University of Minnesota Athletics
SOFTBALL FINISHES THE BIG TEN REGULAR SEASON AT HOME
5/3/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MINNESOTA'S CO-COACHES - Minnesota co-head coach Lisa Bernstein is in her eighth season at the school. Her overall record is 279-199-1 (.584). Bernstein won her 250th game in the Triangle Classic, defeating Ball State in the Gophers' first game Feb. 21. She won her 100th Big Ten game April 24 in the nightcap against Indiana. In the last three-plus seasons, Minnesota has won 69 percent of its games and qualified for two NCAA tournaments.
Minnesota co-head coach Julie Standering was elevated to her current position Jan. 22, and has a Minnesota career record of 39-17 (.696). Standering was an assistant coach at Minnesota from 1992-96 and had been the associate head coach of the Gophers for the past two seasons.
ABOUT IOWA - The Hawkeyes (37-22-1, 11-8) worked back into the heat of the Big Ten race with a three-game sweep at Purdue. Iowa trails second-place Michigan State and Minnesota by one game, and has the Gophers and Spartans on the schedule this week. The Hawkeyes travel to Minnesota for the Wednesday doubleheader and host Michigan State in a three-game series Saturday and Sunday. Since the Big Ten Tournament was resumed in 1995, Iowa and Michigan are the two teams that have qualified for every tournament.
Iowa is led offensively by senior catcher Tammy Utley (.349, 5 HR, 17 RBI), and first-year outfielder Amber Morrow (.324, 33 SB, 33 runs). The two Iowa starting pitchers will likely be junior transfer Kelly Zeilstra (15-11, 1.03 ERA) and first-year hurler Kristi Hanks (15-9, 1.88 ERA). Head coach Gayle Blevins is in her 12th season at Iowa and has a record in Iowa City of 494-234-3.
THE SERIES - Iowa leads the series, 36-34. The Hawkeyes took the series lead with a doubleheader sweep of the Gophers by scores of 1-0 and 2-0 on April 14, 1998, in Iowa City. Iowa has won the last four meetings. Minnesota's last win against Iowa took place May 11, 1996, at the Big Ten Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich., as then first-year pitcher Steph Klaviter shut out the Hawkeyes, 3-0.
Big Ten Pct. Record Pct. x-Michigan 18-3 .857 46-9-1 .830 Michigan State 12-7 .632 38-18 .679 Minnesota 12-7 .632 39-17 .696 Penn State 13-8 .619 32-19 .627 Iowa 11-8 .579 37-22-1 .625 Wisconsin 10-8 .556 26-17 .605 Purdue 8-12 .400 29-24 .547 Northwestern 7-12 .368 26-30 .464 Ohio State 5-16 .238 19-29 .396 Indiana 3-18 .143 17-37 .315 x-clinched Big Ten title ABOUT OHIO STATE - The Buckeyes (19-29, 5-16) will be closing out their season with the three games in the Twin Cities. Ohio State won two of three games against Northwestern last weekend, its first Big Ten series victory of the season. The Buckeyes have other conference wins against Iowa, Michigan State and Penn State. Ohio State hosts Youngstown State in a non- conference twinbill Wednesday before travelling to Minnesota.
Ohio State's offense is led by first-year player Stacy Roth (.336, 3 HR, 28 RBI) and senior catcher Jamie Cheneey (.333, 2 HR, 25 RBI). The Buckeyes' top pitcher is junior Toni Hileman (7-19, 3.89 ERA). Linda Kalafatis is in her third season as the Buckeye mentor and has an Ohio State record of 72-83.
THE SERIES - Minnesota leads the series, 47-18. The Gophers won two of three games in Columbus last season, winning the first game, 14-5, losing the second game, 9- 6 (12 inn.), and taking the third game, 5-3 (11 inn.). Minnesota swept the Buckeyes in a three-game series in Ohio State's last visit to Minnesota in 1997.
BIG TEN UPDATE - Michigan is the only team that has clinched a position in the 1999 Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines will host the tourney as the top seed May 14- 15 at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Mich. Minnesota, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin are in the running for Big Ten Tournament spots. If any of the five teams win all of their remaining games, they will play at Michigan next weekend. Purdue and Northwestern have slim mathematical chances of continuing their seasons next weekend.
THE MINNESOTA PERSPECTIVE - A 5-0 week for Minnesota would guarantee the Gophers sole possession of second place in the Big Ten, which would match the team's best conference finish since 1996. Minnesota needs one win to qualify for the 1999 Big Ten Tournament. If Minnesota loses a game, the Gophers would still qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, but their final conference placing and seeding in the tourney would depend on other games in the conference this weekend.
GOPHERS SWEEP NORTHWESTERN, LOSE TWO OF THREE AT MICHIGAN STATE -
Game 52: Minnesota 9, Northwestern 2 - The Gophers rallied from a 2-1 deficit with eight runs in the final two innings to defeat the Wildcats. Morgan Holden (Los Lunas, N.M./LaCueva) hit a two-out, two-run single in the sixth inning to give Minnesota a 3-2 lead. The Gophers exploded for six runs in the final frame to put the game away. Steph Klaviter pitched the first six innings for her 17th victory of the season.
Game 53: Minnesota 7, Northwestern 1 - Minnesota used timely hitting and solid pitching to complete the doubleheader sweep in Evanston. Angel Braden (Chino, Calif./St. Lucy's) broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with her first career grand slam. It was Braden's second home run of the season. Heather Brown (Farmington, N.M./Farmington) allowed a solo home run in her six innings for her 11th victory of the season.
