University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 21
Waco, TX
9:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
Texas State
Players Mentioned
UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP/UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
Photo by: Mike Janes
Weekend Preview: Baylor Invite
2/20/2020 9:54:00 AM | Softball
The Gophers are on the road for the third straight weekend and will compete in the Baylor Invitational in Waco, Texas after spending the first two weeks of the year in Clearwater, Fla.
The Baylor Invitational began in 1981 and has since been played in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 2015. Minnesota is one of two Big Ten teams to be invited to this year's invitational.
Minnesota will face Tulsa and Texas State twice each and will have one game against host Baylor. All four of the Gophers games against Tulsa and Texas State will be available on FloSports. Minnesota's matchup against Baylor can be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Baylor and Tulsa are receiving votes in both major polls coming into the weekend.
Last Time Out
Minnesota went 2-2 in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational this past weekend. The Gophers topped No. 5 Florida State in walk-off fashion and defeated No. 19 Missouri in six innings. They fell to No. 16 Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech, who was receiving votes.
The weekend was highlighted by a walk-off victory against No. 5 Florida State. After a back-and-forth game and true team effort, freshman Sydney Strelow delivered the game-winning RBI-single. Earlier in the day, the Gophers couldn't get the bats going and fell 2-0 to Oklahoma State. The Minnesota comeback effort fell short against Virginia Tech on Saturday and lost 2-1. Big fourth and sixth innings allowed the Gophers to top Missouri 10-1 in six innings on Sunday.
Autumn Pease was an instrumental piece in the upset over No. 5 Florida State. The sophomore tossed six innings of work in the game and struck out six to pick up the victory and move to 2-0 on the season.
Through nine games, Natalie DenHartog leads the Gophers in batting average (.440), runs (7), slugging percentage (.640), and on base percentage (.600). She has also been hit by seven pitches and ranks second in the country in HBPs per game.
Fiser's Finest
Amber Fiser has already cemented herself as one of the top players in Gopher softball history and is making a case for one of the top players in all of NCAA softball. She is fifth all-time in program history in wins (75) and strikeouts (737). With UCLA's Rachel Garcia taking an Olympic redshirt, Fiser is the NCAA active leader in strikeouts.
In 2019, Fiser was named a First Team NFCA All-American, was a Honda Cup Award Finalist and was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. She ranked third in the NCAA in wins, fifth in strikeouts and 12th in ERA. Her 31 wins on the season tied for second all-time in program history and 346 strikeouts was third all-time. She set a school record and matched a conference record with six Big Ten Pitcher of the Week awards. She also picked up two NFCA Division I Pitcher of the Week awards.
Fiser can't seem to get over the 13-strikeout mark. She has hit the impressive number seven times in her career including twice already in opening weekend. She tossed 33 strikeouts last weekend and leads the NCAA in season strikeouts. Fiser pitched four complete game one-hitters in 2019. She has thrown two no-hitters in her career, both in 2018. Her last one was a perfect game at Purdue on Apr. 27, 2018.
Run MaKenna, Run!
MaKenna Partain has etched her name into Gophers history and has a chance to leave as one of the most productive offensive players in team history but has done so quietly when it comes to national attention. She has already made 185 career starts with the majority of her action coming at second base. She is tied for fifth in career runs at 168 and seventh in career doubles at 46. Both records are in reach as Tyler Walker holds the record with 197 career runs and Kaitlyn Richardson has the doubles record with 64. Partain spent last season as the Gophers leadoff batter and broke the program single season record with 66 runs. She also set program and Big Ten record with five runs scored at Maryland on Mar. 23.
Partain led Minnesota in batting average (.383), runs (66), hits (72), triples (4) and on base percentage (.484) in 2019. She is a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and a three-time NFCA All-Great Lakes All-Region selection.
Fresh Faces
Last year the Gophers were boosted in a big way by freshman Natalie DenHartog and transfer Hope Brandner. DenHartog was an NFCA Top-3 Freshman of the Year finalist and earned First Team All-Big Ten and All-Region honors. She hit .373, with 17 doubles, two triples and 17 home runs with a team leading 64 RBIs and a .780 slugging percentage. Brandner led the team with 19 home runs which is the third highest in program single season history.
