Five years ago, Katelyn Kemmetmueller and Carlie Brandt were part of a heralded freshman class excited to join a Gophers softball program that had become an NCAA tournament fixture under then-coach Jessica Allister.
Four 'super seniors' kept Gophers softball strong through coaching changes
With Amber Fiser in the circle for a fifth season and three classmates behind her in the infield, Minnesota is where it wants to be: the NCAA tournament.
May 20, 2021 at 11:38PM
Two head coaches later, the winning tradition continues, with the Gophers set to begin their eighth consecutive NCAA tournament when they play Fresno State on Friday night in Los Angeles.
That 2016 recruiting class has turned into "super seniors," who took advantage of the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility during the pandemic.
Going through those coaching changes — from Allister to Jamie Trachsel and now Piper Ritter — took strong belief in the program to keep them together. Allister left for Stanford and Trachsel for Ole Miss before Minnesota finally promoted Ritter, its longtime pitching coach.
"It definitely wasn't what I expected, but it's been a blessing in disguise," said Kemmetmueller, a third baseman from Rogers. "Having Coach Ritter here all five years has been great. She's done a great job transitioning to our head coach. The staff she brought in has been great. They're a well-rounded staff. It's helped us be a well-rounded team."
After reaching the 2019 Women's College World Series, the Gophers went 15-9-1 under Trachsel last year before the pandemic wiped out the rest of the season.
So far, Ritter's inaugural season running the program has been played entirely within the Big Ten. The Gophers reeled off a 19-2 stretch at one point and are 29-11 entering this NCAA regional hosted by UCLA, the tournament's No. 2 overall seed.
The Gophers finished second in the Big Ten behind Michigan but showed their potential on Senior Day with a 7-3 victory over the Wolverines.
Second baseman MaKenna Partain, the team's leading hitter, joined sophomore center fielder Natalie DenHartog as first-team All-Big Ten performers this season. Kemmetmueller and Amber Fiser were second team all-league.
Ritter is grateful to the seniors who decided to return — including Fiser and Partain — who've helped make the Gophers contenders in her first season at the helm.
"Some of the greatest years I had were playing softball," said Ritter, a former Gophers standout pitcher. "For them to be able to come back — I'm glad the NCAA awarded them another opportunity. I believe all of them were thankful for it. I'm happy they chose to stay here to be a Gopher."
Kemmetmueller, a third baseman, completed her nursing degree last year, but she chose to play softball again to finish on her own terms.
"Deciding to come back for my fifth year was the best decision I could've made," she said.
One of the most talented players of the U's 2016 class was Kendyl Lindaman, who was an All-Big Ten catcher and led the league in home runs as a sophomore in 2018. She transferred to Florida two years ago and became one of the top hitters in the SEC, with the Gators back in the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 overall seed.
In 2017, Allister's final year with the Gophers, they went 56-5 overall and 21-1 in conference to win the Big Ten title before she left to coach her alma mater at Stanford. Trachsel then became the program's first coach to reach the World Series before she left.
Now, Allister has Stanford back in the NCAA tournament, and Trachel has Mississippi there, too. Meanwhile, Kemmetmueller, Brandt, Partain and Fiser have kept the Gophers program going strong.
"That's been so consistent through our five years here," said Brandt, a shortstop. " … We've been able to take many different aspects from each coaching staff. This year, we have a great balance and I love where we're at. … We couldn't be in a better spot."
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