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Gophers softball team prepares for the big game in Oklahoma
The Gophers softball team is heading to Oklahoma for their first ever NCAA Women’s World Series.
MINNEAPOLIS - Embrace the expectations and enjoy the journey. That’s the early talk for the University of Minnesota softball team, coming off one of its best seasons in the history of the program.
The Gophers ended a historic 2019 season with their first-ever top-8 seed since the NCAA adopted a 16-team regional host format in 2005. Minnesota won its first regional that included North Dakota State, Drake and Georgia. The following weekend, the Gophers knocked off LSU in the NCAA Super Regional to advance to the program’s first College World Series.
They won 46 games, finished 20-2 in the Big Ten and were 14-1 at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. It led to the Gophers being ranked No. 6 in preseason polls, the highest in program history. It’s a new year, and the Gophers aren’t going to sneak up on anybody this year.
They’ve also taken their time to celebrate 2019, and they’re ready to move on.
“We’re not really even talking about last year, to be honest. It’s the goals and the aspirations that are in front of this team, and no matter how successful you are, you never want your best to be behind you,” said coach Jamie Trachsel, who enters her third season with the Gophers.
For MaKenna Partain, a senior and Minnesota’s top returning infielder, the 2020 season is about taking the next step.
“Being a senior, coming in as a freshman, you dream about getting to the places we got to last year,” Partain said. “We’re not settling for anything, we’re excited to get after it this year and we’re excited to see where this team can take it. Hopefully, one step further.”
That would mean contending for a national championship. To do that, the Gophers will need to find a way to fill a void left by junior infielder and top slugger Hope Brandner. She has not been medically cleared to play, and her status with the team this coming spring is not fully known. Brandner led the Gophers last year with 19 homers and a .731 slugging percentage. She was third on the team in hitting at .354, started every game and was second on the Gophers with 59 RBI. She was a First Team All-Big Ten selection.
There’s not one person that can replace those numbers. It’s up to everybody to do their part.
“Just stay in our lanes. We can’t be someone that we’re not. We’re not asking players to be anybody that they’re not,” Trachsel said. “Finding different ways to win and different people stepping up in big moments is what was the catalyst and the strength of our team last year, and will be this year.”
The Gophers have six freshman and other new additions, and they’ll all get plenty of time to know each other. The season starts with a two-week stretch in Clearwater, Fla., which features nine games over a nine-day stretch.
After that, Minnesota heads to Waco, Texas, in mid-February to face Texas State twice, Tulsa twice and Baylor in the Baylor Tournament. The Gophers’ non-conference schedule ends with a trip to Hawaii to face Texas Tech, Drexel and Hawaii.
Minnesota will have played 32 games before its home opener on March 20 against Ohio State.
“We don’t know any different, I don’t know any different. I’ve been in the Midwest my whole coaching career, and I think you’ve heard multiple players say it in the past, we really bond when you’re traveling,” Trachsel said.
The Gophers had one of the top power-hitting offenses in college softball last year, with 72 total home runs and a .492 slugging percentage. They also had one of the better pitchers in the country.
Amber Fiser enters her senior season fifth in program history with 72 career wins and 666 career strikeouts. She was last year’s Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, and was a First Team All-American. In 40 starts last year, Fiser finished 31-9 with a 1.27 earned run average. In 259 2/3 innings last year, she had 346 strikeouts, 74 walks, 25 complete games and 10 shutouts.
Fiser finished last year a top-25 finalist for the National Player of the Year. She’s starting this year on the top-50 USA Softball Top-50 College Player of the Year Watch List. She’s not afraid to attack the strike zone, and willing to let her defense, ranked in the top-10 in the country last season, get outs for her.
“Amber is one of few pitchers that I am afraid to face when I’m in the batter’s box. Having her on my team is very, very nice. I have 100 percent confidence in her, I love playing defense behind her,” Partain said.
The new reality for the Gophers is they can’t hide this year. They’re not the cute little team in the Midwest. They enter the season ranked No. 6 in the country. The non-conference schedule features several ranked opponents, so they’ll find out right away where they stack up.
They’re embracing it full throttle.
“I would say our identity is we’re just ready to attack. Anything that’s thrown at us this season, we’re ready just go after it,” Partain said.
The hope is it sets them up to be hosting more regionals when the NCAA Tournament comes around.
“If you want to be great and you want to be elite and you want to separate yourself from everybody that’s what comes with being at the top. We welcome the challenge,” Trachsel said.
The journey starts next weekend in Florida.