Gopher Softball 2018

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MNsoftballfan said:
Asked and answered:

Why USC has No Softball Team
When you look at the list of teams on the Pac-12 Softball Standings things don’t match up. There are only nine teams on the list. Missing are USC, Washington State and Colorado University.

In this article we’ll focus on the University of Southern California, which is located in Southern California, where fastpitch softball is HUGE. Their cross-town rival UCLA has numerous titles. Athletes in their backyard are being plucked and sent all across the country to fill roster spots in the SEC, Big 12, Big 10, ACC, etc.

We asked USC’s Director of Sports Information Tim Tessalon why USC has no Softball Team and if the PAC-12 powerhouse had ever considered starting a softball program.

“USC did an extensive study about 15 years ago on the feasibility of adding softball, but determined that there was not available adequate space on or near campus for a stadium and accompanying facilities that would allow USC to compete at the highest level in the sport,” stated Tessalon.
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And in the last 15 years, NCCA D1 softball has exploded as a fan sport.

 


Didn't see it the last couple pages - but just saw ESPN is having the Texas game on national coverage. Go Gophs!


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Make no mistake about it; these NCAA choices are based on committee politics, big-conference power plays, and money (largely TV money); plus geographical setting. The only northern schools that get favored in any way are Michigan (they've earned it by winning a national title) and, strangely, Wisconsin (which must have a gigantic lobby, since their teams are not that good; I thought IL & IND were better than WI).

But if the Gophers want a breakthrough, they need a string of huge upsets on the nat'l scene that earns them attention. Winning big is the only way to gain the respect nationwide. Let's hope they can pull it off, with some lucky breaks. Maybe Trachsel's brand of defense and pitching depth can win close games. Fingers crossed.
 


Hrothgar said:
Make no mistake about it; these NCAA choices are based on committee politics, big-conference power plays, and money (largely TV money); plus geographical setting. The only northern schools that get favored in any way are Michigan (they've earned it by winning a national title) and, strangely, Wisconsin (which must have a gigantic lobby, since their teams are not that good; I thought IL & IND were better than WI).

But if the Gophers want a breakthrough, they need a string of huge upsets on the nat'l scene that earns them attention. Winning big is the only way to gain the respect nationwide. Let's hope they can pull it off, with some lucky breaks. Maybe Trachsel's brand of defense and pitching depth can win close games. Fingers crossed.
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If it were based on TV money, I think the BIG would get to host games. There's more people living in the BIG regions than any other conference. But yes, I'm sure politics and favors are a big influence on who gets what.
 

Livingat45north said:
If it were based on TV money, I think the BIG would get to host games. There's more people living in the BIG regions than any other conference. But yes, I'm sure politics and favors are a big influence on who gets what.
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We might have a big audience but not for softball. Those of us diehards care. Season tickets is a nice development. We are behind the passion for softball in the SE and the west coast. Good season. We won the B1G tourney and nobody cares. The Strib put a nationally syndicated article on the softball team winning the tourney on about page 8 of the sports section when nothing else was happening that day. They didn't even have one of their own writers do the story.

Softball is a nice to have successful womens sport at the U. The energy is growing but like Hrothgar said, the team needs to get an upset victory in a regional to turn some heads. The sustained success is really awesome and I think the threepeat with the conference tourney is starting to catch some attention but until they do something significant the following will not be there. In reality this team has not even cracked the Sweet 16 in forever. I hope Trachsel is the coach who can sustain the success and build on it.

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dlw4gophers said:
Are there any line up for the following years yet?
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A few names I've stumbled across.

Olivia Peterson - Lake Central H.S. (Indiana)
Sydney Strelow - Kenosha Bradford H.S. (Wisconsin)
Mackenzie Denson - Mansfield Lake Ridge H.S. (Texas)
Sara Kinch - Great Oak H.S. (California)
 




softballfreak said:
You all may want to give this a listen concerning the selection process. Also how Missouri bought it's way in and no one seems to care. It also talks about how this would never happen in a mans sport. Rugger14, I hope you are right about Trachsel!! I have not seen her motivate the team as of yet like the former coach.

https://fastpitchnews.com/podcasts/...ased-illogical-buy-outs-and-shannigans/351822
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An article in the Pioneer Press discussing team morale coming out of the ASU series would suggest otherwise. I thought it was interesting. Wish there was more of this kind of reporting.
https://www.twincities.com/2018/05/...om-to-ncaa-regional-tucson-talk-saved-season/
 

