Gopher Softball 2020

[ClassOf98Gopher]

What ARE your thoughts on the Burns situation? It's an unfair tease to throw out comments like this without giving details.

You are right that it is unfair to tease a thought in such away. I probably shouldn’t have written that at all. And to be perfectly clear I don’t KNOW anything.

I am just suggesting to sports fans, who can be a pretty hard core group of people, that maybe there are some things in life for a 19 year old that are bigger than softball. Based only on publicly posted images, I am just saying that maybe a person can be is trying to examine her place in the world and that self-examination seemed bigger to her than softball. And that is fine. Human beings are complicated and have their own motivations and priorities. Not every negative event to happen to a softball team demands that someone be blamed.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

Allister greatly improved the Gopher program. I think she left after we got screwed and didn't get to host a regional because she thought she could never get a fair shake at MN. I think if we had hosted in 2017 she would still be here.

Allister had Merchant and Ritter. I think Merchant is an elite hitting coach and great recruiter and Ritter is an elite pitching coach. Ritter stayed here but I don't think we have anyone comparable to Merchant on the staff.

Trachsel is from MN but is not a Gopher. She may or may not be a loyal Gopher

ComoGopher, sports fans have opinions, and I am not claiming my opinion is right, but it just could not be more different than yours on this particular topic of Allister/Jamie.

You say that Allister left because a BIg Ten team would not be respected in NCAA seeding. Maybe a small part of it. How about the fact that she was a Texan who put on the Cardinal uniform as a player? I think that may be a small part of it too. And now the real part... money... the most likely large factor of human motivations. There is no athletic department in the country that has more money sloshing around it than Stanford...by far. They have so much tech money sloshing around that place that it is totally logical for her to think she could return Stanford softball to past glory. She never has to worry about facilities. Or academic deputies. It is just the smart play. I hate it, but it happened and it is 100 percent logical for her to have walked out on us.

I saw that Mike White left Oregon at the same time for Texas and that action decimated the Oregon softball team immediately. Allister left us and we subsequently won a B1G tourney and made the Women’s college World Series. Not a bad recovery after the head coach left. I guess it seems to me that Allister leaving could have been so much worse and it is therefore a testament to Jamie that we have held on as a pretty good team for three years after that happened.

The biggest difference we seem to have in our views is that I see the U of M softball program as a program with a lot of disadvantages (namely that our good summer weather does not line up with the college calendar while in the south the good early spring weather lines up perfectly with the college softball calendar) that need to be overcome, while you seem to see the Gopher program with the same natural advantages as the SEC programs or Oklahoma, or the PAC-12 schools. That just seems like viewing our natural situation through rose-colored glasses to me.

Lastly, I think Katie Reitcovich, is considered one helluva talent and a rising star in the softball community.

 

[Hrothgar]

You are right that it is unfair to tease a thought in such away. I probably shouldn’t have written that at all. And to be perfectly clear I don’t KNOW anything.

I am just suggesting to sports fans, who can be a pretty hard core group of people, that maybe there are some things in life for a 19 year old that are bigger than softball. Based only on publicly posted images, I am just saying that maybe a person can be is trying to examine her place in the world and that self-examination seemed bigger to her than softball. And that is fine. Human beings are complicated and have their own motivations and priorities. Not every negative event to happen to a softball team demands that someone be blamed.

Thanks. Your response helps. I don't know a single Gophers player or ex-player personally. But I can extrapolate about "some things" being "bigger than softball." I played varsity baseball 4 years in college. None of us players were intellectual giants, but a few of us started realizing after freshman year that professors and ideas were more interesting to listen to than the single-focus baseball coaches. As our on-field results improved, some of us enjoyed it less, not the sport but the ambiance it was played in. That turned the coaches off, even though nothing was ever said. If the Gophers' catcher felt something even mildly approaching that experience, it's understandable. The disaffected athlete is not an unknown occurrence.

