University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, April 26
Jane Sage Cowles Stadium
4:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Iowa
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
Preview: Iowa
4/25/2019 4:23:00 PM | Softball
The No. 16/11 University of Minnesota Gophers are in the thick of the Big Ten title race with six home games left on the schedule. They host Iowa this weekend with a doubleheader on Friday starting at 4 p.m. and a 1 p.m. game set for Saturday.
The Gophers are 34-10 overall and sit in third place in conference with a 15-1 Big Ten record. All games this weekend can be streamed on BTN Plus.
Amber Fiser began the year as a preseason All-American and has lived up the hype as the Gophers ace. She is 22-6 on the year with a 1.38 ERA and 242 strikeouts. She was recently named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year finalist and has won four Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors including in the past two weeks. The junior picked up a pair of Border Battle wins at Wisconsin with double-digit strikeout numbers in both games. She has hit double-digits 11 times and has four games with a career high 13 strikeouts this season.
Sydney Smith has remained a steady No. 2 option in the circle for Minnesota. She is 10-4 with a 2.72 ERA. Behind all good pitching is a strong defense and the Gophers have one of the best in the entire country. They rank second in the Big Ten and ninth in the NCAA with a .976 fielding percentage.
The first four batters of the Gophers lineup is as strong as any in the entire country. MaKenna Partain leads off for the team and holds a .387 batting average. She leads the Big Ten in runs per game at a 1.18 average. Maddie Houlihan continues to be a steady senior presence. She third in program history for most runs scored in a career at 179. Sam Macken is second at 182 and Tyler Walker holds the school record with 197 runs scored in her career.
Natalie DenHartog is leading the conference in RBIs at 53 this season and moved into the Gophers top-5 for most home runs in a season at 14 this year. She added two more home runs including a grand slam at Wisconsin. Hope Brandner has added 46 RBIs and 12 home runs this season.
Quick Hitters: Ace Amber Fiser has a first degree black belt in Taekwondo. Utility Carlie Brandt has played seven positions in her collegiate career: two outfield spots, first base, second base, shortstop, DP and pitcher. Senior Allie Arneson has made a habit out of catching fire this time of year and is coming off her strongest weekend of the season. The shortstop hit .556 with a pair of doubles, a pair of runs and a pair of walks with one stolen base against Nebraska. The Gophers are a perfect 12-0 on Sundays this season. Seven Gophers have hit their first collegiate home run his season. DenHartog is currently on a 21 game hitting streak. Minnesota is No. 11 in the RPI this week. The No. 11 ranking in the USA Softball poll is the Gophers highest ranking in either major poll all season.
The Gophers are 34-10 overall and sit in third place in conference with a 15-1 Big Ten record. All games this weekend can be streamed on BTN Plus.
Amber Fiser began the year as a preseason All-American and has lived up the hype as the Gophers ace. She is 22-6 on the year with a 1.38 ERA and 242 strikeouts. She was recently named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year finalist and has won four Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors including in the past two weeks. The junior picked up a pair of Border Battle wins at Wisconsin with double-digit strikeout numbers in both games. She has hit double-digits 11 times and has four games with a career high 13 strikeouts this season.
Sydney Smith has remained a steady No. 2 option in the circle for Minnesota. She is 10-4 with a 2.72 ERA. Behind all good pitching is a strong defense and the Gophers have one of the best in the entire country. They rank second in the Big Ten and ninth in the NCAA with a .976 fielding percentage.
The first four batters of the Gophers lineup is as strong as any in the entire country. MaKenna Partain leads off for the team and holds a .387 batting average. She leads the Big Ten in runs per game at a 1.18 average. Maddie Houlihan continues to be a steady senior presence. She third in program history for most runs scored in a career at 179. Sam Macken is second at 182 and Tyler Walker holds the school record with 197 runs scored in her career.
Natalie DenHartog is leading the conference in RBIs at 53 this season and moved into the Gophers top-5 for most home runs in a season at 14 this year. She added two more home runs including a grand slam at Wisconsin. Hope Brandner has added 46 RBIs and 12 home runs this season.
Quick Hitters: Ace Amber Fiser has a first degree black belt in Taekwondo. Utility Carlie Brandt has played seven positions in her collegiate career: two outfield spots, first base, second base, shortstop, DP and pitcher. Senior Allie Arneson has made a habit out of catching fire this time of year and is coming off her strongest weekend of the season. The shortstop hit .556 with a pair of doubles, a pair of runs and a pair of walks with one stolen base against Nebraska. The Gophers are a perfect 12-0 on Sundays this season. Seven Gophers have hit their first collegiate home run his season. DenHartog is currently on a 21 game hitting streak. Minnesota is No. 11 in the RPI this week. The No. 11 ranking in the USA Softball poll is the Gophers highest ranking in either major poll all 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