I did read the article a couple times and with all due respect I disagree. I don't feel this needs to be made public and to me it's very negative.. it should remain between the coach and the players. She puts it all on the players as if she might not be willing to admit that she could be part of the problem. I know some of the girls are actually pretty disappointed this is in the paper (again Negative environment) Yeah, I don't know how you guys do this... maybe I know to much inside information, but I will go back to reading and not posting.
I do know the girls love it in Washington and are excited to play.... A Very Good Positive!! Go Gophers!!!
 

softballfreak said:
I did read the article a couple times and with all due respect I disagree. I don't feel this needs to be made public and to me it's very negative.. it should remain between the coach and the players. She puts it all on the players as if she might not be willing to admit that she could be part of the problem. I know some of the girls are actually pretty disappointed this is in the paper (again Negative environment) Yeah, I don't know how you guys do this... maybe I know to much inside information, but I will go back to reading and not posting.
I do know the girls love it in Washington and are excited to play.... A Very Good Positive!! Go Gophers!!!
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All of this info is very interesting and, by its nature, a bit distressing. True, the Gophers are needing to play on the road, plus in Seattle, where they've never beaten UW. But success is almost always built on overcoming the odds to win. The Gophers need to play and hit well and get some big breaks for a weekend upset. If you play well, luck will sometimes go your way. Let's hope that's what will happen. (It's easy to blame the coaches. We all do it, but both Allister & Trachsel have their strong points and less strong ones. 2018 Gophers haven't hit as well as under Allister, but Trachsel has them playing infield defense at a much higher level than under Allister.) Let's hope it all jells in Seattle.
 

softballfreak said:
You all may want to give this a listen concerning the selection process. Also how Missouri bought it's way in and no one seems to care. It also talks about how this would never happen in a mans sport. Rugger14, I hope you are right about Trachsel!! I have not seen her motivate the team as of yet like the former coach.

https://fastpitchnews.com/podcasts/...ased-illogical-buy-outs-and-shannigans/351822
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They rip the committee pretty good. Oh, also really interesting about Mizzou buying out the Wichita State games.
 



Panthadad2 said:
An article in the Pioneer Press discussing team morale coming out of the ASU series would suggest otherwise. I thought it was interesting. Wish there was more of this kind of reporting.
https://www.twincities.com/2018/05/...om-to-ncaa-regional-tucson-talk-saved-season/
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Another find from Fastpitch News. Sara Moulton previews the Seattle Regionals. Although she thinks the Huskies will win, she feels the Gophers could be the upset team. Interesting view from former Gopher star.
https://fastpitchnews.com/college-softball-news/2018-seattle-regional-preview/351828
 

softballfreak said:
I did read the article a couple times and with all due respect I disagree. I don't feel this needs to be made public and to me it's very negative.. it should remain between the coach and the players. She puts it all on the players as if she might not be willing to admit that she could be part of the problem. I know some of the girls are actually pretty disappointed this is in the paper (again Negative environment) Yeah, I don't know how you guys do this... maybe I know to much inside information, but I will go back to reading and not posting.
I do know the girls love it in Washington and are excited to play.... A Very Good Positive!! Go Gophers!!!
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Hi GopherSBdad :p
 

GopherSBdad said:
I haven't heard anything negative. I'm sure they like how approachable Coach Trachsel is compared to Allister. She likes to interact with the players and has an open door. Allister was pretty private.

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softballfreak said:
I did read the article a couple times and with all due respect I disagree. I don't feel this needs to be made public and to me it's very negative.. it should remain between the coach and the players. She puts it all on the players as if she might not be willing to admit that she could be part of the problem. I know some of the girls are actually pretty disappointed this is in the paper (again Negative environment) Yeah, I don't know how you guys do this... maybe I know to much inside information, but I will go back to reading and not posting.
I do know the girls love it in Washington and are excited to play.... A Very Good Positive!! Go Gophers!!!
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Tucker said:
Hi GopherSBdad :p
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I don't know, Tucker, kind of a 180 degree turn if it is.
 

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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:confused:
 

Panthadad2 said:
An article in the Pioneer Press discussing team morale coming out of the ASU series would suggest otherwise. I thought it was interesting. Wish there was more of this kind of reporting.
https://www.twincities.com/2018/05/...om-to-ncaa-regional-tucson-talk-saved-season/
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Far from negative, this article showed Trachsel being an effective coach. Look at the results since the bus talk. She wasn't trying to make friends but a winning team. Although it may have stung some, most of the players apparently thought deeply and took it to heart. This sounds like just the kind of coaching the team needed. Note that she didn't overdo it or even, apparently, have to repeat it.
 

happygophersgolucky said:
Far from negative, this article showed Trachsel being an effective coach. Look at the results since the bus talk. She wasn't trying to make friends but a winning team. Although it may have stung some, most of the players apparently thought deeply and took it to heart. This sounds like just the kind of coaching the team needed. Note that she didn't overdo it or even, apparently, have to repeat it.
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That was exactly my thought...but didnt articulate it.

