A Look Back at 2019
Arguably the most improved program of the past decade, the Gophers capped off their rise to the top by punching the program’s first-ever Women’s College World Series berth in 2019. Minnesota posted an overall record of 46-14 with a 20-2 mark in conference play. However, news broke yesterday (1/28/2019) that junior Hope Brandner has not been medical cleared to compete and her timeline to return to play is unknown; find the story, here.
Roster Turnover
Departures: Minnesota said goodbye to four impact seniors following the 2019 campaign and one key transfer/. Seniors Maddie Houlihan, Sydney Smith, Taylor Chell, and Allie Arneson graduated leaving sizable holes that’ll need to be filled. Houlihan, a four year starter for the Maroon and Gold, received multiple All-Big Ten and All-Region awards over her career and will be missed not just on the field but off as well. Not only did she hit .297 with 37 RBI, seven home runs, and held an on-base percentage of .390 she was central to the team’s leadership over the last few seasons. Smith, a former LSU transfer, finished her senior season in the circle with a 2.40 ERA over 108 innings pitched. She recorded 88 strike outs and brandished a 13-5 record. Arneson, the team’s starting shortstop, hit .244 in the 60 games of action she saw. Over that stretch she collected 18 RBI, 25 walks, and posted an OBP of .350. Chell did not see much on-field action but was another crucial figure in team morale and leadership. Lastly, in a turn of events that surprised many, would-be sophomore catcher Emma Burns announced this fall she was entering the transfer portal and leaving the Gopher program. Burns stepped up big in 2019 following the transfer of All-American catcher, Kendyl Lindaman (Florida).
Arrivals: It has been a busy offseason and fall as the Gophers added eight new student-athletes to the 2020 roster. Six freshman ready to begin their collegiate careers including mid-winter additions, Shyann Beddow and Ava Dueck. The Gophers also picked up transfers Autumn Pease (So., RHP, Idaho State) and Brooke Vander Heide (Sr., OF, BYU). Worth keeping a close eye on will be freshmen Kianna Jones and Beddow in addition to senior Vander Heide. The biggest “puzzle piece” to the 2020 season could be Jones who has Canadian Junior Women’s National Team experience and is a two-way player; if she adjusts well, she could provide much needed depth behind Fiser in 2020 as well as balance to the middle through bottom of the batting order. Beddow, who graduated high school early to join the team in 2020, is an interesting addition to the roster that you should keep your eye on. The thought is she was brought in as more of a defensive specialist following the departure of Burns but time will tell, a big question with Beddow is her offensive game with only one month to prepare for a tough schedule against some of the country’s best. Vander Heide should be fun to watch, the talented senior has enjoy some good success in her career at BYU and will bring experience and passion to the lineup.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: Minnesota returns a majority of key pieces in 2020; All-American Amber Fiser returns along side follow seniors starters Makenna Partain, Katie Kemmetmueller, and Carlie Brandt. NFCA National Freshman of the Year finalist, Natalie DenHartog is back with her monster bat and the Gophers will also see Ellee Jensen return to play after missing most of the 2019 season. The now redshirt sophomore earned All-Big Ten Freshman team, All-Big Ten, and second team All-Great Lakes region honors during her first collegiate season in 2018. She led the team in batting average (.401), scored 40 runs, and recorded an on-base percentage of .460; having Jensen back is a huge, important boost. From there, the most obvious strength the Gophers have is Fiser who is the type of pitcher that gives any team a chance to win when in the circle. Lastly, Minnesota finished ninth in the country in team fielding percentage (.976) in 2019. Strong defense and an ace like Fiser will win the Gophers a lot a games and keep them in many others.
Weaknesses: Despite the many positives going for the Gophers there are some big question marks left to be answered; largely centered around now three infield positions, the bottom half of the offensive lineup, and depth in the circle. First let’s look at the catching, shortstop, and first base positions. It’s a similar situation to the 2019 season where questions surrounded the catcher position, but as mentioned above, Burns stepped up in big ways throughout the season. Now with her gone and not much of a yet apparent answer for this season, the Gophers added 2020 high school graduate, Beddow. There are just so many unknowns and it will likely be a continual work in progress through the early part of the season. Look for a “catch by committee” with her and Josie White splitting time, though, you could see another body dawning the gear if the Gophers have been able to develop another athlete during these past few months. Freshman catcher Olivia Peterson could see some time as well.
Moving to shortstop, the Gophers have options in filling the hole left by Arneson. Expect to see Brandt and freshman, Sydney Strelow, combining to cover the position. However, senior Kaylen Krueger has seen some innings at shortstop over her career and freshman Delanie Cox, an NFCA High School All-American, is listed as a utility, so they could potentially be options as well.
Lastly, we now must ask the question, “who will take over at first while Brandner is inactive?” That is another interesting questions without many obvious answers at this time. Could we see Natalie DenHartog slide in from the outfield to step in at first? Maybe. She is incredibly athletic and could have the mental fortitude to take on this task. Maybe Katelyn Kemmetmueller moves from third to first for awhile but then who back-fills that position? Does Cox play a role this as well? It’s an incredibly interesting situation that will be worth keeping eyes on.
Pitching depth is also in question heading into the 2020 season. Smith was the Gophers’ second in 2019 and threw 108.0 innings posting a 13-5 record and a 2.40 ERA. From there Rachel Lowary, Hannah Bailey, and Carlie Brandt combined for less than 30 innings of work. During the offseason Lowary, who has a long history of injuries, ended her collegiate career and Bailey transferred to Boise State. Minnesota does add three arms to the roster (Jones, Pease, and Dueck) but until proven otherwise the extent of their depth is still in question.
Despite a number of “big boppers” and tough outs in their lineup, there are questions that still remain offensively for the Gophers; mainly through the bottom three slots of their lineup and now the void left by an inactive Brandner. But that is the fun part of collegiate athletics, how do teams reload? Time will tell!
2020 Outlook
Minnesota is poised for another competitive season and deep playoff run if they can avoid injuries and get some strong production from the many new faces on their roster. The Gophers will need to get creative in filling some of the open holes heading into the 2020 season and you may see a mix of different athletes stepping in and stepping up and various times through the season. But again, that can make a season extra exciting for fans to follow and enjoy.
