University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 15
Clearwater, FL
2:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Tennessee
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
Preview: St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational
2/13/2019 12:28:00 PM | Softball
The University of Minnesota Gophers (receiving votes in both major polls) are in for a tough test this weekend at the inaugural St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational.
The Gophers will take on No. 6/6 Tennessee, RV/24 Notre Dame, defending national champions and No. 1/2 Florida State and California. The Invite features 10 Top-25 ESPN.com/USA Softball teams and is the start of a tough stretch for the Maroon and Gold. They will take on 10 teams in the preseason top-25 poll including six in the top-10 this season.
The Gophers opened the season with a pair of shutouts last week. They topped North Florida 13-0 in five innings and followed it up with a 7-0 shutout over the University of Central Florida. Overall, the Gophers did not allow a run while scoring 20 and did not commit a single error between the two games. They used four pitchers on the day to combine for the two shutouts. The following day, Minnesota fell in a pitching duel with Ole Miss. After taking a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth, Ole Miss plated three runs to take the lead including two on one play as the Gophers mishandled a rundown situation.
Hope Brandner wasted no time making an impact in her first weekend donning the Maroon and Gold and has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week. In the first action of the weekend, the Vacaville, Calif. native, broke the game wide open helping the Gophers score 11 runs in the fourth inning against North Florida. She hit a bases clearing double and a home run in the same frame to produce five runs in total. The Oregon State transfer followed it up by belting two doubles and another RBI in a 7-0 victory over UCF. She gave the Gophers the lead against Ole Miss with a solo shot home run in the fourth inning on Saturday. Brandner finished the weekend with three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. She also drew two walks on the weekend and was responsible for 16 putouts at first base. Through three games, she is leading the team with a .556 batting average and a 1.556 slugging percentage.
The Gophers returned their entire pitching staff from a season ago and it paid off to start 2019. Four pitchers, Hannah Bailey, Carlie Brandt, Amber Fiser and Rachel Lowary, combined for an ERA of 0.39 which is good for first in the Big Ten and fourth in the NCAA after one week. Preseason All-American Amber Fiser pitched five innings of hitless softball against UCF and started the Ole Miss game without allowing a hit through the first three innings. She recorded 19 strikeouts in two games while only walking one batter.
Four Gophers: Emma Burns, Natalie DenHartog, Ali Lindner and Josey White, made their collegiate debuts last weekend. Burns started all three games behind the plate, Lindner made two starts in the outfield and White started two games as the DP. Lindner smashed her first collegiate home run against UCF on a power slap to right field.
ABOUT No. 6/6 TENNESSEE
The Volunteers went 5-0 during opening weekend. They defeated UIC twice (13-2 & 11-1), Coastal Carolina (3-1), Boston University (4-1) and Rider (18-0). In 2018, Tennessee went 48-14 and 14-10 in the SEC. They fell to Florida in the SEC semifinals. Tennessee was tabbed as the No. 10 national seed in the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals before falling to Georgia.
After the first weekend of play, the Vols have three players batting .500 or above: Aubrey Leach (.588), Chelsea Seggern (.563) and Ashley Morgan (.500). Leach, a senior infielder, tallied eight runs, 10 hits, one RBI and went 3-3 on stolen bases. Last season, the senior was named to the NFCA Division 1 All-American First Team, All-SEC First Team and NFCA All-Region First Team.Seggern, a junior infielder, recorded five runs, nine hits, seven RBIs and three doubles. Morgan, a sophomore infielder, added three runs, six hits, two doubles and five RBIs. Last season she was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
In the circle, freshman Ashley Rogers, went 12.0 innings, posting a 1.50 ERA allowing just two earned runs with 22 strikeouts. Junior Caylan Arnold pitched 10.0 innings and recorded a 0.90 ERA with one earned run and 17 strikeouts. Arnold earned NFCA All-Region and SEC All-Tournament Team honors in the 2018 season.
ABOUT RV/24 NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish went 2-2 on opening weekend. They fell to Duke (7-3) and No. 9 South Carolina (7-4) while defeating Liberty (4-1) and No. 3/2 Washington (3-2) in eight innings. Notre Dame went 34-23 overall in 2018 and advanced the the ACC Semifinals, where they fell to Florida State. Their season ended in the NCAA Regionals after being knocked out by Kentucky.
After the first weekend, pitcher/infielder Caitlyn Brooks leads the team with a .333 batting average. The senior also produced three runs, four hits, one double, two home runs and four RBIs. Senior MK Bonamy trails Brooks, batting .300. The infielder recorded two runs, three hits, one home run and four RBIs this past weekend.
