Gopher softball 2021

[MRJ]

The very short and most accurate answer I personally can give is “I don’t know.” However, she was the 4-batter for a pretty darn good University of North Carolina team... so, as a Junior, I expect her and the coaches assumed when they did the transfer that she will get a lot of playing time - probably as a starter.

Plugging in Dray as a started would either push Hansen out of her starting spot or take an opening from one of our potentially big swinging Freshmen in Kinch or Evans.

If I had to venture a totally uneducated guess (which is all it is), I would guess Dray starts at 1B and that Kinch starts at catcher.

 

[rowdaboat]

SEC/B12 starting their invitationals next week already, shame that the Big 10 isn't sending teams

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

SEC/B12 starting their invitationals next week already, shame that the Big 10 isn't sending teams

Well, all the Big Ten teams better be playing each other... in Florida or Louisiana or traveling to someplace where softball is possible right now.

 

[AZGopher8]

It is ridiculous that we are less than a week away from the start of the season and the Big Ten hasn't even published a schedule. If I were a coach from another conference, I would use that in recruiting battles over the next few seasons. C'mon, get your act together as a conference.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

It took me until the last 24 hours to now assume they are not playing next weekend.

I understood that they were playing a season with fewer scheduled regular season games than in the past or that some other conferences are playing (44 games versus 56 scheduled games) . However, I still thought next weekend would be the start of the season. I previously assumed the reduced games would come out of mid-week (non-Friday/Saturday/Sunday) games being eliminated. However, now I assume they won’t start the season when, for instance the SEC will start, but rather come into the softball season at least a week or two later than usual. That must be right, right?

Who knows?... but someone should tell the public.

 

[AZGopher8]

It took me until the last 24 hours to now assume they are not playing next weekend.

I understood that they were playing a season with fewer scheduled regular season games than in the past or that some other conferences are playing (44 games versus 56 scheduled games) . However, I still thought next weekend would be the start of the season. I previously assumed the reduced games would come out of mid-week (non-Friday/Saturday/Sunday) games being eliminated. However, now I assume they won’t start the season when, for instance the SEC will start, but rather come into the softball season at least a week or two later than usual. That must be right, right?

Who knows?... but someone should tell the public.

I guess I didn't expect them to necessarily start at the same time as everyone else barring news that they had secured some Southern venue where teams would meet and play all weekend (which would have been awesome!). But to seemingly still be putting things together, when almost the entire rest of the country has posted schedules and is ready to start makes softball (and baseball) appear to be unimportant and disorganized in the Big Ten.

I expect a P5 conference to be run with more leadership. As a player, do I want to play where they will shut me down and act as though my sport doesn't matter? This just as Minnesota, Michigan, and Northwestern are continuing to push B1G softball forward nationally. This is the stuff that derails momentum building programs.

I feel for the fine young players in the B1G. Tbey deserve better and so do their fans.

 

[MRJ]

I guess I didn't expect them to necessarily start at the same time as everyone else barring news that they had secured some Southern venue where teams would meet and play all weekend (which would have been awesome!). But to seemingly still be putting things together, when almost the entire rest of the country has posted schedules and is ready to start makes softball (and baseball) appear to be unimportant and disorganized in the Big Ten.

I expect a P5 conference to be run with more leadership. As a player, do I want to play where they will shut me down and act as though my sport doesn't matter? This just as Minnesota, Michigan, and Northwestern are continuing to push B1G softball forward nationally. This is the stuff that derails momentum building programs.

I feel for the fine young players in the B1G. Tbey deserve better and so do their fans.

Agreed.

I don't doubt that the coaches and players are getting anxious. The national preseason polls are out and the southern teams/conferences already have a working plan moving forward. Yet in the Big 10, nothing appears to be happening whatsoever.

With that said, I'm sure someone is working behind the scenes to try and get the players on the field as quickly as possible. But the longer this draws out, the more anxious everyone will get.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

...arring news that they had secured some Southern venue where teams would meet and play all weekend (which would have been awesome!).