I felt Allister didn't fit the jock coach stereotype and there was a feeling that this was not just softball but a voyage of discovery. One year the Gopher softball players were asked on their press release, If you could spend a weekend retreat with anybody in the U softball program,who would it be? Dwyer, I think it was, answered, Coach Allister because of all the books she reads. Allister was not perfect as a coach. Much fantastic results, some disappointments. But I think she kept players in the system, which counts for much. I have no opinion on Trachsel and staff, but it's clear you only win big if you have greatly talented players who have a reason to stick around.

 

[ComoGopher]

ComoGopher, sports fans have opinions, and I am not claiming my opinion is right, but it just could not be more different than yours on this particular topic of Allister/Jamie.

You say that Allister left because a BIg Ten team would not be respected in NCAA seeding. Maybe a small part of it. How about the fact that she was a Texan who put on the Cardinal uniform as a player? I think that may be a small part of it too. And now the real part... money... the most likely large factor of human motivations. There is no athletic department in the country that has more money sloshing around it than Stanford...by far. They have so much tech money sloshing around that place that it is totally logical for her to think she could return Stanford softball to past glory. She never has to worry about facilities. Or academic deputies. It is just the smart play. I hate it, but it happened and it is 100 percent logical for her to have walked out on us.

I saw that Mike White left Oregon at the same time for Texas and that action decimated the Oregon softball team immediately. Allister left us and we subsequently won a B1G tourney and made the Women’s college World Series. Not a bad recovery after the head coach left. I guess it seems to me that Allister leaving could have been so much worse and it is therefore a testament to Jamie that we have held on as a pretty good team for three years after that happened.

The biggest difference we seem to have in our views is that I see the U of M softball program as a program with a lot of disadvantages (namely that our good summer weather does not line up with the college calendar while in the south the good early spring weather lines up perfectly with the college softball calendar) that need to be overcome, while you seem to see the Gopher program with the same natural advantages as the SEC programs or Oklahoma, or the PAC-12 schools. That just seems like viewing our natural situation through rose-colored glasses to me.

Lastly, I think Katie Reitcovich, is considered one helluva talent and a rising star in the softball community.

I speculated about why Allister left! LOL! This is a message board! You are probably far more right than I am although if I remember correctly Stanford had offered her previously and she turned them down. I could be WRONG on that. It seemed curious to me that she left after the season with the #1 ranking and snub for hosting a regional with all the SEC love in full effect.

I absolutely have no rose colored glasses about the challenges the program faces compared to teams on the west coast and in the south. I know it is a challenge to recruit. Youth softball in the midwest is getting better and you have to identify the best players and get them. Look at the players on the 2017 roster. I just picked 2017 because that was the ranked #1 year. You can pick a year.

Partain, Parlich, and Arneson were big contributors who were not from the midwest or Canada. That roster was Minnesota and Iowa heavy. Dwyer, Fiser, Lindaman, Macken, Houlihan, and Wagner all Minnesota or Iowa players. Groenewegen is from Canada. You can build this team on primarily midwest players. When you bring in a player from outside the area you have to give them a lot of money (with limited scholarships) so you need to be right about them. I think Partain, Parlich, and Arneson are/were solid and worth whatever they got. I think Jamie did a good job with bringing Brandner and Pease in. She also got DenHartog locally and it looks Like Strelow will be a player. A few of the other locals are still young.

Yes it is harder to build a winner in Minnesota than in California or Florida. You used Anderson as a comparison. I think he has 7 B1G titles since 2000. If Jamie wins the B1G every third year I think she will be just fine! If she can win the B1G every few years, win some B1G tourneys, be competitive to host a regional, and actually do it sometimes she will have kept the program on track and maybe built on it. She made the WCWS. Awesome! This year had big expectations with Fiser, Denhartog, Brandner, Burns, Brandt, Kemmetmueller and Partain all returning from a WCWS team and Jensen hopefully coming back from an injury. For three of those players to not contribute leaves a big hole. I expected we would have a good chance to host a regional. We still could but it will be tough. I think the B1G is getting better at softball which will make her job tougher.

