There is no softball team in the Big Ten hotter than Minnesota’s.
And other than the Gophers, there is no other Big Ten team hotter than Michigan State.
This weekend will settle once and for all which team is the hottest, but when Minnesota and the Spartans meet for a three-game series in East Lansing, Mich., the results could be of astronomical proportions.
“We’re excited,” Gophers co-coach Julie Standering said. “We’re coming off two big wins against Northwestern, and we’re ready to play again.”
Michigan State swept Northwestern last weekend before taking both games of a doubleheader on Wednesday against Indiana. The Spartans remain one game behind the Gophers for the second seed in the Big Ten tournament May 14 and 15.
The top five conference teams receive berths in the conference tournament, and Michigan (45-7-1 overall, 17-1 in the Big Ten) has all but locked up the top seed. The Wolverines need two more wins to wrap up the Big Ten title.
Penn State (29-19, 10-8), Michigan State (36-17, 10-6) and the Gophers (38-15, 11-5), meanwhile, all desperately want to avoid the fourth and fifth seeds.
“We need to play our game,” said sophomore Morgan Holden. “We’re going to have to go out there and bust our butt. We know it’s important.”
The fourth and fifth seeds must play one game against each other to determine who will be the fourth team in the tournament. The winner of that game will have to face Michigan in the first round.
Winning the series would give Minnesota a two- or possibly three-game cushion on the No. 2 seed.
Dropping two of three against Michigan State, and two of three wins by Penn State at Indiana (17-34, 3-15), would put Minnesota and the Spartans in a tie for the second seed and both teams would only be one game ahead of the Lions.
A Spartans’ sweep could potentially drop the Gophers to the No. 4 slot, depending on how Penn State fares against the Hoosiers, and how Wisconsin (24-16, 8-7) holds up against Michigan.
For the Gophers to stay in control of the second or third seed, good pitching will be the key this weekend.
The Spartans are hitting almost .330 as a team and averaging a little more than five runs per game. Steph Klaviter (17-7) and Heather Brown (11-1) are expected to start for Minnesota, and both are coming off wins on Wednesday against Northwestern. Klaviter is the reigning Big Ten pitcher of the week.
“We had a lull at the beginning of the Big Ten season,” Klaviter said. “But we’ve regrouped and talked about being a complete staff. The last few weeks we’ve been doing that.”
Bottom line: Minnesota can control its own destiny and get a second or third seed, but only if it continues to win.
And at crunch time, winning, according to Holden, doesn’t come from just pitching, defense or hitting.
“It’s going to come down to which team has more heart and intensity,” Holden said. “It’s always a mixture (of pitching, defense and hitting). But in tight games, it’s whoever gives the most.”