2018 Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division I All-America team. That 10-member All-America team will be named Thursday.

• Concordia (St. Paul) righthander Josh Gaworski was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's national pitcher of the week after throwing a no-hitter in a 15-0 win over Minnesota Crookston on Sunday. The ex-Mounds View High School pitcher struck out 14.

• The Connecticut Sun of the WNBA signed 5-7 guard Jessica January to a training camp contract. She played for Richfield High School and DePaul. The Sun drafted her last year in the third round but waived her in mid-May.