Experienced Gopher softball squad begins challenging ’22 schedule in Orlando

The Gopher softball team begins the 2022 season this weekend with their trademark marathon of season-opening road games ahead of the spring thaw at home.

The team is coming off a 31-13 record in 2021 (29-11 Big Ten), that saw them run allthe way to the NCAA REgional Final before falling to UCLA.

This is the second season for head coach and Gopher alumnus Piper Ritter.

Her trend of developing aces stretches back through her 13-year tenure as the Gophers’ pitching coach, and should continue as senior Autumn Pease takes over as the expected #1 starter.

Pease, who shared co-ace duties with Amber Fiser last season, was 12-3 last season in 19 starts and 23 appearances.

Ritter has coached five All-American pitchers and three Big Ten Pitchers of the Year.

Click the video box on this page to watch KSTP Sports’ preseason interviews with Gophers head coach Piper Ritter, ace pitcher senior Autumn Pease and sophomore catcher Sara Kinch

Despite the departures of several key players from the lineup – Carlie Brandt and Katelyn Kemmetmueller among them- the 2022 roster is still heavy with veteran players.

Five starters return, notably Ellee Jensen and Natalie Den Hartog. Both rank in top ten in batting average among all-time Gopher hitters.

The seniors on the roster combine for close to 1,000 career D-1 appearances.

The Gophers open the season this weekend in Orlando. They face 12th-ranked Georgia twice along with Central Florida and Fresno State, who both sit just outside the national rankings.

The challenging weekend is indicative of a very tough schedule that will see the Gophers play 12 different teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament including three that played in the Women’s College World Series.

The weekend in Florida sees the Gophers play five of thirty straight road games to open the season. Their first home game is slated for April 1st against Illinois.