University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, May 21
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Fresno State
Players Mentioned
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
Photo by: Kelly Hagenson
Gophers Open Second Season in Los Angeles
5/20/2021 8:02:00 AM | Softball
HEADING INTO THE TOURNAMENT
• The No. 24 University of Minnesota softball program received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after it posted a 29-11 record in the Big Ten and second in league standings. The Golden Gophers travel to Los Angeles and play Fresno State, Friday, May 21. The game will be televised on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Overall No. 2 seed and host UCLA will face Long Beach State to round out the Los Angeles Regional. At each campus site, a four-team, double-elimination tournament will be conducted, and the 16 winning teams advance to the super regionals. Winner of the game plays at 3:30 p.m. CT, while the losing team of the game plays at 6 p.m.
• The 2021 NCAA Tournament marks Minnesota's 15th tournament bid in program history and eight-straight for the Golden Gophers. The 2020 spring season was canceled due to COVID-19. Minnesota advanced to the NCAA® Women's College World Series in 2019, the Golden Gophers' first trek to the NCAA event in program history.
• The 2021 tournament nod also marks the first trip with Ritter as the head coach. As an assistant, the Golden Gophers went to seven NCAA Tournaments. Ritter, nee' Marten, also played in the NCAA twice as a pitcher during the 2002 and 2003 campaigns.
ABOUT THE FIELD
• The Fresno State Bulldogs earned the Mountain West's automatic bid after claiming the regular-season title with a 20-4 league record. This is the Bulldogs first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 and 34th in program history. Long Beach State won the Big West and finished the regular season with a 30-9 overall record and 22-2 in conference play. UCLA enters the tournament with a 41-4 overall record. The Bruins won the Pac-12 regular-season championship with a 19-2 record and earned the conference's automatic bid.
ABOUT FRESNO STATE
• Minnesota is 2-11 all-time against Fresno State, dating back to 1983. Both the wins over the Bulldogs, however, came in the last two meetings between the two teams. Minnesota earned a 3-1 win on March 14, 2015 and a 9-2 win on Feb. 24, 2017. Both victories were a part of a Fresno State non-conference tournament in Fresno, Calif.
• Fresno State earned the conference crown for the first time since 2016 and punched its ticket to the big show for the first time since 2017. Freshman Keahilele Mattson earned MW Player of the Year and Co-Freshman of the Year, while Bulldog Ace Hailey Dolcini was named MW Pitcher of the Year. Fresno State's pitchers hold a combined 1.88 ERA, which ranks 17th nationally. As a team, the Bulldogs are also batting .297 which ranks 49th nationally.
GOPHER NOTES
• Minnesota's 47 home runs, which ranks first in the Big Ten, with Nebraska and Michigan are second at 37 this year. In fact, Minnesota averages 1.18 home runs per game, which ranks 29th nationally. Natalie DenHartog led the league with 13 home runs, while Sara Kinch had eight and Katelyn Kemmetmueller and MaKenna Partain had seven.
• Sara Kinch was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She compiled a .429 batting average and a .857 slugging percentage in the series win over Penn State last weekend. Kinch also held a .429 on-base percentage when she hit two home runs and two runs scored. Having a hit in all four games of the series, Kinch homered in last Friday's 4-0 win and the Saturday's 10-0 shutout. As the Gophers' starting catcher, Kinch also had 18 putouts, six assists and threw out one batter during a steal attempt.
• The Gopher pitching corps holds a 2.07 ERA this season, which ranks second in the Big Ten and 27th nationally. Autumn Pease holds a 1.63 ERA with 94 strikeouts to just 18 walks and a 11-2 record in 103 innings this year. Amber Fiser holds a 2.19 ERA, 15-8 record and 128 strikeouts to 43 walks in 153.2 innings pitched this season.
• Minnesota had eight individuals receive Big Ten honors, announced today by the league office. Natalie DenHartog and MaKenna Partain have been named First Team All-Big Ten, while Amber Fiser, Emily Hansen, Katelyn Kemmetmueller and Autumn Pease garnered Second Team All-Big Ten. Fiser was also named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team, and Sara Kinch received Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. Carlie Brandt was Minnesota's Sportsmanship Award recipient. It marks the third Big Ten honors for both Partain and Fiser, the second for DenHartog and the first for Kemmetmueller and Hansen. This is the first All-Big Ten softball honors since 2019 as the 2020 season was shortened due to COVID-19.
SCHEDULE
Los Angeles Regional Schedule
Friday, May 21
Game 1 – Fresno State vs. Minnesota - 7 p.m. CT - ESPNU
Game 2 – Long Beach State at No. 2 UCLA - 9:30 p.m. CT - ESPN2
Saturday, May 22
Game 3 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 3:30 p.m. CT – ESPN Family of Networks
Game 4 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 6 p.m. – CT ESPN Family of Networks
Game 5 – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 8:30 p.m. CT – ESPN Family of Networks
Sunday, May 23
Game 6 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 5 p.m. CT – ESPN Family of Networks
Game 7 – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (if necessary) – 7:30 p.m. CT – ESPN Family of Networks
• The No. 24 University of Minnesota softball program received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after it posted a 29-11 record in the Big Ten and second in league standings. The Golden Gophers travel to Los Angeles and play Fresno State, Friday, May 21. The game will be televised on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Overall No. 2 seed and host UCLA will face Long Beach State to round out the Los Angeles Regional. At each campus site, a four-team, double-elimination tournament will be conducted, and the 16 winning teams advance to the super regionals. Winner of the game plays at 3:30 p.m. CT, while the losing team of the game plays at 6 p.m.
