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Gophers Head West for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
2/20/2025 1:22:00 PM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS- The 'U' hits the road for another travel weekend as the Gophers head west to California for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. This tournament will take place in Cathedral City, Calif at the Big League Dreams softball complex. Minnesota will face a loaded schedule and each game will be broadcasted live through FloCollege streaming.
GAME ONE
Minnesota (2-7, 0-0 B1G) vs. Fresno State (5-4, 0-0 Mountain West)
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
Time: 12:00PM (CT)
GAME TWO
Minnesota (2-7, 0-0 B1G) vs. Missouri (6-5, 0-0 SEC)
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
Time: 2:30PM (CT)
GAME THREE
Minnesota (2-7, 0-0 B1G) vs. Duke (7-3, 0-0 ACC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22
Time: 2:00PM (CT)
GAME FOUR
Minnesota (2-7, 0-0 B1G) vs. Tennessee (10-1, 0-0 ACC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22
Time: 4:30PM (CT)
GAME FIVE
Minnesota (2-7, 0-0 B1G) vs. Long Beach State (4-5, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 23
Time: 11:30AM (CT)
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
The Gophers continue their 51st season of competition at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. This tournament is named after Mary Nutter who played softball both professionally and as an amateur prior to the implementation of Title IX. Once she was done playing she became a successful college coach at Pittsburg State University. In 1987, she formed her own business conducting softball clinics around the U.S. which featured many of the most successful coaches and athletes in the sport. She was an incredible ambassador for the sport of Softball and dedicated her life to promoting fastpitch softball and educating coaches.
Checking Out the Field
Minnesota will face another loaded field this weekend. The Gophers will square off with Fresno State, #22 Missouri, #14 Duke, #7 Tennessee, and Long Beach State. The 'U' begins by taking on Fresno State who is 5-4 on the year but on a 4 game win streak. Missouri is ranked #22 in the NCAA rankings. The Tigers are 5-4 but have faced very stiff competition to start the season. Duke is #14 in the NCAA rankings. The Blue Devils are 7-3 on the year. Tennessee will be the highest ranked team the 'U' has faced so far this year. They are 10-1 and ranked 7th. Long Beach State finishes out the Gophers schedule in California. Long Beach is 4-4 on the year.
History
The Gophers last faced Fresno State in 2021 when the 'U' came out with a 6-3 victory. Minnesota faced Missouri last in 2020 and the Gophers won 10-1. The 'U' is 3-2 against Missouri all time. Minnesota and Duke have only faced each other 1 time with the Maroon and Gold coming out on top 5-1 in 2018. Tennessee and Minnesota have played each other twice before this upcoming weekend. The series is tied 1-1 with the Volunteers coming out on top most recently in 2019. The Gophers have faced Long Beach State twice before going 2-0. The last meeting between these two teams before this upcoming weekend was in 2021 when the 'U' won 11-0.
Stats Highlights From Last Weekend
Nani Valencia had another standout weekend for the Gophers last weekend. Valencia hit .588, slugged .706, and had an OB% of .632 in Florida. She amassed 10 hits in 17 ABs and had 2 doubles. Nani also extended her early season hit streak to 9 through 9 games this season. Freshman Jae Cosgriff started 4 games and appeared in all 5 games over the weekend. She hit .400 with 4 singles and had a 1.000 fielding% with 3 putouts and 1 assist. 5 Gophers hit over .300 for the weekend. Sydney Schwartz was dominant in the circle for the 'U' last weekend. She posted a 2.93 ERA over 3 starts with 2 of those starts being complete games. Schwartz highlighted the weekend by throwing a complete game shutout with 8 strikeouts in the Gopher win against NC State. She also drove in the go ahead run for the 'U' in that 2-0 victory over the Wolfpack.
For more information on Gopher Softball, fans can continue using GopherSports.com, as well as follow along on X, Instagram, and Facebook.