Equipman,
My younger son is a junior at the University of Minnesota this year (he's not the baseball player in this family - that was my older son).
The U of M is very well respected in our region for academics, and is somewhat selective in acceptance standards. I can tell you a little more about academics if you are interested (tell me your son's intended major if you can).
The U of M campus is located in the heart of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area with lots of interesting things to do, on campus and off...music, theater, pro sports, restaurants, shopping, zoos. My son buys a reduced-price Metro Transit pass each year that allows him to ride the bus not only around the large U of M campus, but anywhere the bus routes go in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, including Mall of America, the airport, etc. Like most big cities, there is some crime on and around campus, but it has not been bad enough for our family to regard that as a significant issue in our son's safety.
U of M sports teams are competitive and do send players on to the pro level. A successful and promising young MLB pitcher for our Minnesota Twins this year is Glen Perkins, a former U of M Gopher. (Sorry about that mascot name...sounds pretty tough, huh?)
My older son (who ended up playing baseball at the D3 level) participated in a couple of U of M baseball events in HS (a summer camp and a Fall league, both at historic Siebert Field on the U of M campus). He was extremely impressed with the Gophers coaches and players during that time. We have consistently heard good things about the coaching staff in terms of their ability to coach the game, and how they treat players.
Playing college baseball in the frozen north can be a little more challenging in the early spring, but the Gophers make use of our indoor MLB stadium, the Metrodome.
I highly recommend the University of Minnesota, both as an academic choice and for the baseball program. Let me know if you have any more specific questions.
Julie
