After more than two months of tournaments, the Minnesota softball team ships off to Bloomington, Ind., for its first game of the Big Ten season.
Indiana swept the Gophers last year, but this is a different Minnesota team that is on pace to improve its overall record by over 10 games this season.
âÄúItâÄôll be fun to get out there against Indiana,âÄù head coach Jessica Allister said. âÄúThe Big TenâÄôs a great softball conference.âÄù
AllisterâÄôs not just being partial to the Big Ten, either. After tournament play, the conference has only one team with a losing record, and more than half the teams have a winning percentage over .600.
The Gophers come into their first Big Ten game with a 17-13 record, which places them eighth overall in the talented conference. Minnesota has won 11 of its last 17 games, one of them a 1-0 victory against No. 18 Oklahoma State.
A big reason for the GophersâÄô success this year has been the progression of sophomore catcher Kari Dorle. After finishing her freshman year with a .153 average and one home run, Dorle has broken out this year, leading the team with six long balls and pushing her average up to .333.
âÄúAll my credit goes to the coaches,âÄù Dorle said. âÄúWhether itâÄôs defense or whether itâÄôs hitting, weâÄôre always working on something consistently to improve me.âÄù
Much like Dorle, the Gophers have made a sizeable improvement from last season. After a 16-37 season, which included a last place finish in the Big Ten, Minnesota is thriving under a new coaching staff.
âÄúThe biggest thing we have going right now is that weâÄôre getting better every time we step on the field,âÄù former All-American and assistant coach Jessica Merchant said. Merchant knows a thing or two about success in collegiate softball, as she was a captain for Michigan when it won the national title in 2006. Since then, she spent four years as an assistant coach at Massachusetts âÄî making the NCAA tournament every season âÄî before landing with the Gophers.
Despite her past success, Merchant has followed the one-game-at-a-time mantra that Allister has instilled in the program. When asked about whether this team has a shot to make the NCAA tournament, she said that âÄúall weâÄôre going to worry about is our next game, and our next opponent is Indiana.âÄù ItâÄôs an approach that has the team on pace to grab its first winning record since 2008.
As for its first Big Ten opponent, Minnesota will be facing an 18-12 Indiana team that has won six in a row, but has also played at home throughout the streak, something the Gophers have yet to do this season.
âÄúIt is a lot of travel, but itâÄôs nothing that they arenâÄôt used to,âÄù Allister said about the teamâÄôs 32 road games to begin the year. âÄúItâÄôs part of playing softball in Minnesota.âÄù
Allister likely hopes that Big Ten success also becomes a part of Minnesota softball, as the team has compiled a dismal 28-68 record in conference play since 2005. The new coaching staff will have its first chance to turn around the program on Saturday against the Hoosiers, a team that outscored the Gophers 9-3 in two games in Minnesota last year.
âÄúItâÄôs the most exciting part of the year,âÄù Merchant said about conference play. âÄúYouâÄôre able to compete against the best teams, and weâÄôre really looking forward to the challenge.âÄù
