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From an interview Justin McLeod of Extra Inning Softball did with NCAA Softball Committee chair Sandy Atkins: Extra Inning Softball: Last four in? Sandy Atkins: In alphabetical order, Oregon State; South Florida; Wichita State; and Wisconsin. Extra Inning Softball: First four out? Sandy...

It pains me to talk about that, too. A team of that quality and balance doesn’t come around very often. Which is why denying them an opportunity to see how they would have stacked up in the WCWS due to the incompetence of that years’ Committee is such a crying shame. Softball fans from around...

That was the double whammy of being sent to Alabama that year. They had two great pitchers but not a lot of hitting, which is why their hosting streak of 12 years (now 16 tournaments) remained intact. There were maybe two other teams in the entire field with the level of pitching Alabama had...

I can’t recall ever being in a regional where you knew that even if you lost the first game, you weren’t going 0-2. I believe Prairie View’s RPI is in the 280s, which is in the bottom 10% of all teams. So, while going 2-0 to start any regional is always the goal, Minnesota and Texas A&M will...

I was just happy to get a bid and keep the 9-year streak going. Knowing you are going to a program that will be in the NCAAs every year (even in off years) attracts recruits that can will get this program back on the upward trajectory Allister had us on. Speaking of Allister, I wonder how she...

Hansen will not be back. Costa is another possible transfer if she desires more playing time. Unless Chavez leaves or is hurt, it is unlikely Costa will play much at 3B, but she could also compete for playing time at DP or 1B. I think Strelow and Kinch both swing for the fences a little too...

We have starting positions available for whoever wants to compete for them at DP, 1B, SS, LF. Both Cox and Valencia would be in competition for DP and Valencia practiced at 1B this year. Addison Leschber and Sydney Schwartz would be the newcomers most likely to try and take one of those spots. I...

True statement. Why is that? Because the B1G has a lot of depth this year, for a change, which really showed in the ease with which the 5 and 6 seeds dispatched the 11 and 12 seeds (15-1).

To be honest, I think we squared more balls up than Wisconsin did, but sometimes they don’t find gaps and holes and sometimes bloops and weak grounders do. That’s softball. When you are playing a fairly evenly-matched opponent, and you have one of those days, you are probably not going to win...

I fully expect to be shipped to a high seed’s regional because when haven’t we? If I were a Virginia Tech fan, I would be complaining that they should have an easier regional than that one as the #2 overall seed.

The RPI on NCAA.com has Illinois at 34 and Minnesota at 35, with Wisconsin at 38. This is adjusted RPI, which includes bonus points for beating high-RPI non-conference opponents. The reason I am bullish on the Gophers chances is that when you look at raw RPI, we are 35 and Wisconsin is 44. And...

Congratulations to Emily! Despite some ups and downs, she never stopped competing and working on her craft. So nice to see it all coming together for her now. Only freshman pitcher to win B1G Pitcher of the Week this season. Looks like Minnesota pitching will be in good hands again for years...

I stayed for the senior day ceremony, and neither Pease nor DenHartog took part. Expect both back next year, and hope Pease’s shoulder issues will be a distant memory in 2023. I agree with the melancholy. However, they did what they needed to do to make a strong case for inclusion in the...

I was also there and just finished watching the replay. They were pretty complimentary of our defense, particularly Dowell and Strelow. What I thought unfortunate for those who only got to see the telecast was that they failed miserably to capture the sheer magnitude of the DenHartog HR. That...

Agree that comfortable lock status might require two wins, but the two dominating wins this weekend have greatly improved our resume, to the point where it would be a surprise if we were overlooked, even if we were to lose our first tournament game to Wisconsin. We will be sitting at #35 in the...

Indiana’s win over Nebraska last night clinched the regular season title for Northwestern.

I doubt it. Piper has yet to try doing this even though a few of our lefties haven’t fared that well against lefties. I think Evans is the one whose splits suggest she hits righties much better, but our reserve OFs all hit from the left side. Espalin is usually the DP, but she seems to hit both...

We did really well playing the swinging bunts and actual bunts, plus Dowell and Strelow both had a couple of very nice defensive plays. Wisconsin is good at causing chaos by drawing a lot of walks and then playing small-ball tactics to put pressure on the infield defense.

She’s also gaining confidence in her change-up, throwing it for strikes. She tired toward the end of Game 2 but fought through it. We will need both Leavitt and Pease to be at their best this weekend to have a chance to win the series. It’s amazing we haven’t won a weekend home series yet this...

First day is #5 vs #12, #6 vs #11, #7 vs #10, and #8 vs #9. Seeds 1-4 receive a first-round bye.