University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, March 20
Gainesville, FL
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Florida
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
Photo by: Mike Janes
Preview: No. 6/7 Florida
3/19/2019 2:11:00 PM | Softball
The No. 20/19 University of Minnesota Gophers have a primetime matchup against No. 6/7 Florida on the SEC Network at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday evening.
The Gophers are halfway through their spring break trip after going 4-1 at the USF Tournament. Wednesday will be the Gophers tenth game of the season against a ranked foe. They have topped ranked opponents James Madison and Texas (twice) this season. After Wednesdays game with Florida they will head up to Maryland to open Big Ten play.
The Gophers returned their entire pitching staff from a season ago and that unit has been a strength in 2019. The Gophers 1.67 ERA is ninth in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten.
This week's Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Amber Fiser has led the way despite taking on the top teams in the country week after week. She tossed three complete game victories while only allowing one earned run with 37 strikeouts at the Wildcat Invitational. She was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, the FastPitchNews National Player of the Week and Louisville Slugger/NFCA Pitcher of Week for her performance. She followed it up a save and a win over No. 9 Texas and pitched three shutouts at the USF Tournament. She is 11-5 with a 1.21 ERA and 118 strikeouts already this season. Sydney Smith is 6-3 on the season with a 2.45 ERA and 51 strikeouts. The Maple Grove, Minn. native has 31 strikeouts in her last three starts.
Behind the pitching staff has been a squeaky clean defense. The Gophers are No. 6 in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten with a .980 fielding percentage. Allie Arneson has three different games with a career high six assists at shortstop this season and has 60 on the year. Katelyn Kemmetmueller also has 60 assists and just two errors on the season at third base.
Minnesota has attacked early and often this season. They have scored first in 22 games this season and have gotten on the board in the first inning in 11 games already. The Gophers have outscored opponents 30-9 in the first inning. The Maroon and Gold have counted on the long ball all season with 29 home runs on the year. Freshman Natalie DenHartog leads the way with nine which ranks first in the Big Ten. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after hitting three home runs at the Longhorn Invitational. Hope Brandner has added six home runs on the season and leads the team with 27 RBIs. Nineteen home runs have come from players that never had a collegiate home run before this season. Against Kent State, the Gophers hit a program record six home runs in a single game.
Quick hitters: Head coach Jamie Trachsel reached 300 career wins in the Gophers 3-1 win over Texas this season. The Gophers are a perfect 6-0 on Sundays this season. Ace Amber Fiser has a first degree black belt in Taekwondo. Utility Carlie Brandt has played seven positions in her collegiate career: all three outfield spots, second base, shortstop, DP and pitcher. The Gophers are ranked No. 14 in the newly created Softball America poll and came in at No. 12 in the first NCAA RPI of the season.
ABOUT FLORIDA
The No. 6/7 Florida Gators are 24-6 on the season. They have lost a pair of 2-1 SEC series to start the season to Tennessee and LSU. The Gators are led at the plate by Amanda Lorenz, who is hitting .430 with five doubles, a triple and eight home runs. She has already been walked 24 times and has an on base percentage of .554. As a team Florida has a 1.90 ERA led by Kelly Barnhill with a 1.39. Barnhill is 15-3, has 144 strikeouts and has added three saves this season. The Gators have seven ranked wins on the season.
The Gophers are halfway through their spring break trip after going 4-1 at the USF Tournament. Wednesday will be the Gophers tenth game of the season against a ranked foe. They have topped ranked opponents James Madison and Texas (twice) this season. After Wednesdays game with Florida they will head up to Maryland to open Big Ten play.
The Gophers returned their entire pitching staff from a season ago and that unit has been a strength in 2019. The Gophers 1.67 ERA is ninth in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten.
This week's Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Amber Fiser has led the way despite taking on the top teams in the country week after week. She tossed three complete game victories while only allowing one earned run with 37 strikeouts at the Wildcat Invitational. She was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, the FastPitchNews National Player of the Week and Louisville Slugger/NFCA Pitcher of Week for her performance. She followed it up a save and a win over No. 9 Texas and pitched three shutouts at the USF Tournament. She is 11-5 with a 1.21 ERA and 118 strikeouts already this season. Sydney Smith is 6-3 on the season with a 2.45 ERA and 51 strikeouts. The Maple Grove, Minn. native has 31 strikeouts in her last three starts.
Behind the pitching staff has been a squeaky clean defense. The Gophers are No. 6 in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten with a .980 fielding percentage. Allie Arneson has three different games with a career high six assists at shortstop this season and has 60 on the year. Katelyn Kemmetmueller also has 60 assists and just two errors on the season at third base.
Minnesota has attacked early and often this season. They have scored first in 22 games this season and have gotten on the board in the first inning in 11 games already. The Gophers have outscored opponents 30-9 in the first inning. The Maroon and Gold have counted on the long ball all season with 29 home runs on the year. Freshman Natalie DenHartog leads the way with nine which ranks first in the Big Ten. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after hitting three home runs at the Longhorn Invitational. Hope Brandner has added six home runs on the season and leads the team with 27 RBIs. Nineteen home runs have come from players that never had a collegiate home run before this season. Against Kent State, the Gophers hit a program record six home runs in a single game.
Quick hitters: Head coach Jamie Trachsel reached 300 career wins in the Gophers 3-1 win over Texas this season. The Gophers are a perfect 6-0 on Sundays this season. Ace Amber Fiser has a first degree black belt in Taekwondo. Utility Carlie Brandt has played seven positions in her collegiate career: all three outfield spots, second base, shortstop, DP and pitcher. The Gophers are ranked No. 14 in the newly created Softball America poll and came in at No. 12 in the first NCAA RPI of the season.
ABOUT FLORIDA
The No. 6/7 Florida Gators are 24-6 on the season. They have lost a pair of 2-1 SEC series to start the season to Tennessee and LSU. The Gators are led at the plate by Amanda Lorenz, who is hitting .430 with five doubles, a triple and eight home runs. She has already been walked 24 times and has an on base percentage of .554. As a team Florida has a 1.90 ERA led by Kelly Barnhill with a 1.39. Barnhill is 15-3, has 144 strikeouts and has added three saves this season. The Gators have seven ranked wins on the season.
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