University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Traveling To Illinois
3/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
| #6 Minnesota (3-0, 28-2) at Illinois (3-0, 22-8) | |
| Game 1 | Friday, March 31 | 5 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Saturday, April 1 | 1 p.m. |
| Game 3 | Sunday, April 2 | Noon |
| Location | Eichelberger Field | Urbana, Ill. |
| Live Video | Illiinois Video (Friday & Sunday) |
| Live Audio | Illinois Audio (Saturday) |
| Live Stats | | | |
| Game Day Live | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| Social Media | @GopherSoftball | Facebook | Instagram |
Weekend Notes
The No. 6/6 University of Minnesota Gophers head to Illinois for the second weekend of Big Ten play. This trip will conclude the eight week road trip to start the season for Minneosta.
The Gophers are currently on a seven game win streak. They started the season 19-0 which was the longest win streak in program history. Illinois is currently on an eight game win streak.
The Gophers recently went 3-0 to open Big Ten play at Nebraska. They won on Friday 16-0, came from behind to win 5-4 on Saturday and completed the sweep with an 8-1 victory on Sunday. On Saturday they were down 4-2 in the seventh and were down to their final strike eight times but recorded a double, a walk and back-to-back singles - all with two outs - in the comeback victory.
Five Things To Know
1. Minnesota has now been ranked in the top-10 in both major polls for four straight weeks. Prior to this season they had never been ranked in the top-10. The No. 6/6 ranking is the highest in program history. They are No. 11 in the RPI.
2. The Gophers lead the Big Ten in batting average (.347), ERA (1.58), on base percentage (.434) and doubles (55). They are second in scoring averaging 7.07 runs per game which is also good for sixth in the NCAA. Sara Groenewegen is first in the Big Ten and third in the NCAA with a 0.57 ERA. Sydney Dwyer is first in the Big Ten and fourth in the NCAA in RBIs with 42.
3. Groenewegen has been as dominant as ever in the circle this season. She is 13-1 with a 0.57 ERA and 115 strikeouts. She has now thrown over 1,000 career strikeouts and moved into second all-time in program history for most wins with 89 career victories. Sara Moulton has the most wins in Gophers history with 112 in her career.
4. Kendyl Lindaman and MaKenna Partain have combined for five out of seven possible Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards this season. Lindaman has won back-to-back weeks. She is hitting .398 with three doubles, a triple, a team leading eight home runs, 33 RBIs and has a team leading .747 slugging percentage. Partain leads the team with a .429 with six doubles, a triple, a home run and has scored 25 runs.
5. The Gophers return home on Tuesday, April 4 for a doubleheader against South Dakota. After this weekend they will have played 33 road games before the home opener. They currently lead the nation with 13 true road victories. The next closest team has 10 true road victories. They also have 15 neutral site wins.
About Illinois
The fighting Illini are 22-8 on the season after they opened up conference play with a series sweep of Iowa. Kiana Sherlund, a sophomore outfielder, combined for four hits, two runs, one double and one home run this past weekend. This season she is batting .365 with 21 runs, 38 hits, 16 RBIs and eight doubles. The outfield continued to have a strong performance in the batting lineup. Senior left fielder Nicole Evans produced five hits, five runs, six RBIs one double and two home runs in the weekend series. Evans is batting .396 this season and has 26 runs, 36 hits, 39 RBIs and 11 home runs.
In the circle senior Breanna Wonderly threw the 12th no-hitter in program history enroute to the team's 8-0 win over Iowa last Friday. She made appearances in all three games producing seven strikeouts in 13.2 innings. In 100.1 innings pitched, Wonderly has tossed 44 strikeouts and has a 2.53 ERA.
Get Your Tickets Today!
There are only 30 season tickets left for purchase. Don't miss out on a price discount of 61 percent compared to single game pricing, reserved chairback seating and priority to purchase postseason tickets. Single game tickets are now on sale as well. Call 1-800-U-GOPHER to purchase yours today!
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