Gopher Softball 2019

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Was able to make it to the Purdue games 1 and 3 in person this weekend. What a difference being in the ball park is from watching on TV/streaming. So much fun. It's a joy to see the personalities, athleticsm and teamwork in person. This is an easy team to really like. The Gophs have done a great job succesfully introducing six new starters on offense (with Jensen injured) and five on defense. I can't imagine very many top teams do that often.

The Gophs are doing the small things right; e.g. very few errors, usually getting the bunt down with runners on, etc. These things stand out when contrasted against a team like Purdue that plays hard, but makes key mistakes when it counts (the Gophs scored a bunch of runs this weekend with runners on base where Purdue's defense got sloppy).

The softball must have looked like a beach ball to Brandner today. Her sky-high home run was into the wind and hit the scoreboard. Purdue started intentionally walking her in game 3 to get to DenHartog. Imagine that.

DenHartog's line-drive home run must have traveled damn near men's slowpitch distance. It almost hit the little green utility shed in left-center which is pretty far. In some at-bats, she looks like the true freshman that she is...and then totally lights it up in other at-bats. She reminds of Arizona's Jessie Harper when she was a freshman. A little raw, but very athletic and explosive with a big future.

Neither Fiser nor the Purdue pitcher Damon (game 3) could quite find the umpire's moving strike zone today. His strike zoned changed more often than a teenager's mood.

Squatted in some good vacated lower bowl seats today. 100 times better than the crappy general admission seats. I would think the U could easily double or triple the general admission seating capacity and also improve sight lines by replacing the current temporary seats with a better/bigger designed set up. There's plenty of room.

I wish the season started a month later so we could enjoy more home games.

That is all.
 
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Panthadad2 said:
Was able to make it to the Purdue games 1 and 3 in person this weekend. What a difference being in the ball park is from watching on TV/streaming. So much fun. It's a joy to see the personalities, athleticsm and teamwork in person. This is an easy team to really like. The Gophs have done a great job succesfully introducing six new starters on offense (with Jensen injured) and five on defense. I can't imagine very many top teams do that often.

The Gophs are doing the small things right; e.g. very few errors, usually getting the bunt down with runners on, etc. These things stand out when contrasted against a team like Purdue that plays hard, but makes key mistakes when it counts (the Gophs scored a bunch of runs this weekend with runners on base where Purdue's defense got sloppy).

The softball must have looked like a beach ball to Brandner today. Her sky-high home run was into the wind and hit the scoreboard. Purdue started intentionally walking her in game 3 to get to DenHartog. Imagine that.

DenHartog's line-drive home run must have traveled damn near men's slowpitch distance. It almost hit the little green utility shed in left-center which is pretty far. In some at-bats, she looks like the true freshman that she is...and then totally lights it up in other at-bats. She reminds of Arizona's Jessie Harper when she was a freshman. A little raw, but very athletic and explosive with a big future.

Neither Fiser nor the Purdue pitcher Damon (game 3) could quite find the umpire's moving strike zone today. His strike zoned changed more often than a teenager's mood.

Squatted in some good vacated lower bowl seats today. 100 times better than the crappy general admission seats. I would think the U could easily double or triple the general admission seating capacity and also improve sight lines by replacing the current temporary seats with a better/bigger designed set up. There's plenty of room.

I wish the season started a month later so we could enjoy more home games.

That is all.
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Interesting. What can be expected of next week's opponent, Illinois?
 


rowdaboat said:
#20 RPI so actually should be competitive, 2 out of 3 would be good enough
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I agree. Illinois has some good wins - Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Tulsa, 2 of 3 from Wisconsin, etc. Surprised that they dropped 2 of 3 to a struggling Nebraska team, but that can happen, especially on the road. Will be interesting to see how far they drop in the RPI rankings.
 


RPI just released. All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!

