Gopher Softball 2024

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Indiana is a team that feasts on positive momentum. No extra outs, as they wreak havoc on the base paths. But they also run themselves out of innings so our defense needs to step up and make accurate throws, hit cutoffs, etc.

To beat them, you must jump ahead of them early and not let up. We will need our best pitching performances to win the series, as Indiana has capable hitters who have collectively underperformed so far in B1G play.

Indiana also has struggled with pitching in conference. They are getting virtually nothing from anyone except Copeland and even she has underperformed in the circle in B1G play. This will be an interesting and potentially very exciting series.

That said, I hope our bats stay hot and we demoralize them.
 

Not seeing the game on the guide for Big ten network. Rained out?
 


Well I have Bit 10+. I can watch other schools but can't watch the Gophers apparently.
 




rwlarson said:
Indiana is a team that feasts on positive momentum. No extra outs, as they wreak havoc on the base paths. But they also run themselves out of innings so our defense needs to step up and make accurate throws, hit cutoffs, etc….
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Now this is some quality posting.
 

Once again JC can’t throw strikes. Game about to get out of control.
Escaped a disaster, now wake the bats up! Go Gophs!
 

Second time in the game when the gophers have a runner on 3rd with no outs and don’t score.
 



DietCokeFan said:
Second time in the game when the gophers have a runner on 3rd with no outs and don’t score.
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Yes, drive in those 2 runs from 3rd and Oakland's HR ties the game. Where are the hitting coaches in those critical situations? A game the Gophers coaches and players wasted. It was there for the taking, when a win was needed. A hard loss to take.
 

That Indiana game leaves me really po'ed. I think MN's a more talented team and the game was a win waiting to happen. But there seemed to be absolutely no drive or desire to make it happen, not from the coaches or players.
 

PreacherRoe said:
That Indiana game leaves me really po'ed. I think MN's a more talented team and the game was a win waiting to happen. But there seemed to be absolutely no drive or desire to make it happen, not from the coaches or players.
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Looks like we’ll be 7-5 after this weekend. Down 11-0 in the 2nd and only one out. Not having a dominant pitcher is our achilles heel.
 





rowdaboat said:
Pathetic line score
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The key problem in this day’s horrible box score is that our pitchers were able to get only one strikeout.

It is really tough to be good when your team is playing defense over the course of a whole season if you don’t have a pitcher on staff who can get strikeouts. That is our #1 problem this season.
 

To put ClassOf98Gophers' comment my way: Why keep bringing in freshmen pitchers who can't compete/excel at the D1 level? To repeat: It's now 8 years since Fiser was an incoming freshman.
rwlarson said:
Indiana is a team that feasts on positive momentum. No extra outs, as they wreak havoc on the base paths. But they also run themselves out of innings so our defense needs to step up and make accurate throws, hit cutoffs, etc.

To beat them, you must jump ahead of them early and not let up. We will need our best pitching performances to win the series, as Indiana has capable hitters who have collectively underperformed so far in B1G play.

Indiana also has struggled with pitching in conference. They are getting virtually nothing from anyone except Copeland and even she has underperformed in the circle in B1G play. This will be an interesting and potentially very exciting series.

That said, I hope our bats stay hot and we demoralize them.
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"...we demoralize them." Following the OSU series, which seemed uplifting, the Gophers played a surprisingly uninspired game 1 at Indiana, as though the Gophers themselves came unprepared. Very puzzling. What reason did they have for being so flat? And game 2 was over before the first inning had even ended. Quite ironic since the Indiana team, so lauded by BTN announcers, was playing before a home crowd of what appeared to be about 15 people.
 


PreacherRoe said:
To put ClassOf98Gophers' comment my way: Why keep bringing in freshmen pitchers who can't compete/excel at the D1 level? To repeat: It's now 8 years since Fiser was an incoming freshman.

"...we demoralize them." Following the OSU series, which seemed uplifting, the Gophers played a surprisingly uninspired game 1 at Indiana, as though the Gophers themselves came unprepared. Very puzzling. What reason did they have for being so flat? And game 2 was over before the first inning had even ended. Quite ironic since the Indiana team, so lauded by BTN announcers, was playing before a home crowd of what appeared to be about 15 people.
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I wouldn't characterize it as uninspired. OSU is not a good team. They have given up 18 to WI in the first two games this weekend. The teams we have beaten in the B10.... Illinois and OSU are the second to worst teams in the B10....only MIchigan State is worse, and we lost to them. This isn't entirely on pitching; the team is an average team right now. Indiana is better, 8 starters returned from a darn good offense from last year. The fact we couldn't hit Klieman is what should be uninspiring. She is not a great pitcher, and we made her look like a first team all-conference pitcher.

I think Schwartz being injured is the reason you see the freshmen as much as you do. If she isn't back soon, I've got to think there is a redshirt coming.

Those are not BTN announcers BTW. Those are Indiana students. B10+ is always that way. It will be slanted towards the home school. Only broadcasts on BTN are with BTN announcers.
 