It would have been so awesome! I think those multi-field mega facilities exist. Big Ten Baseball and softball member universities should have went in together and just leased one of those out for a month or two along with all the hotel rooms in the area - economies of scale suggests to me that they could have received good rates. It would have been an outdoor Big Ten baseball/softball extravaganza during winter-time.

It would have displayed that they were trying to make the best of a rough COVID-caused situation for the players and fans.

 

[MRJ]

We have a schedule!!!

 

[rowdaboat]

44 games with Friday doubleheaders. Pitching depth going to be essential

 

[MRJ]

44 games with Friday doubleheaders. Pitching depth going to be essential

Not worried.

Fiser and Pease are both high quality plus Brandt, Jones, Dueck and Hollifield. Situations like this also make me all the happier that we have Piper Ritter as head coach.

Have full confidence in her ability to figure it out in the circle.

 

[rowdaboat]

Would be great if they can get a few exhibition games at Irish dome vs the local D2 schools between Florida weeks

 

[MRJ]

Would be great if they can get a few exhibition games at Irish dome vs the local D2 schools between Florida weeks

Agreed, although I think they'll have their own protocols to follow depending upon what the NSIC ultimately decides to do with its schedule. They might limit everything to in-conference (including potential exhibitions). With that said, it would certainly be beneficial to have some more live competition in between Florida weeks and before the on-campus portion of the schedule starts.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

Since there are 4-game series, are the home games going to be true home games (batting in the bottom of the inning) or are they going to split them?

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

We have a schedule!!!

I am so relieved they are playing in February And I love the idea of using Florida for the first few weeks.

I don’t know exactly how many games this schedule gets to (I hope close to the mid 40s). Maybe the series are 4 game series?

Anyway, hopefully they get a lot of opportunities to “play ball!”

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

I am so relieved they are playing in February And I love the idea of using Florida for the first few weeks.

I don’t know exactly how many games this schedule gets to (I hope close to the mid 40s). Maybe the series are 4 game series?

Anyway, hopefully they get a lot of opportunities to “play ball!”

Once they get to campus sites, they are 4-game series. DH on Friday, and single games Saturday & Sunday.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

Once they get to campus sites, they are 4-game series. DH on Friday, and single games Saturday & Sunday.

The schedule makes sense and looks good. I am quite confident in the ability of this 2021 team to have a lot of wins over these 44 conference games. I am so confident that I wouldn’t have minded four games against Ohio State and two against, say, Michigan State but I really can’t complain. Those will be big four game series against Michigan and Northwestern.

Finally, I have to give praise to the Big Ten for taking the risk to travel to Florida for conference games - in a pandemic. It shows that they are committed to making softball a big deal in the Big Ten and take a risk to do so. Kudos to them.

 

[fanfromthevalley]

I don't think anyone else has noted this, but current plan is no ticket sales. Some family allowed and the ever popular fan cutouts can be ordered

 

[FormerFatOL]

I like that the schedule is a full round robin. Every BG10 plays each other. This gives MN and NW an even playing field with MI compared to the past few years.

 

[MRJ]

I like that the schedule is a full round robin. Every BG10 plays each other. This gives MN and NW an even playing field with MI compared to the past few years.

Have to admit that the Big 10's softball scheduling philosophy prior to COVID didn't really make much sense to me. The Gophers haven't played Michigan in the regular season since 2015. They were scheduled to face the Wolverines in Ann Arbor in 2020, so that would have ended the streak. But to have arguably the conference's two top programs not face each other in the regular season for more than four years is very strange imo.

Anyway, glad to see the Gophers and Wolverines renew what has become a nice little rivalry (mostly stemming from the Big 10 Tournament).

 

[GringaGopher]

I don't think anyone else has noted this, but current plan is no ticket sales. Some family allowed and the ever popular fan cutouts can be ordered

I did not notice this and was planning on going to see them while we are in FLA. Bummer......