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Jamie is a tough no-nonsense coach on the field and in practice and that may rub some players wrong. As of today she won the B1G tourney and has sustained success. We will see how it goes down the road but winning the conference tourney is a great way to show that your system works. If this team wins the regional that would be a step forward.

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From someone who follows softball inconsistently- what happened to last year's coach?


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Oregon Gopher said:
From someone who follows softball inconsistently- what happened to last year's coach?


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She left for Stanford which is her alma mater.

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happygophersgolucky said:
Far from negative, this article showed Trachsel being an effective coach. Look at the results since the bus talk. She wasn't trying to make friends but a winning team. Although it may have stung some, most of the players apparently thought deeply and took it to heart. This sounds like just the kind of coaching the team needed. Note that she didn't overdo it or even, apparently, have to repeat it.
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It is negative if you view it through the eyes of a player and you know that there is more to the story. It makes the players look petty and selfish which is possible. I am sure that it was hard for all of them to adapt to a completely new style and then when they were losing I am sure there was some negativity. Was there really this one moment in time when Trachsel told the players to get onboard or stay on the bus? Probably. Did it really happen the way the story is written so that from that point forward all was fixed? Probably not. I am guessing the coaches realized that everything they were doing wasn't working and that they needed to change some things as well. That moment in time was obviously a positive moment but was probably not the panacea that the article makes it out to be.
 

Funny how the first couple days of NCAA softball regionals has become just as big (for me) as March Madness used to be for me. TV has been on next to my desk since the MI/ND game started. Tough to get much quality work done.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Funny how the first couple days of NCAA softball regionals has become just as big (for me) as March Madness used to be for me. TV has been on next to my desk since the MI/ND game started. Tough to get much quality work done.
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Three games and have scored one run, unless they come up with something in the bottom of the 7th against Notre Dame. Pathetic.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
Three games and have scored one run, unless they come up with something in the bottom of the 7th against Notre Dame. Pathetic.
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Ya. 3 hits for Michigan. Beaubien didn't get much help, but she might be coming back to earth...2 consecutive losses and 9 earned runs combined in those games.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Ya. 3 hits for Michigan. Beaubien didn't get much help, but she might be coming back to earth...2 consecutive losses and 9 earned runs combined in those games.
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Prior to the ND game I really thought they had a nice opportunity to take that region. (But, I'm a big Beaubien fan.)
 

ComoGopher said:
It is negative if you view it through the eyes of a player and you know that there is more to the story. It makes the players look petty and selfish which is possible. I am sure that it was hard for all of them to adapt to a completely new style and then when they were losing I am sure there was some negativity. Was there really this one moment in time when Trachsel told the players to get onboard or stay on the bus? Probably. Did it really happen the way the story is written so that from that point forward all was fixed? Probably not. I am guessing the coaches realized that everything they were doing wasn't working and that they needed to change some things as well. That moment in time was obviously a positive moment but was probably not the panacea that the article makes it out to be.
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Agree. While the bus meeting more than likely took place largely how it was portrayed, situations like that are never solved with just one speech/discussion.

With that said, I've never seen or been around a team where everything and all relationships are perfect. It simply doesn't happen. There are teams with very good chemistry, teams with very bad chemistry and everything in-between in all sports. The question is whether they can overcome their differences and get things together for the good of the group or not. Some teams can, others can't. As such, I didn't find it nearly as negative as apparently some did.

If anything, I looked at the article as a prime example of the team (players and coaches) working towards overcoming those differences and coming together for the betterment of the group. And based on what I've seen, it's been successful in large part. But to do so, everybody needs to be willing to change things if necessary and it certainly seems like that has happened in this case. In that vain, it doesn't matter to me who had what issues or what the details are/were. All I want to see is them come together, have fun and play as well as they possibly can. And it seems this team has been able to do that at just the right time.
 

McNeese trying to hang on against Baylor 10-6. Make that 10-9 now.
Ohio State 0-0 in the 5th against South Florida.
Northwestern beating Cal in 8 innings 3-2!
Ha! Tulsa spanked (buy in) Mizzou 9-1

Baylor with runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs and decide to send the runner on a delay to 2nd base. Gets in a rundown, tagged out and runner on 3rd never got close to scoring. Game over.
161 stolen bases on the year for Bethune-Cookman!
Wisconsin down 3-0 to Oregon State.
Kleist gets her no hitter broken up with 2 outs in the 7th as Oregon is beating Drake 5-0.
 

Does Texas go with the righthander, Paige Von Spreken, or the lefthander, Brooke Bolinger, tonight?

Von Spreken it is.
 

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