8 Minnesota Big Ten 25-9-0 8-5-0 14-4-0 3-0-0 0-0-0
14 Northwestern Big Ten 25-7-0 6-4-0 16-2-0 3-1-0 0-0-0
22 Michigan Big Ten 23-10-0 6-4-0 10-6-0 7-0-0 0-0-0
33 Ohio St. Big Ten 20-10-0 4-5-0 13-5-0 3-0-0 0-0-0
36 Illinois Big Ten 22-9-0 7-2-0 10-5-0 5-2-0 0-0-0
38 Indiana Big Ten 28-10-0 6-5-0 16-3-0 6-2-0 0-0-0
41 Wisconsin Big Ten 27-5-0 10-3-0 15-2-0 2-0-0 0-0-0
73 Maryland Big Ten 17-17-0 2-6-0 10-4-0 5-7-0 0-0-0
81 Purdue Big Ten 24-13-0 1-6-0 19-6-0 4-1-0 0-0-0
92 Iowa Big Ten 15-15-0 2-4-0 13-7-0 0-4-0 0-0-0
108 Nebraska Big Ten 12-19-0 2-9-0 8-7-0 2-3-0 0-0-0
112 Rutgers Big Ten 16-17-0 2-8-0 13-6-0 1-3-0 0-0-0
154 Penn St. Big Ten 17-17-0 4-4-0 12-9-0 1-4-0 0-0-0
166 Michigan St. Big Ten 11-21-0 2-9-0 8-10-0 1-2-0 0-0-0
 

MNsoftballfan said:
RPI just released. All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!

8 Minnesota Big Ten 25-9-0 8-5-0 14-4-0 3-0-0 0-0-0
14 Northwestern Big Ten 25-7-0 6-4-0 16-2-0 3-1-0 0-0-0
22 Michigan Big Ten 23-10-0 6-4-0 10-6-0 7-0-0 0-0-0
33 Ohio St. Big Ten 20-10-0 4-5-0 13-5-0 3-0-0 0-0-0
36 Illinois Big Ten 22-9-0 7-2-0 10-5-0 5-2-0 0-0-0
38 Indiana Big Ten 28-10-0 6-5-0 16-3-0 6-2-0 0-0-0
41 Wisconsin Big Ten 27-5-0 10-3-0 15-2-0 2-0-0 0-0-0
73 Maryland Big Ten 17-17-0 2-6-0 10-4-0 5-7-0 0-0-0
81 Purdue Big Ten 24-13-0 1-6-0 19-6-0 4-1-0 0-0-0
92 Iowa Big Ten 15-15-0 2-4-0 13-7-0 0-4-0 0-0-0
108 Nebraska Big Ten 12-19-0 2-9-0 8-7-0 2-3-0 0-0-0
112 Rutgers Big Ten 16-17-0 2-8-0 13-6-0 1-3-0 0-0-0
154 Penn St. Big Ten 17-17-0 4-4-0 12-9-0 1-4-0 0-0-0
166 Michigan St. Big Ten 11-21-0 2-9-0 8-10-0 1-2-0 0-0-0
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Pretty incredible that the Illini dropped 16 spots in one weekend. Geez. At least Maryland and Purdue stayed in the top 100.
 

Amber Friday and Sunday and Sydney on Saturday probably? Anyone know timetable on how soon Ellee and Emma will be back? Would be nice to have Ellee batting leadoff and then shift everyone else down, bottom of the lineup still a liability.
 

#8 RPI probably puts Gophers at the third seed at an SEC regional right?
 




MNsoftballfan said:
Losing 2 of 3 to a team in the 100s will leave a mark.
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The Gopher ladies need to avoid the bad losses. They have to sweep the bad teams and win 2 of 3 against the good teams. A sweep against Northwestern would be really helpful. Illinois can hit so the bats cant take a game off this weekend like they have been known to do in the past.

Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk
 


rugger14 said:
The Gopher ladies need to avoid the bad losses. They have to sweep the bad teams and win 2 of 3 against the good teams. A sweep against Northwestern would be really helpful. Illinois can hit so the bats cant take a game off this weekend like they have been known to do in the past.

Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk
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Good point. Never lose to opponents you should beat is the rule, but the Gophers have had a tendency to lose just such games in the past few seasons. Hope 2019 is better.
 



Hrothgar said:
Good point. Never lose to opponents you should beat is the rule, but the Gophers have had a tendency to lose just such games in the past few seasons. Hope 2019 is better.
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This trip to Illinois will be significant. Illinois is a decent team so I think 2 of 3 is success on the road but I am really greedy. History has said that we will get screwed in the regional seeding so we need to sweep the #36 team. Geez I wish they had swept Nebraska. At #20 they were a much better opponent. I am not an RPI guru like others but with Illinois at #36 I am really interested in how this weekend will impact our ranking. Can we go 2-1 and stay at #8? Can we move up with a sweep? How do we get up to #5 or #6 in the RPI and feel comfortable. On the flip side how does it impact Illinois if we sweep them? Can Illinois go 1-2 against #8 and actually move up?
 

Hrothgar said:
Good point. Never lose to opponents you should beat is the rule, but the Gophers have had a tendency to lose just such games in the past few seasons. Hope 2019 is better.
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Illinois can hit ! I think we will need to score 6-8 runs per game to get a sweep. Also it will be really helpful if the defense continues to shine. I watched Josey White’s AB on Sunday. I think she has a good swing and is someone who can contribute.
 

ComoGopher said:
How do we get up to #5 or #6 in the RPI and feel comfortable.
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I seriously doubt if there is any scenario which would allow us to move past LSU and/or AZ and get to 5 or 6. And remember, the 4 teams directly behind us (FL, AL, TN, and Ole Miss) are a combined 5-0 against us this season. So I think our chances of remaining at 8 are pretty slim. A more realistic goal is finishing the year at 11 or 12. With our strong strength of schedule, that SHOULD be enough to host. But first things first - BEAT ILLINOIS!!
 

I find the quantitative analysis of Gophers' RPI ranking, etc., intriguing. I hope they earn and get rewarded for success in May. However, I find the sport more enjoyable for the fans' chance to do some qualitative analysis and enjoyment of the game as its played on the field. For example, on the infield Kemetmueller and Arneson's footwork and quick release on their throws is superb while Partain's fielding on ground balls makes me nervous; her feet don't always seem to be in the right place exactly. Purdue's pitchers threw lots of changeups at the Gophers. Brandner and DenHartog stayed back on those pitches really well, but Partain and Houlihan never seemed to adjust; they were out in front of every changeup pitch. Teamwise there aren't any chances on the schedule for the Gophers to spring more upsets. They need to concentrate on winning game after game after game against lesser teams. If they succeed at that task, then let the Big Ten and NCAA crunch the numbers (which they will be sure to do, usually, as every Northern team knows, to the favor of the SEC and PAC 10, which it is to be assumed control the sport and the NCAA). It was also interesting to watch M. Damon pitch for Purdue; she was MN's Miss Softball in 2015, but her college success has been limited. Is there a story there?
 

MNsoftballfan said:
I seriously doubt if there is any scenario which would allow us to move past LSU and/or AZ and get to 5 or 6. And remember, the 4 teams directly behind us (FL, AL, TN, and Ole Miss) are a combined 5-0 against us this season. So I think our chances of remaining at 8 are pretty slim. A more realistic goal is finishing the year at 11 or 12. With our strong strength of schedule, that SHOULD be enough to host. But first things first - BEAT ILLINOIS!!
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That is the unfortunate result of the conference that we play in. We pretty much have to run the table and then hope.
 

Fiser pitched 14 innings against Purdue, and Smith pitched 7. For those of you who were at the games, did any other pitchers warm-up?
 

