University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Begin Spring Break Trip
3/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 8, 2017
Weekend Notes
The No. 7/7 University of Minnesota Gophers pack their bags for nine games in nine days starting at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. this weekend.
The Gophers are off to a historic 18-0 start to the season. Previously their longest win streak to start a season was eight and 15 was their longest win streak ever.
The No. 7 ranking in both major polls is the highest ranking in program history for Minnesota. This weekend they will play Seattle and No. 8/8 Washington each twice and South Dakota once. Last year Minnesota lost to Washington in the Seattle regional championship.
Minnesota continues spring break with games at Oregon State, California and a doubleheader against Pacific.
Five Things To Know
1. The Gophers pitching staff has a combined 1.40 ERA which is the lowest in the Big Ten. Leading the way is Sara Groenewegen, a two-time All-American. She leads the Big Ten in wins (9), ERA (0.50) and opposing team batting average (.137). She is second in strikeouts with 72 already.
Tori Finucane is hitting her form as of late. She is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA. Against FAU she threw a complete game only allowing one hit with eight strikeouts. Freshmen Amber Fiser and Carlie Brandt have combined for six wins in the circle as well.
2. The No. 4 and 5 spots in the batting order has been a strength for the Maroon and Gold and both are held by freshmen. Freshman catcher Kendyl Lindaman has four go-ahead hits this season and leads the team in home runs with five. She is hitting .370 and has a .722 slugging percentage.
MaKenna Partain has started every game at second base and leads the team with a .472 batting average. She hit a walk-off single in the first game of the season and has won two B1G Freshman of the Week awards already. Lindaman won a B1G Freshman of the Week plaudit as well.
3. Junior Sydney Dwyer moved over to first base this season and has been solid. She is hitting .434 with five doubles, two home runs and has a team leading 20 RBIs. The 20 RBIs is good for fifth in the Big Ten.
4. Last season Danielle Parlich had the longest hit streak of anybody on the team with 11 straight at one point. She has already crushed that this season recording a hit in every single game. Parlich is third in the B1G in hits with 26, fourth in runs scored with 17 and seventh in total bases with 32.
5. After Tuesday, the Gophers are now one of two undefeated teams left in the country (Oregon is 19-0).
About Seattle
The Seattle University Redhawks are 5-14 so far this season after traveling to Hawai'i for the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament this past weekend. The Redhawks won a pair of games against Hawai'I, lost to Charleston Southern and dropped a pair of games to Toledo. Senior outfielder Paige Bouska is one of the Redhawks top hitters, batting .357. In 19 games she has 10 runs and 25 hits and in the field she has recorded 28 putouts. Seattle returns sophomore Andie Larkinsin the circle. In 68.2 innings pitched this season so far, she has an ERA of 3.26 with 29 strikeouts.
About Washington
The University of Washington is now 15-3 on the season and has landed the eighth spot in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches and ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings. At the Judi Garman Classic this past weekend, the Huskies went 4-1, defeating Indiana, Fresno State, Northwestern and Iowa. Their one loss on the weekend came against Baylor. Sophomore Taran Alvelo returns to the circle and has a team best ERA of 2.19 with a record of 10-1 in 65.2 innings. She has tallied 68 strikeouts. Freshman Sis Bates is one of 11 huskies batting over .300. In 18 games Bates is batting .481 and has 13 runs, 26 hits and 13 RBIs.
About South Dakota
South Dakota has a record of 7-10 after competing in the Hatter Classic last weekend. The Coyotes walked away with wins against Cornell and Bethune-Cookman and lost against Stetson while dropping a pair against LIU Brooklyn. Shelby Keil, a senior infielder, is batting .396 with 15 runs, 21 hits and 13 RBIs. In the circle, freshman Ally Wiegand is leading the Coyotes with a 3.25 ERA. She has 24 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched.
Excited about the Gophers historic start?
Consider supporting the program here.
Get your season tickets here.
Don't forget to follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all season long to keep up with the latest news, features, videos and more!
| #7 Minnesota at the Husky Classic | |
| Game 1 | vs. Seattle | Friday, March 10 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Game 2 | at #8 Washington | Friday, March 10 | 5:45 p.m. |
| Game 3 | vs. Seattle | Saturday, March 11 | 2:30 p.m. |
| Game 4 | at #8 Washington | Saturday, March 11 | 7 p.m. |
| Game 5 | vs. South Dakota | Sunday, March 12 | Noon |
| Location | Husky Softball Stadium | Seattle, Wash. |
| Live Stats | | | | | |
| Game Day Live | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 |
| Social Media | @GopherSoftball | Facebook | Instagram |
Weekend Notes
The No. 7/7 University of Minnesota Gophers pack their bags for nine games in nine days starting at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. this weekend.
