MINOT, ND – Minot High will be the #2-seed from the West at the Boys State Hockey Tournament this week.

 

 

State Qualifier
#4 Jamestown def. #6 Dickinson, 3-1
#3 Bismarck Century def. #5 Mandan, 3-1
Championship
#2 Bismarck Legacy def. #1 Minot High, 4-2

 

 

First Round (Thu 2/23)
(E1) Grand Forks Red River vs (W4) Jamestown, 12 pm
(W2) Minot High vs (E3) Fargo Davies, 2:30 pm
(W1) Bismarck Legacy vs (E4) West Fargo Sheyenne, 5:30 pm
(E2) Fargo South-Shanley vs (W3) Bismarck Century, 8 pm

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STATE WRESTLING

 

MINOT, ND – The State Wrestling Tournament concluded Saturday with the team dual tournament.

 

 

Team Dual State Tournament – Fargo Dome
First Round
(E1) West Fargo Sheyenne def. (W4) Minot High, 36-27
(W2) Bismarck High def. (E3) West Fargo, 48-13
(W1) Williston def. (E4) Grand Forks Central, 59-12
(W3) Bismarck Century def. (E2) Fargo Davies, 62-15

Loser Out
(W4) Minot High def. (E3) West Fargo, 46-30
(E2) Fargo Davies def. (E4) Grand Forks Central, 44-32
Semifinal
(W2) Bismarck High def. (E1) West Fargo Sheyenne, 51-15
(W3) Bismarck Century def. (W1) Williston, 36-22

5th Place
(W4) Minot High def. (E2) Fargo Davies, 48-18
3rd Place
(E1) West Fargo Sheyenne def. (W1) Williston, 42-26
Championship
(W2) Bismarck High def. (W3) Bismarck Century, 43-27

 

Bismarck High wins their fourth consecutive state dual title and 8 of the last 9.

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Team Dual State Tournament – Fargo Dome
First Round
#2 South Border def. Velva, 5-24
#3 New Salem-Almont def. Pembina County North, 51-22
#1 Lisbon def. Hettinger-Scranton, 50-24
#4 Central Cass def. #5 Northern Lights, 39-38

Consolation
Velva def. Pembina County North, 42-33
Hettinger-Scranton def. #5 Northern Lights, 42-39
Semifinal
#2 South Border def. #3 New Salem-Almont, 34-28
#1 Lisbon def. #4 Central Cass, 60-15

7th Place
Northern Lights def. Pembina County North, 46-30
5th Place
Velva def. Hettinger-Scranton, 47-25
3rd Place
#3 New Salem-Almont def. #4 Central Cass, 50-24
Championship
#1 Lisbon def. #2 South Border, 47-23

 

Lisbon wins their fifth consecutive state dual championship.

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Team Dual State Tournament – Fargo Dome
First Round
(E1) Central Cass def. (W4) Bismarck Century, 54-24
(W2) Bismarck Legacy def. (E3) Fargo, 48-30
(W1) Minot High def. (E4) Grand Forks, 63-18
(W3) Bismarck def. (E2) Carrington, 57-16

Consolation
(E3) Fargo def. (W4) Bismarck Century, 46-33
(E2) Carrington def. (E4) Grand Forks, 42-36
Semifinal
(E1) Central Cass def. (W2) Bismarck Legacy, 51-30
(W3) Bismarck def. (W1) Minot High, 48-21

7th Place
(E4) Grand Forks def. (W4) Bismarck Century, 40-36
5th Place
(E3) Fargo def. (E2) Carrington, 45-28
3rd Place
(W1) Minot High def. (W2) Bismarck Legacy, 40-39
Championship
(W3) Bismarck def. (E1) Central Cass, 60-21

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MINOT, ND – Other scores from Saturday

 

 

Class A
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Turtle Mountain, 80-79
Jamestown def. Watford City, 73-51

 

Class B
#5 Shiloh Christian def. #1 Four Winds-Minnewaukan, 59-51
#4 Bishop Ryan def. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 61-56
#8 Beulah def. Beach, 70-53
Bottineau def. St. John, 72-60
Harvey-Wells County def. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich, 77-55
TGU def. Central McLean, 45-38
Flasher def. Max, 71-64
Berthold def. Ray, 61-55
Trenton def. Divide County, 52-51
Hazen def. Heart River, 81-64

