Gopher Softball 2018

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Hrothgar said:
"we already know." How do we know that? Is there info released at some other site? I'd be interested to know. Thanks.
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The B1G-ACC challenge was announced a couple of weeks ago, and the ULL tournament is on the ULL schedule.


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ULL tournament has been cancelled. Hopefully they will reschedule someplace else.
 





Ski U Mah Gopher said:
It's still listed on the ULL Schedule.
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I was hoping to see the Gophies in the Mary Nutter Classic tourney this year that same weekend. Great national competition there, big exposure and great for RPI if they would play well. Oh well.

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I just checked various softball programs' 2018 schedules. MSU Mankato (who had a 64-7 2017 record and won the DII national championship with virtually no fanfare, in contrast to the Gophers) has their 2018 schedule up. So do the Wisconsin Badgers and Oklahoma State, and other schools I chose at random, etc. Why not the Gophers? Why do they wait so long each year to put up their schedule?
 



Hrothgar said:
I just checked various softball programs' 2018 schedules. MSU Mankato (who had a 64-7 2017 record and won the DII national championship with virtually no fanfare, in contrast to the Gophers) has their 2018 schedule up. So do the Wisconsin Badgers and Oklahoma State, and other schools I chose at random, etc. Why not the Gophers? Why do they wait so long each year to put up their schedule?
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No idea. They replied to a comment on Twitter 4 days ago that the schedule should be out in a couple of weeks.

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Panthadad2 said:
Gawd I hope they can get out of this ULL tournament. Two of the Rajun Cajuns' top players have already left with more expected. And to think LAST year's SOS gave the NCAA committee an excuse to snub the Gophers.
http://www.ragincajuns.com/schedule.aspx?path=softball
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According to reliable sources we have already pulled out of the ULL Tournament and are looking for another event to replace it. That may be part of the reason why the schedule has not been fully released.
 





Gee, it would be nice to visit Arizona for spring break this year to watch the Gophies play ASU 3 games, Arizona, GCU and NM State down the road. Too bad my softball playing daughter will already be in Florida then. I'll have to renew my PAC12 TV subscription so I can stream those games. Nice selection of games with Florida State and UCLA thrown in the mix too.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Gee, it would be nice to visit Arizona for spring break this year to watch the Gophies play ASU 3 games, Arizona, GCU and NM State down the road. Too bad my softball playing daughter will already be in Florida then. I'll have to renew my PAC12 TV subscription so I can stream those games. Nice selection of games with Florida State and UCLA thrown in the mix too.
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Gonna go to Vegas play blackjack, shoot craps, and watch some softball. Sounds like a great February vacation!

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rugger14 said:
Gonna go to Vegas play blackjack, shoot craps, and watch some softball. Sounds like a great February vacation!

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Jealous here. That sounds like a great time! Except the craps (never done it, would lose all my cocktail money).
 


Hrothgar said:
I think it's a good and challenging schedule. I hope the Gophers are up to excelling at it, especially their pitching. Losing Sara G. is not easy to overcome. Hope for the best....
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It's probably one of the most challenging non-conference slates they've ever had. With that said, this team is really good, at least on paper. I expect we'll see a few more losses this year, but I would be shocked if the team doesn't win 40 games again and contend for another Big 10 title.
 

MRJ said:
It's probably one of the most challenging non-conference slates they've ever had. With that said, this team is really good, at least on paper. I expect we'll see a few more losses this year, but I would be shocked if the team doesn't win 40 games again and contend for another Big 10 title.
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I agree that this team has been "really good." And has every reason to be even better in 2018. However, for the past 3 seasons I've watched in person, seen on TV, or game-tracked every single Gophers game, and I believe that the only Gopher player able to compete and excel (the key word being 'excel') at the very highest level nationally in '15, '16, and '17 has been Sara G. That's been most evident in Regionals, in which she had to pitch against the highest seeds and keep games close with limited or no run support and then come back and protect wins against lesser teams in elimination games, only to be expected then to come back yet again and pitch another elimination game against the top seed. No one stepped up to her extremely high level on the Gophers to help her in the NCAAs, not even Macken, and certainly no other Gophers pitchers had a chance (in the end, those pitchers couldn't even subdue LA Tech). I hope that trend will change this coming season; the Gophers need for the whole team to step it up a notch or two. Hopefully they'll do just that. Will be an interesting season.
 

Hrothgar said:
I agree that this team has been "really good." And has every reason to be even better in 2018. However, for the past 3 seasons I've watched in person, seen on TV, or game-tracked every single Gophers game, and I believe that the only Gopher player able to compete and excel (the key word being 'excel') at the very highest level nationally in '15, '16, and '17 has been Sara G. That's been most evident in Regionals, in which she had to pitch against the highest seeds and keep games close with limited or no run support and then come back and protect wins against lesser teams in elimination games, only to be expected then to come back yet again and pitch another elimination game against the top seed. No one stepped up to her extremely high level on the Gophers to help her in the NCAAs, not even Macken, and certainly no other Gophers pitchers had a chance (in the end, those pitchers couldn't even subdue LA Tech). I hope that trend will change this coming season; the Gophers need for the whole team to step it up a notch or two. Hopefully they'll do just that. Will be an interesting season.
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You might be right.

