Sports

Badgers enter conference play on role

In a season in which the Badger softball team has lost one of its captains and best hitters to injury, in which their first outdoor field experience was also their first game, and in which they have already played seven ranked teams, the Badger women have done remarkably well. An 18-13 record is a testament to the team’s hard work and determination as a cohesive unit.

But the real test begins now for the Badgers as they head into Big Ten play this weekend, starting with two games at Penn State followed by two games at Ohio State. This should prove to be one of the toughest road trips of the year for the Badger women, who have spent the last month and a half traveling to tournaments across the country from Tennessee to California.

“It’s a tough road trip, because the travel isn’t easy,” said coach Karen Gallagher of the coming weekend. “These should be some of our toughest road games of the season.”

Against 12-19 Penn State, the Badgers will have to deal with a couple of big hitters in Meghan Wolfer and Leigh Murray. Wolfer leads the Nittany Lions in batting, hitting at a .341 clip while Leigh Murray provides power with her four home runs and .500 slugging percentage. The Badgers match up well against Penn State’s pitching and defense, which are ranked tenth and eleventh in the Big Ten, respectively. It will be up to the Badger’s offense to get things rolling in Pennsylvania.

Ohio State will be the team packing a punch. The Badgers will play a doubleheader in Columbus on Sunday against a 17-10 Buckeye team that is currently hitting .293 as a team, good for third in the Big Ten. Their offense is led by Nycole Koyano and her .386 batting average. But the Buckeye to watch out for is double threat Jamee Juarez. At the plate Juarez has two dingers and 20 RBI to go along with her .288 batting average, and on the mound she has pitched to an 8-4 record with a 1.84 ERA and nine complete games.

But it’s the Badgers themselves who are a team to watch out for going into Big Ten play this weekend. After a bumpy spring break in California in which the Badgers went 4-7, the team rebounded to take three of four games in the Hawkeye Classic the next weekend, including a 2-1 victory over Iowa on Sunday.

“I think the kids have a way of knowing when it’s time to get on their horse again,” said coach Karen Gallagher of her team’s efforts in Iowa. “Everybody was doing a great job and we were playing great defense.”’

The Badgers have emerged this season as a team chock full of young role players. Wisconsin has leaders in catcher Boo Gillette, left fielder Diana Consolmagno, and shortstop Kris Zacher, all of whom have been exhibitions of consistency for the team, but it’s been the contribution of all the other players that has made the difference for the Badgers this season.

“We are a very good team, but we don’t have superstars,” said Gallagher. “I look at the season and I look at who has stepped up and it’s been somebody different every time. It’s been Emily Freidman one game or Athena Vasquez or Kris Zacher.”

A perfect example is freshman Sam Polito, who was expected to play only a minor role this season, but has played every game in center field and is even tied for second in the Big Ten with 22 runs scored.

Vasquez, the freshman at third base, hit a two-run shot on Sunday to carry the Badgers past Iowa Sunday. Even the pitcher with the team’s best ERA, freshman Eden Brock, came into the season with no Division I experience and has helped carry a staff hurt by injury and struggles.

The Badgers will look to these role players to back up their proven leaders as they wade into the murky Big Ten waters this weekend. This road trip will be a good assessment of the Badgers’ Big Ten hopes for the season, playing some tough games on the road.

Coach Gallagher said of the team’s prospects, “We could be number one, or we could be right in the mix. I really think that any given weekend anybody can beat anybody. I tell the kids that we could be hosting the Big Ten Tournament this year, and it’s been a dream of ours. We’d love to host something at this beautiful facility [the Goodman Complex], and what a great way to end our Big Ten season.”

The Badger women head into Big Ten play with the wind at their backs. Where that wind is blowing at the end of the season only time will tell.