Gopher Softball 2024

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Jess with a 1 out double in the 7th. That gives her 6 hits for the series. Bottom 7, 5-1
 


dlw4gophers said:
J C with the complete game win. 5-1
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Good for Jacie. she deserves it! Did she not win all three games in the series? And is that not 20 HRs for Oakland? Also good to see some run production from the lower half of the batting order. Can't remember when Chavez' BA was ever under .300, but maybe some warm weather is needed....
 

PreacherRoe said:
Good for Jacie. she deserves it! Did she not win all three games in the series? And is that not 20 HRs for Oakland? Also good to see some run production from the lower half of the batting order. Can't remember when Chavez' BA was ever under .300, but maybe some warm weather is needed....
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Jess has 19. Nice game by Jacie!
 




Gopher68 said:
Yes. The single season record is 20. Lindaman did it twice.
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When Lindaman transferred I thought that our Gophers Softball program will never have a player of her caliber of power like her again. DenHartog was very close at times of her career; and obviously made a lot more impact overall to the softball program over her 5 years than Lindaman did in her two. But Oakland is right there right now with Lindaman in comparison of consistent, week-after-week dominance at the plate and skill in the field.
 
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It seems clear to me that Gopher softball fans are less chatty than in past years. After a sweep of Iowa, there are relatively few posts on this board.

I think we need a star pitcher to fire-up this fan base again.
 

I've always felt Hope Brandner, in her one year here, was the best all-around player all-time at MN, even better than Lindaman. Yet Oakland's superior to all. She makes the discussion moot. It will be a disgrace if the AD can't find a way to keep Oakland, Chavez, and Krapf at MN.
ClassOf98Gopher said:
It seems clear to me that Gopher softball fans are less chatty than in past years. After a sweep of Iowa, there are relatively few posts on this board.

I think we need a star pitcher to fire-up this fan base again.
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I'd go for two star pitchers. Why not us, too?
 



Big weekend coming up. Need to finish third or fourth for bye in the Big Ten tournament. Minnesota needs to win all three or at least two

Minnesota 12-8 plays Nebraska 10-8 (best case 15-8, worst 12-11) My prediction MN 15-8
Rutgers 12-8 plays Penn State 11-9 (somebody wins, worst for MN Rutgers 15-8 or Penn State 14-9)
Indiana 11-9 plays Northwestern 17-2 (Best if Northwestern sweeps)
Purdue 11-9 plays Michigan State 4-16 (Likely Purdue 14-9 which forces MN to win at least two)
Michigan 17-3 plays Ohio State 10-10 (Best if Michigan sweeps)

What is everyone's predictions?
 

NextYear_76 said:
Big weekend coming up. Need to finish third or fourth for bye in the Big Ten tournament. Minnesota needs to win all three or at least two

Minnesota 12-8 plays Nebraska 10-8 (best case 15-8, worst 12-11) My prediction MN 15-8
Rutgers 12-8 plays Penn State 11-9 (somebody wins, worst for MN Rutgers 15-8 or Penn State 14-9)
Indiana 11-9 plays Northwestern 17-2 (Best if Northwestern sweeps)
Purdue 11-9 plays Michigan State 4-16 (Likely Purdue 14-9 which forces MN to win at least two)
Michigan 17-3 plays Ohio State 10-10 (Best if Michigan sweeps)

What is everyone's predictions?
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Minnesota gets two wins? - that’s my guess.
 

ClassOf98Gopher said:
It seems clear to me that Gopher softball fans are less chatty than in past years. After a sweep of Iowa, there are relatively few posts on this board.

I think we need a star pitcher to fire-up this fan base again.
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Hard to stay engaged when you have 3 or 4 batters that can hit the ball, pitching is hard to watch, and unless they win the BIG tourney they won't be going to the NCAA tourney. I expect a rocking off season. Again, I hope I am proven wrong here.
 

PreacherRoe said:
I've always felt Hope Brandner, in her one year here, was the best all-around player all-time at MN, even better than Lindaman. Yet Oakland's superior to all. She makes the discussion moot. It will be a disgrace if the AD can't find a way to keep Oakland, Chavez, and Krapf at MN.
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I know we live in the seemingly lawless Wild West of NIL but Coyle and the U aren't involved in raising or dispensing NIL . If you are interested in ensuring our student-athletes stay at the U, you should reach out to Dinkytown Athletes and ask how you can support the players in the softball program.
 



ecoperson said:
I know we live in the seemingly lawless Wild West of NIL but Coyle and the U aren't involved in raising or dispensing NIL . If you are interested in ensuring our student-athletes stay at the U, you should reach out to Dinkytown Athletes and ask how you can support the players in the softball program.
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Would my monthly Social Security check be of assistance?
 

