University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 1
Charlotte, NC
8:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
Fordham
Players Mentioned
INF/UT
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
Gophers Head to North Carolina for Queen City Classic
2/29/2024 10:37:00 AM | Softball
Minnesota will compete in Charlotte, N.C. this upcoming weekend
GAME ONE
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs Fordham (4-7, 0-0 A-10)
Date: Friday, March 1
Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
GAME TWO
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs UNCW (8-5, 0-0 CAA)
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 9 a.m. CT
GAME THREE
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs Kentucky (11-2, 0-0 SEC)
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 11:30 a.m. CT
GAME FOUR
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs UNCW (8-5, 0-0 CAA)
Date: Sunday, March 3
Time: 11:30 a.m. CT
GAME FIVE
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs Charlotte (8-6, 0-0 C-USA)
Date: Sunday, March 3
Time: 4:30 p.m. CT
Stream: ESPN+
Tracking the Rams
Fordham comes into this weekend 4-7 on the season so far. The Rams were victorious over Southern Miss twice, Santa Clara, and Portland State. Last week, pitcher Devon Miller was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week for allowing just one earned run through 16 innings of work. Head Coach Melissa Inouye is in her sixth season at the helm of the program. In her five years, Inouye has led the Rams to a pair of Atlantic 10 titles, including the program's seventh straight in 2019, a season that coincided with her earning Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year accolades. The overall series between the Golden Gophers and Rams is 1-1, with their last meeting back in 2015.
Tracking the Hawks
8-5 and on a two-game winning streak to start off the year, the Hawks will take on the Golden Gophers on Saturday for the first time in program history. Before competing against the Gophers, UNCW will host a midweek game against fellow Big Ten opponent, Michigan State. Last week, pitcher Kara Hammock earned CAA Pitcher of the Week honors. The right hander pitched two complete games and struck out 14 batters against George Mason and Providence and limited opponents to a .085 batting average.
Tracking the Wildcats
In a rematch from opening weekend, Minnesota will face Kentucky again on neutral ground. Since Feb. 11, the Wildcats only dropped one loss to the top ranked Washington Huskies at the Clearwater Invite, they're 11-2 so far this season. They ended a perfect 5-0 weekend at the USC Upstate Tournament giving them a No.14/16 ranking in this week's major polls.Â
Tracking the 49ers
Charlotte's season started off big by splitting with No.4 Florida State at the JoAnne Graf Classic in Tallahassee. Since, the 49ers have been competing with the best and received votes in both major polls. This season, they're 8-6 overall and 2-3 at home. This weekend's matchup will be the third meeting between Charlotte and Minnesota, with the series tied 1-1.Â
In the Circle
On Saturday against Stephen F. Austin, graduate pitcher Bri Enter pitched a eight strikeouts through 7.0 innings of work. Both marked single game highs and marked the most strikeouts a Minnesota pitcher has had against a team this season. Enter previously set her single game high during opening weekend against UC Santa Barbara, throwing five strikeouts.
Jess at her Best
Sophomore shortstop Jess Oakland has been a force on both sides of the ball. At the plate, she's averaging .463 (fifth in the Big Ten) and has tacked 19 hits (second in the Big Ten). She also ranks third in assists with 33 so far this season amongst the conference. Oakland has had a hit in every game this season except for one, against Kentucky on Feb. 11. The sophomore is currently on a seven game hit streak.
Easy Breezy
Through five stolen base attempts this season, Burnett has completed all five. Currently, the sophomore is on a streak of five completed stolen bases this season and six game streak through her career. She's 6-6 on stolen bases since last season.Â
Seeing Double
During last weekend's 10-1 win over New Mexico, the Golden Gophers hit a combined four doubles and one triple on the day. Maddy Ehlke, Nani Valencia, and Jess Oakland all secured a triple bagger while Sydney Strelow hit a double and triple against the Lobos.Â
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs Fordham (4-7, 0-0 A-10)
Date: Friday, March 1
Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
GAME TWO
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs UNCW (8-5, 0-0 CAA)
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 9 a.m. CT
GAME THREE
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs Kentucky (11-2, 0-0 SEC)
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 11:30 a.m. CT
GAME FOUR
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs UNCW (8-5, 0-0 CAA)
Date: Sunday, March 3
Time: 11:30 a.m. CT
GAME FIVE
Minnesota (5-7, 0-0 B1G) vs Charlotte (8-6, 0-0 C-USA)
Date: Sunday, March 3
Time: 4:30 p.m. CT
Stream: ESPN+
Tracking the Rams
Fordham comes into this weekend 4-7 on the season so far. The Rams were victorious over Southern Miss twice, Santa Clara, and Portland State. Last week, pitcher Devon Miller was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week for allowing just one earned run through 16 innings of work. Head Coach Melissa Inouye is in her sixth season at the helm of the program. In her five years, Inouye has led the Rams to a pair of Atlantic 10 titles, including the program's seventh straight in 2019, a season that coincided with her earning Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year accolades. The overall series between the Golden Gophers and Rams is 1-1, with their last meeting back in 2015.
Tracking the Hawks
8-5 and on a two-game winning streak to start off the year, the Hawks will take on the Golden Gophers on Saturday for the first time in program history. Before competing against the Gophers, UNCW will host a midweek game against fellow Big Ten opponent, Michigan State. Last week, pitcher Kara Hammock earned CAA Pitcher of the Week honors. The right hander pitched two complete games and struck out 14 batters against George Mason and Providence and limited opponents to a .085 batting average.
Tracking the Wildcats
In a rematch from opening weekend, Minnesota will face Kentucky again on neutral ground. Since Feb. 11, the Wildcats only dropped one loss to the top ranked Washington Huskies at the Clearwater Invite, they're 11-2 so far this season. They ended a perfect 5-0 weekend at the USC Upstate Tournament giving them a No.14/16 ranking in this week's major polls.Â
Tracking the 49ers
Charlotte's season started off big by splitting with No.4 Florida State at the JoAnne Graf Classic in Tallahassee. Since, the 49ers have been competing with the best and received votes in both major polls. This season, they're 8-6 overall and 2-3 at home. This weekend's matchup will be the third meeting between Charlotte and Minnesota, with the series tied 1-1.Â
In the Circle
On Saturday against Stephen F. Austin, graduate pitcher Bri Enter pitched a eight strikeouts through 7.0 innings of work. Both marked single game highs and marked the most strikeouts a Minnesota pitcher has had against a team this season. Enter previously set her single game high during opening weekend against UC Santa Barbara, throwing five strikeouts.
Jess at her Best
Sophomore shortstop Jess Oakland has been a force on both sides of the ball. At the plate, she's averaging .463 (fifth in the Big Ten) and has tacked 19 hits (second in the Big Ten). She also ranks third in assists with 33 so far this season amongst the conference. Oakland has had a hit in every game this season except for one, against Kentucky on Feb. 11. The sophomore is currently on a seven game hit streak.
Easy Breezy
Through five stolen base attempts this season, Burnett has completed all five. Currently, the sophomore is on a streak of five completed stolen bases this season and six game streak through her career. She's 6-6 on stolen bases since last season.Â
Seeing Double
During last weekend's 10-1 win over New Mexico, the Golden Gophers hit a combined four doubles and one triple on the day. Maddy Ehlke, Nani Valencia, and Jess Oakland all secured a triple bagger while Sydney Strelow hit a double and triple against the Lobos.Â
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