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Gophers hoping to capitalize on 11-game winning streak at Big Ten Tournament

Head Coach Piper Ritter thinks the team has what it takes to make it back to Oklahoma City.

MINNEAPOLIS — Talk about peaking at the right time!

"Obviously we are just skyrocketing, and there's no slowing us down," said Gophers pitcher Autumn Pease.

36-16 overall, the Gophers softball team takes an 11-game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament this week.

"Going into postseason is a great time to get hot, and I think that we are doing just that, and we just need to keep it rolling," said Gophers catcher Taylor Krapf.

Senior pitcher Autumn Pease leads the team with 25 wins and over 240 strikeouts this season, both totals rank top-ten nationally.

"I kind of have the attitude of when I'm on the field, I'm ruling the field, so I think that's helped me so much this year," said Pease.

"She goes out there thinking she's better than these batters and just goes after them one pitch after another and I think that's what allows her to succeed," said Krapf.

Minnesota's bats can swing it as well, they rank in the top-15 in the country in home runs per game.

Four years after the program's first-ever appearance at the Women's College World Series, Gophers head coach Piper Ritter believes this year's team has what it takes to get back to Oklahoma City.

"Postseason, getting to Oklahoma was really, really hard, and I think we played our best softball getting there. When their backs are against the wall, they're ready to fight, they're ready to go after it, so they have a little bit of that tenacity," Ritter said. 

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