SPORTS
As Robben goes, so does UW
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Also by Michael Bleach:
- Wisconsin begins title defense against Minnesota (March 14, 2008)
- Softball team hits road again to Missouri (March 14, 2008)
- Minnesota awaits in Final Face-Off semis (March 7, 2008)
- UW's assistant coaches play big role in success (March 5, 2008)
- Minnesota 1st Final Face-Off opponent (March 4, 2008)
Related Stories:
- Robben kicking off UW career in style (April 6, 2005)
- Spring training never felt so cold (February 1, 2007)
- Softball stays road (February 21, 2008)
- Rockin' Robben leads way (April 16, 2007)
- Badgers douse Flames (April 18, 2007)
by Michael Bleach
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wisconsin’s softball team doesn’t play at home until their
36th game of the season, due to the state’s inclement weather. This makes it
all the more surprising that there are six players who will leave the sunny
state of California and join the Badgers in the Wisconsin cold.
One of the most notable California natives is junior
outfielder Ricci Robben.
“The cold weather is always hard to get used to,” Robben
said. “But it isn’t as big of a deal as you would think. I just look at it as
experiencing something new, which makes it more fun.”
By visiting during the warm weather — and with a little help
from the UW football team — Robben was sold on Wisconsin’s program and helped
bring her friend and teammate Joey Daniels with her.
“I came here on a recruiting visit, and I just fell in love
with the place,” Robben said. “This place is full of tradition, and we went to
the football game, which was awesome. It was really helpful to already know
some girls on the team, and then Joey [Daniels] also decided to come here.”
“She influenced me, and I influenced her, and we ended up
choosing UW,” Daniels added.
Since she arrived in 2005, Robben has been one of the team’s
best offensive players. Her freshman year she hit .255 with 31 RBIs, which was
third best on the team. After a redshirt year in 2006, Robben batted .318 and
drove in 33 runs, second most on the team.
“I just don’t think too much when I am at the plate,” Robben
said. “I don’t press myself and just wait for a pitch to hit.”
With her sustained offensive success, Robben has led her
teammates and coaches to believe she can be relied on to drive in runs.
“Whenever I get on base I know she is going to hit me in,”
said Daniels, who is the team’s leadoff hitter. “She has been clutch since we
got here as freshmen, and it is very reassuring to have her right behind me in
the lineup.”
“Over the past few years Ricci has really evolved as a
hitter,” head coach Chandelle Schulte added. “She used to be more of just a
power hitter, and now she hits both doubles and singles and is a little more
patient at the plate. Ricci comes from a good softball background, and it shows
in games because she is very aggressive at the plate.”
Unfortunately for the Badgers, Robben hasn’t quite found her
stroke this year, as she is batting just .213, though she does lead the team in
RBIs with 17. Both Robben and her coach believe it is merely a prolonged slump
and that she will start hitting again soon.
“She is just in a slump, but the best thing about slumps is
that they end,” Schulte said. “She is clearly a good hitter and has
demonstrated that before, so as coaches we need to make her feel good about her
swing again.”
“I am thinking about [the slump] a little too much right
now,” Robben added. “When I have success I am more relaxed and just go up there
and look for my pitch. Right now, though, I keep pressing and over-thinking
each at-bat.”
Along with carrying a lot of offensive responsibility,
Robben is also one of the leaders on the team. Fans might not notice it,
however, if they expect her to give speeches and constantly be talking.
“I am not one of those cheerleader-type people,” Robben
said. “I prefer to lead by example and let my play do the talking. If I think
something needs to be said then I will say it, but otherwise I just play the
game.”
Just as Robben’s batting average has suffered, so too has
the team’s record. At just 10-21, the Badgers have already lost more games this
year than they did all of last season. But despite all the struggles, Robben is
optimistic that the team will turn it around with the Big Ten season starting
this weekend.
“It is difficult,” Robben said of the team’s losing record.
“Last year we started out hot, but then cooled down at the end. This year, I
think that we are already turning it around in our last couple of games, so I
think we may have started slow, but we will finish the season strong.”
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