Gopher Softball 2018

Also, three games against New Mexico State. They are 8-4 with two wins against Kentucky and a narrow 2-0 loss to Oklahoma.
 

Very tough upcoming schedule. I see Colorado State is 7-1 with wins over Wisconsin and Texas, and their only loss is 3-0 against Arizona. Games against UCLA (15-0 and killing everybody), Arizona (13-1), and three against AZ State (13-2). And then throw in a game against Long Beach State. Only 6-5, but they have wins against Auburn (!), BYU, and 9-0 over Northwestern. Bottom line - TREMENDOUS opportunity for the Gophers to bolster their RPI and get back in the mix!!
Good first post! Welcome to the board as well!

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Very tough upcoming schedule. I see Colorado State is 7-1 with wins over Wisconsin and Texas, and their only loss is 3-0 against Arizona. Games against UCLA (15-0 and killing everybody), Arizona (13-1), and three against AZ State (13-2). And then throw in a game against Long Beach State. Only 6-5, but they hav!e wins against Auburn (!), BYU, and 9-0 over Northwestern. Bottom line - TREMENDOUS opportunity for the Gophers to bolster their RPI and get back in the mix!

I hear you!
 

Fiser with 59 innings pitched
Beaubien of Michigan with 52.2
Avelo of Washington with 52
Carlson of Auburn 54.2
Hoover of LSU with 47
Smith of Memphis with 49
Dwyer of Standford with 47
Yunez of UC Davis with 60
Conley of Cal with 59
Drotar of South Carolina with 47
McQuillen of Arizona with 53
Matzko of North Florida with 68.2
Sale of FIU with 68.1
Moss of Tennessee with 49
Cornell of Hofstra with 59
Arnold of Tennessee with 53.2
Ellyson Louisiana Lafayette with 48.1
 

Fiser with 59 innings pitched
Beaubien of Michigan with 52.2
Avelo of Washington with 52
Carlson of Auburn 54.2
Hoover of LSU with 47
Smith of Memphis with 49
Dwyer of Standford with 47
Yunez of UC Davis with 60
Conley of Cal with 59
Drotar of South Carolina with 47
McQuillen of Arizona with 53
Matzko of North Florida with 68.2
Sale of FIU with 68.1
Moss of Tennessee with 49
Cornell of Hofstra with 59
Arnold of Tennessee with 53.2
Ellyson Louisiana Lafayette with 48.1

I would like to see Fiser with fewer innings. I really hope that someone can help Fiser out now that Smith is apparently out for an undetermined length of time. I would like to see a fresh Fiser come B1G tourney and NCAA Regional time. Brandt is solid and hopefully Lowary or Bailey can provide some quality innings. If the bats can figure it out that will help because Trachsel can get Fiser out of there if the bats can create a nice lead. These one run games don't leave any margin for error.

On another note, did Dwyer and Lindaman run all weekend? Is the team so banged up that they don't have any extra runners? Going through the box scores and then the overall team stats I saw that Krueger and Velasquez got ABs but it doesn't look like Gill got into a game to run after running a lot previously.
 



Very tough upcoming schedule. I see Colorado State is 7-1 with wins over Wisconsin and Texas, and their only loss is 3-0 against Arizona. Games against UCLA (15-0 and killing everybody), Arizona (13-1), and three against AZ State (13-2). And then throw in a game against Long Beach State. Only 6-5, but they have wins against Auburn (!), BYU, and 9-0 over Northwestern. Bottom line - TREMENDOUS opportunity for the Gophers to bolster their RPI and get back in the mix!!

I made an egregious error in this post. I indicated that Long Beach State was 6-5. In fact they are 12-3 and are now the 22nd ranked team according to the coaches poll.
 

Sounds egregious! This schedule is looking tough! I hope the ladies can get the injury bug off their backs and get back close to full-strength. I think some of us were wondering about the 22 player roster but right now it seems like it was a good choice to add some extra depth.

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It really sucks that the Gopher/UCLA game is not set up to be live streamed as of now. I'm hoping either the BigWest or Pac-12 networks pick it up by Saturday.
 




I would like to see Fiser with fewer innings. I really hope that someone can help Fiser out now that Smith is apparently out for an undetermined length of time. I would like to see a fresh Fiser come B1G tourney and NCAA Regional time. Brandt is solid and hopefully Lowary or Bailey can provide some quality innings. If the bats can figure it out that will help because Trachsel can get Fiser out of there if the bats can create a nice lead. These one run games don't leave any margin for error.

