Gopher Softball 2025

ClassOf98Gopher

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What’s the lineup going to look like next year? Thoughts on if the Gophers can climb back up toward the top of the legacy Big Ten conference teams (I am excluding UCLA, Washington, and Oregon from this question due to unfairness).
 

What’s the lineup going to look like next year? Thoughts on if the Gophers can climb back up toward the top of the legacy Big Ten conference teams (I am excluding UCLA, Washington, and Oregon from this question due to unfairness).
In addition to returning pitchers, in 2025 they need to find a no. 1 starting pitcher who can log lots of innings against elite teams, plus a good second-line catcher.

They need to fill first base, second base, all three outfield positions, and DH. For all those positions they need players who can hit for power and/or high average. I know of no one on the 2024 bench who can fill those needs or if there was someone, why did they not play in 2024?

Those are big holes to fill. Hard to imagine where the needed talent will come from.
 

…they need to find a no. 1 starting pitcher who can log lots of innings against elite teams…

They need to fill first base, second base, all three outfield positions, and DH.
But we have shortstop covered; so we have that going for us.

I think we will be okay; but that numerically huge class of Sophomores during the 2025 season who didn’t do much at all during the 2024 season (excluding Richardson who played some) are going to have to show that they can play at the NCAA level.

And much like Leavitt had a lot on her as she began her Freshman season in 2022, Susa is going to have to really show capability to strike out batters when she is in the circle.
 

In addition to returning pitchers, in 2025 they need to find a no. 1 starting pitcher who can log lots of innings against elite teams, plus a good second-line catcher.

They need to fill first base, second base, all three outfield positions, and DH. For all those positions they need players who can hit for power and/or high average. I know of no one on the 2024 bench who can fill those needs or if there was someone, why did they not play in 2024?

Those are big holes to fill. Hard to imagine where the needed talent will come from.
2 outfielders Burnett and Valencia, return.
 



Not sure if the culture of the team needs to be improved. During the season I kept hearing unconfirmed reports regarding the player's relationship with coach Piper that weren't good. If this is true, then we have a real problem. Not my intentions to be negative as I really like women's softball and want the Gophers to have a great team. I just heard quite a bit of crap over the season. Something isn't adding up.
 

Not sure if the culture of the team needs to be improved. During the season I kept hearing unconfirmed reports regarding the player's relationship with coach Piper that weren't good. If this is true, then we have a real problem. Not my intentions to be negative as I really like women's softball and want the Gophers to have a great team. I just heard quite a bit of crap over the season. Something isn't adding up.
Not many out-transfers though. That is where the rubber hits the road on this issue.
 

Not sure if the culture of the team needs to be improved. During the season I kept hearing unconfirmed reports regarding the player's relationship with coach Piper that weren't good. If this is true, then we have a real problem. Not my intentions to be negative as I really like women's softball and want the Gophers to have a great team. I just heard quite a bit of crap over the season. Something isn't adding up.
I heard it was more the assistant coaches and lack of development; but I also heard that we would see a lot of transfers, which ended up not to be true. I have learned not to always trust what I hear lol.
 




I heard it was more the assistant coaches and lack of development; but I also heard that we would see a lot of transfers, which ended up not to be true. I have learned not to always trust what I hear lol.
I agree with this in what I had heard. One assistant coach in particularly was a cancer, and yes, we should see many transfers that did not happen. All starts at the top. If Piper isn't going to right the ship, then she should be sunk.
 


Nice pickup with Tobias; not familiar with the pitcher. Guessing this puts Hooper to the bench.
 

Not Gophers, but what’s going on with Washington. 8 in the portal and it looks like 6 had a lot of playing time
 



I assume those are players that want to play the big southern schools in the SEC or ACC as their competition. That is my best guess.
 


Could have transferred to Cal or Stanford then.

/s
a lot of players are not wanting to do the constant west to east travel that's going to be required now that they're in conferences where opponents are so far away. oregon state (who is going to be in a terrible conference for at least a few years) had 18 in the portal. i'm sure there are coaching considerations, playing time gripes, etc...but that travel is going to be difficult and intense.
 



a lot of players are not wanting to do the constant west to east travel that's going to be required now that they're in conferences where opponents are so far away. oregon state (who is going to be in a terrible conference for at least a few years) had 18 in the portal. i'm sure there are coaching considerations, playing time gripes, etc...but that travel is going to be difficult and intense.
Agree with what your saying, but mine was sarcasm.
 

One coach leaves, two new players transfer in. Hard to see if those changes are a big help. A really transformative improvement in the pitching staff, which is not at all impossible, is what the Gophers need above all else.
 