Sophomore Alexis Holloway went 13 innings in the circle this past weekend. She posted a 5.38 ERA after giving up 10 earned runs and striking out seven. In 2018 she was named to the NFCA All-Region First Team, All-ACC Second Team and ACC All-Freshman team. Freshman Payton Tidd made her collegiate debut this past weekend ,going eight innings with 10 strikeouts.
ABOUT No. 1/2 FLORIDA STATE
The reigning national champions have started the 2019 season a perfect 5-0. They nabbed a pair of wins off UNC Wilmington (7-2 & 10-5) and Iowa State (1-0 & 5-0), and took down UNCG (8-0) in five innings. Last season the FSU went 58-12 overall. Their season included an ACC title and an NCAA title.
Sydney Sherrill has a .583 batting average after opening weekend. The Sophomore utility player had six runs, seven hits, one double, two home runs and six RBIs on the weekend. She was listed to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list for the 2019 season. Sherrill was named the ACC Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the NFCA All-American third team and All-ACC first-team in 2018. Senior Cali Harrod batted .563 with six runs, nine hits, one double and one RBI.
In the circle, Meghan King went 14 innings and only allowed only five hits while striking out 15 batters. She was also named to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list for this season. The redshirt senior earned All-ACC first team honors in 2018.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA
The Bears went 3-0 on opening weekend, defeating Fordham (9-0), Incarnate Word (7-0) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4-1). Cal took on Louisiana for a doubleheader on Monday, and dropped both games (7-1 and 7-3). For California, the 2018 season included a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a 35-21 overall record. After advancing to the Athens Regional, California was knocked out by Northwestern.
Lindsay Rood has produced a .600 batting average through the first five games. The senior tallied nine runs, nine hits, one double, one triple, two home runs, four RBIs and has went 7-7 on stolen base attempts. The infielder was named to the NFCA All-Pacific Region Second Team and the All-PAC-12 First Team in 2018. Sophomore Mikayla Coelho is batting .353 with one run, six hits, one homerun and four RBIs. The outfielder was listed to the All-Pac-12 Freshman team last season as she lead the team in home runs and RBIs. Zoe Conley has gone 12.2 innings allowing four earned runs and she has struck out 12 batters while posting a 2.21 ERA.
The Gophers will take on No. 6/6 Tennessee, RV/24 Notre Dame, defending national champions and No. 1/2 Florida State and California. The Invite features 10 Top-25 ESPN.com/USA Softball teams and is the start of a tough stretch for the Maroon and Gold. They will take on 10 teams in the preseason top-25 poll including six in the top-10 this season.
The Gophers opened the season with a pair of shutouts last week. They topped North Florida 13-0 in five innings and followed it up with a 7-0 shutout over the University of Central Florida. Overall, the Gophers did not allow a run while scoring 20 and did not commit a single error between the two games. They used four pitchers on the day to combine for the two shutouts. The following day, Minnesota fell in a pitching duel with Ole Miss. After taking a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth, Ole Miss plated three runs to take the lead including two on one play as the Gophers mishandled a rundown situation.
Hope Brandner wasted no time making an impact in her first weekend donning the Maroon and Gold and has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week. In the first action of the weekend, the Vacaville, Calif. native, broke the game wide open helping the Gophers score 11 runs in the fourth inning against North Florida. She hit a bases clearing double and a home run in the same frame to produce five runs in total. The Oregon State transfer followed it up by belting two doubles and another RBI in a 7-0 victory over UCF. She gave the Gophers the lead against Ole Miss with a solo shot home run in the fourth inning on Saturday. Brandner finished the weekend with three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. She also drew two walks on the weekend and was responsible for 16 putouts at first base. Through three games, she is leading the team with a .556 batting average and a 1.556 slugging percentage.
The Gophers returned their entire pitching staff from a season ago and it paid off to start 2019. Four pitchers, Hannah Bailey, Carlie Brandt, Amber Fiser and Rachel Lowary, combined for an ERA of 0.39 which is good for first in the Big Ten and fourth in the NCAA after one week. Preseason All-American Amber Fiser pitched five innings of hitless softball against UCF and started the Ole Miss game without allowing a hit through the first three innings. She recorded 19 strikeouts in two games while only walking one batter.
Four Gophers: Emma Burns, Natalie DenHartog, Ali Lindner and Josey White, made their collegiate debuts last weekend. Burns started all three games behind the plate, Lindner made two starts in the outfield and White started two games as the DP. Lindner smashed her first collegiate home run against UCF on a power slap to right field.