On another note, did Dwyer and Lindaman run all weekend? Is the team so banged up that they don't have any extra runners? Going through the box scores and then the overall team stats I saw that Krueger and Velasquez got ABs but it doesn't look like Gill got into a game to run after running a lot previously.

What you say shapes up as potential problems. Fiser can't pitch so many innings week after week. I think it will take some big-time hitting for the Gophers to be competitive this coming weekend. The load on Gopher pitching shapes up as enormous. But a good outcome would be a HUGE boost!
 

Did anyone figure out how to live stream any of the games this weekend?

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Did anyone figure out how to live stream any of the games this weekend?

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The San Diego State game is apparently being live streamed, according to the Gopher Softball online schedule.
 



Too early to say that UCLA game is a must win to have a chance at finally getting to host a regional?
 

Too early to say that UCLA game is a must win to have a chance at finally getting to host a regional?

"Must win" is probably a bit strong... but only a bit. The committee sent a message last year that they want to see X number of top 25 wins and a Y number of top 10 wins. UCLA and Arizona will be our only two shots at the latter.
 

Watching the SDSU game now. For 3 weeks now, I've seen Gopher hitters look at outside edge pitches called strikes. If I was an opposing pitcher, I throw at least 75% outside pitches with the remainder inside or off plate to mix it up. I don't seem to recall this being an issue in the past (I could be wrong of course).
 

Season starting to get ugly already. Seems like offense has taken a big drop since last year, thought with just needing to replace Macken it would be the same
 

Just saw the SDSU game box score. I feel bad for Fiser. That bases loaded 3 run hit against her was ruled a triple which killed her ERA. All I'm going to say is that was NOT a triple. It was a single at best.
 

Just saw the SDSU game box score. I feel bad for Fiser. That bases loaded 3 run hit against her was ruled a triple which killed her ERA. All I'm going to say is that was NOT a triple. It was a single at best.
I thought Smith was pitching???

Never mind. I just saw that they brought Fiser in...
 

They must really miss Allister and Merchant. Some of the batting averages are hard to fathom. I thought this was going to be an incredibly potent offense. I am baffled.
 

I thought Smith was pitching???

Never mind. I just saw that they brought Fiser in...

Smith started. Fiser entered in I think the 4th inning with 1 runner in scoring position, 1 out and tied 2-2 if I recall correctly (too lazy and too much red wine to look up the detail). If I recall correctly, she gave up a walk and a piddly infield hit to get to bases loaded with 2 outs. Then SDSU hit a blooper to short center that turned into a 3 run hit. Another seeing-eye single knocked in the 4th run of the inning.
 

Agreed. Partain is hitting like an animal and Jensen's speed to 1st base is impressive. But some of the other low batting averages are almost surreal for anyone watching these players the last couple of years. I have to wonder how much of it is mid-game adjustment. Maybe it was the camera angle, but the umpire for the SDSU game seemed to be calling strikes on pitches outside the river (for both teams). The Gophers didn't seem to adjust to that until the very end of the game, if at all, after it was too late.
 

First of all losing to SDSU is sad; they're not a strong team. I hate to say it but neither are the Gophers so far, despite the immense talent. They're playing without spirit or any obvious leadership. Why in the world would the coaches start Smith against SDSU, when Brandt was available? As everyone can see, Brandt throws strikes and get tons of ground-outs. The Gopher hitters are lifeless at the plate. I feel great sympathy for these young women. They were recruited by one coach and then abandoned by her. And the present dispensation doesn't seem to be lifting them up at all. I suspect a lot of people will jump on me for saying these things, but they must seem obvious to folks watching the games and expecting real shows of skill and power, which aren't happening. If it weren't for Fiser and Partain.....
 

First of all losing to SDSU is sad; they're not a strong team. I hate to say it but neither are the Gophers so far, despite the immense talent. They're playing without spirit or any obvious leadership. Why in the world would the coaches start Smith against SDSU, when Brandt was available? As everyone can see, Brandt throws strikes and get tons of ground-outs. The Gopher hitters are lifeless at the plate. I feel great sympathy for these young women. They were recruited by one coach and then abandoned by her. And the present dispensation doesn't seem to be lifting them up at all. I suspect a lot of people will jump on me for saying these things, but they must seem obvious to folks watching the games and expecting real shows of skill and power, which aren't happening. If it weren't for Fiser and Partain.....



