University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Treks West for Four at Stanford
3/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
| No.17Minnesota atthe Louisville SluggerClassic | |
| Tournament Central | Louisville Slugger Classic Home Page |
| Location | Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium |Palo Alto, Calif. |
| Gophers' Schedule | Game 1: at Stanford(Fri., Mar. 6 • 8:00 p.m. CT) Game 2: vs. Santa Clara(Sat., Mar. 7 • 3:30 p.m. CT) Game 3: at Stanford (Sat., Mar. 7 • 6:00 p.m. CT) Game 4: at Stanford(Sun., Mar. 8 • 12:00 p.m. CT) |
| Live Blogs | Game 1| Game 2| Game 3| Game 4 |
| Weekend Notes | Minnesota |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Stanford|Santa Clara |
| Social Media | @GopherSoftball| Facebook|Instagram |
PALO ALTO, Calif. - The No. 17 Minnesota softball team will travel to Palo Alto, Calif. this weekend to compete in the Louisville Slugger Classic. There, the Gophers will play host Stanford three times and will take on Santa Clara once. The tournament opens for the Maroon and Gold Friday at 8 p.m. CT against the Cardinal. Minnesota will play Santa Clara at 3:30 p.m. CT Saturday before a rematch against the hosts. The weekend wraps up with a third Minnesota-Stanford contest Sunday at noon CT.
LAST TIME OUT
The Minnesota softball team fell to 14-4 by going 1-3 at the Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla. last week. The Gophers defeated Mississippi State, before dropping decisions to James Madison, Fordham and UAB. All four of Minnesota's losses this season have come in the state of Florida (4-4).
ALLISTER'S OLD STOMPING GROUNDS
Minnesota head coach Jessica Allister returns to Stanford, her alma mater, this weekend. Allister graduated from Stanford in 2004 with a degree in economics. The All-American catcher played more games for the Cardinal than any player in program history (266) and was also a three-time all-conference selection. She led the team to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Women's College World Series. She later returned to Palo Alto to serve as an assistant coach from 2006-09.
MILESTONE WINS
The Gophers' victory over UMass Lowell Feb. 15 was fifth-year head coach Jessica Allister's 150th win at Minnesota. Her current record with the Maroon and Gold is 156-81, good for a .658 winning percentage. The Maroon and Gold, in its 42nd season, is also four wins shy of 1,200 in program history entering the weekend.
GRANGER DANGER
After quietly leading the Gophers with a .415 conference batting average in 2014, senior Hannah Granger is picking up where she left off as a junior. The Wheaton, Ill. native has hit for a .500 batting average with a team-best .579 on-base percentage. She opened the season with a team-best 15-game hitting streak and a 16-game on-base streak.
GETTING ON BASE
Minnesota's offense has aided greatly in its 14-4 start. The Gophers have hit for a .351 average and have accrued a .441 on-base percentage. The team has averaged 6.83 runs per game.
RUN RULE WINS
The Gophers have piled up six run-rule wins in their first 18 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 106 strikeouts in 62 innings (12 strikeouts per seven innings) so far. She has had five double-digit strikeout showings as has matched her career-high with 14 strikeouts two times.
BEST IN THE B1G
Through four weeks of play, three Gophers have combined for four Big Ten weekly accolades. Sara Groenewegen was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Feb. 9 and March 2, while Danielle Parlich was the conference's top rookie in the first week and Erica Meyer was the Big Ten Player of the Week Feb. 23.
AGAINST THE OPPONENTS
All-time, Minnesota is 0-4 against Stanford (0-2 under Jessica Allister) and will meet Santa Clara for the first time.
IN THE RANKINGS
After starting the season with its highest preseason ranking in program history at No. 15 (in both polls), Minnesota now sits at No. 17 after starting 14-4. The Gophers reached as high as No. 11 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, a program-best.
