University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Open Big Ten Play at Illinois
3/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
| No. 15 Minnesota at Illinois | |
| Dates and Times | Friday, March 20, 2015 • 5:30 p.m. CT Saturday, March 21, 2015 • 1:00 p.m. CT Sunday, March 22, 2015 • 12:00 p.m. CT |
| Location | Eichelberger Field • Champaign, Ill. |
| Live Blogs | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| Notes/Previews | Minnesota | Illinois |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Illinois |
| Social Media | @GopherSoftball | Facebook | Instagram |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 15 Minnesota softball team opens Big Ten play this weekend with a three-game series against Illinois at Eichelberger Field in Champaign, Ill. The Gophers and Fighting Illini will play each other Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at noon.
LAST TIME OUT
Wednesday night, the Minnesota softball team defeated No. 12/14 California in its final Big Ten game, 8-1. The victory boosted the Gophers' record to 24-4 and gave them a 10-game win streak, their longest since 2008.
AGAINST THE ILLINI
All-time, Minnesota is 12-17 against Illinois. Under Jessica Allister, the Gophers have an 8-3 edge after sweeping the Illini in St. Paul, Minn. in 2014. The Maroon and Gold's eight wins against the Illini under Allister are its most against any single opponent.
GOPHERS IN THE PRAIRIE STATE
Minnesota has a 37-40 all-time record in the state of Illinois, including 11-3 in Jessica Allister's four-plus seasons as head coach. The team's last visit to Illinois resulted in in its first Big Ten Tournament title since 1999 last May.
TOUGH COMPETITION
This season, the Gophers are 3-0 against top-25 ranked opponents and are 8-2 against teams receiving votes in either major poll. Minnesota is also 6-0 against teams from the Pac-12.
ROAD WARRIORS
Having yet to play a home game, the Gophers have played nine road games and 19 neutral-site games. In true road games, Minnesota is 9-0 and has outscored its opponents 76-24. Hannah Granger has thrived in these contests, hitting for a .500 average and a 1.154 slugging percentage.
GETTING ON BASE AND SCORING
Minnesota's offense has aided greatly in its 24-4 start. The Gophers entered the week a .353 average, the 12th-best in NCAA Division I, and had a .443 on-base percentage (17th). The team has averaged 7.32 runs per game.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The Gophers made program history last Friday when they posted a 20-3 win over South Dakota State. The 20 runs were the most the team has scored in a single game in the NCAA era (dating back to 1982). Minnesota exploded for 16 runs in the first inning as its first 13 hitters reached base.
SCORING A RECORD
With two runs in a 3-1 win over Fresno State last weekend, senior Tyler Walker tied and broke Minnesota's program record for runs scored. The San Jose, Calif. native has since upped her three-plus year total to 180.
RUN RULE WINS
The Gophers have piled up eight run-rule wins in their first 28 games. Last year, 11 of the Gophers' 44 wins were by run-rule decision.
STRIKING THEM OUT
Sara Groenewegen, who led the nation with 11.6 strikeouts per seven innings last season, has kept fanning hitters in 2015. The reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year has 167 strikeouts in 109 innings (10.7 strikeouts per seven innings) so far. She has had eight double-digit strikeout showings and has matched her career-high with 14 strikeouts two times. She entered the week ranked third in the nation in batters struck out.
HAVE A WEEK
Through six weeks of play, three Gophers have combined for six Big Ten weekly accolades. Sara Groenewegen was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week three times, while Danielle Parlich was the conference's top rookie in the first weekend of the season and last weekend. Erica Meyer became Minnesota's first Big Ten Player of the Week since 2013 the week of Feb. 23.
IN THE RANKINGS
After starting the season with its highest preseason ranking in program history at No. 15 (in both polls), Minnesota is back where it started after starting 23-4. The Gophers reached as high as No. 11 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, a program-best.