This year the Gophers have eight new faces looking to make their mark. They brought in transfers Brooke Vander Heide (All Region outfield honoree from BYU) and Autumn Pease (Big SkyCo-Freshman of the Year in the circle from Idaho State). They also welcomed freshmen Sydney Strelow, Olivia Peterson, Delanie Cox, Kianna Jones, Ava Dueck and Shyann Beddow. Strelow shined in Minnesota's victory against No. 5 Florida State. She launched her first career home run and followed it up with a seventh inning, two out walk-off single to lift the Gophers to victory. Kianna Jones also showed power in her bat, blasting a solo shot to deep center against Missouri in the SPC Elite Invitational.
Where in the World is Carlie Brandt!?
Carlie Brandt has played seven positions in her Gophers career. She has found a home at shortstop in the early part of 2020 and has made a big impact. She finished last weekend with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored.
About Texas State
After splitting four games in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Texas State is now 7-2 overall after they hosted the Bobcat Classic this past weekend. The Bobcats swept all five games of the tournament defeating UTSA (4-3), Saint Louis (4-1 and 12-0), and Wichita State (5-3 and 9-1). Texas State was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference preseason coaches' poll after posting a 28-23 overall record and a 16-10 mark against Sun Belt teams in 2019.
Dalilah Barrera leads the Bobcats in the circle. The senior is 2-0 on the season with a 2.07 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched. She had a fantastic opening weekend in Clearwater and was chosen on the NFCA All-Tournament Team after posting a 1-0 record and a 2.40 ERA in two starts. Barrera had 17 strikeouts and just three walks in 11.2 innings pitched.
Junior Tara Oltmann is off to a hot start at the plate. The infielder has started in all nine of Texas State's games on the season and hit for a .385 average with ten RBIs, six runs scored, a double and two home runs. Oltmann was selected to the 2019 Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference squad after ranking fourth in the league in RBIs (41), seventh in doubles (11), and eighth in stolen bases (16) in 2019.
About Tulsa
The Hurricane opened the 2020 season 8-1 overall after a sweep in the Mercer Invitational and strong performance in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. This past weekend, Tulsa was victorious over Mississippi State (2-1) and North Alabama (1-0 and 3-2). They split two games against Tennessee State after they won the opening matchup (2-0) and lost in a close 2-1 game later in the weekend. Tulsa, which is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, returned 12 letterwinners from last year's 37-20 team that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Stillwater Regional.
Tulsa's pitching staff is anchored by sophomore Chenise Delce, who was named the 2019 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year. Delce had a 14-5 record with a 1.60 ERA last season. She led the staff in innings pitched (126.2) and ranked second with 110 strikeouts. Delce picked up right where she left off and has found success to start the new 2020 season as she is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts. Helping herself out, Delce is also making a substantial impact in the batter's box. She hit .423 in eight games and has slugged three home runs.
Alexis Perry and Mikayla Witten have also led from the plate. In 21 at-bats, Perry is batting .333 with some pop to her bat with a triple, two home runs and 10 RBIs in the first nine games. Last season, Perry made 43 starts and ranked second on the team with 27 RBIs. Witten also has a .333 average with four runs, two doubles, and three runs batted in. Last season in 2019, Whitten set personal bests in several offensive categories including batting average (.243), runs (28), hits (33), homers (2), RBI (16), walks (14), slugging percentage (.316) and on-base percentage (.331).
About Baylor
Baylor is 8-2 overall in 2020 and swept through this past weekend's Getterman Classic. The Lady Bears had dominant wins over Prairie View A&M (7-4 and 8-3), Grand Canyon (10-2 and 4-2) and knocked off Western Illinois (2-1). In 2019, Baylor played the second-toughest schedule in the country with one of the youngest lineups in the nation. They went 18-31 overall and 2-16 in conference play. Six freshmen appeared in the starting lineup most of the time and accounted for 45 percent of the team's at-bats. Baylor welcomes back 17 returners from last season.
Gia Rodoni is back after she sat out the 2019 season due to injury and received a medical redshirt. She has made eight appearances with five starts in the circle to kick off the season and is 4-1. Rodoni boasts a 1.27 ERA in 27.2 innings pitch and has struck out 43 batters. As a junior in 2019, Rodoni was an NFCA All-Central Region Selection after she worked a 2.32 ERA with a 23-12 record, held opposing hitters to a .215 batting average over 223.2 innings of work, and posted eight shutouts with two no-hitters. Rodoni's 268 strikeouts in the 2018 season led the Big 12 and ranked 13th in the country.