MNsoftballfan said:
Fiser pitched 14 innings against Purdue, and Smith pitched 7. For those of you who were at the games, did any other pitchers warm-up?
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Lowary was in a warmup sweater. Brandt hasn't pitched in ages. The sophomore pitcher from California [can't remember her name, #70-something, Bailey?, who actually might be pretty good if given a chance] threw a while in the bullpen at the start of game 2 or 3, but it looked like she was just getting in some throwing. Who else do they have? They seem to have more catchers than pitchers.
 

Hrothgar said:
Lowary was in a warmup sweater. Brandt hasn't pitched in ages. The sophomore pitcher from California [can't remember her name, #70-something, Bailey?, who actually might be pretty good if given a chance] threw a while in the bullpen at the start of game 2 or 3, but it looked like she was just getting in some throwing. Who else do they have? They seem to have more catchers than pitchers.
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Five pitchers on a college softball roster is more than enough.

The issue is that they're all pretty banged up. We haven't seen Brandt in a long time (due to injury) and Lowary has been injured pretty often the past few years. As for Hannah Bailey, she got in a few innings here and there during the non-conference slate. Had some good moments and some not-so-good moments. But with team is playing for a chance to host a regional at this point, I'm guessing we won't see much of her unless a game is well in-hand.
 

With a bunch of midweek games on the horizon, we are about to play a ton of games in a relatively short period of time. Overworking Fiser remains my biggest concern.
 

MNsoftballfan said:
With a bunch of midweek games on the horizon, we are about to play a ton of games in a relatively short period of time. Overworking Fiser remains my biggest concern.
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Hate to say it, but what's the choice? In 2 more months Amber can rest all summer. I don't see how a team can get deep in post season or to the CWS w/o 3 solid pitchers; at one point depth in the circle seemed the Gophers strength.
 

pitching

MNsoftballfan said:
Fiser pitched 14 innings against Purdue, and Smith pitched 7. For those of you who were at the games, did any other pitchers warm-up?
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I only saw Sid warm up on Friday and Fiser during the first game Saturday
 

Hrothgar said:
Hate to say it, but what's the choice? In 2 more months Amber can rest all summer. I don't see how a team can get deep in post season or to the CWS w/o 3 solid pitchers; at one point depth in the circle seemed the Gophers strength.
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It is a catch 22. We want to host but don't want Amber beat down by the post-season.

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rugger14 said:
It is a catch 22. We want to host but don't want Amber beat down by the post-season.

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Can't ask for much more than what they have done with all games on the road so far. I mean a win against Ole Miss, a split with Bama, and avoid the bad loss to FGCU is about all you could ask from the team in addition to what they did. Jamie has them playing good D and they are #8 in RPI. If the bats can be productive, they should win a lot of B1G games. Hard to expect a perfect season with no hiccups. We have some awful RPI opponents coming up and we have to win all those games. We need to sweep the Illini on the road this weekend. We need Michigan and NU to both run the table (they don't play each other) we take 2 of 3 from NU (after running the table up to then) and then we win the B1G tourney and get to beat both NU and Michigan in the tourney. We would host with one loss to NU. Anything less puts us in the gray area due to our schedule. That is the price of playing in the B1G.
 

Hrothgar said:
Hate to say it, but what's the choice? In 2 more months Amber can rest all summer. I don't see how a team can get deep in post season or to the CWS w/o 3 solid pitchers; at one point depth in the circle seemed the Gophers strength.
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I think coach should strongly consider starting Smith Fridays and Sundays for the Michigan State and Nebraska series.
 

Error center fielder on Houlihan smash. Tough official scoring in Champaign!

Hope Brandner :clap:
 


I was at my daughter's HS game and didn't get to see game 1 vs. the Illini. Bummed it's not on demand. No box score or recap yet. 5-0 win sounds like an awesome pitching/defensive performance against a strong hitting team on the road.
 

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