During the fourth inning of Sunday’s 10-3 series clinching win over Rutgers, Natalie DenHartog blasted her 52nd home run of her collegiate career, breaking the Minnesota Softball program record.
“The minute I swung the bat, I felt like it was going to be out, but with the wind I wasn’t sure and it went over the fence,” said DenHartog. “In that moment I got all the memories flashing before my eyes of everything it took to get there and all the people that supported me along the way, including my parents as I rounded the bases.”
Gophers assistant coach Katie Richardson had her own praise for DenHartog.
6 home runs from 6 DIFFERENT hitters but this one takes the cake!! So proud of you @natdenh, excited to watch you put our schools record out of reach over the next year and a half #GoGophsForever #SkiUMah 〽️ https://t.co/cv3jtlCfZd
— Katie Richardson (@KatieRich26) March 27, 2022
As a freshman, DenHartog led the Gophers in RBIs. During that first year with the Gophers she looked up to Maddie Houlihan, who DenHartog tries to model her role on the team after.
“Maddie was a really excellent leader and she was a logical, no-nonsense type player,” said DenHartog. “She might not have been the flashiest player but she came through in crunch time consistently and you could count on her to be successful in high pressure situations, purely because of her tough mindset.”
Ever since 2019, DenHartog has continued to be an offensive juggernaut, leading the Big Ten in home runs in 2021.
“I definitely don’t go up and try to hit home runs because I’ll probably end up putting some more K’s on the board,” said DenHartog. “I just go up and try to have good at-bats…my job for this team is to be someone that gets on base and makes the pitcher work so the people after me can produce runs. Whether it’s a walk, single, double, or home run, I’m happy with whatever it is as long as I can contribute to the team.”
Looking at the 2022 squad, the Gophers play their opening home series this weekend against Illinois. This home stand is a long time coming after the team has been on the road since the season began on Feb. 11.
“We travel a lot, so playing at home is not only a blessing to be in front of your home fans, but to have that extra rest of not getting on a bus or a plane,” said DenHartog. “It’s always fun to hear the crowd and to see the support that the state of Minnesota gives back to us.”
Minnesota is coming off of a successful 2021 where they came one game short of the NCAA Super Regionals, losing to the UCLA Bruins. The team had a heavy amount of experience and coming into 2022, the Gophers lost five super-seniors to graduation.
“It was hard because they were great leaders off the field,” said DenHartog. “But we also brought in some really great people and the character of this team is extremely enjoyable. Being able to be a cohesive unit off the field is where it all starts and we’re excited to see where this new team can go.”
The Gophers first game back in Minneapolis will take place at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium at 4 p.m. on Friday.