I am not ready to go "Chicken Little" on this team. I also won't jump on you for expressing your opinion. You hit a lot of targets in one post. I can't say I can pick a side on the Brandt/Smith argument and I can't fault the coaching staff for going with Smith in that game. Sometimes things just don't work out. The anemic offense is a huge surprise to me as well. Is Heifner the root cause? I think we saw tentative hitting in the regional last year as well. Why should we feel sympathy for the players? Their coach left. That is part of college sports. It is still early in the season. There is a new coaching staff, the team is battling injuries to a lot of key players, and maybe they aren't getting some breaks. There were a lot of wins last year that could have been losses. I will remain an optimist. These next few weeks will tell us a lot about the team. Did we think this team was going to host a regional this year? If you went into the season expecting that, I understand the disappointment but I don't think that was a realistic expectation. You can't lose a player like Sara G. without it having a huge impact. They have two really tough games today against good teams and it won't be easy to win either game. I hope the bats can heat up and we can win at least one of two.
 

I am not ready to go "Chicken Little" on this team. I also won't jump on you for expressing your opinion. You hit a lot of targets in one post. I can't say I can pick a side on the Brandt/Smith argument and I can't fault the coaching staff for going with Smith in that game. Sometimes things just don't work out. The anemic offense is a huge surprise to me as well. Is Heifner the root cause? I think we saw tentative hitting in the regional last year as well. Why should we feel sympathy for the players? Their coach left. That is part of college sports. It is still early in the season. There is a new coaching staff, the team is battling injuries to a lot of key players, and maybe they aren't getting some breaks. There were a lot of wins last year that could have been losses. I will remain an optimist. These next few weeks will tell us a lot about the team. Did we think this team was going to host a regional this year? If you went into the season expecting that, I understand the disappointment but I don't think that was a realistic expectation. You can't lose a player like Sara G. without it having a huge impact. They have two really tough games today against good teams and it won't be easy to win either game. I hope the bats can heat up and we can win at least one of two.

I appreciate your sensible comments. I'm not a native Minnesotan (though I've lived here a long time), but I seem to have much higher expectations of MN teams than native Minnesotans do. Losing to a team like SDSU or barely beating Duke or Bradley should be unacceptable; they're not UCLA. I think 2017's team should be the standard, not the exception. But what planet do I live on, maybe? I agree that losing Sara G creates a huge gap, not only in her all-around playing ability but also in her on-field leadership. My gut feeling is that the 2018 team seems uninspired, at bat and in the field, the exception being Fiser in the circle. Please correct me if I'm talking nonsense. Or if I'm wrong. I don't watch or game track every single inning they play because I don't care or am just being negative. They're just too talented to have lost 5 games in MHO.
 

I appreciate your sensible comments. I'm not a native Minnesotan (though I've lived here a long time), but I seem to have much higher expectations of MN teams than native Minnesotans do. Losing to a team like SDSU or barely beating Duke or Bradley should be unacceptable; they're not UCLA. I think 2017's team should be the standard, not the exception. But what planet do I live on, maybe? I agree that losing Sara G creates a huge gap, not only in her all-around playing ability but also in her on-field leadership. My gut feeling is that the 2018 team seems uninspired, at bat and in the field, the exception being Fiser in the circle. Please correct me if I'm talking nonsense. Or if I'm wrong. I don't watch or game track every single inning they play because I don't care or am just being negative. They're just too talented to have lost 5 games in MHO.

I am having a sidebar group text with some other softball fans about this thread. I think it speaks volumes about how far the program has come that we have this thread with all the comments, critiques, and expectations. I enjoy reading all the different opinions. This program has season ticket holders now and live streaming and social media have allowed fans to follow the team more closely than ever. There are expectations for this team and that is a positive thing. I like to see people who are passionate about Gopher softball.

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Losing to a team like SDSU or barely beating Duke or Bradley should be unacceptable; they're not UCLA. I think 2017's team should be the standard, not the exception.

What does unacceptable mean in your context? Do we fire a coach because of it? If not, what does unacceptable mean? I think we have to accept it and move on.

I am frustrated by the lack of offense and what appears to be a lack of spark or something in the team. They seemed like they had so much fun last year. Maybe because they were just cruising...

Looking forward to the games this afternoon! Ski-U-Mah!

Looks like Maddie is back in the #5 spot, Arneson is playing SS, and Fiser in the circle. Rozell is the DP.
 

Who all is hurt now? Know Wagner wrist and apparently Smith
 

Feel bad for Amber pitching so well with no support
 





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