University of Minnesota Athletics
Groenewegen, Canada Begin Summer Olympics This Week
7/19/2021 10:45:00 AM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota softball legend Sara Groenewegen (Surrey, B.C.) is set to begin play at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with Softball Canada on July 21. Canada will take on Mexico in their opening game at 1 a.m. CT which can be seen on either the NBC Sports Network or the NBC Olympic Channel.
Canada enters the games as the No. 3 ranked softball team in the world according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) that uses a point system to determine the ratings. Canada sits behind Team USA (No. 1) and Japan (No. 2).
Softball will serve as the first official competition of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with Groenewegen's home county guaranteed at least five games at the 32nd Olympiad. Another notable matchup for Softball Canada is on July 22 when the Canadians will take on Team USA in primetime at 7 p.m. CT. There are two stages to the competition with the opening round allowing each of the six participating teams to play one game against each of the other five teams. Teams are ranked after the opening round by win-loss record. If two teams are tied in record at the end of the round, the team that won the matchup between both teams is ranked higher. The first- and second-ranked teams advance to the gold medal game, while the third- and fourth-ranked teams advance to the bronze medal game. The remaining two teams are eliminated.
Softball's Olympic competition concludes on July 26-27 with the bronze medal game set for July 26 at 11 p.m. CT while the gold medal game will be contested on July 27 at 6 a.m. CT. Both the gold and bronze medal games are contested over a single seven-inning, winner-take-all game. The home team is the higher ranked of the two teams involved in each game. The first two days of competition will be played at the Fukushima Azuma Stadium, and after the opening ceremonies on July 23rd, the remaining games will be played at Yokohama Stadium.
Canada qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the 2019 WBSC Softball Americas Qualifier held in Surrey, B.C. by finishing in the top two of the 12-team event along with Mexico. Softball returns to the Olympic Games after being left off at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Canada narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish the last time the sport appeared at Beijing 2008.
Groenewegen was a three-time All-American for the Golden Gophers from 2014-17. Busting onto the Big Ten scene as a freshman in 2014, Groenewegen was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She followed that with Big Ten Player of the Year accolades in 2015. Named the 2017 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year her senior season, Groenewegen was a four-time First Team All-Big Ten selection. She finished her career with a 107-21 record, a program best 1,214 career strikeouts, a 1.58 career earned run average and 82 complete games in 797 innings pitched. As a hitter, Groenewegen was hit .305 and started in 231 career games.
Make sure to follow the Gophers on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherSoftball) and on Facebook so you do not miss any content during the Olympics. Fans can also click here to follow live scores, updates and more regarding softball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Canada enters the games as the No. 3 ranked softball team in the world according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) that uses a point system to determine the ratings. Canada sits behind Team USA (No. 1) and Japan (No. 2).
Softball will serve as the first official competition of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with Groenewegen's home county guaranteed at least five games at the 32nd Olympiad. Another notable matchup for Softball Canada is on July 22 when the Canadians will take on Team USA in primetime at 7 p.m. CT. There are two stages to the competition with the opening round allowing each of the six participating teams to play one game against each of the other five teams. Teams are ranked after the opening round by win-loss record. If two teams are tied in record at the end of the round, the team that won the matchup between both teams is ranked higher. The first- and second-ranked teams advance to the gold medal game, while the third- and fourth-ranked teams advance to the bronze medal game. The remaining two teams are eliminated.
Softball's Olympic competition concludes on July 26-27 with the bronze medal game set for July 26 at 11 p.m. CT while the gold medal game will be contested on July 27 at 6 a.m. CT. Both the gold and bronze medal games are contested over a single seven-inning, winner-take-all game. The home team is the higher ranked of the two teams involved in each game. The first two days of competition will be played at the Fukushima Azuma Stadium, and after the opening ceremonies on July 23rd, the remaining games will be played at Yokohama Stadium.
Canada qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the 2019 WBSC Softball Americas Qualifier held in Surrey, B.C. by finishing in the top two of the 12-team event along with Mexico. Softball returns to the Olympic Games after being left off at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Canada narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish the last time the sport appeared at Beijing 2008.
Groenewegen was a three-time All-American for the Golden Gophers from 2014-17. Busting onto the Big Ten scene as a freshman in 2014, Groenewegen was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She followed that with Big Ten Player of the Year accolades in 2015. Named the 2017 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year her senior season, Groenewegen was a four-time First Team All-Big Ten selection. She finished her career with a 107-21 record, a program best 1,214 career strikeouts, a 1.58 career earned run average and 82 complete games in 797 innings pitched. As a hitter, Groenewegen was hit .305 and started in 231 career games.
Make sure to follow the Gophers on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherSoftball) and on Facebook so you do not miss any content during the Olympics. Fans can also click here to follow live scores, updates and more regarding softball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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