• The 2021 NCAA Tournament marks Minnesota's 15th tournament bid in program history and eight-straight for the Golden Gophers. The 2020 spring season was canceled due to COVID-19. Minnesota advanced to the NCAA® Women's College World Series in 2019, the Golden Gophers' first trek to the NCAA event in program history.
• The 2021 tournament nod also marks the first trip with Ritter as the head coach. As an assistant, the Golden Gophers went to seven NCAA Tournaments. Ritter, nee' Marten, also played in the NCAA twice as a pitcher during the 2002 and 2003 campaigns.
#Gophers are LA bound! pic.twitter.com/5ijDkLCLcP
— Minnesota Softball (@GopherSoftball) May 20, 2021
ABOUT THE FIELD
• The Fresno State Bulldogs earned the Mountain West's automatic bid after claiming the regular-season title with a 20-4 league record. This is the Bulldogs first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 and 34th in program history. Long Beach State won the Big West and finished the regular season with a 30-9 overall record and 22-2 in conference play. UCLA enters the tournament with a 41-4 overall record. The Bruins won the Pac-12 regular-season championship with a 19-2 record and earned the conference's automatic bid.
ABOUT FRESNO STATE
• Minnesota is 2-11 all-time against Fresno State, dating back to 1983. Both the wins over the Bulldogs, however, came in the last two meetings between the two teams. Minnesota earned a 3-1 win on March 14, 2015 and a 9-2 win on Feb. 24, 2017. Both victories were a part of a Fresno State non-conference tournament in Fresno, Calif.
• Fresno State earned the conference crown for the first time since 2016 and punched its ticket to the big show for the first time since 2017. Freshman Keahilele Mattson earned MW Player of the Year and Co-Freshman of the Year, while Bulldog Ace Hailey Dolcini was named MW Pitcher of the Year. Fresno State's pitchers hold a combined 1.88 ERA, which ranks 17th nationally. As a team, the Bulldogs are also batting .297 which ranks 49th nationally.
GOPHER NOTES
• Minnesota's 47 home runs, which ranks first in the Big Ten, with Nebraska and Michigan are second at 37 this year. In fact, Minnesota averages 1.18 home runs per game, which ranks 29th nationally. Natalie DenHartog led the league with 13 home runs, while Sara Kinch had eight and Katelyn Kemmetmueller and MaKenna Partain had seven.
• Sara Kinch was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She compiled a .429 batting average and a .857 slugging percentage in the series win over Penn State last weekend. Kinch also held a .429 on-base percentage when she hit two home runs and two runs scored. Having a hit in all four games of the series, Kinch homered in last Friday's 4-0 win and the Saturday's 10-0 shutout. As the Gophers' starting catcher, Kinch also had 18 putouts, six assists and threw out one batter during a steal attempt.
• The Gopher pitching corps holds a 2.07 ERA this season, which ranks second in the Big Ten and 27th nationally. Autumn Pease holds a 1.63 ERA with 94 strikeouts to just 18 walks and a 11-2 record in 103 innings this year. Amber Fiser holds a 2.19 ERA, 15-8 record and 128 strikeouts to 43 walks in 153.2 innings pitched this season.
• Minnesota had eight individuals receive Big Ten honors, announced today by the league office. Natalie DenHartog and MaKenna Partain have been named First Team All-Big Ten, while Amber Fiser, Emily Hansen, Katelyn Kemmetmueller and Autumn Pease garnered Second Team All-Big Ten. Fiser was also named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team, and Sara Kinch received Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. Carlie Brandt was Minnesota's Sportsmanship Award recipient. It marks the third Big Ten honors for both Partain and Fiser, the second for DenHartog and the first for Kemmetmueller and Hansen. This is the first All-Big Ten softball honors since 2019 as the 2020 season was shortened due to COVID-19.
SCHEDULE
Los Angeles Regional Schedule
Friday, May 21
Game 1 – Fresno State vs. Minnesota - 7 p.m. CT - ESPNU
Game 2 – Long Beach State at No. 2 UCLA - 9:30 p.m. CT - ESPN2
Saturday, May 22
Game 3 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 3:30 p.m. CT – ESPN Family of Networks
Game 4 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 6 p.m. – CT ESPN Family of Networks
Game 5 – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 8:30 p.m. CT – ESPN Family of Networks
Sunday, May 23
Game 6 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 5 p.m. CT – ESPN Family of Networks
Game 7 – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (if necessary) – 7:30 p.m. CT – ESPN Family of Networks
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