Good discussion 98. I think we probably actually agree more than we disagree.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

I speculated about why Allister left! LOL! This is a message board! You are probably far more right than I am although if I remember correctly Stanford had offered her previously and she turned them down. I could be WRONG on that. It seemed curious to me that she left after the season with the #1 ranking and snub for hosting a regional with all the SEC love in full effect.

I absolutely have no rose colored glasses about the challenges the program faces compared to teams on the west coast and in the south. I know it is a challenge to recruit. Youth softball in the midwest is getting better and you have to identify the best players and get them. Look at the players on the 2017 roster. I just picked 2017 because that was the ranked #1 year. You can pick a year.

Partain, Parlich, and Arneson were big contributors who were not from the midwest or Canada. That roster was Minnesota and Iowa heavy. Dwyer, Fiser, Lindaman, Macken, Houlihan, and Wagner all Minnesota or Iowa players. Groenewegen is from Canada. You can build this team on primarily midwest players. When you bring in a player from outside the area you have to give them a lot of money (with limited scholarships) so you need to be right about them. I think Partain, Parlich, and Arneson are/were solid and worth whatever they got. I think Jamie did a good job with bringing Brandner and Pease in. She also got DenHartog locally and it looks Like Strelow will be a player. A few of the other locals are still young.

Yes it is harder to build a winner in Minnesota than in California or Florida. You used Anderson as a comparison. I think he has 7 B1G titles since 2000. If Jamie wins the B1G every third year I think she will be just fine! If she can win the B1G every few years, win some B1G tourneys, be competitive to host a regional, and actually do it sometimes she will have kept the program on track and maybe built on it. She made the WCWS. Awesome! This year had big expectations with Fiser, Denhartog, Brandner, Burns, Brandt, Kemmetmueller and Partain all returning from a WCWS team and Jensen hopefully coming back from an injury. For three of those players to not contribute leaves a big hole. I expected we would have a good chance to host a regional. We still could but it will be tough. I think the B1G is getting better at softball which will make her job tougher.

Good discussion 98. I think we probably actually agree more than we disagree.

We certainly agree on everything you just wrote. For me, is we can somehow finish second or better in the B1G and make the B1G tourney championship game we should have a good chance at hosting a regional - which of course would be nice.

Now Gophers, go beat UCF!

 

[rowdaboat]

Errors by 3B C CF SS through first ten batters

 

[rowdaboat]

Emma made right decision for herself so 100% respect that. Expecting Hope makes similar post in the next few weeks to step away too

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

It appears nice to have Jensen and her freaky speed back in the lineup. I didn’t expect it so soon. I sure hope she holds up physically.

 

[MNsoftballfan]

Painful.

 

[rugger14]

Painful.

Yup.

 

[Gopher68]

Como, you are right. Alister was offered the Stanford job when her mentor was released following an implosion of the program. I don't remember the details only that half the team rebelled and the coach was fired. The program was a complete cluster and would have been a terrible place to have gone at the time. BTW, Alister is a native Californian. She was in TX while her father was coaching basketball at Stephen F. Austin.

 

[ComoGopher]

What specifically is the difference in cultures? Please explain; we'd all like to hear.
Personally, I suspect there was more about the Allister situation than meets the eye, though I don't know the specifics. Allister was in a place to take over the BIG leadership after Hutchins at Michigan and, I felt, win a National Championship someday down the line. What coach walks away from the program she has built after a great season like 2017? They could've beaten Alabama by scoring only 3-4 runs & had much to look forward to with that roster. But it was a bit strange that Allister's recruiting class after Fiser/Lindaman/Partain fell off the next year. No superstars in what's now the junior class. Did Allister feel something awry?

On the other hand, something seems unusual about Trachsel's teams. Social media hints of dissension. A ranked ream w/ starters hitting under 200. 3 catchers leaving in 2 years. Transfers filling spots that top-flight recruits should be filling. 2 fine pitchers throwing near-shutouts & still losing to unranked or beatable teams. I'm convinced that way, way more than 50-80% of college coaching is recruiting. Great talent will produce, but you have to recruit them. Gophers are still playing w/ the last shreds of Allister's recruits: Fiser, Partain, Kemmetmueller, Brandt, Gill...... What's up next?