 

[dlw4gophers]

Any chance btn+ will be picking up any of these games in Florida

 

[MRJ]

BTN+ added this weekends games to the schedule

FYI- btn+ has the first game vs Maryland on the schedule for 3:30 and the Gopher schedule has it at 6:15

Well, that's a bit confusing....

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Gophers softball enters season with a new coach and loaded roster

With a new coach and four "super" seniors, the Gophers open their season on Friday in Florida.

www.startribune.com

After 13 seasons as an assistant coach and a three-week delay to the start of the 2021 season, Piper Ritter will begin her first season as the Gophers softball coach on Friday.

One thing has eased the adjustment for Ritter — the presence of "super" seniors Carlie Brandt, Amber Fiser, Katelyn Kemmetmueller and MaKenna Partain.

"I think it's phenomenal," said Ritter. "As I've transitioned to head coach, I can really count on them to make sure that what needs to be done, is done, and that expectations are met. They have been helping their younger teammates. It is also a comfort to have them on the field."

The quartet is back for a fifth season after the Gophers' 2020 season ended prematurely after 25 games and the NCAA offered another season of eligibility.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

My guess is that in a few hours we will see a starting lineup cars that looks very similar to the below:

Partain - 2b
Jensen -CF
DenHartog - LF
Dray - C
Hansen - 1b
Strelow - DH
Kemmetmueller - 3b
Jones - RF
Brandt - SS

That being said, I am beyond interested in seeing what capabilities the Freshmen and the Sophomores Peterson and Cox (who had limited ABs last year) can add to add to the potency of our lineup. I am expecting and hoping that the answer is quite a lot.

Lastly, I really hope the Gophers try to add more of an aggressive speed game on the base paths into their gameplan. They can win a lot of Big Ten games without taking the risks, but gaining that reputation as base-stealers now may help them in post-season.

 

[Hrothgar]

My guess is that in a few hours we will see a starting lineup cars that looks very similar to the below:

Partain - 2b
Jensen -CF
DenHartog - LF
Dray - C
Hansen - 1b
Strelow - DH
Kemmetmueller - 3b
Jones - RF
Brandt - SS

That being said, I am beyond interested in seeing what capabilities the Freshmen and the Sophomores Peterson and Cox (who had limited ABs last year) can add to add to the potency of our lineup. I am expecting and hoping that the answer is quite a lot.

Lastly, I really hope the Gophers try to add more of an aggressive speed game on the base paths into their gameplan. They can win a lot of Big Ten games without taking the risks, but gaining that reputation as base-stealers now may help them in post-season.

If that's indeed the starting lineup, I don't see tons of offensive clout there after Partain, Jensen, and DenHartog; they may need the baserunning skills you tout plus a whole lot of great pitching. Hopefully, I'm way off base, so to speak.

 

[4EverAGopher]

I too am hoping for a stronger offenseive lineup. If previous suggested lineup is correct, we might be needing more power at the plate. We will soon have our answer.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

I too am hoping for a stronger offenseive lineup. If previous suggested lineup is correct, we might be needing more power at the plate. We will soon have our answer.

With Densen in and Jones out, it looks like they will have a lot of speed in the lineup... and less power.

 

[FormerFatOL]

I'm watching the Gopher/Maryland game on Flosoftball. Is the quality as bad on BTN+ as it is on Flo? It looks like they're using GoPro cameras with little to no announcing. I'm happy with any kind of coverage, but wondering if buying the BTN subscription would be any different.

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

I'm watching the Gopher/Maryland game on Flosoftball. Is the quality as bad on BTN+ as it is on Flo? It looks like they're using GoPro cameras with little to no announcing. I'm happy with any kind of coverage, but wondering if buying the BTN subscription would be any different.

I am watching on BTN+ and I assume it is the exact same.