University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers and MSU to Battle on BigTenNetwork.com
4/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GOPHERS PLAY HOST TO MSU ON BIGTENNETWORK.COM
The Minnesota softball team will try to even its Big Ten record when the Golden Gophers play host to Michigan State this weekend in a pair of games set to be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com. The Gophers are 23-26 overall and stand sixth in the Big Ten with a mark of 6-8 after splitting a pair of pitchers’ duels at Wisconsin on Wednesday. In those games, Minnesota won the opener, 4-0, but dropped the second game by a score of 2-1.
Senior pitcher Briana Hassett combined to allow just seven hits and two runs (one earned) against the Badgers, striking out 16 and walking seven. A right-hander from Eagan, Minn., Hassett entered the week ranked second in NCAA Division I softball in strikeouts, but currently is back in the lead with 371 Ks in 265 innings this year. Hassett’s total currently ranks seventh in Big Ten history, but she has a chance to move up the list in this weekend’s games versus Michigan State. Former Northwestern hurler Eileen Canney is sixth on the list with 383 during 2006, and also ranks fifth with 386 during 2007.
Minnesota holds a 52-32 lead in the all-time series with Michigan State. The Golden Gophers own a 49-28 advantage in regular season contests, while the Spartans are 4-3 in non-conference and tournament games between the schools. Last year in East Lansing, Minnesota swept the Spartans, winning the first game by a score of 2-0, and taking the second game, 6-5, to snap a four-game winning streak for MSU in the series.
THIS WEEKEND’S GAMES ON BTN.COM
This weekend’s games will be streamed live on BTN.com. Wednesday’s twinbill at Wisconsin was the second doubleheader involving the Gophers to be televised live by BTN this season. Minnesota previously split a TV doubleheader with #6 Northwestern on April 8th. This weekend’s games versus MSU will be the first games involving the Gophers to be streamed live on BTN.com this season.
NO CUPCAKES HERE
Minnesota’s 23-26 record is deceptive, as the Golden Gophers have played 10 games against teams ranked in this week’s USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls. Minnesota is 1-9 in those games, but is one of just two teams to win against #7/11 Northwestern in Big Ten play, has taken two Top 25 teams (#6/9 Michigan and #17/18 Louisville) to extra innings, and dropped a pair of 1-0 decisions versus #12/14 Ohio State. In addition, the Gophers have played a total of 25 contests against teams listed among this week’s Top 100 RPI. Minnesota is 2-9 versus the Top 25, 2-2 against teams between #26-50, and 5-5 against teams between #51-100.
BARNES LEADS MINNESOTA OFFENSE
Sophomore first baseman Malisa Barnes had a career-long 11-game hitting streak earlier this season, and has been leading the Golden Gophers on offense for most of the year. During her streak (March 17-April 8), the native of Phoenix, Ariz., batted .500 (18-for-36) with 11 RBI, eight runs scored, three home runs, and a double, while striking out just three times.
For the season, Barnes is batting .340 (51-for-150), with team-leading totals for runs scored (24), hits (51), home runs (5), runs batted in (25), on base percentage (.431), and slugging percentage (.473), all while maintaining a .986 fielding percentage.
Last Saturday versus Penn State, Barnes went 2-for-3 in the first game, before going 1-for-2 and drawing two intentional walks in the second game. She’s been walked intentionally five times this year after Wisconsin issued her a free pass Wednesday. In Big Ten play, Barnes is batting a solid .459 (17-for-37), with six RBI, five runs scored, two home runs, a .622 slugging percentage, and a .583 on base percentage.
HASSETT AMONG STRIKEOUT LEADERS
Senior pitcher Briana Hassett leads NCAA Division I softball for strikeouts, according to stats released by the NCAA Tuesday afternoon.
In updated numbers, through games of April 23, Hassett has struck out a career-high 371 batters to rank just ahead of Fresno State’s Morgan Melloh, who ranks second with 370 strikeouts. The remainder of the Top 10 includes Whitney Canion, Baylor (352); Danielle Lawrie, Washington (309); Danielle Spaulding, North Carolina (299); Ashlyn Williams, Troy (290); Lauren Delaney, Northwestern (275); Kylie Reynolds, Kent State (272); Brittany Weil, Iowa (269); and Missy Penna, Stanford (262). In addition, Hassett was tied for fourth for shutouts, tied for 13th for victories, and 15th for strikeouts per seven innings.
CONWAY ON A ROLL
Senior Colleen Conway, who led Minnesota with a .331 average in 2008 and has started every game of her Golden Gopher career, had a good effort versus Penn State last Saturday by going 3-for-6 at the plate in the doubleheader, then collected a hit in both games at Wisconsin to stretch her hitting streak to five games. Conway, who has hit safely in seven of the last eight games overall, is batting .375 (6-for-16) during the five-game streak. For the season, she is second on the team with a .286 (48-for-168) batting average, and has scored 23 runs and driven in seven runs, while hitting four doubles, two triples, and stealing eight bases in 12 attempts. She has started the past 10 games at shortstop for the Gophers.
