Senior Kaitlyn Richardson is playing a new position this season for the Gophers. She's at first base instead of third.

But her hitting ability hasn't changed. She was 9-for-16 last weekend to boost her career average to .400, a nice, gaudy stat.

Minnesota opened the season in a tournament in Las Vegas and went 5-0. This weekend the Gophers are in Florida for four more games, including two on Friday versus Steton University, a team they have never played before.

The Hatters are 3-1 and, so far, also are swinging the bats well. They are hitting .426 with seven homers and 31 RBI and have outscored four opponents 32-4. Their one loss was to Michigan State 3-2.

Sophomore righty Sara Groenewegen and company in the circle for the Gophers will try to quiet the Hatters a bit. She is 3-0 with 28 strikeouts in 16 innings -- that's almost two per inning.

The Gophers are No. 12 in one national poll, No. 13 in another. So they are getting noticed. The last time they broke into the top 10 was way back in 1997 when they were No. 9.

ESPN.com/USA Softball has them at No. 12, USA Today/NFCA at No. 13.