University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Start 2011 Campaign in New Mexico
2/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Minnesota will open the 2011 campaign at the Hotel Encanto Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M. The Gophers will open the tournament against host New Mexico State on Saturday at 4 p.m before taking on Colorado State at 6 p.m. Minnesota returns to action on Sunday against Northern Colorado at 10 a.m. and concludes the competition against New Mexico State at 12:30 p.m.
The Records
This weekend's tournament marks the first action of the year for Minnesota, New Mexico State and Colorado State. Northern Colorado has a double header at UTEP on Thursday afternoon before starting the tournament on Friday evening.
The Series
Minnesota is 6-7 against New Mexico State all-time including a pair of games in Las Cruces last year in March. The Gophers are 2-2 against Northern Colorado -- a team that Minnesota played last year at the Wildcat Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. Minnesota is 2-3 all-time against Colorado State.
Last Match-up
This year marks Minnesota's first appearance at the Hotel Encanto Invitational. The Gophers did however compete in the Roadrunner Invitational in Las Cruces from 1983-1989. Minnesota was 28-17 all-time at the Roadrunner Invitational.
Follow Along
Fans that cannot make it to New Mexico can still follow along with the action. Each of the Gophers' games over the weekend can be followed using the Minnesota softball blog, accessable by visiting GopherSports.com. All games will also have live stats available, also through GopherSports.com.
Next Up
The Gophers are back in action next weekend at the aTen Construction Tournament in Riverside, Calif. Minnesota will compete in five games at the tournament. Rutgers, UC-Riverside and Loyola Marymount are also scheduled to participate.
Tournament Schedule
Feb 11 New Mexico St. vs. N. Colorado 5:00 PM
Feb 11 New Mexico St. vs. Colorado St. 7:00 PM
Feb 12 Colorado St. vs. N. Colorado 11:00 AM
Feb 12 New Mexico St. vs. N. Colorado 1:30 PM
Feb 12 Minnesota vs. New Mexico St. 4:00 PM
Feb 12 Minnesota vs. Colorado St. 6:00 PM
Feb 13 Minnesota vs. N. Colorado 10:00 AM
Feb 13 Minnesota vs. New Mexico St. 12:30 PM
Feb 13 New Mexico St. vs. Colorado St. 3:00 PM
Scouting New Mexico State
- 27-28 in 2010
- 7-14 to finish 6th in the WAC
- 17 letterwinners returning / five lost
- 12 starters returning / 2 lost
- Led by seventh-year head coach Kathy Rodolph
Scouting Colorado State
- 29-20 in 2010
- 7-8 to finish 4th in the Mountain West
- Seven letterwinners returning / six lost
- Five starters returning / nine lost
- Led by first -year head coach Jen Fisher
Scouting Northern Colorado
- 19-33 in 2010
- 10-10 in the Big Sky Conference
- Led by first -year head coach Mark Montgomery
Allister Era Begins
2011 will mark the first season of the Jessica Allister era at Minnesota. The former All-American from Stanford was hired as the sixth coach in Gopher history after serving as an assistant at her alma mater, Georgia and most recently Oregon. As an assistant, Allister has helped three different programs to Super Regional appearances in the past four years with five trips in a six-year stretch.
Giving It Another Go
Sophomore infielder Alex Davis is back for her second season with the Maroon and Gold after netting Third Team All-Big Ten honors as a freshman in 2010. As a rookie last year, Davis finished the season as the Gophers' leader in total bases (83), slugging percentage (.535) and home runs (10). She also was among the team's leaders in fielding percentage (.924), runs batted in (23) and second on the team in batting average (.290).
