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Minnesota Set to Host #4 Oregon
4/10/2025 11:23:00 AM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS, MN ---The 'U' is back home this weekend. They return to Jane Sage Cowles Stadium to take on #4 Oregon. The Gophers will take on the Ducks three times April 11-13 in this Big Ten weekend series matchup. The Maroon and Gold traveled to the eastern time zone last weekend to take on Purdue. That trip is the last time Minnesota will play outside of the central time zone for the rest of the season. Minnesota takes on Oregon Friday night beginning at 5pm CT, Saturday at 1pm CT, and finishing up Sunday at 12pm CT.
GAME ONE
Minnesota (14-23, 3-10 B1G) vs. #4 Oregon (35-4, 9-1 B1G)
Date: Friday, April 11
Time: 5:00PM (CT)
GAME TWO
Minnesota (14-23, 3-10 B1G) vs. #4 Oregon (35-4, 9-1 B1G)
Date: Saturday, April 12
Time: 1:00PM (CT)
GAME THREE
Minnesota (14-23, 3-10 B1G) vs. #4 Oregon (35-4, 9-1 B1G)
Date: Sunday, April 13
Time: 12:00PM (CT)
Oregon
The Gophers continue their 51st season of competition against Oregon. The Ducks are 35-4 on the year and come into the matchup with the 'U' ranked #4 in the NFCA Top 25 and the USA Softball Top 25. They are ranked 20th in the NCAA RPI Rankings. Oregon comes into the matchup with the Gophers having lost to Loyola Marymount 3-5 in Eugene on Monday night. Prior to that the Ducks had won nine games in a row dating back to March 16 when they fell to Washington 3-4 in Seattle. The Ducks are 35-4 overall and 9-1 in conference play. Their only loss in B1G play came in that defeat to Washington on March 16. Oregon is 15-2 at home, 7-2 on the road, and a perfect 13-0 in neutral site contests. The Gophers and Ducks both faced stiff competition throughout the season. Especially before B1G play started both Oregon and Minnesota tested themselves against some of the best teams in the country. Similar opponents for the Ducks and Gophers are Arizona State, California, Tennessee, Utah, and Missouri. Oregon has also taken on North Dakota who will be traveling to Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in a couple of weeks to take on the Gophers. The Ducks fared well in their early season matchups. They defeated California 5-4, #7 Tennessee 1-0, Utah 2-0, and #22 Missouri 11-3. Minnesota fell to Utah twice and lost to Cal 4-9 during their first weekend of play in Arizona. The 'U' fell to Tennessee in California and defeated #22 Missouri 3-1. In conference play, Oregon and Minnesota have not faced any similar opponents so far. Oregon has won series against Washington 2-1, Illinois 3-0, Rutgers 2-0, and Michigan 3-0 to get to their 9-1 conference record. The Gophers went 2-2 in their series at Devon Park against Penn State and Michigan State, got swept by Nebraska and Northwestern who are both in the top five of the B1G standings with Northwestern being #1 so far, and fell to Purdue 1-2 last weekend.
History
Minnesota and Oregon have only faced each other nine times in the history of both programs. The series this weekend will mark the first time either the Gophers or Ducks will travel to either team's campus. Each matchup prior to this weekend between these schools has been a neutral site contest. This weekend also marks the first time these two programs will meet as Big Ten opponents since Oregon joined the conference in 2024. This series dates back to 1976 when the 'U' and Oregon met in Omaha, NE for a game the Gophers won 5-1. That was the last time these two met in the midwest with every other matchup coming in either California or Arizona. The Gophers are 6-3 overall against the Ducks dating back to that matchup in 1976. The most recent matchup was a 4-1 win for the 'U' in 2023 in Fullerton, CA. Before this matchup in 2023 it had been 20 years since the Duck and Gophers had competed. The largest margin of victory for Minnesota came with a 10-5 win in 1990. The Gophers won three matchups in a row for the longest win streak either team has had in this series.
Stats Highlights From Last Weekend
The Gophers had a solid weekend against Purdue last weekend. They came out with one win but were competitive in each of the three games played. Nani Valencia stood out for the 'U' at the plate. She hit .500 with four hits and five at-bats. She totaled four singles, one RBI, four total bases, two walks, and a run scored. Valencia slugged .500 and had an on-base% of .600 over three games. Another standout performer was freshman Jae Cosgriff. She tallied two hits in 6 at-bats for a .333 batting average. Jae hit her first collegiate homerun during Sunday's game. That helped her tie for the team lead in RBI with three for the weekend. Jessa Snippes, Breezy Burnett, and Taylor Krapf each had two hits on the weekend as well. Snippes scored two runs and had an RBI. Burnett hit a three-run double to tie her for the team lead in RBI. Krapf also had three RBI and two runs scored. Her hits were a homerun and a double for a slugging% of .750 to lead the Gophers. Natalie Susa stood out in the circle for the Gophers. She posted a 1.24 ERA in two appearances. She threw 5.2 innings and posted two strikeouts. Sydney Schwartz also had a nice weekend in the circle. She made three appearances throwing 11.1 total innings and totaled seven strikeouts to lead the 'U' in strikeouts.
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