Tough to explain the culture change specifically without mentioning or alluding to specific players.

 

[rowdaboat]

Tough to explain the culture change specifically without mentioning or alluding to specific players.

It's not hard to connect the dots

 

[MNsoftballfan]

What worries me most about coach Trachsel is how she might be perceived around the country. I mean for all I know she has done absolutely nothing wrong, but clearly there is a perception out there that she's not exactly a player's coach and there have been some high profile transfers and others who have simply quit the sport rather than play for her. Again, not saying any of that is her fault, but the softball community is very small, and if word spreads that there is negativity surrounding the program, recruiting will suffer tremendously.

As for this season, it's easy to get tunnel vision and focus only on OUR struggles. MANY teams are off to shaky starts. There is still time to right the ship and host a regional. I certainly hope we do because we don't want yet another trip to Seattle in May.

 

[Gopher68]

What worries me most about coach Trachsel is how she might be perceived around the country. I mean for all I know she has done absolutely nothing wrong, but clearly there is a perception out there that she's not exactly a player's coach and there have been some high profile transfers and others who have simply quit the sport rather than play for her. Again, not saying any of that is her fault, but the softball community is very small, and if word spreads that there is negativity surrounding the program, recruiting will suffer tremendously.

Who has supported your opinion of the perception of Jaime as a coach? I'm not saying she's perfect or that she is the best coach for everyone. But, really? Some high profile transfers? The only high profile transfer that I am aware of is Lindaman. In contrast, she has brought in some high profile transfers. That must count for something. She signed what appears to be a very good class this year. Her 2021 recruiting seems to be off to a good start. Could it all fall apart? Sure. Could it all result in continued success? Sure.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

Who has supported your opinion of the perception of Jaime as a coach? I'm not saying she's perfect or that she is the best coach for everyone. But, really? Some high profile transfers? The only high profile transfer that I am aware of is Lindaman. In contrast, she has brought in some high profile transfers. That must count for something. She signed what appears to be a very good class this year. Her 2021 recruiting seems to be off to a good start. Could it all fall apart? Sure. Could it all result in continued success? Sure.

You all know already that I take Gopher68’s side of this particular argument but I will take this opportunity to emphasize that I honestly am not paid by the university or in any relationship with any of the coaches. I in fact am just a fanatic for Gopher softball living 900 miles away from where my beloved team plays.

From and outsider perspective the Lindaman transfer stunk, and most of you I am sure have information closer to the situation than I do. It is clear to o me based on her twitter and interviews that she was unhappy and thought Florida provided her more of a “family” for her. But others claim they love the “family” experience at the U of M. Maybe it is different strokes for different folks.

I just want to emphasize my opinion that a non-insignificant percentage of Gopher softball success is forever and foralways going to be based on luck. Patti Gasso or Tim Murphy

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

I meant to close by saying Patti Gasso or Tim Walton or Patrick Murphy would have some of the same problems coaching here as Jamie is having. Coaching in Minnesota means to have to know how to coach through indoor practice. Not every coach has experience with that. Lastly, I really wanted to Gophers to land a pitching recruit out of Nebraska named Jordan Bahl. Alas, she went toOklahoma. Bummer. But I understand the temptation that must go through an 17 year olds mine to play 30 plus games at home in a sparkling home facility. It is just tough to compete. We gotta keep getting lucky, and be a little patient during those inevitable times when we are less than lucky.

 

[4EverAGopher]

I live and grew up in Minnesota. Played the sport for years wherever, whenever and with whomever I could. Yes that included inside a facility at times, but also included a tournament or two in corn fields. Might sound crazy to this younger generation, but it was fun.

I just feel when you are blessed with talent and enjoy the sport you love so much why this state should become an exception. I am having a difficult time understanding where you practice or play should make that big of a difference. Call me Boomer all you want.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

I love boomers, through I am a Gen X’er. I love Minnesota, though I am a Tennessean now. I love softball, though I never played the sport.

