University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHER SOFTBALL TEAM CONCLUDES ITS FIFTH CONSECUTIVE WINNING SEASON
5/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
BIG TEN UPDATE - Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Purdue qualified for the 2000 Big Ten Tournament. Iowa clinched the Big Ten title on the final day of the season with a 3-1 victory at Northwestern. The Hawkeyes will host the post-season tourney for the second time in the last six years. Purdue clinched the final spot in the six-team field when Michigan State lost to Michigan on Sunday. The six- team tournament starts Thursday, with Purdue and Penn State in the opening game, and Wisconsin against Northwestern in the second game. Michigan and Iowa enter the tourney later Thursday.
Big Ten Overall Next Game Iowa 14-4 .778 42-12 .778 vs. Wis./NU winner Michigan 13-4 .765 40-13-1 .750 vs. Pur./PSU winner Penn State 12-5 .706 34-15 .694 vs. Purdue Northwestern 12-6 .667 26-22 .542 vs. Wisconsin Wisconsin 9-6 .600 34-23 .596 vs. Northwestern Purdue 6-10 .375 33-26 .559 vs. Penn State Michigan State 5-10 .333 30-23 .566 Indiana 5-13 .278 15-32 .319 Minnesota 4-13 .235 31-28 .525 Ohio State 4-13 .235 28-26 .519 2000 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT - Pearl Field, Iowa City, Iowa Thursday, May 11 (Times TBA, Seedings in Parenthesis) Game 1 - (6) Purdue vs. (3) Penn State Game 2 - (5) Wisconsin vs. (4) Northwestern Game 3 - Game 1 Winner vs. (2) Michigan Game 4 - Game 2 Winner vs. (1) Iowa NYGREN'S NUMBERS - Sophomore Jordanne Nygren (Farmington, N.M./Farmington) led the Gophers during the season in driving in runs and most power categories. She topped the team with 11 doubles, 14 home runs, 47 runs batted in, 114 total bases and a .623 slugging percentage. Nygren was second on the team with a .333 batting average, 61 hits and a .391 on-base percentage. She had the 100th hit of her career against Iowa on March 31. Nygren is hitting .320 in her 127-game career with 122 hits, 21 doubles, 28 home runs, 55 runs scored and 106 runs batted in. She is second on Minnesota's all-time home run list and fourth on Minnesota's all- time runs batted in list.
HAYS STARTS THE OFFENSE - Sophomore Tammi Hays (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) developed into one of the top leadoff batters in the Big Ten Conference. Hays led the Gophers in 2000 with a .347 batting average, a .404 on- base percentage, 66 hits and 23 stolen bases, and tied for the team lead with 31 runs scored. She had the 100th hit of her career April 1 against Northwestern. For her 127-game career, Hays is hitting .324 with 121 hits, 74 runs scored and 39 stolen bases. She has surpassed her first-year total of 16 stolen bases and 55 hits, and has increased her batting average from her first year (.299) to her second year (.347).
HOME RUN DERBY - Minnesota set a Big Ten single-season record with 43 home runs in 1999, and continued hitting the long ball in 2000 with 26 home runs this season. Jordanne Nygren led Minnesota for the second consecutive season, pounding 14 home runs in 59 games. She hit two in the first game against Concordia on April 26. The two blasts gave her the fifth two-home run game of her career. Nygren's last home run came in the nightcap against Indiana on April 28, a two-run shot in the first inning to equal Minnesota's single-season record that she tied in 1999. Shannon Beeler established the mark with 14 homers in 1998. Nygren is second on Minnesota's career list with 28 home runs. Nygren averages a home run every 4.5 games and every 13.6 at bats in her career.
BIG TEN LEADERS - Senior Michelle Bennett (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) led Minnesota with a .278 batting average and a .409 on-base percentage. Bennett was followed in batting average by Tammi Hays (.273) and Jordanne Nygren (.269). Junior Angel Braden (Chino, Calif./St/ Lucy's) hit three home runs and had a .460 slugging percentage to lead Minnesota in conference play and was second with eight runs batted in. Nygren topped the Gophers with nine runs batted in and was second with 14 hits.
SENIORS CONCLUDE CAREERS - Seniors Michelle Bennett and Dana Ballard (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) ended their Gopher careers at Wisconsin. Bennett doubled in the final game against the Badgers for the 100th hit of her career. In 204 career games, she hit .230 with 16 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 44 runs scored and 38 runs batted in. Ballard played in 197 career games, hitting .190 with 82 hits, 18 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 29 runs scored and 64 runs batted in.
RECKNOR'S RECORDS - First-year pitcher Angie Recknor (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) threw in the vast majority of games and innings for Minnesota during the 2000 season. She finished 25-26, two wins shy of the single- season record set by Vicki Swanson in 1978 and matching the record for first-year pitchers set by Steph Klaviter in 1996. Recknor had 227 strikeouts, which broke Jennifer Johnson's record of 186 strikeouts in 1996. She threw a perfect game against Akron on March 25, the second perfect game in school history and Minnesota's first no-hitter since 1992. To open the season, Recknor was named to the Metrodome Softball Classic all- tournament team after leading all pitchers in the tourney in innings pitched and strikeouts.
Recknor's Single-Season Ranks in Gopher History Statistic Recknor Rank Games Pitched 53 1st Innings Pitched 333 1st Wins 25 T2nd Complete Games 35 1st Strikeouts 227 1st Shutouts 10 3rd ATTENDANCE RECORDS - The Gophers established new attendance records for season total and average for Minnesota softball at the new Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. Minnesota drew over 4,000 fans to home softball games for the first time in school history, despite only eight home dates. The Gophers had 4,441 fans in those eight dates, including a season-high of 717 fans for the season finale against Purdue on Sunday. The 717 fans ranks second on Minnesota's all-time list for one day.
