After its best season in program history, the Gophers softball team will open its 2018 schedule with two games Friday, facing Southern Utah at 11 a.m. and Utah Valley at 3:30 p.m. in the SportCo Kick Off Classic in Las Vegas.
Minnesota finished 56-5 last season — a school record for wins. The Gophers also set program records for longest winning streaks to start a season (19) and longest winning streak ever (26). They won their first Big Ten regular-season title since 1991 and their third conference tournament title in four years.
And, after never being ranked in the top 10 before, the Gophers reached No. 1 in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll just before the NCAA tournament began.
Despite its gaudy record, Minnesota was not among the 16 teams seeded in the national tournament — a controversial decision — and was sent to the Tuscaloosa Regional. There the Gophers lost twice to host Alabama, 1-0 both times, and were eliminated. The first game against the Crimson Tide went nine innings and ended that 26-game winning streak.
In the two major preseason polls this year, Minnesota is No. 16 in one, No. 18. And then there's the Fastpitch News poll, which has the maroon and gold ranked No. 5. More on that later.
What's certain about the Gophers when they take the field against Southern Utah is that their lineup will be much the same as it was for nearly every game last season.
Seven of eight position players return as does No. 2 starter Amber Fiser.
Gone are pitching ace Sara Groenewegen and left fielder and leadoff hitter Sam Macken. Both graduated.
Also gone is head coach Jessica Allister, who took a job at Stanford, her alma mater.