MINNESOTA vs. WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY
(Doubleheader)
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Facility: Jane Sage Cowles Stadium (1,000)
Date: Wednesday, May 2, 4 p.m.
Live Video: Live video of Wednesday’s doubleheader against UW-Green Bay will be available in the Gold Zone, the premium site for Gopher athletics.
Live Stats: Live stats for both games against the Phoenix will be available on Gophersports.com. To access live stats, go the softball schedule page and click on the link on the right side next to the appropriate game. Link will be available at start time.
GOPHER SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK
Final Week of the Regular Season
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Golden Gopher softball team hosts a mid-week doubleheader against Wisconsin-Green Bay at 4 p.m., on Wednesday at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. Still in the hunt for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament, Minnesota will hope to build some momentum heading into a crucial series against arch-rival Wisconsin over the weekend.
The Series vs. UW-Green Bay
Minnesota has dominated the series against the Phoenix, winning 24 of the 25 meetings all-time, including sweeping a doubleheader earlier this year with a pair of shutouts at Green Bay (4/17). Overall, the Gophers have won each of the last 15 games between the two schools. UW-Green Bay’s only victory in the series came on April, 18, 2000.
The Playoff Picture
Minnesota is one of four teams still in the hunt for one of the final two spots in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, along with Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin. With a 3-8 record, the Gophers currently sit in 10th place in the conference standings but are within striking distance of each of the three teams ahead of them.
The playoff scenario is pretty clear-cut: the Gophers need to sweep Wisconsin and need either Michigan State or Penn State to get swept. The Spartans and Nittany Lions play Michigan and Ohio State, respectively, the No. 3 and No. 1 teams in the conference standings. If the Gophers and Badgers split, both teams are out and MSU and PSU will advance to the Big Ten Tournament.
Here is a breakdown of the battle for the final two spots in the Big Ten Tournament:
Rk...Team............Record...............Rem. Games
7......Michigan St.........428 (6-8)........vs. Michigan*
........With 2 wins.........500
........With Split.............437
........With 2 losses......375
8......Penn State..........416 (5-7)......vs. Ohio State
........With 2 wins.........500
........With Split.............428
........With 2 losses......357
9......Wisconsin...........428 (5-11)....vs. Minnesota
........With 2 wins.........388
........With Split.............333
........With 2 losses......277
10....Minnesota...........272 (3-8)......vs. Wisconsin
........With 2 wins.........384
........With Split.............307
........With 2 losses......230
* Indicates a home-and-home series.
Defending its Borders
With doubleheader sweeps over Wisconsin-Green Bay and North Dakota State and a split with South Dakota State, Minnesota currently boasts a 5-1 record on the season against schools from states with which it shares a border. With two series’ against Wisconsin schools this week, the Gophers hope to add to their win total as they fight for one of the final spots in the Big Ten Tournament.
Minnesota has posted six straight winning seasons against schools from neighboring states. During that stretch, the Gophers have a record of 46-27 (.630) against their border rivals.
TDS Border Battle
A lot is riding on Minnesota’s series with the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend. Not only does the series have major playoff implications but it will also determine the winner of the third annual TDS Border Battle, the annual battle for border supremacy between the two schools’ athletic departments. Wisconsin currently leads the race by a slim 10-point margin, with both of the softball games counting for 20 points apiece. Men’s and women’s track and field are the only other sports still to be decided, but the school’s are expected to split that battle.
A Huge Upset
Minnesota’s victory over No. 9 Michigan last Friday was its first over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 24 Pacific on March 11, 2005. It was the highest ranked opponent the Golden Gophers have beaten since knocking off No. 7 Cal State Fullerton on March 1, 2003, which snapped a 32-game winning streak for the Titans.
That's a No-No
In the second game of last Tuesday’s doubleheader against South Dakota State, sophomore pitcher Briana Hassett threw the 15th no-hitter in school history. She collected a career-high 14 strikeouts and was perfect through 5.2 innings before issuing back-to-back walks with two outs in the sixth, the only two batters to reach base for the Jackrabbits.
Hassett’s no-hitter was the first for a Golden Gopher pitcher since teammate Katie Dalen tossed a no-no against Rhode Island on March 18, 2005.
Hassett is one of just seven pitchers in the Big Ten to throw a no-hitter this season. Ohio State’s Jamee Juarez is the only pitcher in the conference to record multiple no-hitters during the 2007 season. Here is a look at the no-nos thrown by Big Ten pitchers this year:
Pitcher (School)..................Opponent (Date)
Lauren Delaney (NU)...............vs. Illinois (4/29)
Briana Hassett (MINN)............vs. SDSU (4/24)
Jamee Juarez (OSU)............vs. IUPUI (4/18)**
Lesley Noel (MSU)...................vs. IPFW (4/18)
Rachel Turney (MSU)....vs. Miami (OH) (3/25)
Jamee Juarez (OSU)..........vs. Oakland (3/18)
Megan Hair (MSU)........vs. St. Joseph’s (3/6)**
Eileen Canney (NU)...........vs. California (2/17)
** Indicates perfect game.
Hanging Tough
Minnesota has played some of its best softball against the toughest competition this year. Despite just a 1-5 record against ranked opponents, the Gophers have hung tough with some of the top teams in the country all year long and finally broke through with a shutout victory over No. 9 Michigan last Friday. Sophomore pitcher Briana Hassett picked up her second straight shutout by holding the top offense in the Big Ten scoreless on just two hits while striking out seven.
Earlier this year, Minnesota lost a heartbreaker to then-No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday, Feb. 17. Minnesota jumped out to a 5-1 lead over the Sooners before OU rallied for five runs in the final two innings to dash the Gophers’ upset hopes. Since then, Oklahoma has climbed to as high as No. 2 in the national rankings and is currently ranked third.
At the Worth Invitational in Fullerton the first weekend in March, Minnesota had a 2-0 lead against No. 8 Stanford after the top of the first before the Cardinal responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Gophers played even-up with Stanford the rest of the way in a 6-3 loss.
Against No. 10 Northwestern, the Gophers held a 1-0 lead over the Wildcats before one bad inning led to a 7-1 loss in a game which was called after five innings due to rain.
The Slimmest of Margins
With a 8-6 record in one-run games so far this season, Minnesota has continued a trend of success in one-run games. Over the last decade, the Golden Gophers have been outstanding in one-run contests, posting a 110-76 (.591) mark in those games since 1998.
Out of this League
With an 18-13 record against non-conference opponents and just two games remaining against teams from outside the Big Ten, Minnesota has now posted a .500 record or better against non-conference opponents in 12 straight seasons, including a 16-16 mark in 2006. The last time the Golden Gophers were under .500 against non-conference opponents was in 1995. Since then, Minnesota is 306-155-2 (.663) against teams from outside the Big Ten.