One coach leaves, two new players transfer in. Hard to see if those changes are a big help. A really transformative improvement in the pitching staff, which is not at all impossible, is what the Gophers need above all else.
Be great to see a transfer in as pitcher that we can see as a definite gain.
 

What’s the lineup going to look like next year? Thoughts on if the Gophers can climb back up toward the top of the legacy Big Ten conference teams (I am excluding UCLA, Washington, and Oregon from this question due to unfairness).
Won't you have to play the West Coast schools?
 

Won't you have to play the West Coast schools?
We will have to play then, reluctantly from my opinion. The West Coast schools entering the Big Ten have some obvious natural advantages in bat and ball sports over the MidWest/Eastern schools.

My personal barometer as to if the Gopher have a good softball season is no longer if they finish at or near the top of the Big Ten but rather if they are at or near the top of the legacy Big Ten schools (absent the three new arrivals).
 

We will have to play then, reluctantly from my opinion. The West Coast schools entering the Big Ten have some obvious natural advantages in bat and ball sports over the MidWest/Eastern schools.

My personal barometer as to if the Gopher have a good softball season is no longer if they finish at or near the top of the Big Ten but rather if they are at or near the top of the legacy Big Ten schools (absent the three new arrivals).
That approach feels to me like the Gophers shortchanging themselves. Why not set a goal of building the program to where MN plays, say, UCLA and beats them. Not an easy task, but why shrink from it?
 

That approach feels to me like the Gophers shortchanging themselves. Why not set a goal of building the program to where MN plays, say, UCLA and beats them. Not an easy task, but why shrink from it?
That approach that you write above is for the coaches and the players. As for me as a fan, realistic expectations are important so I avoid becoming disillusioned by disappointment.

One could have never stayed a Gopher football fan over all of these years without realistic expectations. Otherwise I would have acquired clinical depression.
 

That approach that you write above is for the coaches and the players. As for me as a fan, realistic expectations are important so I avoid becoming disillusioned by disappointment.

One could have never stayed a Gopher football fan over all of these years without realistic expectations. Otherwise I would have acquired clinical depression.
But how great did it feel for Fleck to reach new heights not seen in decades? He may have topped out, we'll see, but there's a higher floor than previously.
 

a lot of players are not wanting to do the constant west to east travel that's going to be required now that they're in conferences where opponents are so far away. oregon state (who is going to be in a terrible conference for at least a few years) had 18 in the portal. i'm sure there are coaching considerations, playing time gripes, etc...but that travel is going to be difficult and intense.
Been thinking about this. Is a 3hr flight more difficult or intense than a 3hr bus ride? Or 5hr?
 

Been thinking about this. Is a 3hr flight more difficult or intense than a 3hr bus ride? Or 5hr?

As someone who traveled this country for 30 yrs before retiring, a three hour flight is easy. A bus or ground transport is much more draining. I use to fly out of PDX around noon and arrive in Newark about 8pm. Get a night's sleep and have a 9 am, 11am, 1 pm and 3 pm meeting in Manhattan, then catch a flight back to PDX around 6 PM arriving home that evening. Never had a problem with what people call jet lag or fatigue. This whole time zone thing is BS in my opinion. Now if you are going 5-6 time zones, Jet lag is real. It's just not real in the lower 48 states.
 

As someone who traveled this country for 30 yrs before retiring, a three hour flight is easy. A bus or ground transport is much more draining. I use to fly out of PDX around noon and arrive in Newark about 8pm. Get a night's sleep and have a 9 am, 11am, 1 pm and 3 pm meeting in Manhattan, then catch a flight back to PDX around 6 PM arriving home that evening. Never had a problem with what people call jet lag or fatigue. This whole time zone thing is BS in my opinion. Now if you are going 5-6 time zones, Jet lag is real. It's just not real in the lower 48 states.
Yes. Been there, done that. Well, not the coast to coast travel, but a lot of domestic and international travel. When everything goes well, it's a piece of cake. But, delays of any kind can easily disrupt your travel and change what was an easy, relaxing trip into a difficult situation. In addition, there is the travel time to the airport, getting through check in, and negotiating the security procedure. And, your 3 hour flight takes 6 hours from start to finish. Charter flights would solve most of those issues.
 

I agree with this in what I had heard. One assistant coach in particularly was a cancer, and yes, we should see many transfers that did not happen. All starts at the top. If Piper isn't going to right the ship, then she should be sunk.
Any update on who might replace Carly Wynn?
 




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