University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Opens 2015 in Las Vegas
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
| No. 15 Minnesota at the Sportco Kickoff Classic | |
| Tournament Central | Sportco Kickoff Classic Home Page |
| Location | Eller Media Stadium | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Gophers' Schedule | Game 1: vs. Washington (Fri., Feb. 6 • 3:30 p.m. CT) Game 2: vs. CSU Bakersfield (Fri., Feb. 6 • 10:15 p.m. CT) Game 3: vs. UC Davis (Sat., Feb. 7 • 1:15 p.m. CT) Game 4: vs. Louisville (Sat., Feb. 7 • 8:00 p.m. CT) Game 5: at UNLV (Sun., Feb. 8 • 11:00 a.m. CT) |
| Live Blogs | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 |
| Weekend Notes | Minnesota |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Washington | CSU Bakersfield | UC Davis | Louisville | UNLV |
| Social Media | @GopherSoftball | Facebook | Instagram |
Feb. 4, 2015
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The 15th-ranked Minnesota softball team will open its 2015 season this weekend when it competes in the Sportco Kick Off Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. The Gophers will open play Friday against No. 11/13 Washington at 3:30 p.m. CT before concluding play for the day with a 10:15 p.m. CT clash with Cal State Bakersfield. Saturday, the team will play UC Davis at 1:15 p.m. CT and Louisville at 8 p.m. CT. The Maroon and Gold's weekend will conclude with an 11 a.m. CT contest against host UNLV.
ABOUT LAST YEAR
The Minnesota softball team is coming off its best season in program history. In 2014, the Gophers won the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 1999, hosted an NCAA regional for the first time since 2002 and reached an NCAA super regional for the first time. The Maroon and Gold's 44-12 record gave the team its highest win percentage (.786) in the NCAA era.
WHAT THEY LOST
The 2015 Gophers will be playing without three seniors from a year ago: Sara Moulton, Bree Blanchette and Kelsey Klucas. Moulton, an All-American pitcher, set numerous school records while Blanchette started all 56 of the team's games last year. The class combined for 142 wins in four years.
WHO'S COMING BACK?
Minnesota returns 16 players from 2014, including four NFCA All-Great Lakes Region selections and three First Team All-Big Ten honorees. Kaitlyn Richardson, a two-time All-American, and Sara Groenewegen, the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, were named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award Top 50 Watch List. The team added six freshmen.
STARTING STRONG
In the NCAA era, Minnesota is 21-12 in season-opening games. Last season, the Gophers matched a program record by winning their first eight games of the year before dropping a game to eventual national champion Florida. In its first tournament of the Maroon and Gold is 9-8 under fifth-year head coach Jessica Allister.
IN THE DESERT
Minnesota is 10-9 all-time in games in Las Vegas, Nev. after going 3-1 at the Easton Desert Classic last year. This weekend will mark the Gophers' fourth trip to Las Vegas in as many years.
CONTINUING THE CLIMB
Head coach Jessica Allister is entering her fifth season with the Gophers. In that time, Minnesota is 142-77 with a 49-37 mark in Big Ten play. The Gophers are also 5-1 in conference tournament play and have won four times in to NCAA Tournament appearances. The team has winning records against 55 of 85 different opponents (tied series with eight opponents).
AGAINST THE OPPONENTS
The Gophers have a 12-14-1 against their five weekend opponents. They are 3-2 against them under Jessica Allister.
| Opponent | All-time Record | Under Allister |
| Washington | 0-3-1 | First meeting |
| CSU Bakersfield | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| UC Davis | 2-0 | First meeting |
| Louisville | 5-6 | 0-1 |
| UNLV | 4-5 | 2-1 |
IN THE RANKINGS
The Gophers received a preseason ranking of No. 15, the highest ranking the program has ever received entering a season. The top-25 preseason ranking is the first for the Gophers since 1999. The team last received votes in a preseason poll in 2004 and the school's previous high for a preseason rank was 16th in 1996.
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