MORE ABOUT HASSETT
In 45 appearances totaling 265 innings, Hassett has struck out a school-record 371 batters. An impressive 46.7 percent of the outs Hassett has been responsible for this season have come via the strikeout, and she currently averages 9.80 Ks per seven-inning game.
In Big Ten games, the senior standout is 6-8 with a 1.77 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 94.2 IP. She has limited opponents to just 28 runs (24 earned) in Minnesota’s 14 conference games this season, an average of just 2.0 runs allowed per game. Hassett also has 33 complete games in 41 starts this year, and has notched 14 shutouts. She ranks among the Big Ten’s leaders in the following categories (through games of April 24): Strikeouts (371, 1st); Strikeouts Looking (102, 1st); Innings Pitched (265.0, 1st); Appearances (45, 1st); Games Started (41, 1st); Wins (22, 2nd); Opponent BA (.176, 3rd); ERA (1.82, 8th).
KEEPING AN EYE ON THE CHARTS
With the single-season strikeout mark already in the books for this year, Hassett has the potential to make her mark on several other categories this season. With a shutout in the first game versus the Badgers, Hassett tied Vicki Swanson’s single-season school record of 14, which was set during the 1978 season. In addition, Hassett is moving up several of Minnesota’s career pitching charts, currently ranking second for strikeouts (919) and shutouts (31), third for complete games (82), fourth for innings pitched (735.0), and fifth for wins (60). With two complete games versus the Spartans, Hassett would tie Brenda Bixby (1988-92) for second place on Minnesota’s career list, while two more shutouts would not only break Swanson’s single-season mark, it would tie Minnesota pitching coach Piper Marten’s school record of 33.
PITCHING AND DEFENSE WIN GAMES
Not surprisingly, senior catcher Shannon Stemper leads the Big Ten with 433 putouts, which is 63 more than the runner-up in the category. As a team, the Gophers are tied for first in the Big Ten with 411 Ks, to account for the vast majority of Stemper’s total. Senior Colleen Conway also leads the Big Ten in a defensive category. Conway has 97 assists while playing third base and shortstop, which is eight more the player ranked second in the category. In addition to her 433 putouts, Stemper has 13 assists and just five errors behind the plate, which adds up to an impressive .989 fielding percentage. More impressively, Stemper has recorded 1,177 putouts, 49 assists, and just eight errors during her career, for a .994 percentage in 159 career games. As a team, Minnesota has played flawless defense in five of its past six games, and the Gophers are 14-9 this season in games where they play errorless softball.
DALEN THRIVES IN THE CLUTCH, PART II
Senior right fielder Katie Dalen has come through with a clutch single in the eighth inning to drive in the game-winning run for the Gophers not once, but twice, this season. Her most recent game-winning hit came in the eighth frame of last Saturday’s nightcap versus Penn State. With the game scoreless, and two outs, Dalen blooped a single in front of the Nittany Lions’ left fielder to score pinch runner Chonquita Jones with the winning run.
Earlier this season, Dalen came off the bench to drive in the winning run with a single to right field against Creighton. Interestingly, the final score of both games was 1-0. Dalen, who has started the past seven games in right field, is batting .155 (11-for-71) with six runs batted in, four runs scored, and two doubles this season.
GOLDEN GOPHER, GOLDEN VOICE & WHEELS
Junior utility player Chonquita Jones has dazzled those in attendance with her beautiful renditions of the National Anthem before every Minnesota home game this season. But last Saturday, it was Jones’ speed that helped the Gophers earn a split with Penn State at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
Jones, who has only appeared in four games this season -- all as a pinch runner -- came into the second game versus the Nittany Lions after junior left fielder Heidi Carls had reached base on a two-out single to right center in the bottom of the eighth. The speedy Jones then proceeded to steal second base for the first stolen base of her career, and a few minutes later, scored the winning run for the Gophers by beating the throw to the plate after Katie Dalen singled to short left field.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans enter this weekend’s games at 16-25 overall and 0-11 in the Big Ten after getting swept at nationally-ranked Iowa last weekend and then going 2-1 in non-conference games this week. At Iowa, the Hawkeyes won the first game, 8-0, but it took 10 innings to decide the nightcap, before Iowa prevailed by a score of 4-3. The Spartans then defeated Bowling Green, 8-0, on Tuesday, before splitting a double dip versus Oakland on Wednesday by winning the first game, 5-1, and dropping the nightcap, 4-3 in eight innings.
Michigan State splits its pitching duties primarily between senior right-hander Megan Hair and freshman left-hander Lauren Kramer. Hair is 5-9 with a 4.88 ERA, while Kramer enters with a mark of 6-10 and a 4.44 ERA. Offensively, senior second baseman Gina Mondo leads the team with a .398 (39-for-98) batting average, while sophomore shortstop Lindsey Hansen is batting .311 (41-for-132) and leads the Spartans with 10 home runs, 27 runs scored, and 27 RBI. As a team, the Spartans have hit 38 home runs this season, while adding 59 doubles and nine triples for a total of 106 extra-base hits.