However, don't forget Sydney Smith pitched in the SEC for two years and fared pretty darn well, even if she didn't get as much time last season as she did as a freshman. Also, Lindaman is already considered one of the best players in the country and is only a sophomore. Fiser looks like she could also be dominant and become one of the nation's best pitchers. She was pretty darn good as you may recall in her freshmen season.

The point I'm making here is that we simply don't know how they'll fare against better competition in 2018 until we see it. Last year's team swept Notre Dame, Texas and shutout LSU (all away from home) during the regular season. Sara G had a big part in those wins, but it wasn't like she did it by herself.

On top of that, it wasn't like they didn't have chances against Alabama in the regionals last year. They got runners on base several times but couldn't come up with the big hit when they really needed it. And that happened in both games. I'd hardly call that having Sara G be a one person team. They just come didn't through with the timely hit they needed it.

Can they this season? We'll find out. But first things first; the team has to put themselves in that position by having a strong 2018.
 

Hrothgar said:
I agree that this team has been "really good." And has every reason to be even better in 2018. However, for the past 3 seasons I've watched in person, seen on TV, or game-tracked every single Gophers game, and I believe that the only Gopher player able to compete and excel (the key word being 'excel') at the very highest level nationally in '15, '16, and '17 has been Sara G. That's been most evident in Regionals, in which she had to pitch against the highest seeds and keep games close with limited or no run support and then come back and protect wins against lesser teams in elimination games, only to be expected then to come back yet again and pitch another elimination game against the top seed. No one stepped up to her extremely high level on the Gophers to help her in the NCAAs, not even Macken, and certainly no other Gophers pitchers had a chance (in the end, those pitchers couldn't even subdue LA Tech). I hope that trend will change this coming season; the Gophers need for the whole team to step it up a notch or two. Hopefully they'll do just that. Will be an interesting season.
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I have a hard time understanding our "fan" base at times. Did our Gophers play their best in the NCAA? No. However they played good enough to win but the breaks didn't go our way. Sara G. was fantastic (just like the Alabama pitchers were great). But to say other players can't complete at the very highest level like Alabama players is statistically incorrect.

Here are some examples:
Tournament Stats - Batting Average = Macken .300, Parlich .267, Lindaman .273, Houlihan .333, Dwyer .214.
Against Alabama ONLY = Macken .000, Parlich .286, Lindaman .250 (OBP .571), Houlihan .000, Dwyer .000.

I know what people will say - this proves we struggled at that plate against SEC pitching and we can't compete at that level. So that must mean the Alabama hitters who can compete at the "very highest level nationally" did much better against our pitching?

Alabama against MN Pitching - Top 5 hitters = Brown .000, Dare .285, Runyon .167, Hemphill .286, Dykes .000. Seems pretty comparable and NONE of the RBI in either game came from their top 5 hitters.

For the Tournament (Macken, Parlich, Lindaman, Houlihan, Dwyer): .265 BA, .341 OBP

As a team (Top 5 hitters) against Alabama = .107 BA, .171 OBP, 5 SO. And keep in mind, Wagner hit .286 against Alabama but she is not in the discussion.
Alabama against MN Pitching (Top 5 hitters) .161 BA, .161 OBP, 8 SO.

The bottom line - there were 2 great teams with great pitching on both sides. Alabama won because they were the better team that day - but don't believe that the Gophers aren't good enough to compete with anyone in the country. And where is the respect for our returning pitchers? Fiser was undefeated in 2017. Smith pitched well at LSU for 2 years. Brandt did well last season and will only get better.

If you were at the games against Alabama you know they had 1 really big ADVANTAGE over the Gophers - and that is the unwavering support they get from their FANBASE. Maybe that is the secret to competing at the highest level nationally....
 

I'm not trying to be down on the Gophers. I want nothing more than for them to win big. I'm just presenting it the way I see it---the last three years they had their chances in the Regionals, but lost. Why did they lose? IMO they lost because they didn't come through when they had their chances, in the clutch. You can't give your best pitcher 17 innings of spectacular pitching and not give her a single run. In 2015-16, they were too thin on secondary pitching (and even in 2107, despite Fiser's record) and they didn't hit in the clutch in the Regionals. What they need is a big break-through against the odds, meaning against the hostile crowd and on the road. Hopefully 2018 will see that happen. For it to happen the pitching and hitting will have to produce in unison. Baseball and softball are great sports for stats, but in the end the winners are the ones who produce in the clutch. I'm sorry if folks don't agree with me. I have no rancor, but the Gophers have to keep up a high level of play year after year and keep knocking at the door until one year the breakthrough comes along. Then the floodgates will open.
 

I'm not talking so much about the regular season, but about the NCAA playoffs, which is where prominent programs make their true mark.
 

