University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Play Four in Florida
2/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
| No. 12/13 Minnesota vs. Stetson/UMass Lowell/UCF | |
| Locations | Friday: Patricia Wilson Field | DeLand, Fla. Sunday: National Training Center | Clermont, Fla. |
| Gophers' Schedule | Game 1: at Stetson (Fri., Feb. 13 • 3:00 p.m. CT) Game 2: at Stetson (Fri., Feb. 13 • 5:30 p.m. CT) Game 3: vs. UMass Lowell (Sun., Feb. 15 • 8:00 a.m. CT) Game 4: vs. Central Florida (Sun., Feb. 15 • 10:30 a.m. CT) |
| Live Blogs | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 |
| Weekend Notes | Minnesota |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Stetson | UMass Lowell | UCF |
| Social Media | @GopherSoftball | Facebook | Instagram |
The No. 12/13 Minnesota softball team will pick up play this weekend with a quartet of games in Florida. The Gophers will play a doubleheader at Stetson beginning at 3 p.m. CT and will play UMass Lowell at 8 a.m. CT and Central Florida at 10:30 a.m. CT Sunday at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
LAST TIME OUT
The Minnesota softball is off to a 5-0 start for the second-straight season and the fifth time in program history after taking down No. 11/13 Washington, Bakersfield, UC Davis, Louisville and UNLV at the Sportco Kick Off Classic in Las Vegas last weekend.
MILESTONE WATCH
With five wins last week, head coach Jessica Allister moved up to 147 career victories in her fifth season. Kaitlyn Richardson also hit two doubles to reach 50 in her career. With a 9-for-16 weekend at the plate, she also upped her career batting average to .400.
GOPHERS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
All-time, the Gophers are 43-31 in the state of Florida since they made their first trip to there in 1999. That record includes an 11-4 mark under head coach Jessica Allister. Minnesota went 4-1 at a tournament in Fort Myers, Fla. in 2013 in its last visit to the state.
GRANGER DANGER
After quietly leading the Gophers offensively with a .415 average in Big Ten play last season, senior Hannah Granger is picking up where she left off. Last weekend, the Wheaton, Ill. native hit .643 with four RBI. Her 9-for-14 week in the batter's box included a string of six-consecutive at bats in which she recorded a hit.
UNFAMILIAR FOES
The Gophers will play Stetson, UMass Lowell and Central Florida each for the first time in program history this weekend.
BIG TEN HONORS
Reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Sara Groenewegen got her season started strong by going 3-0 in the circle with 26 strikeouts and a 0.88 ERA. Her performance, which included a shutout of No. 11/13 Washington, earned her conference pitcher of the week honors.
Freshman Danielle Parlich was awarded Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week for hitting .583 with a 1.083 slugging percentage. She hit a pair of doubles and a pair of triples.
RUN RULE WINS
The Gophers racked up four run-rule wins in its first five games last weekend. Last year, 11 of the Gophers' 44 wins were by run-rule decision.
FRESHMEN ON THE BOARD
First-year players Danielle Parlich, Sydney Dwyer and Erika Rozell each notched her first collegiate hit in Las Vegas last weekend. Parlich went 3-for-3 against Washington in her first start and Dwyer's first hit was a home run. Fellow freshman Ellie Cowger also scored three times as a pinch runner.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Gophers moved up to No. 12 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings and No. 13 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches rankings from No. 15 in both polls last week. Minnesota's highest 2014 rank was 12th. The Maroon and Gold was last in the top-10 in 1997, reaching as high as No. 9.
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