Gopher Softball 2018

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Ski U Mah Gopher said:
I think the bunting and running has to do with the makeup of the team. Minnesota had a bunch of .300 hitters, and a lot of power.
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Yep, you are probably right. Although, for instance, her 2014 Bison team hit 49 home runs and still attempted to steal 81 times. 2015 team hit 53 home runs and attempted 152 stolen bases. Also, was it her influence or the co head coach?
 

Season ticket renewals have been pushed back a week or two. Ticket office said to check back around Feb. 1. It will get posted on gophersports.com
 

dlw4gophers said:
Season ticket renewals have been pushed back a week or two. Ticket office said to check back around Feb. 1. It will get posted on gophersports.com
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Dang! Thanks for the information.

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Gopher softball camp at Gibson-Nagurski. Nice and warm. Curious if the new facility opens up indoor opportunities significantly for non-football sports.
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Panthadad2 said:
Gopher softball camp at Gibson-Nagurski. Nice and warm. Curious if the new facility opens up indoor opportunities significantly for non-football sports.
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It absolutely does. I heard Allister on a radio interview last year and it sounded like they were trying to get her to complain about all the money being spent on football and hoops but she didn't take the bait. She said that the expanded space for football and hoops means that the other sports get more indoor time at Gibson-Nagurski and that the new weight room means there is more time available for the other sports in the old one.
 

rugger14 said:
It absolutely does. I heard Allister on a radio interview last year and it sounded like they were trying to get her to complain about all the money being spent on football and hoops but she didn't take the bait. She said that the expanded space for football and hoops means that the other sports get more indoor time at Gibson-Nagurski and that the new weight room means there is more time available for the other sports in the old one.
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The 3 sports that having 2 indoor field helps is softball, baseball, & soccer.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
The 3 sports that having 2 indoor field helps is softball, baseball, & soccer.
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Soccer has been doing well, so helping it take another step is a good thing. Softball also could take their program to another level, that's very good. But the Baseball team? Is there hope for a northern team to ever win another CWS?? I mean realistically? Baseball is so incredibly dominated by southern teams its gotten sickening. If not for the new Baseball Stadium, I'd honestly suggest shutting down baseball to focus on Men's soccer or something? But of course with the new Baseball Stadium that would be a big waste of money.



Ok, so now what? Where do we go from here? Which sports still need help? Or are we good all-around now, at least for awhile?



Is Men's hockey helped out by this? Or Women's hockey, not that womens hockey needs any help, lol. But the Men's team might?

VB is one of our best sports yet still seems not to be able to snag em a Title? Is that just luck, timing? Did these new facilities help out the VB team? Or are they like the women's hockey, not in need of help?

And finally, what about the Wrestling program? This has to help them out some, right? If only for more access to the old weight room?
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
Yep, you are probably right. Although, for instance, her 2014 Bison team hit 49 home runs and still attempted to steal 81 times. 2015 team hit 53 home runs and attempted 152 stolen bases. Also, was it her influence or the co head coach?
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Trachsel is going to have the girls run. ISU went 99 for 118 attempts on SBs last year. Looks like she had a few of the regulars who ran a lot and then used some pinch runners.

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KillmeNow said:
Soccer has been doing well, so helping it take another step is a good thing. Softball also could take their program to another level, that's very good. But the Baseball team? Is there hope for a northern team to ever win another CWS?? I mean realistically? Baseball is so incredibly dominated by southern teams its gotten sickening. If not for the new Baseball Stadium, I'd honestly suggest shutting down baseball to focus on Men's soccer or something? But of course with the new Baseball Stadium that would be a big waste of money.



Ok, so now what? Where do we go from here? Which sports still need help? Or are we good all-around now, at least for awhile?



Is Men's hockey helped out by this? Or Women's hockey, not that womens hockey needs any help, lol. But the Men's team might?

VB is one of our best sports yet still seems not to be able to snag em a Title? Is that just luck, timing? Did these new facilities help out the VB team? Or are they like the women's hockey, not in need of help?

And finally, what about the Wrestling program? This has to help them out some, right? If only for more access to the old weight room?
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KillmeNow presents some important questions. I'm old enough to remember & have seen Gopher baseball when it was a national power. I've seen recent U baseball games and found them lifeless (especially compared to Gopher softball), despite some relative W-L success. It seems a younger, dynamic baseball coaching staff is needed, after decades of only middling success on a national level. As for softball, Trachsel may turn out to be a great coach, but can she compete in recruiting with the national elite teams? Women's VB has everything in place - coaching, talent, fan base; they need a big breakthrough. I think that's true of all these programs; one big breakthrough on a national level and the floodgates of even greater success will open. Those breakthroughs often come at unexpected moments. I suspect the true key is not so much on-field coaching ability, but recruiting prowess.
 