 

 

Class A
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Turtle Mountain, 68-50
Jamestown def. Watford City, 77-39

 

High School Girls Hockey
Mandan def. Minot High, 4-3
Bismarck Century def. Devils Lake, 6-2
Williston def. Dickinson, 4-1
Fargo Davies def. Bismarck High-Legacy, 2-0

NAHL Hockey
St. Cloud Norsemen def. Minot Minotauros, 4-2
Bismarck Bobcats def. Austin Bruins, 4-3

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MINOT STATE MEN’S HOCKEY

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (MSU) – This time, the Beavers would not be denied. The last time Minot State visited in-state rival the University of Mary’s arena, a controversial call late spoiled the Beavers comeback and led to a Marauder victory. Saturday, Minot State battled back from a 4-2 deficit, tying it midway through the third then getting the game-winner in overtime from Brayden Pawluk for a 5-4 victory. The Beavers now take that momentum into a game Sunday evening at home against No. 8-ranked Jamestown. Puck drop at the Maysa Arena is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday on the road, the Beavers started strong as Drew Carter and Joey Moffatt each scored just 1 minute, 43 seconds apart for a 2-0 Minot State lead in the first period. From there, it was all Marauders for the next period and a half as host Mary scored four straight and held a 4-2 edge early in the third period. Undaunted, the Beavers battled back as Moffatt scored his second of the night just 1:13 after the Marauders forged that 4-2 advantage. Davis Sheldon then tied it with 10:22 left in regulation, setting the stage for some late heroics provided by Pawluk, who finished off an assist from Moffatt for the overtime win. Jay Buchholz added two assists for Minot State, while Landyn Cochrane, Carter Barley, Christian Kadolph, Sheldin Howard, and Eric Soar also added an assist apiece in the win. Jake Anthony finished with 14 saves in goal in the win, as Minot State outshot Mary 54-18.

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MINOT STATE WOMEN’S HOCKEY

 

FREMONT, Neb. (MSU) – The Minot State women’s hockey team came up with a pair of third-period goals, charging hard, but fell 6-2 at No. 3 Midland on Saturday. The host and third-ranked Warriors scored three goals each in the first and second period for a comfortable 6-0 lead before the Beavers (20-9-1 overall) made their charge. Jordan Kulbida scored an unassisted, short-handed goal 10 seconds into the third to get Minot State on the board, then Mia Mckee closed the gap to the final 6-2 mark late in the third, scoring off a Makenna Beard assist. Haylie Biever and Jordan Ivanco teamed up for 30 saves on the day for Minot State, which will wraps up the regular season with another game at Midland on Sunday at noon.

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MINOT STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

 

ABERDEEN, S.D. (MSU) – The Minot State men’s basketball team hit 11-of-26 attempts from beyond the arc, shooting 42.3 percent from deep in a 74-71 loss to the Northern State Wolves on the road Saturday in NSIC play. The game was the season finale for both teams who now head to the NSIC Tournament. The Beavers will be the fifth seed from the North Division and play Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Southwest Minnesota State. The Beavers (10-16 overall, 7-15 NSIC) had two players score in double figures, led by Cam’ron Dunfee, who had 18 points. Khari Broadway tacked on 12 points and Jalen Cook added nine points. The Minot State offense was very productive from three-point land, pouring in 11 threes on 26 attempts. Jaxon Gunville was the most prolific shooter for the Beavers, draining three treys in the contest. The Minot State defense held Northern State shooters to just 40 percent from the field, including 29.6 percent from three-point range.

 

After falling behind 19-12, Minot State went on a 9-0 run with 12:59 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Ben Bohl, to take a 21-19 lead. The Beavers then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 38-33. Northern State kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 60-46 advantage before Minot State went on a 14-0 run, finished off by Cook’s three, to even the score at 60 all with 6:41 to go in the contest. The Beavers could not turn their rally into a victory, as the Wolves outscored them 14-11 the rest of the way to hand Minot State the 74-71 loss. Minot State shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting eight shots from deep to score 24 of its 38 points.

