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  1. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    Congrats Jess! Jess Oakland could have arguably won this award practically every week since conference play began, and here’s why. She’s so good she hits 500 for the week with only one weekend of play remaining and sees her conference batting average decline.
  2. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    I think the frustration is starting to show on some players. This is something nobody on the team has ever had to really deal with. Regarding facing Kniesche, we have hit her pretty well in the past. The pitcher they faced last night was wild early in the year but has won her last seven starts...
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    Gopher Softball 2024

    Who did Trachsel recruit who was All B1G caliber from Day One who is now a senior or fifth year senior? Or a senior or fifth-year senior who sat the bench for two years but became a solid player in her last two years? That is a large part of the current staff’s depth of talent problem right...
  4. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    That’s the kind of solid beat reporting we don’t get from our local media outlets, Gopher68!
  5. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    That was the least dominating no-hitter I’ve ever seen. I counted at least six balls that we lined right at Wisconsin fielders or they made diving grabs. The home plate ump had a generous strike zone, and Magnamino took advantage. We didn’t. Game 2 was better, against a pretty mediocre pitcher...
  6. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    It was supposed to be on the regular B1G Network.
  7. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    Indiana is a team that feasts on positive momentum. No extra outs, as they wreak havoc on the base paths. But they also run themselves out of innings so our defense needs to step up and make accurate throws, hit cutoffs, etc. To beat them, you must jump ahead of them early and not let up. We...
  8. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    Both of these teams are in the same boat. A series win here would be huge for us.
  9. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    Yet Ohio State is the only team to have beaten Northwestern, and the same Emily Ruck who we pounded shut out the Wildcats. On the other hand, look at Indiana’s stats in-conference vs overall. Their non-conference schedule wasn’t great, but they are hitting and pitching well below what they did...
  10. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    Piper does a good job balancing the dual goals of preparation for the conference season with positioning the team to get the best possible seed in the tournament if they have enough success. Clearly she learned something from the 2017 debacle when Allister only scheduled two Top 25 games (both...
  11. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    I can assure you that the players and coaches do exactly as you suggest. Once conference play begins, they are laser-focused on winning a B1G regular season championship and/or B1G tournament championship. The only disagreement I have with your take is that coaches of upper-level B1G teams need...
  12. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    They are positioned pretty well as far as positive nitty gritty metrics are concerned. They have a winning record against Top 100 teams, something only five of the 10 teams currently in the 30-39 positions can say. They have a decent non-conference strength of schedule (32). Only Nebraska (25)...
  13. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    This is key. Each hitter needs to understand their own strength zones and approach each at bat accordingly. Watch the very best hitting teams going against a top pitcher who rarely makes a mistake and you’ll see that in order to beat top pitching you sometimes have to go after a pitch you can...
  14. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    She’s in a boot and not in uniform so it may be awhile for her. Agree we could certainly use her now, but I just hope she’s ready for the B1G tourney when pitching depth (or lack thereof) can really make a difference.
  15. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    Agree it was amazing to watch a team completely turn around a game from an 11-3 run-rule loss to a 12-11 win. We scored 9 runs on 10 hits in the final two innings, while Hambrick, who has struggled mightily this season, held the Buckeyes hitless over the same period. The addition of DeBord, who...
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    WNIT Championship Game: Gophers versus St. Louis (4-6-24) @SIUE

    Well, at least the Gophers can fly into St.Louis and take a short bus ride to their hotel lol. Not going to get angry about it. With the introduction of the WBIT, the WNIT is a third-rate tournament, so one cannot expect much from them when they can save some money by advertising a neutral site...
  17. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    One thing I don’t like to see is taking a pitcher who has been effective out merely because they will be seeing the top of the order for the third or fourth time. Piper isn’t the only coach who does this, and I understand some of the reasoning behind it. But a coach can be too clever sometimes...
  18. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    In this media market, there are few times when the coach has to actually face the media and answer questions, and rarely are the questioners knowledgeable enough to ask the pertinent questions. One of those few times is this week, when the media always shows up to the stadium prior to the home...
  19. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    Run-rule 14-4 win over NC State, which had beaten Northwestern and Michigan State so far in this tourney. That is the kind of response I would hope for after yesterday’s debacle. But to even partially make up for lost opportunity yesterday, we need to find a way to beat South Carolina on their...
  20. R

    Gopher Softball 2024

    I was referring to controlling an entire game only to allow five runs in the bottom of the seventh to lose in dramatic fashion, not the state of the program. I’m still bullish there. I have been following Gopher softball since I worked for the U as a grad student and traveled with the team to...



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