I say all that to say that I am sure about nothing and I certainly don’t want to present myself as a know-it-all. I think reasonable people may think what I am saying makes a little sense, and that could cause fans to be generous if their team loses some games or slips in the standings. Others may take a different view and some can be less generous towards any slippage.

Either way, I am going to slow down in my posts for the next couple weeks so I don’t get too annoying. But I sure will be rooting for those women in maroon and gold!

 

[4EverAGopher]

I just want to clarify that my previous post, which was my personal feeling and thinking, was not intended to be directed to any specific member of this forum. I was just speaking in general to something that I have been thinking for some time.

 

[Panthadad2]

I just want to clarify that my previous post, which was my personal feeling and thinking, was not intended to be directed to any specific member of this forum. I was just speaking in general to something that I have been thinking for some time.

I keep re-reading your previous post looking for something anyone could possibly take offense to (pretty easy nowadays). Couldn't find it.

 

[Hrothgar]

I would repeat my point: I feel recruiting is nearly all the job in college coaching. If you have great talent, you'll win big, but you gotta have the charisma to get in parents'/players' living rooms and convince remarkable talent to come play for you, regardless where you're located. Fleck seems to have it (they play for him in the snow). Allister had it (they came to play for her at MN in some horrible weather). Still, I put a lot of the unsettled feelings of the last two years on Allister. She recruited lots of outstanding players, then bailed out on them mid-stream. Why shouldn't they leave, if the boss leaves? To my thinking, that's way too mercenary even in a mercenary business. I don't sense that powerful recruiting power from the present softball staff, but maybe I'm wrong. I sincerely hope I am. Despite whatever shortcomings the present coaches might have, I don't see them building a national product and then deserting it at the height of its prowess. People's true colors tend to come to the fore.

 

[Metoo]

Should still be ranked, but probably 18-22 range. 1 HR, 37 K of 140 AB + 28 BB + 7 HP not very good. Stats for the weekend:

DenHartog 6-14, 5 runs, 5 RBI, 1 HR, 4 hbp
Partain 7-18, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 4 bb
Strelow 3-8, 3 runs, 4 bb
Hansen 6-18, 2B, 3B, 7 RBI, 5 k
Brandt 4-16, 2 RBI, 3 runs, 5 BB, 5 k
Lindner 2-8, 2 runs, 2 rbi, 3 bb, 4 k
Jones 2-10, 1 run, 5 k
Vander Heide 2-15, 3 runs, 1 rbi
Kemmettmueller 1-13, 3 runs, 5 bb, 4 k

Fiser 23 IP, 15 H, 12 R (9 er), 10 BB (yikes), 38 K, 7 WP
Pease 13 IP, 12 H, 6 R (6 er), 0 BB, 19 K, 0 WP

Strelow 4 SBA / 1 caught
Peterson 1 SBA / 0 caught

Hansen 2 errors, rest 0

I wonder what the stats are if you split up the ranked teams vs the unranked teams. Seems our #1 pitcher gets most of the easier games?

 

[Metoo]

I think all of us, whether pollyannaish boosters or critics, can see objectively the strengths and weaknesses. Strengths: pitching; defense (mostly); all-around athleticism. Weaknesses: abyssmal hitting; lack of power; poor base-running; not always being prepared to play (vs. Missouri in first game and vs. Kentucky). No matter how great your defense/pitching is, you can't win if you don't score runs. I think we all wait for the team to break open these tight games with big innings, with some real firepower, not harmless infield grounders. Will it come later?

I watched numerous games this past weekend on TV/streaming, from around the country. Lots of teams have 1st & 2nd-year players, who produce great stuff like mad, the way Macken, Groenewegen, Fiser, Houlihan, and Partain have done at MN before. Are the present Gophers underclass players A) just not that good or B) talented slow starters? Surely we hope it's B. Nothing would be greater than a strong Gopher upsurge.

If B then why not use the underclassmen on the blow out games and see what they can do? A isn't that how you build a program?

 

[Metoo]

Interesting take. If the starting QB left the football program two years in a row like the starting catcher has left the softball program two years in a row what would they be saying on the football board?