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MINOT STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

 

ABERDEEN, S.D. (MSU) – The Minot State women’s basketball team got a 19-point showing from the bench, but fell 90-54 to the Northern State Wolves on the road Saturday. The Beavers, who made a strong late-season charge at an NSIC Tournament berth, were eliminated from postseason contention with the loss. Kennedy Harris led the Beavers (12-16 overall, 8-14 NSIC) with 11 points and three steals. Natasha Elliott also tacked on eight points and 11 rebounds and Kate Head helped out with six points and four assists. Led by Elliott’s five offensive rebounds, Minot State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 16 boards that resulted in seven second-chance points. Minot State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 29-15 at the end of the first quarter. The Beavers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 41-26 halftime deficit. Minot State’s deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Beavers faced a 64-42 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Minot State’s bench made the most of its minutes in the period, as non-starters totaled seven of the team’s 16 third-quarter points. Minot State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 90-54. Minot State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down two three-point shots to account for six of its 12 points.

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL

 

WICHITA, Kansas (MSU) -The Minot State Beavers settled for a split at Newman on Saturday, falling 12-11 to a late comeback by the Jets before winning in a dominating 16-1 effort in the nightcap. The two teams wrap up their four-game series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

 

GAME 1 | Newman 12, Minot State 11

 

The Minot State Beavers fell 12-11 in an eight-inning matchup to the Newman Jets Saturday. Noah Balandran (0-1) came out of the bullpen for Minot State (4-2) and took the loss. Dalin Ludlow led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with a walk and two RBI. Javier Gutierrez furnished a noteworthy effort as well, going 1-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI. Matt Malone also contributed, going 1-for-2 for Minot State with three walks. The Beavers got the scoring started early, putting runs on the board in the top of the first inning. Minot State’s offense started clicking and put up six runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Ludlow. The Beavers then lost some of their lead, expanding on their advantage in the second inning after the Jets cut it to 6-1. Minot State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Mark Ossanna, which brought the Beavers lead to 7-1. Newman narrowed Minot State’s lead to 7-5 before the Beavers stretched the advantage to 8-5 in the third inning. The Beavers scored once on an RBI single off the bat of junior Derek Kay. Minot State kept the Jets without a run before building on their lead in the fifth inning. Shane Kary crossed home plate with the lone run of the inning for the Beavers, bringing the score to 9-5 in favor of Minot State. Newman fired back to tie the contest at nine before the Beavers reclaimed an 11-9 advantage in the eighth inning. Minot State plated two runs off of Newman pitching, punctuated by a run-scoring double off the bat of Gutierrez. The Beavers were unable to hold the lead, as Newman scored three times in the bottom half of the eighth to grab the 12-11 win.

 

GAME 2 | Minot State 16, Newman 1

 

Javier Gutierrez put together an outstanding performance at the plate Saturday, hitting two homers to help lead the Minot State Beavers past the Newman Jets 16-1. Bryant Bagshaw (2-0) got the win for Minot State (5-2 overall). The right-hander went six innings, giving up one run on one hit, allowing two walks and striking out six. Griffin Shearon also pitched well, going one shutout inning without allowing a hit, walking none and striking out three. Gutierrez went 3-for-3 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with six RBIs. Gunnar Kozlowitz added to Gutierrez’s awesome power-hitting performance by going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Derek Kay also helped out for the Beavers, going 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. The Beavers scored in six different innings on the way to victory. Minot State broke a scoreless tie and took the lead for good at 2-0 in the first inning on Gutierrez’s two-out, two-run home run.

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MINOT STATE SOFTBALL

 

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Sophomore Reegan Floyd and junior Gabi Dawyduk combined to toss a shutout on Saturday as the Minot State

Beavers blanked the Providence Argos, 8-0, Saturday in the MSU Bubble Invitational. Minot State fell 6-2 in the opener to visiting Montana State-Billings. The Beavers wrap up the weekend playing Carroll College on Sunday at 2 p.m., the third game of the day Sunday as action begins at 9 a.m.

 

Montana State-Billings 6, Minot State 2

 

The Minot State Beavers had a tough showing on Saturday, falling to the Montana State-Billings Yellowjackets by final score of 6-2. Freshman Kierra Fournier (1-2) got the ball to start for Minot State and took the loss. The right-hander went four innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits, allowing one walk and striking out three. At the plate, the Beavers were paced by junior Gabi Dawyduk, who went 1-for-1 on the day with a triple and an RBI. Junior Taryn Bennett furnished a noteworthy performance as well, going 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and an RBI. Senior Leo Watson also contributed for Minot State, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding a double. Trailing 6-0, the Beavers first put runs on the board in the sixth inning. Minot State put up two runs in the frame, highlighted by an RBI triple off the bat of Dawyduk. The Beavers were unable to get any closer, as neither team scored again in the ballgame.

