University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Opens Season in Louisiana
2/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 6, 2014
 | (RV) Minnesota at the Tiger Classic |
| Date | Friday, Feb. 7-Sunday, Feb. 9 |
| Location | Tiger Park, Baton Rouge, La. |
| Last Meeting | Murray State: First meeting LSU: First meeting SIUE: First meeting Central Arkansas: First meeting Oklahoma State: Won 1-0 (March 13, 2011) |
| Opponent Previews | Murray State | LSU | SIUE | Cental Arkansas | Oklahoma State |
| Live Stats | Tournament Central |
Coming off its first NCAA Tournament season in a decade, the Minnesota softball team will seek its fourth-consecutive 30-plus-win season in 2014. That journey begins Friday with the beginning of Louisiana State's Tiger Classic Tournament in Baton Rouge, La. The Gophers will kick off their season by playing five games in three days down south.
Competition begins Friday with a contest against Murray State at 3 p.m. followed by a second game against host LSU at 5 p.m. Play Saturday begins earlier with a 9 a.m. tilt against Southern Illinois Edwardsville. That game will be followed up with a showdown against Central Arkansas at 11 a.m. Minnesota will wrap up its first trip Sunday at 11 a.m. against Oklahoma State.
2014 Outlook
Minnesota, which went 36-19 in 2013, will look to build on its best season under fourth-year head coach Jessica Allister, who has led the program to 98 wins in her first three years. The Gophers will return 14 players from a team that finished 14-6 in Big Ten play to place third before reaching the conference title game.
The team lost only two players two graduation, Kari Dorle and Alex Davis, but both players were lineup regulars a year ago.
Among the returnees are the First Team All-Big Ten selections Sara Moulton, Kaitlyn Richardson, and Tyler Walker. The trio gave made last year's squad the first at Minnesota to have three First Team All-Big Ten players since 1988.
Moulton is a three-time all-conference pitcher who enters her senior season as the school record holder for career shutouts with 35 and complete games with 91. Her marks of 85 wins, 940 strikeouts, and 807.2 innings pitched are all in Minnesota's all-time top three.
Richardson and Walker, who hit .430 and .379 last year, respectively, both return to the lineup. Each player reached double-digit home runs and Richardson was a third-team All-American.
The Gophers welcome five new additions to the squad: junior transfer Hannah Melick, sophomore transfer Taylor LeMay, and freshmen Sara Groenewegen, Sam Macken, and Hannah Evavold.
About Murray State
Coming to Baton Rouge from Murray, Ky., Murray State enters the tournament after a 25-28 season in 2013. The Racers' 14-10 Ohio Valley Conference finish placed them third. Among MSU's top returners are All-OVC and Capital One Academic All-America selection Alexa Becker and OVC All-Newcomer selection Shelbey Miller. The Racers were picked to finish fourth in their league's West Division.
About LSU
Host Louisiana State, which enters the season ranked 17th in the nation according to the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Top 25 Poll, reached the Women's College World Series during head coach Beth Torina's first season and made a NCAA Regional appearance in her second season in 2013. The Tigers were 42-16 and finished 15-8 in a tough SEC. Returnees to watch against the Tigers will be top hitters A.J. Andrews and Jacee Blades.
About SIUE
Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, like Minnesota, is coming off a solid campaign in 2013. The Cougars return 13 letterwinners from a squad that went 35-13 overall record and 17-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Leading the charge for SIUE in 2014 will be the reining OVC Player of the Year, infielder Alex McDavid.
About Central Arkansas
Central Arkansas went 38-20 last season and finished third in the Southland tournament after completing the regular season with a 15-10 league ledger. The Bears graduated SLC Pitcher of the Year Kelsie Armstrong, but return a pair of formidable second-year hitters in Sarah Bigej and Sam Forrest.
About Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State posted a 30-16 record in 2013, but finished just 6-12 in Big 12 conference action. The Cowgirls missed their league postseason tournament last season, but were a Women's College World Series team three years ago. Returner Tarah Ettinger was the team's best hitter, leading OSU with a .327 average. She also registered 10 home runs, 42 RBIs and 21 walks.
Against the Field
The Gophers have yet to face Murray State, LSU, SIUE, and Central Arkansas in their history and will play each opponent for the first time this week. Minnesota is 6-7 all-time against Oklahoma State, last playing the Cowgirls in 2011. The Maroon and Gold avenged a 9-0 defeat with a 1-0 victory.
On the Docket
After leaving LSU, the Gophers will hit the field in Las Vegas, N.V. in UNLV's Easton Desert Classic. After beginning play in the desert against the host Rebels, Minnesota will sandwich a contest against Boise State between games against two 2013 NCAA Tournament teams, BYU and Florida. The Gators advanced to the Women's College World Series and enter 2014 ranked third in the nation.