Lou Gilbert is batting a team-high .444 in ten games with 12 hits, seven runs, a triple and five RBIs. The sophomore was primarily used in center field last season but made the move to third base this spring. Kyla Walker has returned to the diamond after she also received a medical redshirt for the 2019 season. She has a large lead in the program's career record book as she entered her senior season with a .422 career hitting clip.
The Baylor Invitational began in 1981 and has since been played in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 2015. Minnesota is one of two Big Ten teams to be invited to this year's invitational.
Minnesota will face Tulsa and Texas State twice each and will have one game against host Baylor. All four of the Gophers games against Tulsa and Texas State will be available on FloSports. Minnesota's matchup against Baylor can be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Baylor and Tulsa are receiving votes in both major polls coming into the weekend.
Last Time Out
Minnesota went 2-2 in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational this past weekend. The Gophers topped No. 5 Florida State in walk-off fashion and defeated No. 19 Missouri in six innings. They fell to No. 16 Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech, who was receiving votes.
The weekend was highlighted by a walk-off victory against No. 5 Florida State. After a back-and-forth game and true team effort, freshman Sydney Strelow delivered the game-winning RBI-single. Earlier in the day, the Gophers couldn't get the bats going and fell 2-0 to Oklahoma State. The Minnesota comeback effort fell short against Virginia Tech on Saturday and lost 2-1. Big fourth and sixth innings allowed the Gophers to top Missouri 10-1 in six innings on Sunday.
Autumn Pease was an instrumental piece in the upset over No. 5 Florida State. The sophomore tossed six innings of work in the game and struck out six to pick up the victory and move to 2-0 on the season.
Through nine games, Natalie DenHartog leads the Gophers in batting average (.440), runs (7), slugging percentage (.640), and on base percentage (.600). She has also been hit by seven pitches and ranks second in the country in HBPs per game.
Fiser's Finest
Amber Fiser has already cemented herself as one of the top players in Gopher softball history and is making a case for one of the top players in all of NCAA softball. She is fifth all-time in program history in wins (75) and strikeouts (737). With UCLA's Rachel Garcia taking an Olympic redshirt, Fiser is the NCAA active leader in strikeouts.
In 2019, Fiser was named a First Team NFCA All-American, was a Honda Cup Award Finalist and was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. She ranked third in the NCAA in wins, fifth in strikeouts and 12th in ERA. Her 31 wins on the season tied for second all-time in program history and 346 strikeouts was third all-time. She set a school record and matched a conference record with six Big Ten Pitcher of the Week awards. She also picked up two NFCA Division I Pitcher of the Week awards.
Fiser can't seem to get over the 13-strikeout mark. She has hit the impressive number seven times in her career including twice already in opening weekend. She tossed 33 strikeouts last weekend and leads the NCAA in season strikeouts. Fiser pitched four complete game one-hitters in 2019. She has thrown two no-hitters in her career, both in 2018. Her last one was a perfect game at Purdue on Apr. 27, 2018.
Run MaKenna, Run!
MaKenna Partain has etched her name into Gophers history and has a chance to leave as one of the most productive offensive players in team history but has done so quietly when it comes to national attention. She has already made 185 career starts with the majority of her action coming at second base. She is tied for fifth in career runs at 168 and seventh in career doubles at 46. Both records are in reach as Tyler Walker holds the record with 197 career runs and Kaitlyn Richardson has the doubles record with 64. Partain spent last season as the Gophers leadoff batter and broke the program single season record with 66 runs. She also set program and Big Ten record with five runs scored at Maryland on Mar. 23.
Partain led Minnesota in batting average (.383), runs (66), hits (72), triples (4) and on base percentage (.484) in 2019. She is a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and a three-time NFCA All-Great Lakes All-Region selection.
Fresh Faces
Last year the Gophers were boosted in a big way by freshman Natalie DenHartog and transfer Hope Brandner. DenHartog was an NFCA Top-3 Freshman of the Year finalist and earned First Team All-Big Ten and All-Region honors. She hit .373, with 17 doubles, two triples and 17 home runs with a team leading 64 RBIs and a .780 slugging percentage. Brandner led the team with 19 home runs which is the third highest in program single season history.
This year the Gophers have eight new faces looking to make their mark. They brought in transfers Brooke Vander Heide (All Region outfield honoree from BYU) and Autumn Pease (Big SkyCo-Freshman of the Year in the circle from Idaho State). They also welcomed freshmen Sydney Strelow, Olivia Peterson, Delanie Cox, Kianna Jones, Ava Dueck and Shyann Beddow. Strelow shined in Minnesota's victory against No. 5 Florida State. She launched her first career home run and followed it up with a seventh inning, two out walk-off single to lift the Gophers to victory. Kianna Jones also showed power in her bat, blasting a solo shot to deep center against Missouri in the SPC Elite Invitational.