The Gophers are off to a historic 18-0 start to the season. Previously their longest win streak to start a season was eight and 15 was their longest win streak ever.
The No. 7 ranking in both major polls is the highest ranking in program history for Minnesota. This weekend they will play Seattle and No. 8/8 Washington each twice and South Dakota once. Last year Minnesota lost to Washington in the Seattle regional championship.
Minnesota continues spring break with games at Oregon State, California and a doubleheader against Pacific.
Five Things To Know
1. The Gophers pitching staff has a combined 1.40 ERA which is the lowest in the Big Ten. Leading the way is Sara Groenewegen, a two-time All-American. She leads the Big Ten in wins (9), ERA (0.50) and opposing team batting average (.137). She is second in strikeouts with 72 already.
Tori Finucane is hitting her form as of late. She is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA. Against FAU she threw a complete game only allowing one hit with eight strikeouts. Freshmen Amber Fiser and Carlie Brandt have combined for six wins in the circle as well.
2. The No. 4 and 5 spots in the batting order has been a strength for the Maroon and Gold and both are held by freshmen. Freshman catcher Kendyl Lindaman has four go-ahead hits this season and leads the team in home runs with five. She is hitting .370 and has a .722 slugging percentage.
MaKenna Partain has started every game at second base and leads the team with a .472 batting average. She hit a walk-off single in the first game of the season and has won two B1G Freshman of the Week awards already. Lindaman won a B1G Freshman of the Week plaudit as well.
3. Junior Sydney Dwyer moved over to first base this season and has been solid. She is hitting .434 with five doubles, two home runs and has a team leading 20 RBIs. The 20 RBIs is good for fifth in the Big Ten.
4. Last season Danielle Parlich had the longest hit streak of anybody on the team with 11 straight at one point. She has already crushed that this season recording a hit in every single game. Parlich is third in the B1G in hits with 26, fourth in runs scored with 17 and seventh in total bases with 32.
5. After Tuesday, the Gophers are now one of two undefeated teams left in the country (Oregon is 19-0).
About Seattle
The Seattle University Redhawks are 5-14 so far this season after traveling to Hawai'i for the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament this past weekend. The Redhawks won a pair of games against Hawai'I, lost to Charleston Southern and dropped a pair of games to Toledo. Senior outfielder Paige Bouska is one of the Redhawks top hitters, batting .357. In 19 games she has 10 runs and 25 hits and in the field she has recorded 28 putouts. Seattle returns sophomore Andie Larkinsin the circle. In 68.2 innings pitched this season so far, she has an ERA of 3.26 with 29 strikeouts.
About Washington
The University of Washington is now 15-3 on the season and has landed the eighth spot in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches and ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings. At the Judi Garman Classic this past weekend, the Huskies went 4-1, defeating Indiana, Fresno State, Northwestern and Iowa. Their one loss on the weekend came against Baylor. Sophomore Taran Alvelo returns to the circle and has a team best ERA of 2.19 with a record of 10-1 in 65.2 innings. She has tallied 68 strikeouts. Freshman Sis Bates is one of 11 huskies batting over .300. In 18 games Bates is batting .481 and has 13 runs, 26 hits and 13 RBIs.
About South Dakota
South Dakota has a record of 7-10 after competing in the Hatter Classic last weekend. The Coyotes walked away with wins against Cornell and Bethune-Cookman and lost against Stetson while dropping a pair against LIU Brooklyn. Shelby Keil, a senior infielder, is batting .396 with 15 runs, 21 hits and 13 RBIs. In the circle, freshman Ally Wiegand is leading the Coyotes with a 3.25 ERA. She has 24 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched.
Excited about the Gophers historic start?
Consider supporting the program here.
Get your season tickets here.
Don't forget to follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all season long to keep up with the latest news, features, videos and more!
Players Mentioned
UT
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INF
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RHP
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RHP
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C/UT
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INF
/ SoftballHighlights: Gophers 5, SIUE 0
Tuesday, March 10
Highlights: Gophers 4, Indiana 6
Sunday, March 08
Highlights: Gophers 2, Indiana 0
Friday, March 06
Highlights: Gophers 6, Central Michigan 1
Saturday, February 21