I think we should put Carlie behind the plate so she gets all positions played for the gophers. May be better than current situation. Use the underclassman SS and see what will be coming. Maybe coaches didn't see and treat catchers as the value that they are (and every player serves their purpose) and it is hurting the program.

 

[Metoo]

What's missing most is Brandner's bat and on-field leadership. W/o her, it's a win one-lose one team held together by 2 pitchers and 2 hitters.

Field leadership and excitement on the field is a must. It's a game, are they allowed to have fun? Happy girls play better.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

I would repeat my point: I feel recruiting is nearly all the job in college coaching. If you have great talent, you'll win big, but you gotta have the charisma to get in parents'/players' living rooms and convince remarkable talent to come play for you, regardless where you're located. Fleck seems to have it (they play for him in the snow). Allister had it (they came to play for her at MN in some horrible weather). Still, I put a lot of the unsettled feelings of the last two years on Allister. She recruited lots of outstanding players, then bailed out on them mid-stream. Why shouldn't they leave, if the boss leaves? To my thinking, that's way too mercenary even in a mercenary business. I don't sense that powerful recruiting power from the present softball staff, but maybe I'm wrong. I sincerely hope I am. Despite whatever shortcomings the present coaches might have, I don't see them building a national product and then deserting it at the height of its prowess. People's true colors tend to come to the fore.

I am curious about this Allister recruiting powerhouse reputation that is out there. Not saying it is wrong, I don’t know enough to be sure, but I would not be surprised if the four highest recruited players Allister ever brought in over her 7 or 8 years at Minnesota was that class that came in as freshman in the 2017 season with Fiser, Lindaman, and Partain and maybe you can include Brandt as a hot regional recruit as well. I am just not sure all of the rest of her recruited players were not considered as “development projects“ by national recruiting experts.

 

[4EverAGopher]

I believe the average window given for a new head coach in any sport is around 5-6 years to develop that program. With that said, this Freshman class and next year's should be the determining factor in her success for recruiting/coaching here at the U of MN. Or am I wrong in thinking that?

 

[Hrothgar]

I am curious about this Allister recruiting powerhouse reputation that is out there. Not saying it is wrong, I don’t know enough to be sure, but I would not be surprised if the four highest recruited players Allister ever brought in over her 7 or 8 years at Minnesota was that class that came in as freshman in the 2017 season with Fiser, Lindaman, and Partain and maybe you can include Brandt as a hot regional recruit as well. I am just not sure all of the rest of her recruited players were not considered as “development projects“ by national recruiting experts.

I don't know which poster(s) you're referring to. I for one didn't use the term 'powerhouse' about Allister's recruiting. I said she brought some 'outstanding' recruits: strong defensive catchers, very good outfield defenders, and Groenewegen, plus good bats. Her infield defense was never stellar, and the backup pitchers behind Groenewegen failed to pan out (which proved a weakness), until Fiser, but Allister coached her only one year.

Having said all that, I feel the general critiques from 2020 posters boil down to a specific frustration and kinda helpless disappointment at the lack of power hitting and especially the absence of clutch hitting on this year's team. It gets very painful seeing games that should be won just slide away, not with a bang but a whimper. With that, maybe I've said too much, just like 98 said above. I need to keep quiet.

 

[rugger14]

I am curious about this Allister recruiting powerhouse reputation that is out there. Not saying it is wrong, I don’t know enough to be sure, but I would not be surprised if the four highest recruited players Allister ever brought in over her 7 or 8 years at Minnesota was that class that came in as freshman in the 2017 season with Fiser, Lindaman, and Partain and maybe you can include Brandt as a hot regional recruit as well. I am just not sure all of the rest of her recruited players were not considered as “development projects“ by national recruiting experts.

I think she worked hard to get Sara G. Ellie Jensen and Alex Velasquez were Flo All-Americans and very highly rated. We have had debates about FLO and I don't believe in their ratings. Jensen was actualy committed to Iowa State and Allister flipped her to Minnesota. I think Lowary was supposed to be a big-time pitcher but she was never 100%.