 

Minot State 8, Providence 0, 6 inn.

 

Reegan Floyd (3-2) started and picked up the win for Minot State (7-5 overall), going five shutout innings while giving up three hits, walking two, and striking out four against Providence. Freshman Paige Kellogg led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 3-for-3 in the ballgame with a home run and four RBI. Junior Brooklyn Morrison put together a standout performance as well, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Junior Lexi Barduson also contributed, going 1-for-2 for Minot State with a double and a walk. The Beavers took the lead for good in the first, scoring for the first time in the inning. Minot State scored three times, picking up one on an RBI base knock off the bat of Dawyduk. The Beavers also added runs in the third, fourth, and sixth innings on the way to the 8-0 victory.

 

Bemidji State def. Providence, 8-2
Carroll College def. Montana State-Billing, 15-4
Bemidji State def. Carroll College, 8-0

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MINOT STATE TRACK & FIELD

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (MSU) – The Beavers turned in a pretty fine tune-up performance. Preparing for next weekend’s NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Minnesota State, Mankato on next Friday and Saturday, the Minot State teams turned in seven season-best performances and grabbed six event wins Saturday at the University of Mary’s Marauders Tune-Up. Nicole Reeves and Chloe Gunderson led the way, doubling up with wins in season-best performance fashion for the Beavers as Reeves won the women’s 1,000 meters in 3 minutes, 11.44 seconds, and Gunderson won the women’s shot put with a throw of 42 feet, 2 innings. Both were team season-best efforts. Gunderson also added a season-best in the weight throw, finishing second with a mark of 45-3.5, while jumper Kenzy Kellum also had season bests in two events, the long jump and the triple jump. Kellum was fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 32-8.5, and eighth in the long jump with a distance of 15-5 on Saturday.

 

On the men’s side, Nathan Trujillo-Aragon had a season-best performance in the 60-meter dash as he was fourth in 7.31 seconds, and Juan Gutierrez did the same in victorious fashion in the 800 meters with a season-best time of 1:59.06. Trujillo-Aragon also added one of the wins on the day, claiming victory in his signature event the 60-meter hurdles in 8.54. Adding wins on the day for the Minot State men were Devontae Daley in the 600 meters in 1:26.86, Peyton Tuhy in the 1,000 in 2:39.65, and Chase Snyder in the shot put with a throw of 52-3.25.

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UND MEN’S HOCKEY

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – Following a thrilling, overtime game on Friday night, North Dakota and No. 6 St. Cloud State skated to a 2-2 tie on Saturday night in the series finale from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. Despite dominating possession, zone time and seeing the shot counter tilted heavily towards the hosts, UND (13-13-5, 7-10-3 NCHC) could only muster two of its 30 shots past goaltender Jaxon Castor before the netminder stopped all three shots in the shootout to give the Huskies (18-9-3, 10-7-3 NCHC) a big second point in the NCHC standings. Moments after a failed major power play attempt by the hosts, Jackson Kunz put the Fighting Hawks in front, 1-0, on a rebound tally from Tyler Kleven shot just before the halfway point of the opening period. St. Cloud State answered back, scoring its fourth power play goal of the weekend with just 52 seconds remaining in the stanza to send the game to the intermission tied at 1-1. The Huskies didn’t wait long to grab their first lead coming out of the break, as Jami Krannila pounced on a loose puck in the slot and cashed in just prior to the whistle blowing to give the visitors the 2-1 advantage just 18 seconds into the middle stanza. North Dakota dominated the rest of the period, holding SCSU without a shot on goal and finishing with a 12-2 shot advantage, including a rocket off the post from Riese Gaber, but could not find the equalizer after 40 minutes of play. Gaber, who tallied a pair of goals last night, brought the game level for the second straight night with a power play strike from his usual office to give the junior his 19th goal of the season and third of the weekend with 16:32 to play in regulation. Neither side could break the deadlock in regulation or the 3-on-3 overtime session, as the contest officially ended in a 2-2 tie. SCSU’s Grant Cruikshank earned the Huskies the extra point in the shootout with the lone goal for either side in the three-round affair. North Dakota will hit the road for the final time in the regular season against Colorado College beginning Friday night at 8:30 p.m. (CT) from Ed Robson Arena.

