Gopher softball 2023

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I have a feeling that in order to cut down on travel they will have UCLA play a lot of midweek games in conf.
 

mngolf said:
I have a feeling that in order to cut down on travel they will have UCLA play a lot of midweek games in conf.
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Not sure it really matters for travel for UCLA, pretty much take a charter from LA and hit all the Big 10 schools in the same time as the cheap ass current Big ten schools that take 6-8 hour bus rides. I think they will actually have an advantage when it come to travel just not the cold
 

rowdaboat said:
SOS will get a boost with UCLA coming even though they'll go 22-2 in conference every year. Would be beneficial to try to schedule midweek games during April vs ranked non conf teams like Baylor or Kentucky to help pad RPI in future
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I say we work with St. Thomas to schedule midweek single games. Teams would come up here to play us & St. Thomas back to back, switching between Cowles and the Tommies new stadium at Montreal & Cleveland (if it gets built).
 




rugger14 said:
Updated RPI:
Northwestern 8
Minnesota 27
Indiana 32
Nebraska 36
Penn State 45
Ohio State 46
Maryland 47
Michigan 49
Wisconsin 54
Iowa 65
Rutgers 78
Illinois 85
Purdue 112
Michigan State 142

I think Northwestern, UMN, IU, and the Huskers are probably in the NCAA. That next tightly packed group from PSU to Becky will be interesting to watch. Those teams need to win some games in the B1G tourney. Northwestern should get to host a regional IMO but Supers could be a stretch. They need to play well in the B1G tourney as well.
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Does anyone have an explanation for basically all of the polls having Northwestern in the 18-19 range, while its RPI is up there at #8?
 

let'sbeclear said:
Does anyone have an explanation for basically all of the polls having Northwestern in the 18-19 range, while its RPI is up there at #8?
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This sport is completely biased toward the SEC. We found that out when our best team ever was forced to leave town for the super regional after a 54-3 record and a mid-season top 16 easily. The admin of softball makes basketball look like a bastion of objectivity.
 

SEC needs to be ranked high so that when SEC teams lose to SEC teams it's vs a high enough ranked opponent that they don't drop and the cycle repeats. Bama (especially whenever Fouts isn't pitching) and Florida are mediocre teams yet invincible in the rankings
 

Holy Man said:
This sport is completely biased toward the SEC. We found that out when our best team ever was forced to leave town for the super regional after a 54-3 record and a mid-season top 16 easily. The admin of softball makes basketball look like a bastion of objectivity.
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I have followed college softball long enough (10 years now) to see that SEC teams generally win in late May while most other conferences’ teams (excepting Oklahoma and a couple elite PAC 12 teams) lose in late May. It’s just a fact… check the archived brackets.
 



let'sbeclear said:
Does anyone have an explanation for basically all of the polls having Northwestern in the 18-19 range, while its RPI is up there at #8?
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I can think of multiple reasons off the top of my head. This in no way means I endorse any of these as valid, as I believe Northwestern deserves a Top 10 national ranking.

1) Northwestern played a very tough schedule in non-conference, but they started the season struggling offensively and they didn’t win many of those tough non-conference games. Those early losses defined Northwestern’s ceiling in the eyes of poll voters who don‘t do a deep dive into how individual games played out.

2) Conversely, the RPI formula rewards playing tough opponents. Winning those games helps, of course, but merely playing those games is good for the RPI if you can just tread water against those caliber of teams. Northwestern did that, but they really didn’t wow anyone nationally with any huge wins or with their overall non-conference performance.

3) The Big Ten is a much stronger conference this year than it has been in many years. However, until that strength translates into some unexpected post-season success, proving the depth of the conference, poll voters still think of the Big Ten as fairly weak overall.

3a) In recent history, the Big Ten conference champion would often finish with just one loss, and a couple other NCAA tournament teams would be right behind them with 2 or 3 losses. This year, Northwestern, the conference champion, took 3 conference losses. Poll voters interpret this to mean that they can’t be that good if they lost 3 games in this conference. In prior years teams that had significant postseason success rarely lost that many in conference.
 

ClassOf98Gopher said:
I have followed college softball long enough (10 years now) to see that SEC teams generally win in late May while most other conferences’ teams (excepting Oklahoma and a couple elite PAC 12 teams) lose in late May. It’s just a fact… check the archived brackets.
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For much of the 2010s that has been the case. However, I would argue since 2018, they have not been the best conference in softball
 

ClassOf98Gopher said:
I have followed college softball long enough (10 years now) to see that SEC teams generally win in late May while most other conferences’ teams (excepting Oklahoma and a couple elite PAC 12 teams) lose in late May. It’s just a fact… check the archived brackets.
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Agreed, the SEC has been a power since the late 2000s. I feel that part of their post-season success is due to the large number of SEC teams that have hosted regionals in recent years. We will never know, but I’d love to know how different their record would have been had those teams played their regional 2-seed on the road rather than at home.