KillmeNow said:
Soccer has been doing well, so helping it take another step is a good thing. Softball also could take their program to another level, that's very good. But the Baseball team? Is there hope for a northern team to ever win another CWS?? I mean realistically? Baseball is so incredibly dominated by southern teams its gotten sickening. If not for the new Baseball Stadium, I'd honestly suggest shutting down baseball to focus on Men's soccer or something? But of course with the new Baseball Stadium that would be a big waste of money.



Ok, so now what? Where do we go from here? Which sports still need help? Or are we good all-around now, at least for awhile?



Is Men's hockey helped out by this? Or Women's hockey, not that womens hockey needs any help, lol. But the Men's team might?

VB is one of our best sports yet still seems not to be able to snag em a Title? Is that just luck, timing? Did these new facilities help out the VB team? Or are they like the women's hockey, not in need of help?

And finally, what about the Wrestling program? This has to help them out some, right? If only for more access to the old weight room?
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They are all helped by the new academic and dining facility. Plus the old football weight room is now re-purposed for other sports, so they have better access for S & C.

Volleyball has great practice facilities (nice locker room & 2 courts) at the Pav, since they are the only fall sport. They don't have to share space.
 


College Sports Madness is in the process of counting down their top 44 teams for 2018 and they have the Gophers at #17 nationally and #2 in the Big Ten.

Interesting since they don't mention Smith's arrival. They talk extensively about Fiser and all the returning offensive firepower, which leads me to believe they either don't know about Smith, or they don't think she'll be much of a factor. With Smith, I think they're a solid bet to win the conference again. Of course, none of it really matters right now.

As a matter of irony, #17 and #2 is exactly where they ranked the team last year as well.

link: http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/15600
 



Ignatius L Hoops said:
Shouldn't this be a separate thread and discussion?
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Sorry Ignatius. I'm not a one sport kind of fan, and enjoy talking about multiple sports and only multi-sport fans like me are ok with me expanding the conversation. It's frustrating for multi-sport fans sometimes having everything so compartmentalized, so we have to go to multiple forums just to follow through on ideas that get brought up in other forums. But I also understand for one sport only fans, or people who like multi sports but like to focus on one sport at a time guys like me frustrate you. I try hard not to go off topic during the season, but during the offseason is it really that big of a deal if discussions are expanded?

I mean, I'll assume you are going to say YES, it is a big deal, and so I will try to compartmentalize all of my thoughts and opine about them only in the appropriate and specifically designated areas, ok?




Btw, I was hoping someone would simply respond with, "Yeah, we are actually good all-around now, at least for now", and that could have been the end of it. But instead I guess I'll have to go start a whole new thread just in case the answer isn't that simple.
 

KillmeNow said:
Sorry Ignatius. I'm not a one sport kind of fan, and enjoy talking about multiple sports and only multi-sport fans like me are ok with me expanding the conversation. It's frustrating for multi-sport fans sometimes having everything so compartmentalized, so we have to go to multiple forums just to follow through on ideas that get brought up in other forums. But I also understand for one sport only fans, or people who like multi sports but like to focus on one sport at a time guys like me frustrate you. I try hard not to go off topic during the season, but during the offseason is it really that big of a deal if discussions are expanded?

I mean, I'll assume you are going to say YES, it is a big deal, and so I will try to compartmentalize all of my thoughts and opine about them only in the appropriate and specifically designated areas, ok?




Btw, I was hoping someone would simply respond with, "Yeah, we are actually good all-around now, at least for now", and that could have been the end of it. But instead I guess I'll have to go start a whole new thread just in case the answer isn't that simple.
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Never mind, a separate thread's been started for this kind of multi-sport topic.
 

MRJ said:
College Sports Madness is in the process of counting down their top 44 teams for 2018 and they have the Gophers at #17 nationally and #2 in the Big Ten.

Interesting since they don't mention Smith's arrival. They talk extensively about Fiser and all the returning offensive firepower, which leads me to believe they either don't know about Smith, or they don't think she'll be much of a factor. With Smith, I think they're a solid bet to win the conference again. Of course, none of it really matters right now.

As a matter of irony, #17 and #2 is exactly where they ranked the team last year as well.

link: http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/15600
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Thanks for posting. Wonder how high they have Michigan slotted? Really looking forward to the NDSU match up.
(Hate being reminded of those 1-0 losses to Bama)
 

MRJ said:
College Sports Madness is in the process of counting down their top 44 teams for 2018 and they have the Gophers at #17 nationally and #2 in the Big Ten.