Hrothgar said:
I'm not talking so much about the regular season, but about the NCAA playoffs, which is where prominent programs make their true mark.
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Here are the facts about the NCAA tournament - 1 team wins, 63 teams lose. Don’t judge the success of any team based on a tournament where 98% of the partipants go home disappointed.
 

There are many facts and different kinds of victories about the NCAA, not just one reductionist fact. Each advancement forward in the NCAA playoffs is a victory. The Gophers have won one Regional (2014), no superRegional, and never been to the College World Series. The Gophers say their goal is making the CWS. They have yet to talk about winning it. They have several victories to attain upcoming. I think the Gophers and their fans would agree that winning another Regional, a superRegional, and making the CWS, even without winning it, would be grand steps forward and important victories. I for one will be overjoyed when they attain any (or all) of those victories.
 

Hrothgar said:
There are many facts and different kinds of victories about the NCAA, not just one reductionist fact. Each advancement forward in the NCAA playoffs is a victory. The Gophers have won one Regional (2014), no superRegional, and never been to the College World Series. The Gophers say their goal is making the CWS. They have yet to talk about winning it. They have several victories to attain upcoming. I think the Gophers and their fans would agree that winning another Regional, a superRegional, and making the CWS, even without winning it, would be grand steps forward and important victories. I for one will be overjoyed when they attain any (or all) of those victories.
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56-5. Undefeated at home. 22-1 in the B1G Ten. B1G Ten Champs. B1G Ten tournament champs. 8 players with B1G 10 honors. B1G Ten Player and Freshman of the Year. B1G Ten Pitcher of the Year. 2 First-Team All-Americans. Longest winning streak in school history. Ranked #1 in final coaches poll. I guess these girls could have accomplished more for you....sorry that the let you down. I hope someday they can live up to YOUR expectations.
 

GrudgeGuy said:
56-5. Undefeated at home. 22-1 in the B1G Ten. B1G Ten Champs. B1G Ten tournament champs. 8 players with B1G 10 honors. B1G Ten Player and Freshman of the Year. B1G Ten Pitcher of the Year. 2 First-Team All-Americans. Longest winning streak in school history. Ranked #1 in final coaches poll. I guess these girls could have accomplished more for you....sorry that the let you down. I hope someday they can live up to YOUR expectations.
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I'll simply add this to the discussion: If the regionals, super regionals and the CWS (as well as a perceived inability to really compete) is going to be a running theme in discussions this spring, it's going to be a VERY LONG 2018 campaign.

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GrudgeGuy said:
56-5. Undefeated at home. 22-1 in the B1G Ten. B1G Ten Champs. B1G Ten tournament champs. 8 players with B1G 10 honors. B1G Ten Player and Freshman of the Year. B1G Ten Pitcher of the Year. 2 First-Team All-Americans. Longest winning streak in school history. Ranked #1 in final coaches poll. I guess these girls could have accomplished more for you....sorry that the let you down. I hope someday they can live up to YOUR expectations.
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I LOVE all those accomplishments!!! Couldn't be prouder of them. Still, the Gophers' coaches and players said all season long in 2017 (and Jessica Allister said it in 2015, too) that their ultimate goal was the CWS. That was their stated goal for them. They weren't trying to live up to MY expectations, but to their own clearly stated expectations. Sadly, I think how the softball culture nationwide judges a program's success is how far they progress through the NCAAs. If If I'm wrong about that, so be it. I'm hoping in 2018 the Gophers'll make their big NCAA breakthrough (just as MSU Mankato did in DII in 2017 and won a National championship). The Gophers've come a long, long way in the last six years. There's good reason to hope for even more success this coming spring.
 

Hrothgar said:
I LOVE all those accomplishments!!! Couldn't be prouder of them. Still, the Gophers' coaches and players said all season long in 2017 (and Jessica Allister said it in 2015, too) that their ultimate goal was the CWS. That was their stated goal for them. They weren't trying to live up to MY expectations, but to their own clearly stated expectations. Sadly, I think how the softball culture nationwide judges a program's success is how far they progress through the NCAAs. If If I'm wrong about that, so be it. I'm hoping in 2018 the Gophers'll make their big NCAA breakthrough (just as MSU Mankato did in DII in 2017 and won a National championship). The Gophers've come a long, long way in the last six years. There's good reason to hope for even more success this coming spring.
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I still think you underestimate getting fu*ked by the committee. With their accomplishments they had earned a seeding. The committee had to twist themselves into a pretzel to justify not seeding them. Once they were sent to Alabama, with Florida to follow, their chances of achieving their stated goal were shot to he!!. By 9:15 Sunday they had barely a better chance of making the WCWS as at 8:45 they had of winning the national championship.

What you are describing just emphasizes the tragedy of the screwing over. A northern team trying to establish a national presence sets themselves up to take a step-7 RPI, best record in the country, Big Ten regular season and tourney champs, Groenewegen's senior season-instead of playing in Minneapolis against North Dakota State they are in Alabama playing against a silly umpire.

That change in circumstance more than makes up the difference in the razors edge of two 1-0 losses to Alabama AT Alabama.
 

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