College Softball News

5 Things to watch at the 2017 Big Ten Softball Tournament

The second-ranked Minnesota Gophers won their first Big Ten regular season title since 1991. Did you know that they have also won two of the last three Big Ten tournaments? All signs are pointing to clash between Minnesota and No. 14 Michigan. The difference this year than in years past, Michigan is looking to be the spoiler.

Fighting Illini vs. Cornhuskers

The only team in the conference to scratch out a win against Minnesota will get challenged in the second round when the most likely face Nebraska. The two did meet earlier in the season with Illinois take two of three. The Illini took the first two games, which were both close. The third game Nebraska came back with a 14-0 win. On the weekend the Cornhuskers outscored the Illini 17-6. Nebraska has been up and down all season long and dropped all three games to Purdue to end the season. Keep an eye on Nicole Evans from Illinois. She leads the team with a .372 average and has 17 home runs on the season.  Illinois comes into the tournament having lost seven of their last 10. At this point, it should be considered a toss-up with the slight edge going to Illinois.

Buckeyes vs. Badgers

The two have yet to meet this season. Wisconsin (33-15)  got off to a red-hot start winning 19-of-20 to start the season. The Badgers did have some midseason struggles, but so did Ohio State (32-14). They essentially have the same record coming in making this a solid match-up. Both teams dropped the series against Michigan, but they both also won a game against the Wolverines. Wisconsin is led by Chloe Miller who is having a great season with a .423 average and nine home runs on the season. Wisconsin’s pitching has also been consistent with the work of Kristen Stevens (9-4) and Kaitlyn Menz (22-9). Ohio State has a big-time hitter of their own in Lilli Piper. Piper is batting .420 with 16 home runs on the season. Statistically, Ohio State has the third best pitching staff in the conference with Wisconsin coming in fourth. Much like the previous game, we looked at this one will be tight. It may come down to mistakes and Ohio State has been the better fielding team this season.

Minnesota

The Gophers (51-3) are having a breakout season. They have put up great hitting and pitching numbers and are the first team in school history to win 50 games. Freshman catcher Kendyl Lindaman may be the best hitter in the Big Ten, but she may be one of the best hitters in the nation this year. Her slash line is .432/.592/.932 with 19 home runs. Opposing pitchers started pitching around her which resulted in her walking 52 times this season, that is 32% of her at-bats. In the circle, Sara Groenewegen (27-2) has been just as impressive with her 0.60 ERA and 256 strikeouts. She has only allowed 26 walks one season. These are not the only stars this season. As a team, Minnesota is ranked third nationally in batting average (.350) and second in ERA (1.18). Thus far it appears that Minnesota has all the tools to make some real noise this post season.

Michigan

Michigan (41-10-1) has seemed to hit its stride the last few weeks winning nine straight and outscoring the opposition 88-6 in those nine games. Kelly Christner has had a solid season at the plate posting a .419 average with eight home runs and 39 RBI. Although based on the last nine game, it has seemed they have been explosive that is not the case for most the season. They have struggled at times to score runs. They are also lacking the fire power they have had the past few years. Currently, they do not have any hitters with more than eight home runs. With that said they are balanced one thru nine. Megan Betsa (23-7) has been great in the circle, especially the last half of the season. On the year she carries a 1.18 ERA with 370 strikeouts. The Wolverines are also the best fielding team in the conference and have only made 25 errors all season.

Minnesota vs. Michigan

The two did not play in the regular season making this match-up even more interesting. Of course, they both have to first reach the championship game, but let’s assume they do for arguments sake. On paper, Minnesota has to be the favorite and they are the defending tournament champions. If they face Betsa, it will be the best pitcher they have seen in some time. Will the Gopher bats be able to adjust? Historically Minnesota has done well against Betsa. Michigan has struggled in the past against Groenewegen. This has really become a good rivalry over the past five years and it should not disappoint this year. If Minnesota plays at the level they have been during their current 22 game win streak, Michigan will have their hands full. Michigan, on the other hand, is playing well coming into the tournament and we know how well they are coached. Expect a nail bitter. We have Minnesota winning a close one.

 

To Top