University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Finish Homestand Against South Dakota
4/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
| South Dakota at No. 13/10 Minnesota | |
| Dates and Times | Wednesday, April 15, 2015 · 6:00 p.m. CT (BTN+) |
| Location | Jane Sage Cowles Stadium · Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Live Coverage | Gopher Softball Live |
| Notes/Previews | Minnesota | South Dakota |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | South Dakota |
| Social Media | @GopherSoftball | Facebook | Instagram |
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 13/10 Minnesota softball team will wrap up a seven-game homestand against South Dakota Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. The Gophers go into the game with a 33-7 overall record that includes a 9-3 Big Ten mark, while South Dakota is 15-21-1 with a 6-3 record in the Summit League.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, Minnesota swept Big Ten foe Northwestern by scores of 10-5, 10-2 and 11-0. The final two games of the series were five-inning, run-rule decisions. The series marked the first time since 1991 the Gophers swept NU in a series of three or more games.Â
AGAINST THE COYOTES
All-time, Minnesota is 3-0 against South Dakota, including 2-0 under current head coach Jessica Allister. The Gophers beat USD by scores of 3-0 and 5-0 in a doubleheader in 2011.Â
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Minnesota enters Wednesday's game with a 414-206 mark at home in 41-plus seasons. The Gophers, 4-2 at home this year, are 101-87 at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium after going 9-3 there last year.Â
TRENDING UP
After hitting .257 through her first 22 games, Tyler Walker has raised her average 100 points since March 8. In the 18 games since then, Walker has hit .475 with eight home runs and 27 RBI. She has also had a .557 on-base percentage, a 1.000 slugging percentage and broke the school record for career runs with 196.Â
NO HITS FOR NU
Sophomore Sara Groenewegen threw her second-career no-hitter Sunday in an 11-0 win over Northwestern. She struck out 12 of the 17 batters she faced. Groenewegen has allowed the 20th-fewest hits per seven innings in the nation at 4.38. That mark in the best in the Big Ten thus far.Â
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 234 strikeouts in 151.2 innings (10.8 strikeouts per seven innings) so far. She has had 11 double-digit strikeout showings and set a new career-high for strikeouts in a game with 15 last Friday versus Northwestern. She entered the week ranked fourth in the nation in strikeouts.Â
RUN RULE WINS
The Gophers have piled up 13 run-rule wins in their first 40 games. Last year, 11 of the Gophers' 44 wins were by run-rule decision.Â
GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION
Danielle Parlich has made an impact in her first season in Maroon and Gold. The Queen Creek, Ariz. native has started all 40 games and has reached base in 37 of them. She leads the team with a .415 batting average after going 6-for-8 versus Northwestern last week.Â
IN THE RANKINGS
After starting the season with its highest preseason ranking in program history at No. 15 (in both polls), Minnesota is now No. 13/10 after starting 33-7. The Gophers are currently No. 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, a program-best.Â
HAVE A WEEK
Three Gophers have combined for seven Big Ten weekly accolades. Sara Groenewegen was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week three times, while Danielle Parlich has been named the conference's top rookie three times, including this week. Erica Meyer became Minnesota's first Big Ten Player of the Week since 2013 the week of Feb. 23.Â
RECORD ROLL
Before dropping a 5-3 contest to Nebraska March 29, the Gophers had won a program-record 15 straight games. Previously, their longest win streak was 12 games.Â
LEADING THE CHARGE
Gopher senior Kaitlyn Richardson was selected in the first round, fifth overall by the Dallas Charge in the National Pro Fastpitch College Draft April 1. She was the second pick in the franchise's history and is set to become Minnesota's seventh player to play professionally once she plays for Dallas. Sara Moulton, a 2014 senior All-American, was drafted fifth overall last season and plays for the Chicago Bandits.