DietCokeFan said:
Hard to stay engaged when you have 3 or 4 batters that can hit the ball, pitching is hard to watch, and unless they win the BIG tourney they won't be going to the NCAA tourney. I expect a rocking off season. Again, I hope I am proven wrong here.
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For the past 10 or more years the program has built on winning. They have a large and loyal fan base, who've come to expect excellence.
 

DietCokeFan said:
Hard to stay engaged when you have 3 or 4 batters that can hit the ball, pitching is hard to watch, and unless they win the BIG tourney they won't be going to the NCAA tourney. I expect a rocking off season. Again, I hope I am proven wrong here.
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So let’s have a great and enjoyable Big Ten tourney… the best week of the entire softball season!
 


Congrats Jess!

Jess Oakland could have arguably won this award practically every week since conference play began, and here’s why.

She’s so good she hits 500 for the week with only one weekend of play remaining and sees her conference batting average decline.
 

ecoperson said:
I know we live in the seemingly lawless Wild West of NIL but Coyle and the U aren't involved in raising or dispensing NIL . If you are interested in ensuring our student-athletes stay at the U, you should reach out to Dinkytown Athletes and ask how you can support the players in the softball program.
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It shouldn't be up to fans when the selling point of our university is how many fortune 500 corporations have headquarters in the state
 



rowdaboat said:
It shouldn't be up to fans when the selling point of our university is how many fortune 500 corporations have headquarters in the state
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The most important point I am making is that the AD isn't supposed to be involved in NIL. I get sick of people blaming the U for the fact that we don't have huge amounts of NIL like blue blood programs.

I see relatively few Fortune 500 corporations across the country who are playing in the NIL sandbox. Those in MN haven't even been strong supporters of the U in general... I highly doubt that they're all of sudden going to be buying players in free agency.

We need diehard fans like PreacherRoe to quit complaining about the AD and be part of the solution. I'd especially like rich diehard fans that bleed maroon and gold and want to throw money around to adopt this club!
 

ecoperson said:
The most important point I am making is that the AD isn't supposed to be involved in NIL. I get sick of people blaming the U for the fact that we don't have huge amounts of NIL like blue blood programs.

I see relatively few Fortune 500 corporations across the country who are playing in the NIL sandbox. Those in MN haven't even been strong supporters of the U in general... I highly doubt that they're all of sudden going to be buying players in free agency.

We need diehard fans like PreacherRoe to quit complaining about the AD and be part of the solution. I'd especially like rich diehard fans that bleed maroon and gold and want to throw money around to adopt this club!
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Hyvee is just south of us. How hard is it to get Mara or Brosmer on a cheerios ad and Best Buy or Target to get football to promote them for black Friday in exchange for promoting our last game of season? AD should have the most connections to set that up of anyone at the school
 

ecoperson said:
The most important point I am making is that the AD isn't supposed to be involved in NIL. I get sick of people blaming the U for the fact that we don't have huge amounts of NIL like blue blood programs.

I see relatively few Fortune 500 corporations across the country who are playing in the NIL sandbox. Those in MN haven't even been strong supporters of the U in general... I highly doubt that they're all of sudden going to be buying players in free agency.

We need diehard fans like PreacherRoe to quit complaining about the AD and be part of the solution. I'd especially like rich diehard fans that bleed maroon and gold and want to throw money around to adopt this club!
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"Diehard fans like Preacher Roe .... to be part of the solution .... and want to throw money around..." those are only excerpts, but since I go by the pseudonym Preacher Roe I'll comment. Perhaps the eco in Ecoperson refers to economic expertise. If so, good. In my case, as in that of many fans, whether diehard or not, the financial largess is not there "to throw around." As a retired teacher, 85% of my monthly income derives from SS and 15% from a modest retirement fund. So there seem to be 3 ways for fans with limited financial resources "to be part of the solution" and contribute to the program. 1) would be to donate my SS payments to the the program and then figure out other ways to keep the private household going (as was obliquely suggested by another poster). Neither the Athletic Department nor the Athletic Director himelf (AD) has made that request, thankfully. 2) might be to send in weekly critiques of coaches' and players' brilliant moves or perceived mistakes during games. Clearly the head coach can handle those tasks best of all. 3) could be to form an active cheerleader group because so few U students attend U softball games. Naturally, such an active attempt would be absurd, though most of the cheering at Gopher games comes informally from older fans. No, my personal solution will be to continue buying season tickets and attending or following (even if on Stats) every single game, win or lose. Sometimes such attention does feel like dying hard.
 

ecoperson said:
The most important point I am making is that the AD isn't supposed to be involved in NIL. I get sick of people blaming the U for the fact that we don't have huge amounts of NIL like blue blood programs.

I see relatively few Fortune 500 corporations across the country who are playing in the NIL sandbox. Those in MN haven't even been strong supporters of the U in general... I highly doubt that they're all of sudden going to be buying players in free agency.

