University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, April 13
3:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
South Dakota State
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
Gophers, Jackrabbits Set for Mid-Week Tilt Wednesday
4/12/2022 2:15:00 PM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS - After being delayed for weather last week, the Minnesota softball team is set to host the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State Wednesday afternoon in a single game at 3 p.m. from Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
Tickets are still available for the game and fans that held tickets to the original date (April 6) can use them Wednesday or watch the action live on B1G+.
MID-WEEK QUICK HITS
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
After playing its first 28 games of the 2022 season away from home, Minnesota had a chance to play in front of a home crowd April 1-3 hosting the Fighting Illini and welcomed more than 2,500 fans into the stadium over the course of the series. The Gophers have posted a 96-21 (.813) record at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium dating back to 2013 and are 8-2 in their last 10 home openers after suffering an extra-inning loss to Illinois April 1.
NEW HOME RUN QUEEN
On the third pitch she saw in the fourth inning Mar. 27 at Rutgers, Natalie DenHartog sent a deep fly high over the center field fence and circled the bases for the 52nd time in her career. That set a Minnesota record as she became the all-time home run leader passing Jordanne Nygren's mark of 51 from 1999-2003. She matched Nygren on a solo shot against Drake Mar. 12 capping an incredible stretch where she belted eight home runs in a span of 28 at-bats. A senior from Hopkins, Minn., DenHartog is currently averaging one home run every 7.7 trips to the plate this year and has totaled 165 RBI across 162 career games played, needing just five RBI to crack the program's top five. She also is 10th in the country launching 15 home runs and ranks 24th in the NCAA registering 90 total bases.
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
The Gophers non-conference schedule ranked as the fifth toughest in all of NCAA softball as they played 14 games against opponents inside the top 50 of the RPI, including 11 in the top 25. Minnesota has posted a 13-11-1 record when facing a team outside of the Big Ten Conference this season.
CHLOE IN CHARGE
Chloe Evans has reached base safely in 28 of 34 games played this season and been a run-producing machine for Minnesota. The sophomore paces the team with 36 RBI and ranks 40th in the country averaging more than a RBI per game, including four, four-RBI performances. She has a hit in 15 of her last 17 outings and scored at least one run in 11 of those contests.
VINTAGE JENSEN
Redshirt senior Ellee Jensen is on a team-high six-game hitting streak, including four games with multiple hits, to raise her batting average by nearly 70 points. She also has scored six times over that stretch. She now leads the Gophers with a .455 batting average in B1G play, while also excelling in left field continuing to make highlight-reel catches.
STRELOW SURGING
Sydney Strelow has been surging through Big Ten play recording a .429 batting average in nine games and has an .857 slugging percentage with three doubles and two home runs. Even more impressive are the 11 walks and one hit-by-pitch as the junior has tallied a team-leading .636 on-base percentage reaching base safely in all nine contests. Nine of those walks have come in the previous five games.
RECOMMEND A DINGER (OR MORE) A DAY
Minnesota has launched 49 home runs in 34 games this season to sit 15th in the NCAA averaging 1.44 home runs per game. Nine different players have hit a long ball, led by 15 from DenHartog and seven by Evans, helping the Gophers to a 17-6-1 record when hitting at least one home run. The team's six home runs Mar. 27 at Rutgers were the most in a single game since hitting six against Kent State Mar. 1, 2019, and just the second time hitting that mark over the last decade.
MILESTONE WATCH
Minnesota has tallied 1,483 wins in program history and needs 17 more to reach the elusive 1,500-win mark. As it stands, the Gophers are 12th in NCAA Division I softball history in total wins dating back to the start of the program in 1974.
UP NEXT
Minnesota is right back on the road for a Big Ten series at Nebraska April 15-17 facing the league-leading Huskers.
Tickets are still available for the game and fans that held tickets to the original date (April 6) can use them Wednesday or watch the action live on B1G+.
MID-WEEK QUICK HITS
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
After playing its first 28 games of the 2022 season away from home, Minnesota had a chance to play in front of a home crowd April 1-3 hosting the Fighting Illini and welcomed more than 2,500 fans into the stadium over the course of the series. The Gophers have posted a 96-21 (.813) record at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium dating back to 2013 and are 8-2 in their last 10 home openers after suffering an extra-inning loss to Illinois April 1.
NEW HOME RUN QUEEN
On the third pitch she saw in the fourth inning Mar. 27 at Rutgers, Natalie DenHartog sent a deep fly high over the center field fence and circled the bases for the 52nd time in her career. That set a Minnesota record as she became the all-time home run leader passing Jordanne Nygren's mark of 51 from 1999-2003. She matched Nygren on a solo shot against Drake Mar. 12 capping an incredible stretch where she belted eight home runs in a span of 28 at-bats. A senior from Hopkins, Minn., DenHartog is currently averaging one home run every 7.7 trips to the plate this year and has totaled 165 RBI across 162 career games played, needing just five RBI to crack the program's top five. She also is 10th in the country launching 15 home runs and ranks 24th in the NCAA registering 90 total bases.
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
The Gophers non-conference schedule ranked as the fifth toughest in all of NCAA softball as they played 14 games against opponents inside the top 50 of the RPI, including 11 in the top 25. Minnesota has posted a 13-11-1 record when facing a team outside of the Big Ten Conference this season.
CHLOE IN CHARGE
Chloe Evans has reached base safely in 28 of 34 games played this season and been a run-producing machine for Minnesota. The sophomore paces the team with 36 RBI and ranks 40th in the country averaging more than a RBI per game, including four, four-RBI performances. She has a hit in 15 of her last 17 outings and scored at least one run in 11 of those contests.
VINTAGE JENSEN
Redshirt senior Ellee Jensen is on a team-high six-game hitting streak, including four games with multiple hits, to raise her batting average by nearly 70 points. She also has scored six times over that stretch. She now leads the Gophers with a .455 batting average in B1G play, while also excelling in left field continuing to make highlight-reel catches.
STRELOW SURGING
Sydney Strelow has been surging through Big Ten play recording a .429 batting average in nine games and has an .857 slugging percentage with three doubles and two home runs. Even more impressive are the 11 walks and one hit-by-pitch as the junior has tallied a team-leading .636 on-base percentage reaching base safely in all nine contests. Nine of those walks have come in the previous five games.
RECOMMEND A DINGER (OR MORE) A DAY
Minnesota has launched 49 home runs in 34 games this season to sit 15th in the NCAA averaging 1.44 home runs per game. Nine different players have hit a long ball, led by 15 from DenHartog and seven by Evans, helping the Gophers to a 17-6-1 record when hitting at least one home run. The team's six home runs Mar. 27 at Rutgers were the most in a single game since hitting six against Kent State Mar. 1, 2019, and just the second time hitting that mark over the last decade.
MILESTONE WATCH
Minnesota has tallied 1,483 wins in program history and needs 17 more to reach the elusive 1,500-win mark. As it stands, the Gophers are 12th in NCAA Division I softball history in total wins dating back to the start of the program in 1974.
UP NEXT
Minnesota is right back on the road for a Big Ten series at Nebraska April 15-17 facing the league-leading Huskers.
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