For example, the Gophers have hosted two regionals and one super-regional since the SEC became a softball power. In each of those, we hosted an SEC team. The Gophers record against those SEC teams in those three opportunities: 6-1 (.857). Not too bad.

The reasoning behind the SEC being awarded so many hosting spots is a topic for another conversation, but geography plays a huge factor in their ability to recruit good players and in their ability to win a high percentage of their early-season home games against teams from northern climates, which in turn helps them get those coveted regional host slots.
 
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let'sbeclear said:
Does anyone have an explanation for basically all of the polls having Northwestern in the 18-19 range, while its RPI is up there at #8?
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Northwestern:

Record: 35-11 (20-3)

RPI: 8

Non-Conference SOS: 4

Overall SOS: 8

Top 25 Wins: 4 - Texas (11), Auburn x2 (21), Kentucky (25)

Top 50 Wins: 20 - Add Minnesota x3 (27), Louisville x2 (31), Nebraska x3 (36), South Alabama (40), Notre Dame x2 (42), Penn State x3 (45), Michigan x2 (49)

Top 100 Wins: 29 - Add Wisconsin x3 (54), Iowa x2 (65), Rutgers x2 (78), Illinois x2 (85)

Bad Losses: Toledo (191)

Northwestern is hurt by our conference not having another top 25 team. All their good wins are at the beginning of the season. Polls tend have a lot of recency bias and the Wildcats do not benefit from that. All the SEC teams get plenty of opportunity to shine in the conference.
 



Hey there everyone!!!

I've been away from the softball thread for awhile and admittedly haven't seen much of the ladies this season. But, I did do some digging on the squad and I'm thrilled with what I've uncovered. First off, really happy for Autumn Pease and the fabulous season she's had. She continues the U's reputation of excellent pitching and thinking she'll be getting plenty of All-American recognition as a result (as well as being Big Ten Pitcher of the Year- hands down).

Offensively, nice to see the long ball back as part of the arsenal. On top of that, coach Ritter did a nice job of bringing in impact transfers that have obviously improved the squad. But the biggest positive based on the games I've watched recently (all against Michigan) is that the team is finding ways to win again, much like the squads of old. Playing their best ball at the right time and are a lock for the NCAAs (probably as a two seed).

Bummed that this is the last ride for Nat. She's been a great representative of the program and certainly has had a stellar career. Anyway, keeping my fingers crossed for 40 wins before all is said and done. Either way, a hearty congrats to the team and good luck the rest of the way!
 

rugger14 said:
Northwestern:

Record: 35-11 (20-3)

RPI: 8

Non-Conference SOS: 4

Overall SOS: 8

Top 25 Wins: 4 - Texas (11), Auburn x2 (21), Kentucky (25)

Top 50 Wins: 20 - Add Minnesota x3 (27), Louisville x2 (31), Nebraska x3 (36), South Alabama (40), Notre Dame x2 (42), Penn State x3 (45), Michigan x2 (49)

Top 100 Wins: 29 - Add Wisconsin x3 (54), Iowa x2 (65), Rutgers x2 (78), Illinois x2 (85)

Bad Losses: Toledo (191)

Northwestern is hurt by our conference not having another top 25 team. All their good wins are at the beginning of the season. Polls tend have a lot of recency bias and the Wildcats do not benefit from that. All the SEC teams get plenty of opportunity to shine in the conference.
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The NCAA selection committee doesn't always follow the polls (see the Gophs 2019) so I wouldn't be surprised to see Northwestern host with a decent seed.
 


Panthadad2 said:
The NCAA selection committee doesn't always follow the polls (see the Gophs 2019) so I wouldn't be surprised to see Northwestern host with a decent seed.
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Also wouldn't be surprised to see them as the 2 seed in Oklahoma regional with how highly they value the conference
 




4-2 Rutgers top 5

And now tied again.
 
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Hutch’s teams always seemed to be among the national leaders in fielding percentage, and I would assume proper positioning and situational anticipation was a big part of her teams’ defensive success.

The CF was simply way too far to the LF side of second as the play unfolded. Proper positioning to back up a play is one of those “little things” that win or lose tight ballgames.

That said, it’s not as if Michigan never made a defensive mistake under Hutch that cost the team a big game. Look no further than the 2014 and 2016 B1G championship games against the Gophers for that evidence.
 
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rowdaboat said:
Filled the catcher gap nice and quick

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As we all lamented our inability to pick up a pitcher or two at semester break the prior year, and people were writing off the program the minute news that Kinch was leaving became public, this move was applauded here, but not because people anticipated her eventual impact, it was primarily because it meant we wouldn’t have to use a left-handed freshman catcher, or convert an infielder. It kind of slipped under the radar, and our coaching staff didn’t get enough credit for this move.

To go out and get an immediate first-team All-B1G player at a position of extreme need at semester break? I don’t put much stock in rankings, but did anyone note at the time Taylor signed that she was ranked #18 by ExtraInnings coming out of high school? She has certainly lived up to that for us.

Thank you, Taylor, and kudos to our Gopher coaches. This coaching staff has done a fabulous job attracting key talent from the portal two years running.
 

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