Sports

Softball stays road

The Wisconsin softball team returns to action Friday when it travels to Tampa, Fla. for the USF- Louisville Slugger Tournament.

Hosting the tournament is the University of South Florida, a team that defeated Wisconsin 4-2 in 2007. Among the other participants in the six-team tournament are South Carolina, Wright State, Georgia Tech and Hofstra.

“We’re going to have to bring it,” head coach Chandelle Schulte said. “It doesn’t really matter who our opponent is right now; what matters is what we’re doing on the field.”

Wisconsin opens the tournament Friday with games against South Carolina and Wright State. Saturday, the Badgers will play back-to-back games versus Georgia Tech and tournament host USF. Finally, they will face Hofstra Sunday morning before returning to Madison.

The Badgers (5-5) will look to build on last weekend’s Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, which saw them go 3-2, including a 7-5 victory over Cal Poly in eight innings.

“We’ve got a good base,” senior catcher Joey Daniels said of the team. “[However], we have a long way to go to build on that base. It’s going to take time to adjust to everybody.”

One of the keys to Sunday’s win was the performance of freshman pitcher Kristyn Hansen who earned her first collegiate victory in 4.1 innings of work.

“[Kristyn’s] win was huge for the team,” Schulte said. “We need a three-man rotation, so it was important for our pitching staff.”

Leading the way so far for the Badgers offensively has been Daniels and junior infielder Ricci Robben, with team highs in hits and runs batted in, respectively.

However, noticeably absent from this year’s team is former Badger and Wisconsin’s career home run leader, Katie Hnatyk. Last season, as a junior, Hnatyk led the Badgers in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage — all of which set UW single-season records.

“Katie decided that softball just wasn’t her passion anymore,” Schulte said. “She wanted to do some other things; I supported that decision, and I wish her the best of luck.”

While it has been a blow to the Badgers offense, Schulte believes it has helped in terms of the dynamic of the team and the opportunity to get some other players to play.

With six freshmen and only two seniors on the roster, getting new players in the game has been integral to the Badgers’ success so far this season.

“We have a lot of young players,” Robben said. “[However], we’re adapting well as a team, and if we continue to play together, then we will have success like we have been.”

The team is young, and with that has come a degree of perseverance. In fact, the Badgers are 4-3 in games in which their opponent scores first, and they’re 1-1 in extra inning games.

“They just keep fighting,” Schulte said. “They called them the ‘Rally Girls’ this week because every time somebody would score, we would counter score.”

Also contributing to Wisconsin’s success through 10 games has been its pitching staff. In addition to Hansen’s performance against Cal Poly, junior Leah Vanevenhoven and sophomore Letty Olivarez have combined for a 4-5 record in 65.2 innings pitched, allowing 30 earned runs and striking out 64 batters.

“Our pitchers have stepped up a lot more than last year,” Robben said. “They’re finishing the games and getting the job done in a much bigger role.”

With record-breaking snowfalls and single-digit temperatures in Madison this winter, the Wisconsin softball team, as usual, has been forced to practice indoors and travel to warmer climates for games thus far.

“We haven’t gotten the chance to play in the sun,” Daniels said. “It’s a big adjustment, and it’s a lot of games, but we’re used to it.”

While the Badgers have had the opportunity to travel to Utah and Las Vegas in the season’s first two weeks, they hope to gain much experience and confidence as they continue to participate in tournaments over the next month.

“We may take some lumps early, but we hope to compete in the Big Ten,” Schulte said. “Our hope is that tough competition early will help us in the Big Ten.”