Twins catcher Mitch Garver wished Richard Pitino well with Lobos — team he once rooted for

Mitch Garver's grandfather Bill was a well-known fast-pitch softball catcher in Albuquerque, N.M., and the surrounding area. The Garver family's support of the New Mexico Lobos was solid before Mitch was a four-year catcher for the hometown university from 2010 to 2013.

Asked about Lobos' fandom as a young kid, Garver said: "We had good basketball teams and we had Brian Urlacher in football, so we were into the Lobos for sure. We didn't have season tickets to basketball, but friends would take me along to a couple of games in the winter.

"The Pit is a great basketball arena. And now that it's been remodeled, it's even better."

Garver and his wife, Sarah, with a baby on the way this summer, now have a home in Colorado. So, his attention toward the Lobos has waned, as evidenced by this brief conversation on Wednesday.

Reporter: "What's your opinion on the Lobos' new men's basketball coach?"

Garver: "I just saw that. He's from Minnesota, right? What's his name … Pitino? I guess that's another Minnesota-New Mexico connection to take in an interest in. I hope he does well."

The reporter didn't have the heart to alert Garver that Richard Pitino was available to the Lobos because he didn't do well as the coach of the Gophers.