University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, May 11
Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
11:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
No. 6 Ohio State
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballINF/UT
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
Photo by: Kelly Hagenson
Gophers Begin Postseason Conquest at B1G Tournament
5/9/2023 11:20:00 PM | Softball
Minnesota makes its 16th all-time appearance in the B1G Tournament
MINNEAPOLIS – Following its fourth straight sweep, the University of Minnesota softball team heads to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to compete at the Big Ten Softball Tournament from May 11-13. Finishing the regular season 36-16 (17-6 B1G) with an 11-game win streak, the Golden Gophers have picked up the No. 3 seed and will begin their postseason conquest on Thursday.
The Maroon and Gold will either face sixth-seeded Ohio State or 11th-seeded Rutgers on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT in a quarterfinal matchup.
B1G Tournament History
This will be the Golden Gophers' 16th all-time appearance in the B1G Tournament where they have posted a record of 23-16, including a mark of 16-4 since 2014. Minnesota has five tournament titles, including three straight from 2016-2018.
Three-Peat + Some More!
Autumn Pease's final week of the season caught the attention of the league and NFCA as the she was named B1G Pitcher of the Week for the third consecutive time (fourth this season, fifth in her career) and NFCA Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career.
Continuing her streak of 11 consecutive wins in the circle for the Golden Gophers, Pease pitched two complete games, allowing seven hits, and tossing 14 strikeouts over the weekend. The fifth year senior leads the conference in wins (25) and strikeouts (243), nationally she ranks fourth in wins and fifth in strikeouts.
Oakland on the Rise
Jess Oakland has stayed consistent in Minnesota's lineup, nabbing a hit in 15 of the Golden Gophers' last 16 contests. Sitting fourth overall for home runs (14) in the Big Ten, she's hit four in the Maroon and Gold's last six games. Notably, the freshman is the only newbie on Minnesota's squad to have started all 52 games.
Holy Krapf!
Sophomore Taylor Krapf had one of the biggest bats over the weekend, driving in a career-high six runs on Saturday against the Wolverines. The transfer hit two home runs and leads Minnesota in five categories: Avg (.361), Hits (52), RBI (47), SLG % (.722) and Home Runs (14).
Here Come the Gophers
This week, the University of Minnesota softball team received top 25 votes in three publications: D1 Softball (23), Extra Inning Softball (20), and Softball America (23). This is the third time this season the Golden Gophers have appeared in a top 25 poll.
Seeing Double
Sophomore Kayla Chavez and junior Maddy Ehlke both lead the Maroon & Gold squad in doubles with 14 so far this season. Each need four to surpass Amber Hegland (1998) to enter Minnesota's top five for doubles in a single season.
Making History
Minnesota's sweep over Michigan marks the first complete season sweep over the Wolverines since 1983 and first series win since 2012.
Milestone Watch
In her third season as head coach, Piper Ritter is six games away from reaching 100 at the helm of the Golden Gopher softball program.
The Maroon and Gold will either face sixth-seeded Ohio State or 11th-seeded Rutgers on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT in a quarterfinal matchup.
B1G Tournament History
This will be the Golden Gophers' 16th all-time appearance in the B1G Tournament where they have posted a record of 23-16, including a mark of 16-4 since 2014. Minnesota has five tournament titles, including three straight from 2016-2018.
Three-Peat + Some More!
Autumn Pease's final week of the season caught the attention of the league and NFCA as the she was named B1G Pitcher of the Week for the third consecutive time (fourth this season, fifth in her career) and NFCA Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career.
Continuing her streak of 11 consecutive wins in the circle for the Golden Gophers, Pease pitched two complete games, allowing seven hits, and tossing 14 strikeouts over the weekend. The fifth year senior leads the conference in wins (25) and strikeouts (243), nationally she ranks fourth in wins and fifth in strikeouts.
Oakland on the Rise
Jess Oakland has stayed consistent in Minnesota's lineup, nabbing a hit in 15 of the Golden Gophers' last 16 contests. Sitting fourth overall for home runs (14) in the Big Ten, she's hit four in the Maroon and Gold's last six games. Notably, the freshman is the only newbie on Minnesota's squad to have started all 52 games.
Holy Krapf!
Sophomore Taylor Krapf had one of the biggest bats over the weekend, driving in a career-high six runs on Saturday against the Wolverines. The transfer hit two home runs and leads Minnesota in five categories: Avg (.361), Hits (52), RBI (47), SLG % (.722) and Home Runs (14).
Here Come the Gophers
This week, the University of Minnesota softball team received top 25 votes in three publications: D1 Softball (23), Extra Inning Softball (20), and Softball America (23). This is the third time this season the Golden Gophers have appeared in a top 25 poll.
Seeing Double
Sophomore Kayla Chavez and junior Maddy Ehlke both lead the Maroon & Gold squad in doubles with 14 so far this season. Each need four to surpass Amber Hegland (1998) to enter Minnesota's top five for doubles in a single season.
Making History
Minnesota's sweep over Michigan marks the first complete season sweep over the Wolverines since 1983 and first series win since 2012.
Milestone Watch
In her third season as head coach, Piper Ritter is six games away from reaching 100 at the helm of the Golden Gopher softball program.
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