Knudson earns his starring role for U

Kyle Knudson was a sophomore in 2008 when the Gophers' coaching staff gave him the first shot to be the starting catcher. The thought was Knudson could provide more hitting than senior Jeff DeSmidt.

"I was hitting about a buck-80 [.180] and they switched to Jeff as the No. 1 catcher," Knudson said.

How did the young man from Maple Grove respond? Knudson gazed from a pre-practice seat in a Metrodome dugout and said: "I remember a saying, 'If you want to play more, play better.'"

This was the attitude you would expect from the son of a career Army officer. Ole Knudson grew up in Rothsay, Minn., and received an appointment to West Point. And he had a valid reason for missing Kyle's Senior Day on Sunday at the Dome:

Col. Knudson is stationed in Kabul, where his specialty is the rebuilding of infrastructure in Afghanistan.

The colonel was home on March 27 when the Gophers played Louisiana Tech in the first game at Target Field. That was a unique experience -- and the 9-1 loss was indicative of the Minnesota season to that point.

The Gophers were 9-16 upon departure to Purdue to open the Big Ten season. They lost 3-2 in 10 innings on Friday in that series.

Knudson recalled the scene: "After the loss, '14' [coach John Anderson] said, 'We have a decision to make here. We can keep playing the way we are, or we can start playing the way we're capable.' That seemed to sink in with the veterans, and with the younger guys."

The Gophers pounded Purdue 14-5 on Saturday and rallied for a 9-7 victory on Sunday. It was a weekend that allowed the Gophers to regain respectability.

They were 2-4 in the next two series, then faced Indiana and its sophomore slugger, Alex Dickerson, in the Dome. The Gophers won 2-of-3, the first of four consecutive series victories that have them at 13-8 and in first place as they head to Ohio State to end the regular season.

The bad news is the Big Ten is a balanced mess and only the winner of the conference tournament figures to make the NCAA field. The tournament starts next Wednesday, also in Columbus.

"What's important is to get the No. 1 [or No. 2] seed, so you have a bye," Knudson said. "If you avoid playing Wednesday, you have your No. 1 starter against the other team's No. 2 on Thursday."

The Gophers have gone with Seth Rosin, T.J. Oakes and Phil Isaksson as the 1-2-3 starters in recent weekends. Scott Matyas and Billy Soule have been the main relievers. Anderson gives his senior credit for helping to settle the pitching staff.

"To me, Kyle's the best catcher in the conference," Anderson said. "He's a very good receiver, throws well, and is outstanding at calling a game. I'm sure there's a team that's going to give Kyle a chance.

"The only question with Kyle and how he will do in the pros will be, 'Can he adjust to the wooden bat?' That's the only thing that could hold him back."

The metal bat was kind to Knudson last Sunday on Senior Day. He went 5-for-5 and was a double shy of a cycle against Penn State. That put him at .328 with five home runs and 37 RBI in 189 at bats.

It has been a productive season for a player who lowered into a catcher's crouch late last summer and couldn't raise himself out of it. He was diagnosed with an labrum problem in both hips. He underwent surgery on one hip in October and the other in November.

"The doctor promised that I would be back catching early in the season," Knudson said. "If he hadn't said that, we wouldn't have done the surgery. I would've taken some painkillers and caught this season.

"The surgeries turned out great. I was catching three weeks into the schedule. There hasn't been a problem all season. My legs feel great."

He shrugged and said, "Maybe I can prolong my catching career."

Kyle meant beyond college, which would be fine with Col. Ole Knudson, U.S. Army, now occupied with duties in Afghanistan rather than watching his son's effort to lead the Gophers' long-shot toward the NCAA tournament.

Patrick Reusse can be heard noon-4 weekdays on AM-1500 KSTP. • preusse@startribune.com