Interesting since they don't mention Smith's arrival. They talk extensively about Fiser and all the returning offensive firepower, which leads me to believe they either don't know about Smith, or they don't think she'll be much of a factor. With Smith, I think they're a solid bet to win the conference again. Of course, none of it really matters right now.

As a matter of irony, #17 and #2 is exactly where they ranked the team last year as well.

link: http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/15600
Click to expand...
I've never seen the College Sports Madness ranking before. I always watch the 3 NCAA poles. Do they typically align very closely? In June, NFCA Coaches pole and USA Softball had Minnesota ranked 14th and 15th. Michigan was 20th.
I can't imagine who CSM would have ahead of Minnesota in the Big10 at this time.
It isn't too surprising that Sydney Smith wasn't mentioned. I don't think a lot is known about her. I assume she's pretty good because she was recruited by LSU, but she doesn't have enough stats to be able to tell what impact she will have.

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Big games opening weekend

Ohio State plays NIU, Duke, Florida Atlantic, NIU, Boston U
Michigan plays UAB, Georgia State, Florida, South Florida, Illinois State
Indiana plays Boise State, Oregon State, Northwestern, San Jose State, Arizona State
Minnesota plays Southern Utah, Utah Valley, NDSU, UNLV, Creighton
Illinois plays Providence, North Florida, South Alabama, UCF, Louisville
Wisconsin plays Colorado State, Texas, Texas, Incarnate Word
Iowa plays UIC, Eastern Illinois, UL Lafayette, Evansville, UIC
Northwestern plays Arizona, San Diego State, Boise State, Indiana, South Dakota
Maryland plays Cal Poly, UCLA, UC Riverside, Cal Poly, Middle Tennessee
Penn State plays Mississippi, Lipscomb, Georgia State, Alabama, Central Arkansas
Michigan State plays Duke, FAU, Bethune Cookman, NIU, Boston U
Purdue plays Arizona State, San Jose State, Western Michigan, South Dakota, Fresno State
Rutgers plays UC Riverside, Fullerton, Middle Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Utah State
Nebraska plays BYU, Arizona State, Utah, San Diego State, Cal State Northridge, Seattle U

Michigan vs Florida is a nice match up.
Northwestern vs Arizona (NU Wildcats bringing in a 9th ranked class next season)
Maryland gets UCLA
Indiana and Purdue get Fresno State
Penn State gets Alabama
Nebraska against Utah
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
Big games opening weekend

Ohio State plays NIU, Duke, Florida Atlantic, NIU, Boston U
Michigan plays UAB, Georgia State, Florida, South Florida, Illinois State
Indiana plays Boise State, Oregon State, Northwestern, San Jose State, Arizona State
Minnesota plays Southern Utah, Utah Valley, NDSU, UNLV, Creighton
Illinois plays Providence, North Florida, South Alabama, UCF, Louisville
Wisconsin plays Colorado State, Texas, Texas, Incarnate Word
Iowa plays UIC, Eastern Illinois, UL Lafayette, Evansville, UIC
Northwestern plays Arizona, San Diego State, Boise State, Indiana, South Dakota
Maryland plays Cal Poly, UCLA, UC Riverside, Cal Poly, Middle Tennessee
Penn State plays Mississippi, Lipscomb, Georgia State, Alabama, Central Arkansas
Michigan State plays Duke, FAU, Bethune Cookman, NIU, Boston U
Purdue plays Arizona State, San Jose State, Western Michigan, South Dakota, Fresno State
Rutgers plays UC Riverside, Fullerton, Middle Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Utah State
Nebraska plays BYU, Arizona State, Utah, San Diego State, Cal State Northridge, Seattle U

Michigan vs Florida is a nice match up.
Northwestern vs Arizona (NU Wildcats bringing in a 9th ranked class next season)
Maryland gets UCLA
Indiana and Purdue get Fresno State
Penn State gets Alabama
Nebraska against Utah
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Thanks for putting that together!

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GopherSBdad said:
I've never seen the College Sports Madness ranking before. I always watch the 3 NCAA poles. Do they typically align very closely? In June, NFCA Coaches pole and USA Softball had Minnesota ranked 14th and 15th. Michigan was 20th.
I can't imagine who CSM would have ahead of Minnesota in the Big10 at this time.
It isn't too surprising that Sydney Smith wasn't mentioned. I don't think a lot is known about her. I assume she's pretty good because she was recruited by LSU, but she doesn't have enough stats to be able to tell what impact she will have.