ABOUT No. 6/6 TENNESSEE
The Volunteers went 5-0 during opening weekend. They defeated UIC twice (13-2 & 11-1), Coastal Carolina (3-1), Boston University (4-1) and Rider (18-0). In 2018, Tennessee went 48-14 and 14-10 in the SEC. They fell to Florida in the SEC semifinals. Tennessee was tabbed as the No. 10 national seed in the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals before falling to Georgia.
After the first weekend of play, the Vols have three players batting .500 or above: Aubrey Leach (.588), Chelsea Seggern (.563) and Ashley Morgan (.500). Leach, a senior infielder, tallied eight runs, 10 hits, one RBI and went 3-3 on stolen bases. Last season, the senior was named to the NFCA Division 1 All-American First Team, All-SEC First Team and NFCA All-Region First Team.Seggern, a junior infielder, recorded five runs, nine hits, seven RBIs and three doubles. Morgan, a sophomore infielder, added three runs, six hits, two doubles and five RBIs. Last season she was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
In the circle, freshman Ashley Rogers, went 12.0 innings, posting a 1.50 ERA allowing just two earned runs with 22 strikeouts. Junior Caylan Arnold pitched 10.0 innings and recorded a 0.90 ERA with one earned run and 17 strikeouts. Arnold earned NFCA All-Region and SEC All-Tournament Team honors in the 2018 season.
ABOUT RV/24 NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish went 2-2 on opening weekend. They fell to Duke (7-3) and No. 9 South Carolina (7-4) while defeating Liberty (4-1) and No. 3/2 Washington (3-2) in eight innings. Notre Dame went 34-23 overall in 2018 and advanced the the ACC Semifinals, where they fell to Florida State. Their season ended in the NCAA Regionals after being knocked out by Kentucky.
After the first weekend, pitcher/infielder Caitlyn Brooks leads the team with a .333 batting average. The senior also produced three runs, four hits, one double, two home runs and four RBIs. Senior MK Bonamy trails Brooks, batting .300. The infielder recorded two runs, three hits, one home run and four RBIs this past weekend.
Sophomore Alexis Holloway went 13 innings in the circle this past weekend. She posted a 5.38 ERA after giving up 10 earned runs and striking out seven. In 2018 she was named to the NFCA All-Region First Team, All-ACC Second Team and ACC All-Freshman team. Freshman Payton Tidd made her collegiate debut this past weekend ,going eight innings with 10 strikeouts.
ABOUT No. 1/2 FLORIDA STATE
The reigning national champions have started the 2019 season a perfect 5-0. They nabbed a pair of wins off UNC Wilmington (7-2 & 10-5) and Iowa State (1-0 & 5-0), and took down UNCG (8-0) in five innings. Last season the FSU went 58-12 overall. Their season included an ACC title and an NCAA title.
Sydney Sherrill has a .583 batting average after opening weekend. The Sophomore utility player had six runs, seven hits, one double, two home runs and six RBIs on the weekend. She was listed to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list for the 2019 season. Sherrill was named the ACC Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the NFCA All-American third team and All-ACC first-team in 2018. Senior Cali Harrod batted .563 with six runs, nine hits, one double and one RBI.
In the circle, Meghan King went 14 innings and only allowed only five hits while striking out 15 batters. She was also named to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list for this season. The redshirt senior earned All-ACC first team honors in 2018.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA
The Bears went 3-0 on opening weekend, defeating Fordham (9-0), Incarnate Word (7-0) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4-1). Cal took on Louisiana for a doubleheader on Monday, and dropped both games (7-1 and 7-3). For California, the 2018 season included a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a 35-21 overall record. After advancing to the Athens Regional, California was knocked out by Northwestern.
Lindsay Rood has produced a .600 batting average through the first five games. The senior tallied nine runs, nine hits, one double, one triple, two home runs, four RBIs and has went 7-7 on stolen base attempts. The infielder was named to the NFCA All-Pacific Region Second Team and the All-PAC-12 First Team in 2018. Sophomore Mikayla Coelho is batting .353 with one run, six hits, one homerun and four RBIs. The outfielder was listed to the All-Pac-12 Freshman team last season as she lead the team in home runs and RBIs. Zoe Conley has gone 12.2 innings allowing four earned runs and she has struck out 12 batters while posting a 2.21 ERA.
Minnesota (4) - Michigan (0) Highlights
Friday, May 02
Sydney Schwartz Throws No-Hitter
Tuesday, April 29
Gophers (8) - North Dakota (0) Highlights
Sunday, April 27
Gophers (5) - North Dakota (3) Highlights
Saturday, April 26