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UND MEN’S BASKETBALL

 

KANSAS CITY (UND) – The North Dakota men’s basketball team got back in the win column on Saturday night with an 81-73 win at the Kansas City Roos, downing their Summit League opponent for the second time this season. Brady Danielson led the Hawks with a career high 20 points, including 11-13 from the foul line. B.J. Omot went 13-14 from the foul line as he poured in 19 points. Jalun Trent led the Hawks in rebounds with seven and in assists with three. Treysen Eaglestaff scored 15 points for the second game in a row, including 11 in the first half to lead the team at the break. Tsotne Tsartsidze scored 14 to reach double figures for the tenth straight game.

Early on points were hard to come by for the Hawks, who only had 12 midway through the first half. With 8:07 to go UND found themselves down 19-13, but from there the tables turned. Elijah Brooks started an 11-0 run with two free throws, then Tsartsidze made a jumper, Eaglestaff had back to back driving layups to take the lead and Brooks capped it off with a three point play. In the last 8-plus minutes the Hawks outscored the Roos 22-8 and took a 35-27 lead into the intermission. After making 11 straight threes to open the first game against Kansas City earlier this season, UND did not make their first three until the very end of the first half when Eaglestaff connected from deep. Overall UND shot 41.4% from the floor in the first half. Despite trailing for over 13 minutes to begin the game, the Hawks took the lead with 5:46 left in the half and did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game. While the Hawks would lead by double digits in the second half, the Roos would not go down easy. With 3:50 to go, a three pointer from the Roos made it a 67-66 game. With momentum swinging towards the hosts, UND needed to stop the run and Danielson gave UND breathing room with two foul shots. Kansas City came right back with another basket to draw within one but Omot followed with back-to-back three pointers and put UND up seven with 1:49 to go. The second proved to be the decisive basket as the Roos would not get any closer than four the rest of the way. North Dakota will return home for the final two games of the regular season this coming week as they host Western Illinois and St. Thomas this Thursday and Saturday.

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UND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – The University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks (17-9, 10-6 SL) delivered on senior night against the Kansas City Roos (7-20, 3-13 SL), 61-39. Claire Orth Led with 16 points and had 2 steals. Joli Daninger had 10 points and five rebounds. Juliet Gordon led with 14 rebounds and had eight points. Nakiyah Hurst led with four steals. Tara Bieniewicz had a UND career high of six points, that included a long 3 pointer in the final minutes of the game. This afternoon’s game had all the emotions as the 2023 seniors stepped onto the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center for the final time. The first quarter the Hawks struggled with shooting, 23.5%. NoDak came back in the second quarter, they added 19, while holding Kansas City to only 14. The ladies took a slim lead into the locker room 30-27. The second half was a defensive battle for both teams, both teams struggled to make baskets. North Dakota held Kansas City to 12 points in the last 20 minutes. UND shot better in the second half at 38.7%, while KCR shot 6.5%. North Dakota was able to bring home the win 61-39. North Dakota will continue Summit League play on Thursday, taking on Western Illinois at 7 PM.

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NDSU MEN’S BASKETBALL

 

TULSA, Okla. (NDSU) – The North Dakota State men’s basketball team lost a hard-fought battle on Saturday night, falling 74-66 to first-place Oral Roberts inside the Mabee Center. Grant Nelson finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three steals to lead the Bison. Boden Skunberg added 13 points and eight boards. NDSU fell behind by 19 in the first half, but cut the deficit to four at 34-30 in the final minute before halftime. The Bison trailed by one at 38-37 with 13:30 remaining, but ORU scored the next seven points. NDSU pulled within four at 63-59 with 1:30 to play. ORU made nine free throws in the final minute. The Bison shot 43 percent for the game and limited the Golden Eagles to 37-percent shooting. NDSU made just 4-of-21 from three-point range, while ORU hit 10-of-35 from beyond the arc. Oral Roberts improved to 16-0 in The Summit League, and NDSU fell to 9-7. The Bison will return home to host St. Thomas on Thursday, Feb. 23, and Western Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 25.

