Gopher softball 2023

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Pease started out yesterday's game with great velocity and also pinpoint control on her changeup. She had hitters missing badly for 3 innings. In the 4th, her velocity was suddenly nolticeably down and her off-speed stuff was out over the plate. From my seat behind home plate, it seemed like two different pitchers. Was she injured?
 

I can’t answer your question, but can offer my perspective. She dominated until Copeland hit the HR on what I thought was a good pitch (good velocity, good location). Maybe that played with her mind a bit and she thought she needed to change speeds more because they were timing her highest velocity pitches. But she got out of that inning and despite a couple of hits was one strike away from getting out of the 5th unscathed. Unfortunately, the batter was Kern (16 HRs coming into the game) who Pease had already struck out twice. Chances are, if she would have thrown another change, or something hard inside it would have been another K. But she didn’t and Kern was clearly ready for a hard pitch high and on the outside corner. Then Minnick hit another HR on the very next pitch and Autumn’s once-promising day was done.

One thing I noticed was that many of the Indiana hitters moved a couple inches closer to the plate when they had two strikes, to protect the outside corner. This is something we can use to our advantage if we can hit our spots.
 

My enthusiastic interest in this team is waning. I am not proud of that statement… just communicating my truth as just one Gopher softball fan.

I can however exclaim a big “thank you” to this Gopher softball program because during the previous several years (starting in 2014 but especially since 2017) until this weekend this team has provided to me countless hours of entertainment, both during the season and during the off-season as well.
 

Bottom of 3 and Gophers up 1-0. They sure could have used better luck with that DenHartog hit. Heck of a left field catch for Indiana.
 

Oakland with the hot bat today......Homerun #2. Indiana spoils our celebration by moving Copeland from 3rd to the mound. Bottom of 4th and Gophers down 5-3.

Oh yeah that was a fair ball down the line. Gophers did get a break, but Ehlke couldn't take advantage of the opportunity.
 


Gophers getting some great contact on the ball against Copeland. DenHartog's ball did ricocheted off the 3rd base player's glove. But she was able to hang in there with a hard hit line ball over center fielder's head bringing in Strelow. Gophers now down 5-4.
 
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These officials have not eaten their Wheaties today. Geez one bad call after another. Now one at home plate. Yes the Indiana batter was out of the box in the top of the 6th. Somebody could sure make a great entertaining video with HOW NOT TO UMP A SOFTBALL GAME.
 

ClassOf98Gopher said:
My enthusiastic interest in this team is waning. I am not proud of that statement… just communicating my truth as just one Gopher softball fan.

I can however exclaim a big “thank you” to this Gopher softball program because during the previous several years (starting in 2014 but especially since 2017) until this weekend this team has provided to me countless hours of entertainment, both during the season and during the off-season as well.
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They are trying to win me back.
 

Indiana smart to walk DenHartog. Bases loaded and Krapf just didn't have a great at bat. However, we get a clutch at bat from Oakland bottom of 7 for the Gopher win.

This was a very strategic fun game to watch by both teams.
 



Sorry I missed it. Are any replays showing?
 
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That was the kind of gritty, never-say-die win I’ve been looking for from this team for most of the year. Kudos to the entire pitching staff, and especially Jess Oakland, who had been mired in a dreadful slump, and was dropped from 2nd to 5th in the order, but we had more good at bats throughout the lineup than I had seen in quite some time.

We forced Indiana to use all their pitchers, and we didn’t stop attacking for 2-3 innings every time they changed pitchers.

It certainly wasn’t a mistake-free performance, could have been a 5-0 win without any defensive miscues, but they just kept battling through it all.

I am hoping this team win inspires this group to start playing their best softball the remainder of April and into May.
 

Another error. Surely we have options that can play these defensive positions. Some of those committing the errors, are not helping at the plate to justify keeping them in.

There 98, fixed it for ya.
 
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Don't go away. First of all these officials picked right up from yesterday.

That replay in center field showed it was a Gopher hit, but it was called an out. That pretty white ball plainly hit the ground and then went into the center fielder's glove. However. on a later play, we might have been out at second base. Could not get it clairified with replay. Gopher runner called safe at second. Calls washed each other out for us.

Comedy of errors and hits by both teams in the 2nd inning and we are tied 3-3.
 
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So far this game is just the opposite of yesterday. Both teams with many errors, hits and pitching not a factor.
 

GopherAlum03 said:
Another error by Strelow. Surely we have someone else who can play 2B. She’s not helping at the plate and is error prone on the field.
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This dirt has been plowed several times before over the past few weeks. We get it.

Plus, adults repeatedly running down college age athletes isn’t all that cool.*


* note: I admit I have criticized player performances before, but not incessantly and by name.
 

WOW!!! Chavez defense made the Gopher defense reel. However, on a negative note, after the throw to get Copeland off third on the squeeze bunt, I am wondering if she could possibly have a right hand fracture after being hit in a previous at bat. IMO it certainly looks like some type of concerned injury, Top of 5 and Pease back on the mound and we are still down 5-3.
 
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Surprise surprise - pitching change for Indiana and Gopher bats coming alive. Nice opposite field hit for Krapf to bring in DenHartog. Runners on corners for Gophers. SS error on Ehlke blooper to her, but they got Krapf at two with Oakland scoring from third. Tied 5-5 after 5.
 

I remember reading way at the beginning of the season that Ehlke should not be playing or something to that effect from a poster. Well, the girl just came up against Copeland with a bases clearing triple in the bottom of the 6th.......2 outs and Gophers up 8-5.
 

After both teams settling down after the 2nd inning, another great game to watch and a Gopher win.

Pease with her 501st SO and Copeland now 14-1 for the season.