We need diehard fans like PreacherRoe to quit complaining about the AD and be part of the solution. I'd especially like rich diehard fans that bleed maroon and gold and want to throw money around to adopt this club!
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Die hard fans are faced with difficult choices. For example, I have been reminded that I should renew my men's basketball tickets. For the upcoming year, that is $330 per seat with a required 'donation' to the scholarship fund of $550 per seat. I know that there are less expensive seats, but the issue still remains if I should continue my attendance and required donation or seek to move my support to other places, namely NIL. For me, the bigger problem is the tsunami of games in November and December. In addition to men's basketball, there is women's basketball (also a season ticket holder), football (season ticket holder), and volleyball (season ticket holder). And, if that is not enough, I live 90 miles from the venues which adds uncertainty with weather conditions. Finally 8:00 tips won't get me back home until midnight. So, as a die hard fan of Gopher sports, is renewing my basketball tickets the best way to support our star athletes? It's not an easy choice.
 

rowdaboat said:
Hyvee is just south of us. How hard is it to get Mara or Brosmer on a cheerios ad and Best Buy or Target to get football to promote them for black Friday in exchange for promoting our last game of season? AD should have the most connections to set that up of anyone at the school
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General Mills, Best Buy, or Target aren't in the business of goodwill. They'll support local cultural institutions but they aren't going to pay for some random player to play ball. They just aren't. It doesn't make financial sense to them as it isn't going to drive sales.
 

PreacherRoe said:
"Diehard fans like Preacher Roe .... to be part of the solution .... and want to throw money around..." those are only excerpts, but since I go by the pseudonym Preacher Roe I'll comment.
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To be clear, I HATE the lawlessness of NIL. Like you, I am not donating one cent to the effort. I won't do so until there are clear sideboards. It is simply ludicrous to me that NIL has devolved into paying for players.

I am not asking YOU personally to make a contribution to NIL. I only ask that you understand that the AD and coaches are seriously limited in what they can (should) be doing as it relates to NIL.
 

Gopher68 said:
Die hard fans are faced with difficult choices. For example, I have been reminded that I should renew my men's basketball tickets. For the upcoming year, that is $330 per seat with a required 'donation' to the scholarship fund of $550 per seat. I know that there are less expensive seats, but the issue still remains if I should continue my attendance and required donation or seek to move my support to other places, namely NIL. For me, the bigger problem is the tsunami of games in November and December. In addition to men's basketball, there is women's basketball (also a season ticket holder), football (season ticket holder), and volleyball (season ticket holder). And, if that is not enough, I live 90 miles from the venues which adds uncertainty with weather conditions. Finally 8:00 tips won't get me back home until midnight. So, as a die hard fan of Gopher sports, is renewing my basketball tickets the best way to support our star athletes? It's not an easy choice.
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You are, indeed, a diehard fan! I, for one, would not 'waste' my hard-earned cash on NIL under the current lack of clear structure. With the current lack of rules, I asked myself whether I was a fan of the player or of the jersey. I realize that I love the U first and foremost as I will root for any player who chooses to wear the maroon and gold. The players come and go but the U will always be the attraction!
 

ecoperson said:
You are, indeed, a diehard fan! I, for one, would not 'waste' my hard-earned cash on NIL under the current lack of clear structure. With the current lack of rules, I asked myself whether I was a fan of the player or of the jersey. I realize that I love the U first and foremost as I will root for any player who chooses to wear the maroon and gold. The players come and go but the U will always be the attraction!
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I understand your frustration with NIL. But, is donating to the Golden Gopher Fund going to help retain or obtain new players? No. Will donating NIL money do either? Maybe. Maybe not. Every program needs star players and loyalty. Otherwise, the teams will struggle and the programs will lose fans and support. NIL, as much as we may not like it, is the way things are today. Waiting for sensibility to be instilled in NIL, is not likely to come any time soon.
 

Gopher68 said:
I understand your frustration with NIL. But, is donating to the Golden Gopher Fund going to help retain or obtain new players? No. Will donating NIL money do either? Maybe. Maybe not. Every program needs star players and loyalty. Otherwise, the teams will struggle and the programs will lose fans and support. NIL, as much as we may not like it, is the way things are today. Waiting for sensibility to be instilled in NIL, is not likely to come any time soon.
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NIL is about name, image, and likeness and I imagine that >90% of NIL dollars in the major revenue sports is currently pay for play. We are essentially now in annual free agency. There is little loyalty and little opportunity to get to know your team anymore. They are all just a bunch of hired mercenaries!

I believe that Congress will get involved sooner than we might think. They are a dysfunctional bunch but NIL has ruined the revenue sports and I have a sneaky suspicion that there are enough members who see the inevitable downfall of collegiate sports as we know it.

I also feel that the conversations towards paying the athletes from the University coffers will be happening sooner vs. later.
 

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