University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 5
Tulsa, OK
11:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
DePaul
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C/1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
Gophers Ready for Challenge in Sooner State
3/4/2022 12:30:00 PM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS - Gopher softball heads south for their toughest stretch of games this season playing six times in the state of Oklahoma over a five-day stretch Mar. 5-9, including matchups with a pair of top-10 foes.
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Catch five of the games on live video streams from three different cities opening in Tulsa Saturday before heading to Stillwater Sunday as part of the OSU-TU Invitational. Minnesota continues the road swing battling the nation's No. 1 team, Oklahoma, in Norman Monday, while the final contest is slated for Wednesday night back in Stillwater against the No. 8 Cowgirls.
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WEEKEND QUICK HITS
SENIOR LEADERS
As they've done all season, it's been the senior class leading the Gophers offensively as the top four hitters with averages above .300 are all seniors or graduate students. Lauren Espalin tops the team with a .380 batting average and Makenna Dowell has climbed to .366, while Natalie DenHartog and Ellee Jensen remain at .333 and .303, respectively. Aided by fellow seniors Megan Dray, Emily Hansen and Ali Lindner, the class has combined for 39 RBI, 10 home runs, 33 free bases and 10 of the team's 12 stolen bases.
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DENHARTOG CLIMBING
DenHartog launched the 43rd home run of her career Feb. 25 matching Tyler Walker (2012-15) and Shannon Beeler (1996-99) for second on the Minnesota all-time home run list. She continues to chase Jordanne Nygren (1999-2003) and the record of 51 career long balls. A senior from Hopkins, Minn., DenHartog is currently averaging one home run per 9.9 trips to the plate and has registered 144 RBI across 143 games played.
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EXPERIENCE PAYS OFF
The Gophers added two high-level graduate transfers from Power Five programs to the mix for 2022 as Dowell (Auburn) and Espalin (Cal) got to campus in the fall and are making an immediate impact on the lineup. Espalin leads the team lead posting a .380 batting average with five doubles, seven RBI and 10 runs scored getting a three-hit effort against her former team Feb. 20. Dowell paces Minnesota registering a .500 on-base percentage and recorded multiple RBI in five of her last eight games played.
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DEFENSIVE GEMS
The Minnesota defense has excelled all season showcased by numerous highlight-reel plays in both the infield and outfield and tallied a .971 fielding percentage. Twice the Gophers have been featured as a top play by NCAA Softball and turned nearly one double play every two games, ranking 40th in the country.
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HOME RUN ALLEY
Minnesota has launched 17 home runs in 15 games this season to sit 35th in the NCAA in home runs per game. Six different players have hit a long ball, led by four from both DenHartog and Dray, helping the Gophers to an 8-2 record when hitting at least one home run.
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THE BOUNCE BACK
The Gophers have posted a 4-1 record in games following a loss this season showing their ability to rebound from a setback after claiming a 3-0 shutout of UNI Feb. 26.
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LEADING OFF
Minnesota has recorded a .370 batting average (37-for-100) when leading off an inning. DenHartog is hitting .714 as the lead-off batter (5-for-7) and Dowell is 6-for-10 giving the Gophers offense early chances with runners on base.
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FIRST LOOK
During her first collegiate weekend, Leavitt put up a 2-1 record and a save throwing 16.2 innings. She got the starting nod in the season opener facing nationally-ranked Georgia and struck out seven in six innings of work giving up just one earned run. The freshman leads Minnesota with a 6-3 record and appeared in 12 of the team's 15 games, including a three-hit shutout of UNI Feb. 26.
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UP NEXT
The Gophers continue their extended road stretch heading to Austin, Texas, for the Bevo Classic Mar. 11-13.
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Catch five of the games on live video streams from three different cities opening in Tulsa Saturday before heading to Stillwater Sunday as part of the OSU-TU Invitational. Minnesota continues the road swing battling the nation's No. 1 team, Oklahoma, in Norman Monday, while the final contest is slated for Wednesday night back in Stillwater against the No. 8 Cowgirls.
Â
WEEKEND QUICK HITS
SENIOR LEADERS
As they've done all season, it's been the senior class leading the Gophers offensively as the top four hitters with averages above .300 are all seniors or graduate students. Lauren Espalin tops the team with a .380 batting average and Makenna Dowell has climbed to .366, while Natalie DenHartog and Ellee Jensen remain at .333 and .303, respectively. Aided by fellow seniors Megan Dray, Emily Hansen and Ali Lindner, the class has combined for 39 RBI, 10 home runs, 33 free bases and 10 of the team's 12 stolen bases.
Â
DENHARTOG CLIMBING
DenHartog launched the 43rd home run of her career Feb. 25 matching Tyler Walker (2012-15) and Shannon Beeler (1996-99) for second on the Minnesota all-time home run list. She continues to chase Jordanne Nygren (1999-2003) and the record of 51 career long balls. A senior from Hopkins, Minn., DenHartog is currently averaging one home run per 9.9 trips to the plate and has registered 144 RBI across 143 games played.
Â
EXPERIENCE PAYS OFF
The Gophers added two high-level graduate transfers from Power Five programs to the mix for 2022 as Dowell (Auburn) and Espalin (Cal) got to campus in the fall and are making an immediate impact on the lineup. Espalin leads the team lead posting a .380 batting average with five doubles, seven RBI and 10 runs scored getting a three-hit effort against her former team Feb. 20. Dowell paces Minnesota registering a .500 on-base percentage and recorded multiple RBI in five of her last eight games played.
Â
DEFENSIVE GEMS
The Minnesota defense has excelled all season showcased by numerous highlight-reel plays in both the infield and outfield and tallied a .971 fielding percentage. Twice the Gophers have been featured as a top play by NCAA Softball and turned nearly one double play every two games, ranking 40th in the country.
Â
HOME RUN ALLEY
Minnesota has launched 17 home runs in 15 games this season to sit 35th in the NCAA in home runs per game. Six different players have hit a long ball, led by four from both DenHartog and Dray, helping the Gophers to an 8-2 record when hitting at least one home run.
Â
THE BOUNCE BACK
The Gophers have posted a 4-1 record in games following a loss this season showing their ability to rebound from a setback after claiming a 3-0 shutout of UNI Feb. 26.
Â
LEADING OFF
Minnesota has recorded a .370 batting average (37-for-100) when leading off an inning. DenHartog is hitting .714 as the lead-off batter (5-for-7) and Dowell is 6-for-10 giving the Gophers offense early chances with runners on base.
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FIRST LOOK
During her first collegiate weekend, Leavitt put up a 2-1 record and a save throwing 16.2 innings. She got the starting nod in the season opener facing nationally-ranked Georgia and struck out seven in six innings of work giving up just one earned run. The freshman leads Minnesota with a 6-3 record and appeared in 12 of the team's 15 games, including a three-hit shutout of UNI Feb. 26.
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UP NEXT
The Gophers continue their extended road stretch heading to Austin, Texas, for the Bevo Classic Mar. 11-13.
Highlights: Gophers 2, Ohio State 1
Sunday, April 05
Highlights: Gophers 2, Illinois 0
Sunday, March 29
Highlights: Gophers 5, Illinois 2
Friday, March 27
Highlights: Gophers 1, Iowa 0
Sunday, March 22