Where in the World is Carlie Brandt!?
Carlie Brandt has played seven positions in her Gophers career. She has found a home at shortstop in the early part of 2020 and has made a big impact. She finished last weekend with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored.
About Texas State
After splitting four games in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Texas State is now 7-2 overall after they hosted the Bobcat Classic this past weekend. The Bobcats swept all five games of the tournament defeating UTSA (4-3), Saint Louis (4-1 and 12-0), and Wichita State (5-3 and 9-1). Texas State was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference preseason coaches' poll after posting a 28-23 overall record and a 16-10 mark against Sun Belt teams in 2019.
Dalilah Barrera leads the Bobcats in the circle. The senior is 2-0 on the season with a 2.07 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched. She had a fantastic opening weekend in Clearwater and was chosen on the NFCA All-Tournament Team after posting a 1-0 record and a 2.40 ERA in two starts. Barrera had 17 strikeouts and just three walks in 11.2 innings pitched.
Junior Tara Oltmann is off to a hot start at the plate. The infielder has started in all nine of Texas State's games on the season and hit for a .385 average with ten RBIs, six runs scored, a double and two home runs. Oltmann was selected to the 2019 Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference squad after ranking fourth in the league in RBIs (41), seventh in doubles (11), and eighth in stolen bases (16) in 2019.
About Tulsa
The Hurricane opened the 2020 season 8-1 overall after a sweep in the Mercer Invitational and strong performance in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. This past weekend, Tulsa was victorious over Mississippi State (2-1) and North Alabama (1-0 and 3-2). They split two games against Tennessee State after they won the opening matchup (2-0) and lost in a close 2-1 game later in the weekend. Tulsa, which is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, returned 12 letterwinners from last year's 37-20 team that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Stillwater Regional.
Tulsa's pitching staff is anchored by sophomore Chenise Delce, who was named the 2019 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year. Delce had a 14-5 record with a 1.60 ERA last season. She led the staff in innings pitched (126.2) and ranked second with 110 strikeouts. Delce picked up right where she left off and has found success to start the new 2020 season as she is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts. Helping herself out, Delce is also making a substantial impact in the batter's box. She hit .423 in eight games and has slugged three home runs.
Alexis Perry and Mikayla Witten have also led from the plate. In 21 at-bats, Perry is batting .333 with some pop to her bat with a triple, two home runs and 10 RBIs in the first nine games. Last season, Perry made 43 starts and ranked second on the team with 27 RBIs. Witten also has a .333 average with four runs, two doubles, and three runs batted in. Last season in 2019, Whitten set personal bests in several offensive categories including batting average (.243), runs (28), hits (33), homers (2), RBI (16), walks (14), slugging percentage (.316) and on-base percentage (.331).
About Baylor
Baylor is 8-2 overall in 2020 and swept through this past weekend's Getterman Classic. The Lady Bears had dominant wins over Prairie View A&M (7-4 and 8-3), Grand Canyon (10-2 and 4-2) and knocked off Western Illinois (2-1). In 2019, Baylor played the second-toughest schedule in the country with one of the youngest lineups in the nation. They went 18-31 overall and 2-16 in conference play. Six freshmen appeared in the starting lineup most of the time and accounted for 45 percent of the team's at-bats. Baylor welcomes back 17 returners from last season.
Gia Rodoni is back after she sat out the 2019 season due to injury and received a medical redshirt. She has made eight appearances with five starts in the circle to kick off the season and is 4-1. Rodoni boasts a 1.27 ERA in 27.2 innings pitch and has struck out 43 batters. As a junior in 2019, Rodoni was an NFCA All-Central Region Selection after she worked a 2.32 ERA with a 23-12 record, held opposing hitters to a .215 batting average over 223.2 innings of work, and posted eight shutouts with two no-hitters. Rodoni's 268 strikeouts in the 2018 season led the Big 12 and ranked 13th in the country.
Lou Gilbert is batting a team-high .444 in ten games with 12 hits, seven runs, a triple and five RBIs. The sophomore was primarily used in center field last season but made the move to third base this spring. Kyla Walker has returned to the diamond after she also received a medical redshirt for the 2019 season. She has a large lead in the program's career record book as she entered her senior season with a .422 career hitting clip.
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