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In B1G play, yes. They have some non-conference games coming up though. But there’s more than a strong possibility that the Gophers will not qualify for the B1G tournament.

If she comes to the B1G she has Ohio State written all over her.

Unfortunately, Oregon is a bad team to come see if you want to avoid seeing blowout losses. I don’t know that Michigan is much better, but I’d trust us against them more than Oregon. If you came, I hope they get a really good pitching performance tonight.

The Dawn Staleys and Geno Auriemmas of the world can do that and get away with it most of the time, once they have established that they are elite coaches. The hard part is working your way into that position and kudos to them they were able to do it.

We just need a recruiter that hits home runs with the players they bring in. The previous hitting coach didn’t teach Oakland how to hit.

I’ll be very surprised if Piper isn’t given two years after this one no matter how bad the team performs in the field. Softball just isn’t enough of a priority here that coaches are fired just for losing unless it becomes more than 5-6 years straight.

Depends on what they had to pay to retain the players who have announced they are returning. It’s no accident that Battle and Braun were the last to announce they were back. They likely are the players that command the most money and they had to reach a deal with DTA. Hopeful there is enough...

Could quality of coaches have something to do with that? Hiring a popular former player with no head coaching experience as head coach may be more appealing than it should be.

Recruiting and $$$$. Softball won’t be getting any revenue sharing money, so donors will have to step it up AND coaches will have to identify talent that the big-time programs overlook and convince them to come here. This program will have to completely bottom out and then some before the...

Let’s be fair. Her best offensive player has been out for most of her two seasons coaching here. I seem to recall a South Dakota team coached by Plitzuweit beating a Top 10 Baylor team on their home floor in an NCAA tournament game a few years ago. If she can get players here that can run her...

I think we should be careful assuming that the primary pool of P5 head coaches is the P5 assistant ranks. If I am an AD at a P5 school, I’m looking for someone who has demonstrated the ability to succeed as a head coach at progressively more difficult levels. Assistants at P5 schools are most...

I was thinking the same thing this afternoon. How did Gopher softball get out of the gutter in the first place? Simple. We got lucky on a totally unproven coach hired at a bargain basement salary. And rest assured this administration wouldn’t be throwing money at a new coach. Odds are we would...

The last team in rarely deserves to be in, but someone has to be that team. Might as well be us.

The Gophers played six home games against teams with superior talent and they won two of them. They might have needed one or two more to make the tourney but we will see. The Michigan game was there for the taking but superior talent eventually made the plays needed to win. And they came close...

Yes, but only if they make the NCAAs. If they are relegated to the WBIT, the portal shopping will have to wait a bit.

I can say with a high level of confidence that she is the second-best coach we’ve ever had, behind only Frese, and I’m thankful we have her. She will get the most out of whomever she is coaching. I think we will see a steady improvement in recruiting as well. There really is no limit to what...

Virginia Tech may well pass the Gophers when all is said and done, but it won’t be due to any recent Quad 1 wins. Their only Quad 1 win came Jan. 9th at Georgia Tech. They play Georgia Tech again in the ACC Tournament, so that’s certainly a game to keep an eye on. The Gophers could do...

I expect to see one thank you post like this one each day through Tuesday leading up to Senior Night.

If I were an AD who wanted to prioritize a championship-caliber softball program, she would be. This administration says they do, but actions speak louder than words. Let’s face it. Piper bleeds maroon and gold, but she just isn’t a top-flight recruiter, nor does she approach the talent...

Agree 100% that having elite level pitching is a necessity to be a Top 20 team and to compete for a spot in the WCWS. The interesting thing is really none of our recent elite-level pitchers were highly-touted “sure things” when they arrived. So I haven’t given up hope that we can find one or two...