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You mean other than the fact she went 25-11, appeared in 46 games for the Tigers, had 11 shutouts along with 19 complete games, and was named a NCAA Division I National Freshman of the Year top-25 candidate in 2016? Other than that, I agree. We don't know much about her.
 

These various polls make a person wonder: In D2, Minnesota State Mankato, the defending D2 National Champion, is ranked #1 in the nation pre-season, but ranked #3 in their conference. In the BIG, Minnesota and Michigan are described as pretty much equal in the team to be put in the field and at bat and also both being in the same boat by suffering by the loss of their star pitcher by graduation. All of this means that defending conference and conference tournament champion Minnesota is ranked two spots below Michigan in the pre-season poll. No apparent reason is given for that choice, at least not that I can see.
 

Hrothgar said:
These various polls make a person wonder: In D2, Minnesota State Mankato, the defending D2 National Champion, is ranked #1 in the nation pre-season, but ranked #3 in their conference. In the BIG, Minnesota and Michigan are described as pretty much equal in the team to be put in the field and at bat and also both being in the same boat by suffering by the loss of their star pitcher by graduation. All of this means that defending conference and conference tournament champion Minnesota is ranked two spots below Michigan in the pre-season poll. No apparent reason is given for that choice, at least not that I can see.
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I'm referring to the CSM pre-season softball rankings.
 

Hrothgar said:
I'm referring to the CSM pre-season softball rankings.
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Yeah, the poll with MN State at #1 made me chuckle a little (don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of MSUM). It's tough to lose a star like Coley Ries in the circle without losing at least a little ground.
 

MRJ said:
You mean other than the fact she went 25-11, appeared in 46 games for the Tigers, had 11 shutouts along with 19 complete games, and was named a NCAA Division I National Freshman of the Year top-25 candidate in 2016? Other than that, I agree. We don't know much about her.
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Didn't mean to hit a nerve MRJ, and you are making a point that I was trying to avoid. My point was that we don't know the impact she will have on the Gophers yet. What you have just highlighted is that she appeared in about a third of their games over two years behind two other pitchers with a 2.08 ERA last year and her best year being her freshman year.
That is nothing against her, and I hate that you brought all of that up. I'm sure she is going to do well and contribute a lot. Nobody should ever talk negatively about any player on this forum. These girls, including my daughter read these posts. Now, so I don't embarrass her anymore, I am leaving the group and deleting the app. No need to respond as I won't see it. I am just going to enjoy the season without analyzing it too much or speculating on the team's success. Looking forward to a fun season and the first trip to Vegas!

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GopherSBdad said:
Didn't mean to hit a nerve MRJ, and you are making a point that I was trying to avoid. My point was that we don't know the impact she will have on the Gophers yet. What you have just highlighted is that she appeared in about a third of their games over two years behind two other pitchers with a 2.08 ERA last year and her best year being her freshman year.
That is nothing against her, and I hate that you brought all of that up. I'm sure she is going to do well and contribute a lot. Nobody should ever talk negatively about any player on this forum. These girls, including my daughter read these posts. Now, so I don't embarrass her anymore, I am leaving the group and deleting the app. No need to respond as I won't see it. I am just going to enjoy the season without analyzing it too much or speculating on the team's success. Looking forward to a fun season and the first trip to Vegas!

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I will see you in Vegas! It is getting close now. It will be good to see how they look on the field.

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rugger14 said:
I will see you in Vegas! It is getting close now. It will be good to see how they look on the field.

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Please extend my apologies to Gopher softball dad if you see him. Didn't mean to insult him or his daughter, was just pointing out that we actually do know some facts about Sydney Smith heading into the season. That was all.

Bottom line is we're all on the same team here. Have fun in Vegas! :)

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MRJ said:
Please extend my apologies to Gopher softball dad if you see him. Didn't mean to insult him or his daughter, was just pointing out that we actually do know some facts about Sydney Smith heading into the season. That was all.

Bottom line is we're all on the same team here. Have fun in Vegas! :)

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Thanks! It should be a good trip. If I see him i will let him know. I was kind of hoping he would post throughout the season. I wasn't sure how you insulted anyone but maybe I missed something. There have been some negative posts about players but I didn't think yours was negative.
 

rugger14 said:
Thanks! It should be a good trip. If I see him i will let him know. I was kind of hoping he would post throughout the season. I wasn't sure how you insulted anyone but maybe I missed something. There have been some negative posts about players but I didn't think yours was negative.
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I thought you were getting a dig CSM, which didn't mention Smith in its preview.
 



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