OOPS My Bad - Copeland REMAINS 14-0.
 
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4EverAGopher said:
After both teams settling down after the 2nd inning, another great great to watch and a Gopher win.

Pease with her 501st SO and Copeland now 14-1 for the season.
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When I saw Copeland was 14-0 I was hoping we would pin a loss on her, but even though Copeland gave up the Ehlke triple, Kleiman started the inning and allowed the first two baserunners before Copeland came back in. So Kleiman took the loss.

Nevertheless, another gritty come-from-behind win for the Gophers. I get the feeling that this team is finally starting to forge its own identity. It was nice to see the HR as a complementary facet of the offense rather than the only means to score runs. Good things happen when you put pressure on a defense and take what the pitcher gives you.
 

rwlarson said:
When I saw Copeland was 14-0 I was hoping we would pin a loss on her, but even though Copeland gave up the Ehlke triple, Kleiman started the inning and allowed the first two baserunners before Copeland came back in. So Kleiman took the loss.

Nevertheless, another gritty come-from-behind win for the Gophers. I get the feeling that this team is finally starting to forge its own identity. It was nice to see the HR as a complementary facet of the offense rather than the only means to score runs. Good things happen when you put pressure on a defense and take what the pitcher gives you.
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Interesting comments. I too thought it unusual folks were saying that Copeland was the losing pitcher. Yet Copeland did lose some things during the weekend, like her complete mastery of the Gophers' hitters and her accurate throwing from 3rd base. As for forging their own identiity, I thought in fall ball that the Gophers would do that, but had no idea it might take so long. Hits with RISP and outstanding speed on the bases were indeed complements to reliance on HR hitting. Very exciting ball. Let's hope they keep it up. They need to start racking up tons of wins, if at all possible.
 


Anything other than a sweep at Michigan State would be horrible for this team. Iowa played Northwestern tough and has beaten good teams all season. They have really solid pitching but their offense still lacks power and consistency. They can make you pay for poor defense, as they have some speedy, scrappy players. We need to be on our A game to sweep them.
 

4EverAGopher said:
I remember reading way at the beginning of the season that Ehlke should not be playing or something to that effect from a poster. Well, the girl just came up against Copeland with a bases clearing triple in the bottom of the 6th.......2 outs and Gophers up 8-5.
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In February, I admit I agreed with another poster that maybe Ehlke’s role would be limited to occasional pinch hit duties again this year, as despite some positive signs in fall ball, in her first two years she had mostly either walked or struck out, albeit in very limited opportunities, and it didn’t look early on that would change this year. But I’d seen enough of her in fall ball each year to see she was making positive strides, and I suggested that even if she was relegated to primarily pinch hit duties, she could still make a major contribution to the team with just one big HR at the right time in a big game, so she needed to keep grinding away.

It’s easy for posters like us to forget that it’s not always easy, especially for some of our regional recruits, to step up to this level of play on Day One. Allister always seemed to have a couple regional players on every team who barely played as freshmen and sophomores yet made huge contributions as juniors and seniors.

I think Piper would like this program to return what made it successful under Allister, featuring a couple unsung breakout upperclassman starters each year. Having that happen will reap dividends year after year, as some underexposed regional players with the tools to be very good D1 players will choose to come here because they see others with similar recruiting profiles enjoy success on a consistent NCAA tourney program.

Sometimes It just takes a year or two years of hard work and grinding before that switch is flipped. Even then it also requires having opportunities and some success before a player develops the confidence required to contribute consistently at this level. Even though all of these players had success in HS and travel ball, not all had equal exposure to the quality of pitching they see regularly at this level.

In Ehlke’s case, the tournament at US Bank Stadium, while not against top-notch competition, had to help her confidence, and her results since speak volumes, now culminating with every player’s dream of getting that huge clutch hit against a tough pitcher to win a big game. Let’s hope this just adds to her growing confidence and she continues delivering big hits for this team.
 

Does anyone know the status of Chavez's injury?
Btw, I felt some of the Indiana's squad's mannerisms were unusual. For example, their endless number of TOs, and their intense huddles during TOs in the circle; they seemed to defy the umps to come out and break it up. It also seemed some of those huddles included up to 3 coaches. I thought their slight haughtiness dwindled as the wknd lengthened out & pressure grew. And their pitching depth is not great. It seems they've played and lost to some very good teams, while beating up on some very weak ones. Seems the Gophers have played a tougher schedule. Krapf and Pease's animated reactions in the last 2 innings indicated the game meant something to the Gophers. Maybe IU irritated them? Anyway using real speed on the base paths truly paid off in game 3.
 

Yes, I too noticed some of that quirky behavior. A lot of people who have followed Stanton’s career think her demeanor on the recruiting trail and her in-game tactics are a little over the top at times.

She’s been around for a long time with some decent success at Marshall, and it appears after five years in Bloomington she finally has Indiana positioned to have a nice little run of success with mostly underclassmen doing the heavy lifting right now.

We Minnesota fans can forget just how tough it can be to make that jump from also-ran to consistent NCAA tournament program. Indiana, despite being located in a hotbed of softball talent, hasn’t been to the NCAAs since 2011.
 

rwlarson said:
We Minnesota fans can forget just how tough it can be to make that jump from also-ran to consistent NCAA tournament program. Indiana, despite being located in a hotbed of softball talent, hasn’t been to the NCAAs since 2011.
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This is such an important statement for us softball fans to consider and always remember.
 

Anyone else think Trachsel will be looking for a new job after this season?
 

mngolf said:
Anyone else think Trachsel will be looking for a new job after this season?
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I for one seldom, if ever, think about her. Just for the sake of curiosity, why do you ask?
 

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