Gopher Softball 2022

[rwlarson]

At today's DH, I talked with an older guy, like me, and a WI fan, unlike me. He knew a lot about the sport and the WI softball team, and voiced some of the same frustrations Gophers fans express. After game 2, he looked out at the Gophers team huddling in the outfield with their coaches and said, "That's a heckuva defense. WI's played lots of teams this year, but yet to face a defensive squad like that one you guys have."

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.

 

[AZGopher8]

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 year. This is our last chance to do it. Every single win we can muster against #7 RPI Northwestern will help our precarious NCAA bid chances tremendously.

They must win at least one game in the Northwestern series or the only possibility for an NCAA berth would be to win the Big Ten tournament title. You must have a record of at least .500 to be eligible for an at-large berth. Of course, even with a .500 record the chances of an at-large berth would be precarious at best, as you said.

 

[Hrothgar]

I wonder about the Gophers' chances this weekend, but they've done well v. Northwestern in the past. Even on win would be nice, two would feel better. Will they load up on right-handed hitters?

 

[rwlarson]

I wonder about the Gophers' chances this weekend, but they've done well v. Northwestern in the past. Even on win would be nice, two would feel better. Will they load up on right-handed hitters?

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 righties and lefties about the same. Maybe Piper and staff will be more inclined than usual to PH Cox in an important early-game situation.

Any other changes to get more righties in the lineup would affect the defense too much, and we certainly can’t afford to give Northwestern additional outs.

 

[Hrothgar]

I agree. A step toward removing starters with lower BAs is tempting, but it would weaken the defense onfield. And there's nothing I enjoy more than watching this year's Gophers play defense. Plus, removing Dray v. Wisconsin would've meant losing her hitting on that day & maybe a DH to boot.

 

[rowdaboat]

8-0 mercy rule win and finished in time for the next Espn2 game

 

[smcouvillion]

Let's go Gophers! Really good win for the RPI and if we win the next 2 (which might be likely since we had both of their pitchers numbers today, and plus Leavitt & Pease have been on fire lately) I think Minnesota has a pretty good shot at making it to the NCAA tournament

 

[4EverAGopher]

So nice to see them win and by the 8 run rule with fantastic pitching AGAIN by Leavitt and with NO HOMERUNS for us. How about that?

Our defense came up big too and the hitters were EXECUTING. Big shoutout to the bottom of our lineup.

Hope it was as much fun for them winning as it was for us to watch this National Televised game.

 

[JacksonMedford]

Pretty sure all the talk leading up to this weekend series was "How bad NW was gonna beat us?" This was probably their best all-around game, hitting, pitching and defense. Gophers showed up this afternoon.

 

[JacksonMedford]

Let's go Gophers! Really good win for the RPI and if we win the next 2 (which might be likely since we had both of their pitchers numbers today, and plus Leavitt & Pease have been on fire lately) I think Minnesota has a pretty good shot at making it to the NCAA tournament

Maybe another win against NW and probably do some more damage in the B1G tourney if they want a spot in the NCAA postseason.

 

[let'sbeclear]

8-0 mercy rule win and finished in time for the next Espn2 game

What kind of odds do you think I could have gotten before the game on the Gophers run-ruling Northwestern? Wow! The Gophers were impressive in every facet of the game.

 

[4EverAGopher]

By the way...who would have thought Dray could put down a bunt to advance a runner. We need more of that Dray. Small ball does win games

 

[User1111]

I think it was amazing to see them run tule northwestern ESPECIALLY because they didn’t use the long ball to win. I think home runs are great and I think relying on home runs to win games this season has hurt them. To be able to string together base hits and create chaos on the base path is what separates good and great teams. Very encouraging to see this late in the season

 

[User1111]

and that’s not to mention great pitching and defense minus a mis cue

 

[ClassOf98Gopher]

Maybe another win against NW and probably do some more damage in the B1G tourney if they want a spot in the NCAA postseason.

NCAA SmenNCAA. The Tourney that matters for Big Ten teams is next week at the Big Ten tourney.

Any game that happens after next weekend’s tourney is the cherry on top of the Big Ten teams’ softball season.

 

[rowdaboat]

Carnage in top 10 so NW mostly unaffected today for chasing top 8 seed

 

[let'sbeclear]

Regarding yesterday's game, I think it's also worth noting that the Gophers are in the middle of finals right now, while Northwestern is on a quarter system so finals won't be until early June.

 

[rwlarson]

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

 

[Hrothgar]

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

Nebr. was 13-0 in the BIG w/ an 18-game win streak. Listening to the pretty hick announcing on their statewide Husker TV & radio network made it hard to root for them anyway. I realize that has nothing to do with the coaches/team itself and maybe it says nothing about the fans in Nebraska either, but the announcing felt way homerish.

 

[let'sbeclear]

Lots of comments here about whether the Gophers' issues this year were hitting or pitching. (Obviously, both are important.) Some have also commented that this year's team is relying on the long ball too much and therefore striking out more. But a statistics comparison to last year, when the Gophs went 31-13, shows this in 44 games last year and 48 this year (2021 listed first): BA .244/.284; Runs 205/260; Opp. Runs 123/254; HR 53/62; SO 246/245. While the Gophers are down a bit in runs scored, opponents' runs seems to be the big difference.

 

[Tucker]

Espalin gets extra brownie points for setting the tone immediately!​

Go Gophs and finish this thing off today

 

[golden10]

They are really hitting Williams well. Those two outside strikes against Cox seemed generous. Glad she drove in two after fouling a bunch off!

 

[rowdaboat]

Needed this team for the first 40 games

 

[smcouvillion]

Let's go Gophers!! With the win today, I think that may have just secured a spot in the NCAA tourney for Minnesota.

Hopefully this team will show up and not the one we saw a few weeks back

 

[Tucker]

Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

Let's go Gophers!! With the win today, I think that may have just secured a spot in the NCAA tourney for Minnesota.

Hopefully this team will show up and not the one we saw a few weeks back

Over .500 with a gnarly SOS.

In (I hope)

 

[let'sbeclear]

Who IS this team?! Yesterday I asked what kind of odds do you think I could have gotten on the Gophs run-ruling Northwestern. To do it two times in a row, though? The odds would have been astronomical!

There isn't going to be a more dangerous 3-seed (4-seed?) in any of the NCAA tournament's opening rounds. And a nine- or ten-seed in the Big Ten tournament? Oy vey! Who's going to want to play them? The Gophers are really coming together at exactly the right time.

 

[jham13]

They might be peeking at just the right time.

 

[JacksonMedford]

Who IS this team?! Yesterday I asked what kind of odds do you think I could have gotten on the Gophs run-ruling Northwestern. To do it two times in a row, though? The odds would have been astronomical!

There isn't going to be a more dangerous 3-seed (4-seed?) in any of the NCAA tournament's opening rounds. And a nine- or ten-seed in the Big Ten tournament? Oy vey! Who's going to want to play them? The Gophers are really coming together at exactly the right time.

Daring back to 2016 our record against them is like 15-4 I think. We just seem to match up well against them.

 

[rugger14]

Wow. Beating Northwestern is pretty dang awesome.