Game 54: Minnesota 3, Michigan State 0 - Steph Klaviter pitched her sixth career one-hitter as the Gophers played one of their best games of the season. Klaviter allowed only two baserunners in the game in cruising to her 18th victory of the season. Shannon Beeler opened the scoring in the first inning with her 11th home run of the season. Beeler added a run-scoring single in the sixth inning and Meghan Smith (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) drove in the Gophers' final run in the seventh inning.
Game 55: Michigan State 3, Minnesota 2 - The Spartans broke Minnesota's eight-game winning streak with a one- run victory. Steph Midthun (Rio Rancho, N.M./Cibola) scored both Minnesota runs in the first inning and the third inning, the second driven in by Shannon Beeler. Michigan State broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the sixth inning, surrendered by Michelle Harrison (Anaheim, Calif./Orange Lutheran). Minnesota left nine runners on base, including the bases loaded in the fifth inning.
Game 56: Michigan State 4, Minnesota 3 - Michigan State rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four fourth-inning runs to take the game and the series from Minnesota. Minnesota built a 3-0 on a second-inning home run by Angel Braden and run-scoring hits in the third inning by Shannon Beeler and Braden. The Spartans scored four runs in the fourth inning with two outs. Steph Klaviter lost her first game in eight decisions, allowing four runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings.
BEELER CONTINUES THE RECORD CHASE - Minnesota shortstop Shannon Beeler has shattered many of the records in the Gopher record book, both single season and career. No Gopher has hit more home runs than Beeler, and no Gopher has driven in more runs than Beeler, either in a single season or a career. Since that measure of comparison is gone, Beeler must now be compared to the greatest players in Big Ten and NCAA history. She moved into fifth place on the NCAA all-time RBI list with seven RBI against Indiana. Beeler now has more career RBI than any non-Arizona player in NCAA Division I history. With her home run at Michigan State on Saturday, Beeler became the 13th player in NCAA Division I history to hit 41 home runs in her career. The RBI data:
NCAA DIVISION I CAREER LEADERS Runs Batted In 1.Jenny Dalton, Arizona, 328 2.Leah Braatz, Arizona, 322 3.Laura Espinoza, Arizona, 315 4.Leticia Pineda, Arizona, 240 5. Shannon Beeler, Minnesota*, 234 * denotes active players OTHER BEELER NUMBERS - A career .360 hitter, Shannon Beeler is currently fourth on the Minnesota all-time list for batting average. She has 270 career hits, and she collected her 100th extra-base hit April 24 against Indiana. She is second on the Gopher all-time chart with 161 career runs scored.
THE DEUCE DRIVES ON - Minnesota center fielder Steph Midthun can occasionally get overlooked on a team that hits as many home runs as the Gophers do. However, do not underestimate the impact that the Minnesota leadoff hitter has on the Gopher offense. Midthun leads the team with 71 hits and 23 stolen bases, and is second among Gophers with a .362 batting average and 41 runs scored. Midthun singled in her first at bat against MSU, Mankato on March 31, the 200th hit of her career. She is the seventh Gopher in history to accumulate 200 hits. A career .343 hitter, Midthun is second on the all-time career list with 74 stolen bases and is third with 148 runs scored.
BRADEN LEADS GOPHER HITTERS - It might surprise some people that sophomore infielder Angel Braden is among Minnesota's top offensive players, both in overall and Big Ten play. Despite missing five weeks with a broken orbital bone suffered in New Mexico, she is Minnesota's leading hitter with a .398 (39-98) batting average. In Big Ten play, Braden leads the Gophers with a .407 (24- 59) batting average and a .644 slugging percentage. She is second on the team with 24 hits and 15 runs batted in. Braden has improved her career batting average to .344 (67-195) with 29 runs scored, 15 extra-base hits and 40 RBI in 66 career games.
"GOPHER BALL" NOTES - Minnesota has set a new school record with 38 home runs this season, the most by any Big Ten team in any season. Jordanne Nygren (Farmington, N.M./Farmington) has hit 12 home runs this season, just two shy of the school record for a season set by Shannon Beeler in 1998. Beeler has hit 11 round-trippers, the third consecutive season that she has reached double digits in home runs. Erin Brophy has added six home runs, which is tied for sixth on Minnesota's single- season list, and has 11 career dingers, which is tied for fourth on the all-time Minnesota list.
KLAVITER, BEELER TO PARTICIPATE IN USA SOFTBALL NATIONAL TEAM FESTIVAL - Steph Klaviter and Shannon Beeler have been chosen to participate in the 1999 Coca-Cola USA Softball Women's National Team Festival from June 8-14 in Fresno, Calif. Klaviter and Beeler will be two of 60 players in the Festival. Ten players in the group have been chosen to participate as a member of the United States team at the 1999 Pan American Games. Klaviter and Beeler will compete for one of the five remaining positions.
NEXT WEEK - Minnesota needs one win this week to qualify for the 1999 Big Ten Tournament next week in Ann Arbor, Mich. The schedule (all times CDT):
Friday, May 14
Game 1 - #5 seed vs. #4 seed, 11 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 2 - #3 seed vs. #2 seed, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 - Game 1 winner vs. Michigan, 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 15
Game 4 - Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 9 a.m.
Game 5 - Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser, 11:30 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 6 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 2 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 7 - Game 6 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 4 p.m. (Championship Game)
The 48-team field for the 1999 NCAA Softball Tournament will be announced Sunday, May 16 at 7 p.m.