Chase the Rise said:
I wouldn't characterize it as uninspired. OSU is not a good team. They have given up 18 to WI in the first two games this weekend. The teams we have beaten in the B10.... Illinois and OSU are the second to worst teams in the B10....only MIchigan State is worse, and we lost to them. This isn't entirely on pitching; the team is an average team right now. Indiana is better, 8 starters returned from a darn good offense from last year. The fact we couldn't hit Klieman is what should be uninspiring. She is not a great pitcher, and we made her look like a first team all-conference pitcher.

I think Schwartz being injured is the reason you see the freshmen as much as you do. If she isn't back soon, I've got to think there is a redshirt coming.

Those are not BTN announcers BTW. Those are Indiana students. B10+ is always that way. It will be slanted towards the home school. Only broadcasts on BTN are with BTN announcers.
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Friday's game was on BTN, whose announcers' professionalism was limited; they tried their best to be fair but couldn't hide their home-team favoritism with constant chatter. Your "average team" assessment is right, but with top-flight pitchers the Gophers would have beaten Indiana in the series. We followers all kinda live & die on each game; it hurts to watch a slow steady decline since 2019. Elite pitching would stop that and steady the ship.
 

PreacherRoe said:
Friday's game was on BTN, whose announcers' professionalism was limited; they tried their best to be fair but couldn't hide their home-team favoritism with constant chatter. Your "average team" assessment is right, but with top-flight pitchers the Gophers would have beaten Indiana in the series. We followers all kinda live & die on each game; it hurts to watch a slow steady decline since 2019. Elite pitching would stop that and steady the ship.
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Hopefully Susa will be the next ace pitcher for the gophers. I think they need to entice a top pitcher from the portal next season.
 



ClassOf98Gopher said:
The key problem in this day’s horrible box score is that our pitchers were able to get only one strikeout.

It is really tough to be good when your team is playing defense over the course of a whole season if you don’t have a pitcher on staff who can get strikeouts. That is our #1 problem this season.
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Again maybe the problem isn’t the pitching. No hit through 6 to a very average WI team. This is a team issue. Not position specific. It’s an average team.
 



That was the least dominating no-hitter I’ve ever seen. I counted at least six balls that we lined right at Wisconsin fielders or they made diving grabs. The home plate ump had a generous strike zone, and Magnamino took advantage. We didn’t. Game 2 was better, against a pretty mediocre pitcher, a 7-3 win. Oakland with a double and 3-run HR, the only HR hit by either team on a day when the wind was blowing in from left.
 

Sloppy games by both teams. Fundamentals were poor by both. Wisconsin lost runs in the first due to runners leaving early and the first game was worse for the Gophers than the score. Need to improve hitting and adapting to the pitcher. Only one walk so the ball was in the strike zone. Someone needs to make contact

In the second game the three Wisconsin runs should have been limited to only one if the left fielder throws to third rather than home. Runners on first and second and a single to left and runners running the play is limiting the bases to the trailing runner and the batter. Throw to third and runners on first and second with no outs instead of second and third. Next batter strikes out and ball was dropped forcing throw to first and allows runner to score and other runner moves to third then scores on ground ball out. If still on first and second the batter who striking out would be out due runners on first and the following ground ball would have held the runners. Of course the inning might have played differently but this team cannot give away runs given the pitching and the recent lack of hitting. There have been several times this year when the fielding fundamentals have not been solid.
 

NextYear_76 said:
Sloppy games by both teams. Fundamentals were poor by both. Wisconsin lost runs in the first due to runners leaving early and the first game was worse for the Gophers than the score. Need to improve hitting and adapting to the pitcher. Only one walk so the ball was in the strike zone. Someone needs to make contact

In the second game the three Wisconsin runs should have been limited to only one if the left fielder throws to third rather than home. Runners on first and second and a single to left and runners running the play is limiting the bases to the trailing runner and the batter. Throw to third and runners on first and second with no outs instead of second and third. Next batter strikes out and ball was dropped forcing throw to first and allows runner to score and other runner moves to third then scores on ground ball out. If still on first and second the batter who striking out would be out due runners on first and the following ground ball would have held the runners. Of course the inning might have played differently but this team cannot give away runs given the pitching and the recent lack of hitting. There have been several times this year when the fielding fundamentals have not been solid.
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You're correct in your comments. Plus the first baseman would have had the runner at home except she threw the ball over Krapf's head, and the MN pitcher gave up a sure out at home by throwing to first for an out. Yet WI made just as many mistakes to even things out. Hitters on both teams stood and watched 3-1 pitches down the middle but followed up by swinging and missing at ball four about eye high. Hard to know who to attribute the origin of these mistakes to: coaches or players.
 

After today’s loss to Rutgers it’s time give the freshman some additional experience until the B1G tournament. Remaining league games won’t matter since there’s only one way to reach the tournament.
 

It's hard to remember a Gophers team with such general listlessness and passivity at the plate. Jacie pitched a good game and deserved offensive support, which was never even close to coming.
 

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