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NDSU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

 

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – The North Dakota State women’s basketball team erupted for a season-high 103 points to earn a 103-86 victory on senior day at Scheels Center. With the win, the NDSU improves to 16-10 (10-6 Summit) and finished the regular season with an 11-1 mark in Scheels Center, which is the most home wins since 2009-10. NDSU’s 16 wins also mark the most under head coach Jory Collins. Oral Roberts drops to 11-16 (8-8 Summit) on the season with the loss. Heaven Hamling led the way for NDSU with her 10th 20-point game this season with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. She also added a team-high six assists and grabbed five rebounds. Taylor Brown narrowly missed a double-double with a season-best 18 points and team-high nine rebounds. Elle Evans also hit double figures in scoring with 17 points to go along with five rebounds and a season-best five blocks. As a team, the Bison shot 62.7 percent (37-59) from the field and 52.4 percent (11-21) from three.

 

NDSU netted a season-high 103 points, which was the most points in a single-game since it scored 105 against NJIT in 2017. The Bison also distributed a season-high 23 assists with eight different players contributing at least one. Oral Roberts got off to a fast start opening up a four-point edge, 6-2, by the 8:15 mark of the first quarter. The Bison pushed back closing the frame on a 7-1 run capped off by a triple from Abbie Draper to make the score 25-21 after one quarter. NDSU then stretched its lead into double figures, 41-31, after Abby Graham drained a triple with 4:35 to play in the half. The Bison led at the intermission, 52-41. NDSU began the third quarter putting together a 7-2 run to increase its lead to 61-49 after a layup from Evans in the paint at the 5:53 mark. The Bison led after three quarters of play, 73-61. NDSU then put the game out reach with eight straight points in the fourth quarter to open up its largest lead, 96-76, following a layup from Evans with 3:39 to play. The Bison closed out the remaining time to earn the 103-86 win. NDSU will be back in action at St. Thomas on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.

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TWINS-CORREA

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Carlos Correra sat at an interview table, wearing a dark T-shirt with the Twins logo across his chest and a Minnesota spring training cap with an “M.” That look didn’t seem possible two months ago. After his $350 million, 13-year deal with San Francisco came undone over his surgically repaired right ankle and his $315 million, 12-year contract with the New York Mets collapsed over the same issue, Correa stayed with the Twins for $200 million over six seasons. “Money is money, brother. If money is what makes you happy then you’ve got to re-evaluate your life,” Correa said Friday after reporting to spring training. “You will never hear me bragging about being the richest man in the room or anything like that. Money is just a number in your bank account.” Correa can earn $270 million over 10 years as part of his deal with the Twins, far less than he would have been guaranteed by the Giants or Mets.

 

He left Houston after the 2021 season and joined the Twins for a $105.3 million, three-year deal that included opt-outs after each season. He pulled out of the deal after making $35.1 million in 2022. “Absolutely. It feels completely different,” he said. “You go in and now you know you’re going to be here for a long time. You want to put all your effort and everything I have is to make everyone in that room better from the front office to the coaching staff to the players; to make sure the player communication is there and to make sure we achieve the goals we want to achieve.”

 

He entered the clubhouse shortly before 9 a.m. with two baseball gloves hanging off his bag, then he walked around shaking hands and hugging both his old and new teammates. About 90 minutes later, he took some swings in an indoor batting cage. The 28-year-old Correa started slowly last season and finished with a .291 average and 22 homers and 64 RBIs. Minnesota was tied for the AL Central lead before play on Sept. 5 but lost 20 of its last 30 games and finished 78-84. The Twins wound up 14 games behind AL Central champion Cleveland and eight games back for the last AL wild card. “I know the seeds I’m going to plant here are the seeds that are going to grow and make us an organization that can win for a long time,” Correa said. “That’s what I want. When you have a short-term deal and you probably end up with another team, you have to be with that team and help build up. Now, it’s good to know and feel that I’m going to be here for a long time and be a part of the process.”

 

A 2017 World Series champion with Houston and the AL Rookie of the Year in 2015, Correa was among a stellar group of free-agent shortstops. Xander Bogaerts left Boston for a $280 million, 11-year deal with San Diego and Trea Turner departed the Los Angeles Dodgers for $300 million over 11 years with NL champion Philadelphia. “Winning the division is not going to be enough,” he said. “We’ve got to set goals that are really high. That way, when you accomplish them, you’ll be really satisfied. That’s the plan here, man, we want to win. We want to win big.”